LoL Preseason 2022 reveals new dragons, items, and more

TL;DR

  • Two new elemental dragons – Hextech provides teleportation portals and attack speed, Chemtech offers camouflage zones and resurrection effects
  • Multiple new Mythic and Legendary items targeting specific champion roles and playstyles
  • Rune updates for Glacial Augment and Lethal Tempo to increase strategic diversity
  • New objective bounty system rewards teams for strategic play beyond just kills
  • Challenges system introduces long-term progression with visual rewards for achievements

Riot Games continues its aggressive development pace this October, with the League of Legends team revealing extensive modifications planned for Preseason 2022. Players can anticipate transformative additions including two innovative elemental dragons, multiple equipment options across different categories, and significant rune adjustments that will reshape competitive play.

The developer’s “LoL Pls” presentation series consistently delivers compelling sneak peeks at upcoming Summoner’s Rift modifications. The latest installment maintains this tradition while introducing some of the most substantial gameplay evolutions in recent seasons.

Initial segments address community feedback regarding recently introduced champions that some players find difficult to counter, alongside Riot’s positive assessment of improved class variety in solo lanes. The most impactful alterations focus on equipment systems, mastery configurations, and the Elemental Rift dynamics influenced by drake interactions.

The Hextech dragon, one of two new elemental drakes

Elemental drakes represent fundamental components of League of Legends’ core gameplay loop, and two additional variants will soon enter the rotation. Timed to coincide with Arcane’s debut, these drakes draw inspiration from Piltover and Zaun’s contrasting technological philosophies. Both Hextech and Chemtech dragons are scheduled to become available within the 2022 seasonal dragon pool.

Hextech drakes provide bonus attack speed statistics, while securing the associated Elemental Soul grants participants a chain-slowing effect reminiscent of Statikk Shiv’s discharge mechanism. The Hextech drake’s map-altering capability installs instantaneous transportation gateways across the rift, enabling rapid repositioning between fixed destination points.

Early concept art of the Hextech portals

Chemtech drakes, conversely, harness more volatile energy sources. These creatures bestow amplified damage output when teams operate at critically low health thresholds. The Chemtech Soul confers temporary resurrection capabilities following defeat, closely resembling Yorick’s ultimate ability prior to his gameplay rework. The dragon’s environmental impact generates extensive camouflage fog banks that squads can utilize for tactical concealment and ambush opportunities.

Riot’s development ambitions extend beyond drake introductions to encompass comprehensive equipment system enhancements. The update includes novel Mythic-tier and Legendary-grade items alongside targeted mastery framework refinements. Initial Mythic offerings feature a tank support item that amplifies area damage following successful crowd control applications, complemented by a mage-focused defensive option designed to improve survival during aggressive engagements.

Fresh Legendary equipment introduces an assassin-oriented piece that partially restores ultimate ability cooldowns upon securing eliminations, plus a new tank Mythic intended to reward durability-focused champions for mana investment. The defensive item likely represents Fimbulwinter’s migration from Wild Rift. These additions will be accompanied by a mage item specifically engineered to penetrate protective shields effectively.

Regarding rune modifications, both Glacial Augment and Lethal Tempo will experience expanded situational relevance through intensified specialization in their respective slow and attack speed domains.

Glacial Augment’s rework focuses on creating more impactful crowd control zones that can dictate teamfight positioning, while Lethal Tempo’s overhaul emphasizes extreme attack speed thresholds that enable unique champion build possibilities previously unavailable.

Complementing the major gameplay transformations arriving in League of Legends, Riot disclosed several supplementary features. Updated bounty mechanics will compensate squads experiencing gold deficits for securing strategic objectives beyond elimination-based rewards alone. The pre-game interface receives substantial enhancements through the introduction of the innovative Challenges framework. Challenges operate as gradually advancing accomplishment tracking systems, granting participants visual customization elements to commemorate their in-game milestones.

A preview of the Challenges system

Concluding remarks addressed the operational challenges associated with maintaining rotating game modes and resurrecting legacy formats. Currently, Riot considers developing fresh mode experiences a more productive allocation of development resources. League of Legends enthusiasts have numerous exciting developments awaiting them as 2022 approaches.

Action Checklist

  • Study Hextech portal locations and practice rapid map traversal techniques
  • Experiment with new item combinations in practice tool for your main champions
  • Test updated rune configurations against different matchups
  • Practice utilizing Chemtech camouflage zones for ambush setups and vision denial
  • Develop objective-focused strategies to maximize new bounty system benefits

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