Riot Games shared a new Dev Update video today where a few members of the team talk about the new content coming with the release of Season 2 Act 2 for League of Legends. This update will add in a new Spirit Blossom-themed map for ARAM, the new champion Yunara, and "in-client meta-games."
- In Act 2, a variety of content—ranging from game modes to the newest champion to meta-games—are tied to the Wyldbloom, moving the Spirit Blossom story forward.
- A brand-new, Spirit Blossom-themed map, Koeshin’s Crossing, and the fan-favorite map Butcher’s Bridge are coming to ARAM.
- When loading into a game of ARAM, a map will be randomly selected between Koeshin’s Crossing, Butcher’s Bridge, and the classic ARAM map Howling Abyss.
- Each new map includes small changes to help keep gameplay fresh and engaging.
- A new feature, Champion Cards, is being tested as an alternative to re-rolls. In Champion Select, players will receive two Champion Cards to choose from; the unused card will go to the bench, where it can be selected by other players.
- The team’s goal with introducing these updates to ARAM is to bring more excitement and variety to each game without fundamentally changing what players love about the mode.
- Yunara, a traditional auto attack-based ADC, will be released in the coming weeks.
- A 2.5D side-scrolling beat-em-up meta-game featuring Yunara and Xin Zhao will also be available.
- This meta-game will be entirely self-contained and will not require League of Legends gameplay for progression.
- A spiritual successor to Spirit Bonds will also launch, allowing players to befriend spirits. Progression through this meta-game will require League gameplay.
- The team will continue to experiment with meta-game formats, exploring different cadences, genres, and styles over time to provide a wide range of experiences.
- Improvements to the inting and griefing detection system were initially deployed conservatively to avoid penalizing lower-skilled players.
- With a current accuracy rate of 99.95%, tougher punishments will now begin rolling out and high-skill players will be held to a higher standard than lower-skill players.
- Further improvements are being made to the system to address things like Anivia walls or Trundle pillars.
- Repeat offenders in Ranked will be placed into aggressive Ranked queues, rather than being forced into Norms or Swiftplay.
- A new feature is under consideration that would automatically terminate games with extreme game-ruining behavior.
- Updates are also underway for the Honor system, aimed to better align it with player expectations.
- MSI will begin on June 27 and will feature Pick Ems for the first time.
- All skins used by the winning team during MSI Finals will go on sale the following week.
- Finally, in response to player feedback, a throwback-style skin for Viktor is planned to release later this year.
