Image: Riot Games
After more than a month of player dissent, Riot finally concedes.
League of Legends (LoL) developer Riot Games has finally budged in its more than a month-long feud with the playerbase over their controversial and much-maligned decision to remove Hextech Chests from the game.
In an announcement posted on LoL’s official X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube accounts on Thursday (27 February), Head of League Studio and Senior Vice President Andrei 'Meddler' van Roon as well as LoL executive producer Paul 'Pabro' Bellezza addressed player frustrations and outlined changes coming to the game, including the return of the Hextech Chests.
For over a month since the start of the season, the LoL community has been frustrated with changes that stripped away many free-to-play rewards, particularly the removal of Hextech Chests which sparked widespread backlash and boycott calls. On top of that, players have been angry about the sub-par quality of skins, specifically the Exalted Mordekaiser skin and the supposed declining state of Clash.
Dissent reached an all-time high when Riot doubled down on the removal of Hextech Chests, prompting calls for accountability at the highest level. A petition demanding the removal of Riot Games CEO Dylan Jadeja quickly gained traction, amassing over 36,000 signatures within days.
Now, more than a month into the controversy, Riot Games has finally conceded.
"We know that some of you are frustrated, even questioning if Riot is still the company you've always known, and we get it," Pabro said in their opening statement. "We aspire to put players first, and when our decisions don't land the way we intended, it can damage your trust."
In response, Meddler and Pabro laid out a series of changes set to roll out in the coming weeks.
Hextech Chests will be returning to the game
One of the biggest wins for the LoL player base is the return of the Hextech Chests in-game. Pabro acknowledged the importance of Hextech Chests to players, acknowledging that acquiring them “weren’t just a way to get free stuff” but rather “an important part of making time in League feel rewarding.”
“We didn't fully grasp how much this mattered to you, and that led us to make changes that missed the mark. As a result, Chests are coming back."
Meddler explained the reasoning behind their new implementation: "Now we're bringing Chests back through the Pass instead of through Champion Mastery because we want to ensure that they're accessible regardless of different playstyles. Whether you play modes with random champions selection or free choice, whether you play a wide variety of champions or just a few, we want to support that."
The Hextech Chests will return starting Act 2 which is in the patch next week. Players can earn up to 10 chests and Keys per act, with eight being earnable through the free pass instead of the Season skin and the lower skin.
The other two chests can be earned through Honor, another system that players were requesting to return. “We believe League is better when you're surrounded by players who make your experience better.”
For now, rewards achieved through Honour will be delivered through missions while the new Honor system is still under construction.
Champion acquisition and Blue Essence changes
On champion acquisition, Meddler acknowledged the challenges newer players face in expanding their champion pool. He emphasised that for League to remain sustainable in the long run, it needs to be more accessible, and reducing champion costs is a step toward that goal.
As a result, Riot Games will reduce all champions' Blue Essence costs by 50% starting patch 25.05. Meddler also confirmed on Reddit that players who bought champions in 25.4 can also contact support to get a 50% refund.
Blue Essence Emporium returns, Exalted Mordekaiser goes back to the drawing room
Blue Essence Emporium and Your Shop are coming back this year with Your Shop coming back in patch 25.6 and Emporium coming back in patch 25.7.
Pabro also confirmed that Exalted Mordekaiser would be delayed. "We’re going to be delaying Exalted Mordekaiser to take more time to make sure it better delivers on its core fantasy. We're also taking more time to improve all future Exalted skins, so you likely won't see one in every Act this year as originally planned."
Additionally, for paid Season Pass skins, Riot is adjusting the rewards, replacing one of the non-Prestige skins with 25 Mythic Essence. This is to address player feedback on the paid Pass lacking Mythic Essence in the rewards. Act 2’s Battle Pass will include Darius, Sion, and Talon.
Clash returns to a monthly schedule
Another point of frustration among players was the scheduling of Clash tournaments, which were important for many regular, non-pro players, who look forward to some form of competition.
Meddler discussed the return of Clash to a monthly schedule after community feedback. "For those who love Clash, it can feel like League at its purest––teams coming together, strategizing, and competing in a tournament-like setting. So we'll be returning Clash to a monthly schedule. March’s Clash event will be All Random URF, then we'll run a regular Summoner's Rift Clash in April."
Details on all the changes were also posted in a dev blog post on the same day.
Concluding the update, Meddler stated, "We know getting League to the right place isn't about just one set of changes. It's about continually refining and improving the game. We think today's updates are an important step, and we'll keep tracking how these changes feel. Talking with all of you about how things are landing and making adjustments."
Pabro reiterated Riot’s commitment to the community: "We've always built League along with you all, the community. So thank you for sticking with us and hearing us out. We look forward to continuing to work with you to make sure League is the best game it can be."
Player feedback has been generally positive since, with many pointing out on Reddit that the boycott worked.
