Riot Games disables Chemtech Drake following backlash from League of Legends community
The preseason is typically the most exciting time of the year for League of Legends players as Riot Games prepares to launch new features and changes the game’s status quo. After fans and pro players backlash regarding Riot Games’ latest patch, Riot decided to disable the Chemtech Dragon until further notice.
The addition of the Chemtech and the Hextech Drakes brings a new element to the game’s elemental Drake system, which has been used for several years. Both the Chemtech Dragon and the Hextech Dragon gave extra stats for the players when killed.
Killing the Hextech Dragon will give the players Ability Haste, Attack Speed, and on-hit chain lightning. As for killing the Chemtech Dragon, players will get additional damage against tanks and a resurrection passive. However, the Chemtech Dragon gained significant backlash from the community, which Riot now addresses by disabling the drake.
The backlash against the Chemtech Dragon has been significant, with many individuals criticizing its stealth effect and unique terrain effect.
Why Riot Games disables Chemtech Drake
In the preseason, Riot Games stated that they wanted the Chemtech Drake to have a higher impact on games, but despite this, according to Riot Games, the decision to remove the Chemtech Drake and Soul, as well as Terrain, was made due to player frustration, especially in a losing game.
Riot Game published a statement, “Effective today, we’re disabling the Chemtech Drake, Soul, and Terrain.”
The Chemtech Drake has been criticized by various individuals, including professional players and everyday gamers. The dragon’s usefulness was only limited to certain tanky classes, and the addition of more camouflage was a blow against it. Moreover, invisibility has been a problematic mechanic to manage on Summoner’s Rift, and turning a team’s jungle into a deathtrap didn’t go well either.
As a result of the criticism, the Chemtech Drake and its related mechanics are being disabled. Additionally, Riot Games will be focusing on improving the terrain mechanic while also keeping the spirit of what was originally intended.
In the statement released on January 25, Riot Games stated, “While the Chemtech Drake and its corresponding systems are disabled, we’ll be iterating on design changes to solve the issues with the current versions, while maintaining the spirit of what we were originally trying to achieve.”
Moreover, Riot Games will be focusing on the terrain effect, which could take longer to develop. “Our primary focus will be on the terrain. This may take time to do right, meaning there’s a chance we won’t bring the Chemtech Drake back for a while,” the statement continued.
Listening to fans
Riot Games did not ignore the community feedback. Riot Games stated that the publisher heard what the fans asked for; hence, they disabled the Chemtech Drake. “We heard your feedback and we’re disabling the Chemtech Drake,” Riot Games wrote on its Twitter.
The fans are glad that Riot Games listened to them. The Award-Winning Shoutcaster Clayton Raines expressed his gratitude on Twitter, “HUGE props to Riot for listening to the community and disabling something that was almost universally hated. You love to see it!”
Riot Games has started the year with League of Legends, which is moving into Season 12. The company released its new character, AD Carry Zeri, and they also revealed that they intend on releasing more champions throughout the year. Riot Games is branching out into other media, such as VALORANT and Arcane, with the game’s continued popularity.
