The Chemtech dragon has not been well received by the community, but is the backlash enough for Riot to remove the objective completely? Update: yes.
[Update, January 25, 2022]
Riot has now officially removed the Chemtech dragon from the rift. According to them, the feedback they received over the last couple of weeks when it came down to the Chemtech dragon has been nothing but negative and players were too frustrated with the terrain changes and anything else that came with it, especially when on the losing team.
You can read the full statement by Riot here. Bye bye, Chemtech dragon, you will not be missed.
[Original article]
Ever since the introduction of the two new dragons, one of them has been under much scrutiny from the community. The Chemtech dragon has been disliked right off the bat and deemed broken.
Now, Riot might take desperate steps to try and fix the mess that is the Chemtech dragon, its soul and terrain. Sure, there is a nerf coming in LoL Patch 12.02, and Rengar will finally get to leap even when camouflaged, but Riot might take it a step further.
Not sure what the Chemtech drake does anymore? Make sure to refresh your memory by checking out our video on the Chemtech and Hextech drakes!
Will the Chemtech Dragon be Removed?
According to some comments on Reddit by developer GreaterBelugaWhale and Bryan “Axes” Salvatore, the Chemtech dragon could be completely removed from the game itself.
We're fielding a survey. It'll be a bit before we get results. The reddit and English-speaking social media backlash is clear, but that hasn't always meant players overall disliked a feature in the past.
So, Riot will continue to assess the Chemtech dragon situation before making a final decision on whether the drake will stay in the game or will be removed. Axes added on to say that Reddit feedback is important, but it’s not the be-all and end-all of what the community thinks of features in the game.
Developer GreaterBelugaWhale also stated that “If we come to the conclusion something is bad, we assess the priority to change or remove it as with everything in League.”
What Will Riot Do Until They Make A Decision?
Until they have more information and data on the Chemtech drake, the objective will continue to be a part of the game. Until then, they’ll try and balance it as best as they can. As mentioned above, the terrain and soul will be nerfed in the second patch of 2022, but more changes could hit the rift.
The Chemtech drake is one of two new dragons that hit the rift in the 2022 pre-season, along with new items and a new teleport. Will Riot really delete the drake?