LoL’s Swarm mode is a glorious return to form for Riot’s LTMs

League of Legends Swarm mode has just been released to the live servers and it’s exactly what the game needs more of. Not only is it ridiculously fun, but it proves the developers can still innovate on the decade-old game.

Riot has just released the Swarm game mode in League of Legends as a part of the Anima Squad 2024 event. The huge summer celebration brings plenty of new Anima Squad and Primordian skins, along with the highly anticipated Vampire Survivors Swarm mode.

Suffice it to say, the mode is some of the highest quality content Riot has ever released into League of Legends. It’s impressive how much the devs were able to flip what was traditional LoL on its head, giving us new controls with WASD, as opposed to the regular right click to move.

While initially, this is a bit challenging to work around, it makes complete sense for the mode – which requires the more precise movement gained from the new control scheme. This is the first time we’ve been able to move League champions using our keyboard buttons, opening up the opportunity for so much more innovation.

League almost perfectly emulates what made Vampire Survivors so perfect in the first place: cool escalating weapons that can evolve, and stat bonuses with hordes and hordes of enemies to defeat and collect experience from.

The mode also comes with five unique maps, each with its own gimmicks and achievements that unlock new upgrades. A separate gold system gives you a sense of progression as you unlock new champions and abilities.

Each champion has been translated really well for the game mode, wherein one ability has been turned into an auto-firing weapon, leaving just a basic and an ultimate left. Riven in particular felt like a well-made translation, playing exactly like her Summoner’s Rift counterpart but in a new context.

Swarm is also infinitely replayable, with so many combinations of champions, abilities, and weapons that you can pick from while you play out each stage. All of which you can do either by yourself or with a party of up to four players, giving you more freedom of choice than many other modes.

The new mode is a step in the right direction for League of Legends, in fact, it’s practically its very own game within the client itself. I have no doubt that if Riot can continue on this path, they can keep innovating and making fresh and fun game modes well into the future – revitalizing what would otherwise be a rather tired decade-old game.