LoL Season 13 hasn't had the greatest start. The jungle role, which has seen the most change thus far is once again the focus of controversy in LoL Patch 13.4 with fans feeling like Riot is taking the role in the wrong direction. Why does it just feel like everything is going wrong for Riot right now?
Calling the start of LoL Season 13 a disaster is taking it lightly. Sure not all of it has been Riot's fault, like the cyberattack which led to delays in champion updates and patches, but some of it sure was like the botched Season 13 trailer and lack of communication with players.
These things have shaken things up in the world of League, but now fans are worried that the devs are also taking the wrong direction when it comes to champion and game balance. The changes in the jungle since preseason have been criticized multiple times, but have the LoL Patch 13.4 updates caused the pot to overflow?
LoL Patch 13.4: What Jungle Changes Are Being Criticized?
If you've looked at the most recent patch notes in League of Legends then you'll know what Riot is currently focusing on. Riot is looking to update mages to make them more fun for players, a good idea of which you will be hearing much more in the coming weeks, with champions like LeBlanc getting some buffs in LoL Patch 13.5.
But there are some changes which have some players concerned and those are the updates to the jungle. But, what exactly is cause for concern amongst the LoL community?
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The damage for the brand-new jungle pets has been nerfed, the Rift Herald received a hard reset when he runs out of patience and the healing through monster kills also received nerfs. Sounds like a lot? That's because it is.
The adjustments to kill XP have had an influence on junglers. Players will receive far less XP for takedowns early on in the game which means it'll be harder to snowball into the late game.
Community Lets Frustration Know in LoL Subreddit
The changes have caused quite the discussion on the Patch 13.4 feedback thread on the LoL Subreddit. Especially the nerfs to Elise didn't seem to have gone over too well with the player base, as well as the fact that it's almost impossible to counter-jungle with the current state of the game.
In an earlier patch, Riot also added that opposing camps take 20% less damage and that players gain even less XP. This means that there is a huge disparity between those junglers that like to gank in the early game and those that want to free farm until the mid game.
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So it is basically pointless to clear the opposing top side jungle if you see him near the bot lane. If he manages to get the kill he'll still, even with early kill XP nerfs, gain more experience than you can even dream of clearing the enemy jungle. Therefore, a big part of the community wants to do something about the counter jungle nerfs in League of Legends.
Jungle-Role in League of Legends: How Will It Continue?
It seems that for now the developers are still behind their adjustments to the role. They feel that their changes are useful and help new players' entry to the game. Sure, not everything added in the 2023 preseason is bad, leashing indicators, jungle pets, all of them are useful, but the aforementioned changes do seem to bother a large part of the player base.
Sometimes it really seems like Riot is just making changes and adjustments to working features for the hell of it. We just have to hope that the devs keep an eye on what the community is saying throughout the season, to know whether these huge jungle changes are useful or something the game really didn't need... then let's hope they make changes accordingly.