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Patch 8.17 marks the halfway point of the Nexus Blitz alpha, and while it's still too early to tell if the mode will stick around, we're thrilled with the response so far. Today we're talking about common feedback trends and questions, and sharing some changes coming with the next patch.
8.17 Changes
<p><em>Reminder: We patched in Scuttle Racing (event), Wrath of the Hunter (reward), and a bunch of balance changes during the 8.16 patch. Check your <a rel="nofollow" href="https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/developer-corner/A6uAU8Yl-nexus-blitz-week-1-feedback-and-patch-notes" target="_blank">week 1</a> and <a rel="nofollow" href="https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/developer-corner/tho64FfY-nexus-blitz-alpha-week-2-feedback-and-patch-notes" target="_blank">week 2</a> boards threads for details!</em></p><br /><h3>Events & Rewards</h3><br /><h4>New Stuff</h4>
<span class="attribute">NEW EVENTS</span> <span class="attribute-after">Paranoia Royale, Loot Veigar</span>
<span class="attribute">NEW REWARD</span> <span class="attribute-after">Blessing of Caitlyn</span>
<br /><h4>Snowball Fight</h4>
<span class="attribute">PENGU</span> <span class="attribute-after">When the Snowball Fight event begins, a penguin buddy will appear next to you. Landing a snowball now grants 2% MS and 5% penguin size and sparkliness. Penguins and the movement speed boost stick around until you lose the event or die after the event ends.</span>
<span class="attribute">SNOWBALL COOLDOWN</span> <span class="attribute-before">3 seconds</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">8 seconds</span>
<span class="attribute">SNOWBALL SPEED</span> <span class="attribute-before">1400</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">1900</span>
<span class="attribute">SNOWBALL RANGE</span> <span class="attribute-before">2000</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">1500</span>
<span class="attribute">SNOWBALL SLOW</span> <span class="attribute-before">30%</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">60%</span>
<span class="attribute">THROW IT</span> <span class="attribute-after">Snowballs now have a 0.25 second cast time and a cast animation</span>
<span class="attribute">NEON SNOW</span> <span class="attribute-after">Enemies hit by snowballs are now revealed for 3 seconds</span>
<span class="attribute">OOMPH</span> <span class="attribute-after">Long-range snowballs feel a bit weightier</span>
<br /><h4>Push the Cart</h4>
<span class="attribute">AXLE GREAS</span> <span class="attribute-after">Carts that spawn from the 2nd event onward move faster</span>
<span class="attribute">PROFIT</span> <span class="attribute-after">Pushing the cart now grants gold</span>
<br /><h4>King of the Hill, Bardle Royale & Juggernaut</h4>
<span class="attribute">REIN IT IN</span> <span class="attribute-after">Circle spawn positions have been tuned to less strongly favor the behind team</span>
<br /><h4>Sudden Death</h4>
<span class="attribute">NEXUS MINION AD</span> <span class="attribute-before">300</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">420</span>
<span class="attribute">TOO BIG</span> <span class="attribute-after">Nexus minions can no longer be displaced by most spells</span>
<span class="attribute">GHOST</span> <span class="attribute-after">Nexus minions now ignore unit collision</span>
<br /><hr class="divider" /><br /><h3>On-Fire Buff</h3><br />
<span class="attribute">OUCH</span> <span class="attribute-after">Now increases damage taken from turrets</span>
<span class="attribute">FIERY SPIRIT</span> <span class="attribute-after">Now persists through Guardian Angel effects</span>
<hr class="divider" /><br /><h3>Map Changes</h3><br />
<span class="attribute">DINNER</span> <span class="attribute-after">Added a scuttle crab nest to the bottom lane</span>
<span class="attribute">ROADWORK</span> <span class="attribute-after">Narrowed the lane around the inhib towers</span>
<span class="attribute">DEFORESTATION</span> <span class="attribute-after">Opened up the areas between raptors and Blue buff</span>
<span class="attribute">A HOUSE IS A HOME</span> <span class="attribute-after">Red buff now has environmental doodads around its pit so it feels more lived-in</span>
<span class="attribute">BEWARE</span> <span class="attribute-after">Increased clarity of jungle turrets</span>
<span class="attribute">IT WAS ME ALL ALONG</span> <span class="attribute-after">Added visuals for fountain turrets so the death laser makes more sense</span>
<hr class="divider" /><br /><h3>Champions</h3>
<h4 class="change-detail-title"><img src="https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2018/august/nexusblitzupdate/Talon.jpg&resize=96:" style="padding-right: 10px; width: 54px;" />Talon</h4>
<span class="attribute">PER-TERRAIN E COOLDOWN</span> <span class="attribute-before">160/135/110/85/60 seconds</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">80/67.5/55/42.5/30 seconds</span>
<hr class="divider" /><br /><h3>Items</h3>
<h4 class="change-detail-title"><img src="https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2018/august/nexusblitzupdate/SwordOfTheDivine.jpg?v=1&resize=96:" style="padding-right: 10px; width: 54px;" />Sword of the Divine</h4>
<span class="attribute">NEW?</span> <span class="attribute-after">Sword of the Divine (last seen patch 4.19) has been added!</span>
<h4 class="change-detail-title"><img src="https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2018/august/nexusblitzupdate/ForceOfNature.jpg&resize=96:" style="padding-right: 10px; width: 54px;" />Force of Nature</h4>
<span class="attribute">STOP STACKING IT</span> <span class="attribute-after">Force of Nature's base health regen is now Unique</span>
<h4 class="change-detail-title"><img src="https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2018/august/nexusblitzupdate/JungleItems.jpg&resize=96:" style="padding-right: 10px; width: 54px;" />Jungle Items</h4>
<span class="attribute">RIVER REGEN</span> <span class="attribute-after">Jungle items now give mana regen in the river</span>
<hr class="divider" /><br /><h3>Runes</h3>
<h4 class="change-detail-title"><img src="https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2018/august/nexusblitzupdate/GraspOfTheUndying.jpg&resize=96:" style="padding-right: 10px; width: 54px;" />Grasp of the Undying</h4>
<span class="attribute">HEALTH PER PROC</span> <span class="attribute-before">10 (6 for ranged)</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">15 (9 for ranged)</span>
<h4 class="change-detail-title"><img src="https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2018/august/nexusblitzupdate/Demolish.jpg&resize=96:" style="padding-right: 10px; width: 54px;" />Demolish</h4>
<span class="attribute">COOLDOWN</span> <span class="attribute-before">45 seconds</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">30 seconds</span>
<h4 class="change-detail-title"><img src="https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2018/august/nexusblitzupdate/Kleptomancy.jpg&resize=96:" style="padding-right: 10px; width: 54px;" />Kleptomancy</h4>
<span class="attribute">LATE GAME DROP ACTIVATION</span> <span class="attribute-before">6 minutes</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">4 minutes</span>
<span class="attribute">GOLD ON FAILED LOOT</span> <span class="attribute-before">5</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">10</span>
<h4 class="change-detail-title"><img src="https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2018/august/nexusblitzupdate/PresenceOfMind.jpg?v=2&resize=96:" style="padding-right: 10px; width: 54px;" />Presence of Mind</h4>
<span class="attribute">ULT CD REFUND</span> <span class="attribute-before">10%</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">6%</span>
<hr class="divider" /><br /><h3>Turrets</h3><br />
<span class="attribute">ARMOR/MR</span> <span class="attribute-before">50</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">60</span>
<span class="attribute">OUTER TURRET HEALTH</span> <span class="attribute-before">3040</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">3300</span>
<span class="attribute">INHIB TURRET HEALTH</span> <span class="attribute-before">4240</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">4300</span>
<span class="attribute">NEXUS TURRET HEALTH</span> <span class="attribute-before">5440</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">5400</span>
<hr class="divider" /><br /><h3>Death Timers</h3><br />
<span class="attribute">MAX TIMERS REACHED</span> <span class="attribute-before">20 minutes</span> <span class="change-indicator">⇒</span> <span class="attribute-after">18 minutes</span>
<hr class="divider" /><br /><h3>Bugfixes</h3>
<ul><li>Fixed a bunch of disappearing circle bugs for events</li>
<li>Yasuo can now ult enemies knocked up by allied Catapult of Champions landing impacts</li>
<li>Queue select text no longer overlaps in some regions, making it rough to actually select the queue</li>
<li>Fixed text positioning issues with Mirrored Scoreboard</li>
<li>Added some safety nets to reduce cases where only one Nexus spawns in Sudden Death. It may still happen, though :(</li>
</ul>
<br />
<header class="header-primary"><h2>Some Good Questions</h2>
</header>
<h4><strong>Will we get ranked mode, draft pick, or bans if Nexus Blitz becomes permanent?</strong></h4>
<p>We set out to build a mode with less pressure than Summoner's Rift, so the plan is to avoid a lot of the metagame features that lead to hypercompetitive feels. These have been pretty common requests, though, so we're looking into what we can accommodate for the future.</p><br /><h4><strong>Old items are really exciting! Add more!</strong></h4>
<p><img src="https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2018/august/nexusblitzupdate/SwordOfTheDivine.jpg?v=1&resize=96:" style="padding-right: 10px; width: 54px;" /> Okay.</p><br /><h4><strong>Why did you make janky Summoner's Rift instead of a new map?</strong></h4>
<p>Everything you're seeing on the map right now is temporary for the sake of the alpha. If Nexus Blitz becomes permanent, it'll get its very own high-quality map with a unique thematic identity!</p><br /><h4><strong>Why does Nexus Blitz take so long to load up?</strong></h4>
<p>Like other things, this comes down to the alpha nature of Nexus Blitz. We've been focusing on critical needs first, like a functioning queue and an exciting events system that keeps you coming back. That said, we're looking into a few load time trends to see if there are any simple fixes to make things faster.</p><br /><h4><strong>Wait lol why am I playing against challengers I am silver please help?</strong></h4>
<p>We’re using a similar approach to matchmaking that’s been used for rotating game modes in the past, but every mode requires different considerations. While we've managed pretty fast matchmaking (which is huge for this mode), we've also seen some match-ups that are... questionable... particularly for the first few matches you play. It’s definitely not the desired experience, and something we'll be looking at for future prototypes or if NB becomes a permanent mode.</p><br /><h4><strong>Riot, how am I supposed to do King of the Hill when the circle is in their fountain?</strong></h4>
<p>We want each event to be an exciting moment where either team could make an awesome play and win, even when one team has a big lead going into it. The event system currently overcompensates in some cases, though, creating bad scenarios like a circle in the fountain. We're still tuning this part of the feature, including some 8.17 work (see above).</p><br /><h4><strong>Champ balance seems [good/bad]. [Good/bad] job Rito!</strong></h4>
<p>For a less competitive mode, we think Blitz is doing pretty well on the balance front. We want you to be able to pick whichever champ you feel like playing and so far that seems to be the case. One specific observation we're excited about: almost any champion can viably jungle if paired with the right partner.</p><br /><h4><strong>Are you adding or removing any more events and rewards during alpha?</strong></h4>
<p>We've got a few more additions in 8.17! In terms of removing or reworking events and rewards, our plan is to keep everything in since the alpha only runs for two more weeks. We'll then evaluate what worked and what didn't, and make deeper changes (including additions/removals) if we bring Nexus Blitz back.</p>
<p>Thanks for checking out the patch notes! The next event begins in thirty seconds—get in game and let us know what you think of it (and all the other new features).</p>