Theresa Gaffney
The meta has shifted away from top lane impact in recent iterations of League of Legends gameplay, but developers at Riot Games are looking to revamp that experience. In a recent Dev Post, lead gameplay designer Mark “Scruffy” Yetter examined the ways that top lane can change for the better. Yetter said, “With our long term goal of giving top laners higher game impact (ability to carry a game) in high elo, we’re exploring a few different strategies: Carrying through items…early strategic impact..[and] turning leads into victories.”
Improving core top laner items like Black Cleaver, Sunfire, and Hydra seems to be a potential solution, as does giving top laners a “more powerful teleport summoner” and adjusting the value of Rift Herald so the balance is more even in a game that is currently very bot lane oriented.
In a recent Ask Riot thread, another feature of the game that has raised concerns about overall game balance is autofill in ranked matches. To address this, Riot will be experimenting with “autofill parity” in certain regions, which means that both teams will be given an autofilled player only if the need arises. This will mean more skilled players in top lane roles and otherwise, allowing for high-elo players to more naturally adapt to changes and develop a more balanced game.
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