One of the great objectives of the League of Legends development team for the coming years is enhance the ‘lore’. This is a logical move, since the video game universe has extraordinary potential, but to date it is largely untapped. It is true that it has given rise to the Arcane series and the launch of quite interesting ‘singleplayer’ titles. However, one could play Riot Games’ MOBA for hundreds of hours without knowing absolutely anything about its story. It is something that will be corrected little by little and the company’s first step is one of the most interesting. In the same patch in which Season 14 begins, they will be added to the title multitude of interactions between champions which will have a very interesting impact on the gameplay.
Riot Games always had the answer before their eyes
The big news from Riot Games is a mechanic that has been in the game for more than ten years. We refer to the “nemesis missions”. They are events that arise when certain champions coincide in a game as rivals and certain circumstances occur. The easiest way to explain it is with an example. When Kha’Zix (must be level 16) and Rengar (must have charged his passive) face each other in a game, a secondary mission can be activated and the first one who is able to kill his enemy “wins”. This is because, according to the game’s canon, Rengar has been trying to hunt down the void monster for a long time.
- If Rengar kills Kha’Zix: Celebrate having finished off the monster. He gains an additional stack of his passive, which goes from offering 25% additional damage to 36%.
- If Kha’Zix kills Rengar: Celebrates that he has been able to adapt since his enemy set his sights on him. He is able to evolve the fourth ability from him.
Rengar is the protagonist in one of the few “nemesis missions” that already exist in League of Legends.
Currently the game has a similar mission involving Senna, Lucian and Thresh. It works with a similar dynamic: it only activates in the late game and offers stat buffs to the player who completes it. In this sense, Riot Games’ goal is greatly increase the number of “nemesis missions” that will be available in the game. Looking ahead to the start of Season 14, with Patch 14.1 arriving on January 10, 2023, at least three new similar interactions have been announced.
- Renekton and Nasus: The ultimate ability of the champion who wins the duel will cause him to increase in size even more and will have a longer duration.
- Zed and Shen: If you gain Shen, your passive shield will be 30% stronger. If Zed wins, his passive will deal 2% of the enemy’s maximum health as additional damage.
- Jax and Bel’Veth: The first to kill Baron Nashor wins. If Jax prevails, his attack speed increases by the equivalent of five stacks of Bel’Veth’s passive. If Bel’Veth is victorious, she will be able to activate her ultimate form every time she takes down Jax.
- Jhin and Hwei (Now available): Activates when both champions are alive and at least level 12. The first to kill the other with their ultimate ability wins. If Hwei succeeds, he gains 3.33% magic penetration. If Jhin does this, he gains 4,444 lethality.
Hwei came to League of Legends with his own ‘quest’.
Riot Games had not dared to delve into this idea until now. League of Legends is a very competitive game that does not lend itself to this type of interactions, as they can offer unfair advantages to certain players. Despite this, the developer has decided to test how the game feels and wait for the community’s reactions. It should be noted that the nemesis missions will be available in both ranked and competitive missions. The logic behind this, while not publicly communicated, seems simple. On the one hand, there are a lot of users who only play ranked games. On the other hand, the developer’s policy is that there should be no differences between the “classes” and the professional game.
The truth is It’s an interesting change to better leverage the history of League of Legends and convey it appropriately to the community. Clearly it might not work by disrupting competitive integrity. However, if this is the case, there is always the possibility that Riot Games will eliminate them. In fact, it doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Riot Games starts by only introducing four interactions when the ‘lore’ gives rise to more than two dozen missions as you are.
