Though a new list of the most toxic online gaming communities surfaces every year,League of Legendsnever fails to make the list. Considering its longer matches, team-dependent nature, and steep learning curve, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to many. Over the years, thetoxicity inLeague of Legendshas increased to the point that Riot Games has had to implement several preventative measures to protect its player base, ranging from temporary bans to permanent bans.
Other Riot Game titles, likeValorant, also struggle with overly toxic player bases, resulting in enhanced anti-toxicity measures. Similarly, despite its popularity, status as Riot Games’ flagship title, and ongoing countermeasures,League of Legendscontinues to struggle with a notoriously toxic player base. As such, to improve its onboarding experience, Riot Games is experimenting with a fresh Public Beta Environment (PBE) feature that aims to help newcomers.
League of Legends Testing Newcomer-Friendly Feature in PBE
Potential PBE Feature Could Be a Game Changer For Beginners
Though not all aspects ofLeague of Legends’ PBEmake it into the live game, the latest feature has received generally favorable responses from the community. On June 11, it was revealed that in the PBE, Riot Games will add beginner-friendly overviews during the Team Drafting process, specifically within the Picks and Bans phase. When hovering over a Champion, a small pop-up box will appear offering a breakdown of the character.
The PBE changes currently include the following, but are subject to change:
Some Champions, such as Hecarim, don’t have an assigned difficulty level, which may suggest they are considered to be at a moderate level of difficulty.
Although this update isn’t tied to the highly anticipated WASD movement control abilities that players are still hoping for, it will significantly improve the experiences of beginners within the game. Furthermore, while jokes have been made about the fact that some players may not read the information anyway, the tutorial-like system is a feature thatLeague of Legendshas been criticizedas lacking in the past.
Interestingly, in an older version oftheLeague of Legendsclient, before 2017, a similar feature was tested, which allowed players to view information about the Champion they had declared to play as. However, it appears the new system will be much more robust.
It’s worth noting that in the PBE, the Champion select screen will remain the same. Therefore, if players find themselves the last to pick, they will only have about ten seconds to go through the details. Moreover, while concerns exist about whether the update, if it comes to pass, will cause performance issues orbugs inLeague of Legends, players are generally enthusiastic about the potential changes.
League of Legends Boasts a Massive Player Base, But Struggles with Retention
It’s no secret thatLeague of Legendsis one of the most popular live-service games on the market, and has been since its debut in 2009. Unfortunately,League of Legendshasn’t benefited much fromthe success ofArcane, nor its recurring status as Best Esports Games, as much as people might think. Over the years, it has become evident that while there have been influxes of new players,League of Legendsstruggles to retain them, primarily due to in-game toxicity and a lack of help for newcomers.
The beginner-friendly overview and viewable Champion abilities on the select screen mark a worthwhile step toward addressing this recurring issue. Not every player will have a need for it, nor will it necessarily benefit a player quickly trying to learn a Champion at short notice, but it should still be overall helpful, especially for players who primarily engage withLeague of Legends' ARAM mode.
