Upcoming Changes to League of Legends Champions' Ability Icons
Riot Games has announced that they will be updating some of the older ability icons for League of Legends Champions in the upcoming 13.18 patch.
New Ability Icons for Champions
League of Legends is getting a new visual update of sorts as Riot Games is all set to equip many Champions with new ability icons. Some of the Champions that are expected to receive these updates, including Blitzcrank, Janna, and Vayne, are some of the oldest in the game.
Mixed Reactions to the Update
While the older ability icons can be quite bulky and sometimes not accurate in showing what the Champion’s ability does, it seems the new ability icons are not an improvement either. This has left the League community in a state of mixed opinions, with many expressing dissatisfaction with the updated icons.
Among the concerns raised were how the abilities with the Champions depicted performing actions in the icons seemed off and some noted that others were an appreciable improvement over their older versions. Also, opinions dwelled around the good and bad of the changes, as exemplified by one user who said some look great (Varus, Janna) while others look pretty bad (Olaf Passive, Vayne Q, Malphite E/R).
Indeed, the update hasn't been met with universal approval as Marc Robert 'Caedrel' Lamont, a former professional player and current LEC caster, shared his negative reaction to the update on social media stating, “WTF IS THISSSSSSS,”.
Social Media Engagement
The post generated some engagement on social media as other players expressed either their support for the new icons, shared some dislike for them, or just outright criticized them.
There seems to be a divide among the fans as another user voiced their opinion, stating,“Seeing people sh*t on all of these just seems like complaining for the sake of complaining, the only genuinely terrible one is Vayne Q where she’s slipping on a banana,”. At the same time, a different user shared a compelling perspective, “Thank you Riot for paying artists, but don’t try to improve things that simply cannot be improved. Nostalgia and pretty much ideal icons were already made. Don’t add these,”.
Upcoming Release
Players will see these changes in the game's 13.18 patch, which is due to release on September 13, 2023. Currently, League of Legends is in its 13.17 patch, which introduced significant buffs and nerfs to multiple Champions.
