Riven, once a formidable top laner in League of Legends, has been struggling for several patches now. With a low pick rate of around two to three percent and a stagnant win rate of 48 percent, even Riot Games acknowledges that there are issues with the champion.
League’s lead gameplay designer, Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, recently addressed the concerns surrounding Riven. He explained that there are several factors contributing to her decline:
- Riven faces competition from newer champions that fulfill a similar high-agency playstyle.
- She has a high skill cap, requiring players to master her mechanics.
- Animation cancels play a significant role in maximizing her effectiveness.
Unfortunately, Riven’s future in the upcoming preseason and season 2024 looks bleak, primarily due to changes in items. Furthermore, she won’t be among the champions benefiting from the upcoming patch.
Riot acknowledges that tweaking Riven is challenging, but they recognize her “legitimate problems.” One potential approach is to further reward mastery of the champion, as her matchups often result in either great success or complete failure. However, simplifying Riven would contradict her identity as one of the most mechanically complex champions in the game.
Riot aims to gather feedback from Riven mains and the League community to make appropriate adjustments and improvements. However, these changes will not be implemented immediately. The developers first need to determine the direction they want to take with Riven before beginning the modification process.
Source: DOTESPORTS
