After weeks of disappointment and backlash from its League of Legends community, Riot Games have taken a step back and confirmed to bring back the Hextech Chests.
Image Credit: Riot Games
Hextech Chests are back on League of Legends
In the latest dev update by the game developers, the Rioters have confirmed they will bring back the Hextech Chests: “It’s clear that for many of you, Hextech Chests weren’t just a way to get stuff. They were an important part of making your time in League feel rewarding. We didn’t fully grasp how much this mattered to you, and that led us to make changes that missed the mark,” said Paul Bellezza, also known as Riot Pabro, Executive Producer of League of Legends.
Starting in Act 2, in the upcoming Patch 25.05, Riot stated players will be able to earn up to 10 Hextech Chests and keys in every Act. Eight of them will be earned through the Free Battle Pass, replacing the seasonal skin.
“We’re bringing Chests back through the Pass instead of through champion mastery because we want to ensure that they’re accessible regardless of different playstyles. Whether you play modes with random champion selection or free choice, whether you play a wide variety of champions or just a few, we want to support that,” added Riot Meddler. He also confirmed that the remaining two chests will be earnable through Honor. In the short term, however, the two chests will be earned through missions given that Riot is figuring out the way to distribute them in the Honor system.
Is it really a win?
Even though Hextech Chests are back, the community has been split regarding the announcement. The large majority has expressed its joy regarding the return; others, on the other hand, are still quite skeptical. It’s not about the chests themselves, however.
League of Legends personality Dantes “Doanel” Forlini spoke on the matter, raising issues regarding the lack of consistency in Riot’s communication and decision making. He and several others have voiced their frustration against Riot’s upper management for misleading them and showing their tendency to maximize profits at the cost of player experience.
Aside from the Hextech Chests, which were supposed to be unsustainable, Doanel also spoke on Clash returning to a monthly schedule, despite the raised issues around the schedule, and the fact that Your Shop and the Essence Emporium were removed silently before being brought back. “This is merely a band-aid solution to a wounded mentality towards its player base,” he said in his tweet. So was it all a compromise to keep the player base? We’ll have to find out how Riot Games moves going forward. For now, the league community won the battle but will it win the war?