On Friday, May 29th, Riot Games announced several updates for their upcoming mobile version of League of Legends titled, Wild Rift. As a part of Summer Game Fest, Riot discussed the new release and gave players a few sneak-peeks at what is to come for the mobile game.
Things We Know
For the initial Alpha release of the game, players who signed up for early access during the Riot 10-Year anniversary event will get access. The first round of large scale testing will start with a two-week pilot for Brazil and the Philippines, solely on mobile platforms.
In the gameplay reveal, the developers showcased the playable champions for League of Legends: Wild Rift. At its start, the mobile game will contain 36 playable champions. Some champions will also have a few small changes in order to accommodate the swap to mobile from desktop.
On the Wild Rift, the Nexus will defend itself rather than turrets. The Nexus turrets have been removed, to promote faster gameplay. In fact, the majority of the game itself has been optimized to keep games within 15-20 minutes. One of the changes to help that is Smite is upgraded in the jungle, rather than going back to base to purchase Challenging or Chilling smite.
Players can now only purchase one “activated” item. Active effects are bought as a third-tier for boots. There is now a “quick-buy” option, allowing for quicker returns to the lane.
Alpha testers will be able to try out tutorials, Co-op vs. AI, and the classic normal mode. There is a ranked mode for the alpha test as well, where players can test their skills against other players on the Wild Rift.
There will be champion skins in the alpha as well. The announcement video highlighted several different skins for various champions.
Things We Don’t Know
One of the glaring omissions in Friday’s announcement video, was the true release date for the game. There were no new updates to when League of Legends: Wild Rift would be available for consoles as well.
They also did not mention how many champions Wild Rift will have at launch. While they most likely will aim for the majority of the roster to be available in the mobile version, Riot has not stated how many champions will make the jump.
Pricing for champion skins is not yet announced as well. While Wild Rift will be free-to-play, skins will still be available for purchase in alpha and launch.
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Featured image courtesy of Riot Games
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