LoL’s patch 14.10 item changes prove Riot can still keep 15-year-old game fresh

League of Legends patch 14.10 made massive item changes that have been great for the game, revitalizing ADCs and bringing back champions who were often overlooked.

League of Legends made some huge changes in Patch 14.10, introducing a full update to ADC items that significantly buffed the class. This meant reworking the critical strike system so players would only need to purchase four items for 100% crit, allowing ADCs to purchase other items while maintaining power.

These changes saw champions like Caitlyn, Draven, and Samira suddenly resurge into relevance after often being overlooked and outshined by others. Despite these champions receiving some nerfs, it was still great to see a significant shake-up in the meta.

With over 160 champions released into League of Legends, many simply don’t see much play these days; whether that be due to an unpopular design or unfavorable metas.

It’s a real shame when one of the largest factors in League of Legends is the champion matchups —knowing the ins and outs of your opponent, how they play their champion, and the strategies they employ to win. But that ends up being far less interesting when you fight the same three or four champions over and over again.

Therefore it’s encouraging to see that Riot is happy to make such sweeping changes to League of Legends, not only with the Patch 14.10 itemization but with the map changes at the start of Season 14 too.

It shows that the devs aren’t afraid to mess around with the fundamentals of the game itself. They’re willing to implement massive updates, which should reflect on the game’s meta, balancing, and much more.

Of course, the developers need to factor in the changes for professional play since the pros need time to adjust, making large consecutive patches unhealthy for esports. But seeing major changes in the mid-season and the pre-season patch gives the 10-year-old game a new level of freshness that should see it continue to flourish in the future.