Wild Rift Patch 2.0 Analysis

Wild Rift stated that patch 2.0 is here. For full patch notes, click here. There were five new champions, small balance changes, and minor quality of life updates. So what do these changes spell out for Wild Rift, and exactly how will the meta and gameplay for the Rift change?

[Related: Wild Rift adds 5 new Champions]

New Champions

The inclusion of Lulu spells out huge changes in the bot lane meta. Lulu excels in denying burst, which has been a huge problem in Wild Rift. The Yordle support should make team fights a lot more interesting, allowing for engages and disengages to occur more successfully throughout the game.

Another Yordle included is Tristana. This cannon shooting ADC has the ability to reset her jumps, scaling very strongly into the late game. Her engage potential counters those ADCs lacking mobility that rely on standing a safe distance away. Therefore, Tristana will definitely switch up the bot lane meta. With Jhin’s nerfs in the previous patch and the inclusion of Tristana, the masked sharpshooter will no longer be the uncontested top tier pick.

The last two Yordles are for the top lane: Teemo and Kennen. Wild Rift has been severely lacking ranged champions for the top lane, having been primarily dominated by bruisers. These new ranged champions should create an environment where Darius can be easily countered, and give the top lane more diversity in playstyle.

Last but not least, mid laner Corki was added as well. As a ranged AD champion, Corki most likely will not change the mid lane meta that much. But the extra champion choice is definitely welcome, as more champions mean more variety in gameplay.

Be on the lookout for these new champions, as this update will bring massive changes to the meta of Wild Rift.

Quality of Life Changes

The most notable change that Wild Rift implemented was the mastery emote spam. Though seemingly insignificant, this emote allows players to brag and flaunt in a way that was not possible before. Especially since typing is more difficult in Wild Rift, changes like this should bring more flavor and fun to the game.

Another huge change Wild Rift implemented was getting rid of the ability to see the enemy’s items at all times. This was honestly a mistake initially by developers, and the fix is very much welcomed. Now, to be able to see enemy items, the allied team must have vision of them.

The minimap update now shows epic monster timers, something that Wild Rift has been missing that League of Legends has had for ages. This will allow more team playability, as objective timers will be common knowledge rather than educated guesses.  This change should make cooperating with teammates easier, improving quality of gameplay overall.

These changes are the most notable. For a list of all the smaller changes, check the official 2.0 patch notes.

Balance Changes

Courtesy of Alexander Huang

These balance changes were left out in the official patch notes. But the biggest nerf here is Zed. As a mid laner, Zed has been taking over Wild Rift. His damage and skill shots are too easy, making him an undeniable overpowered pick. By nerfing Zed’s missile width, skilled players should still be able to make-do with him. This nerf targets those who simply abused the skill shots, and is honestly a great nerf.

Master Yi’s push potential is insane, with his enhanced auto attacks and speed. Before the patch, he was simply taking structures too fast. This nerf should help manage this issue while keeping him viable in fights.

WuKong has been underperforming as a whole. Though players still manage to pop off with him, Riot buffed the Monkey King to help his performance overall. The change is very minor, and should not make a huge difference.

The nerfs to red buff were much needed. Often times, the burn damage on Red Buff seemed too strong, feeling almost like a second summoner spell. Riot nerfed the damage, a much needed and appreciated change.

Rift Herald spawns only once a game and can make a huge impact on the game. By making Rift Herald slightly more difficult to execute, fights near the objective should last longer, giving more opportunity for team fighting potential.

In Conclusion

These are huge changes to Wild Rift. As the first patch of the year, Riot is moving in the right direction with the game. Wild Rift is not perfect, in fact it is still flawed. But with every new patch, Riot moves towards a more polished game.

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