5 Things We Want in League of Legends Patch 11.6

League of Legends Patch 11.6 is set to come out on Wednesday, March 17, two weeks after the release of Patch 11.5. The schedule on the game's website reveals all of the planned patch release dates for Season 11. Certain elements of the update are now live on the PBE server, where players have the opportunity to test out upcoming patches prior to their release.

With patches, Riot Games has the opportunity to introduce new game content, fix bugs, balance champions, and update the game's client. Although the upcoming patch is now live for public testing, the only confirmed changes at the moment are the introduction of Battle Academia skins and summoner icons for Caitlyn, Garen, Wukong, Leona, and Yone, in addition to a new emote. The following is a list of the five things we would like to see in Patch 11.6.

5 Things We Want in League of Legends Patch 11.6

More Item Build Diversity

Item build diversity is essential to creating an exciting League of Legends experience. More flexible item choices for all champions means that players can develop more personalized item builds that suit their playstyle, champions become more dynamic, and the game's strategy element is enhanced. As Mark "Riot Scruffy" Yetter stated on a "Quick Gameplay Thoughts" post on the League of Legends website, "we’re seeing roughly 20% of champs crossing our “Mythic hardbinding” threshold (same Mythic in >75% of games)." The ideal number would be 100%.

Nerfs to Burst Damage

Champions with excessive burst damage can snowball out of control and become the core focus of matches on Summoner's Rift. Riot Scruffy claims that "when damage gets too high, counterplay and in-combat decisionmaking suffers." By adjusting burst damage, Riot Games can keep games competitive and provide a balanced gameplay experience.

Nerfs to Snowballing

A core focus of League of Legends should be the availability of a comeback mechanism, which can keep matches exciting to the very end. Players sometimes acknowledge that a game is essentially over because the opposing team snowballs out of control. Without a balanced comeback mechanism, the League of Legends experience will not be as enthralling as it should be. The chance to salvage a victory from the jaws of defeat will keep players glued to their seat to the very end, and perhaps reduce the number of games that are forfeited.

Viego Adjustments

Newly released champions tend to be overpowered in League of Legends, as nailing down a balanced champion on the first try is a complex challenge for the developers at Riot. Viego, the most recent champion, currently needs some fine-tuning, as he has tremendous flex potential. He fits a wide variety of team compositions and can take on multiple roles, making him an overpowered pick.

Continuation of Item Shop Overhaul

League of Legends' item shop overhaul has proven to be a success. In particular, the new item recommendation system, which is backed up by player data, has become more useful than in the past. According to Riot Scruffy, "lots of players use the Recommended tab as their default and it’s been exposing players to more viable choices and teaching them the basics of when each option is worth considering." By continuing to tweak the item shop, the developers will eventually maximize the utility that it provides, as in the past, it was not as useful.