It might not always be the usual changes in League of Legends which create chatter amongst players. Sometimes interesting bugs make themselves known which get the community talking. This chat-bug is one of them.
It's been a long time since we've seen a big bug like this hit the game client. It seems that by using a few commands, players are able to completely nullify the League of Legends in-game chat. Where does this bug come from, though, and what does this mean for your League of Legends games? Is Riot working on the problem?
We came across this bug through a tweet of streamer Elosanta, who is currently under contract for Fnatic. The tweet has since gone viral, with multiple people sharing stories of their experience with this specific in-game bug.
What is the League of Legends Chat Bug?
Basically, the bug gives you the chance to completely disable chat for the entirety of the game, or for your team. To do so, you'll have to put in a character combination of two characters into the chat, and then you sit back and watch as chaos ensues.
big bug in league, if u type "%i:" u will disable chat for both teams. type "%" to enable chat again.can also put random emojies in chat i will link the image under @RiotSupport pic.twitter.com/rnmxZx14fK
— ELO $ANTA (@elo_santa) May 8, 2022
If you put this combination into all-chat, then you will mute the entire game. No one is going to be able to use the chat. If you write it in the team chat, then your team won't be able to communicate — or flame you. What seems utterly unfair is that to put in this one command, you won't need any specific rights. Anyone who knows this character combination is able to use it and gain control over the chat.
Who wanted something like this? Sure, the option to mute players is already in the game, but with this new option, you're really able to show those annoying know-it-all's what will happen if they continue to use their support player as a verbal punching bag, just because they wanted to play an off-meta pick for once in a normal game.
While it seems like this bug is positive, there are some downsides as well. While this can definitely be good to top someone from going ham on their opponent, the chat is also the only way you're able to communicate with your team in solo queue. Pings aren't always enough, you know? So, deactivating the chat in a multiplayer game won't always work.
What Other Problems Have Been Found?
Turning chat on and off isn't the only bug that has been found in League of Legends. No, it gets even better. You're also able to add emotes! Seriously, they even look like these should have been features in the game.
— ELO $ANTA (@elo_santa) May 8, 2022
I can't really explain it any other way, you know? Why would Riot put time and effort into adding codes for specific emoticons for the chat? Look at the screenshot above, those emoticons really don't look like a done deal yet, eh? But it could be that we might see this on live servers at some point in the future.
Has Riot Reacted To The Chat Problem?
As far as we know, the bug is currently still in the game. There seems to have been no reaction from Riot yet, not under the viral tweet from Elosanta, nor on the official Riot Twitter or their support website. Maybe they're working quietly on this issue?
This sure isn't the first time we've got developer tools making it onto the live servers. But it really isn't smart to give players so much power, like disabling chat completely. That's why we're pretty sure that Riot is going to be adding a hotfix to this issue sooner than we might think.