The user interface was looking outdated, the item builds were getting stagnant, and it looks as though Riot is doing something about it.

Items were not simply reworked, however, and in fact many new items with unique attributes have been added to the game on top of a fully redesigned 'mastery' system. The new items and masteries are bound to completely change the dynamics for the game and make it more diverse and intriguing.

First thing's first; we have a look at our new HUD.

The first thing immediately noticeable is the aesthetics. Lines are more curved and objects fit a certain color scheme and the top of the minimap has been modified heavily. On top of that, there are some functionality changes as well, including:

The current level of each of your active abilities is now displayed below the icon, and the hotkey assigned to each is now displayed on the button.

Item slots are now marked by a clear hotkey indicator for to easily see which items are usable and what key activates them.

The scoreboard in the upper right has been streamlined and sharpened to maintain clarity

With the Item & Shop changes, it was anticipated that this would confuse up and coming players who might have already been overwhelmed with the current item library. Through better clarification and even more functionality, there's not much to worry about though.

Here we have the new and improved item shop.

Labels:
1. Item Filters
2. Upgraded Build Trees
3. Search Bar
4. Grid and List View
5. Updated Recommended Items
6. Skill Level Indicators
7. Item Hotkey Display
8. New Game Score Display

As you can see, we have some news features here, such as the Grid/List interchangeable views as well as Item Hotkey displays and Skill Level Indicators, which will help when you are watching your favorite streamer and want to know their skill order. The functionality changes include:

Item categories are all now accessible with just one click. You can also select more than one filter to help locate those highly-specialized buys.

Selecting an item will display its components, their costs, and every higher-tier item it can build into.

There’s now a search function to help you quickly locate and buy a particular item. It even recognizes popular slang terms such as “BT” for The Bloodthirster and “triforce” for Trinity Force.

There are options to view items in both grid and list layouts. You can now view items as icons so you can browse more items at the same time.

There are new recommended items for every champion that incorporate all the preseason additions to the arsenal. Recommended items have also been expanded to offer additional, categorized suggestions (starting items, durability items, offensive items, etc.) to help you tailor your build to your current situation.

We also have some jungle changes, and we'll summarize some of the most important ones:

Leashing will no longer allow you to trade aggro, so the jungler will be tanking the whole time

Starting difficulty of all jungle camps increased as well as health, with the harder difficulty monsters meriting higher benefits

New jungle items to compensate for new jungle added and no more "banking" system for camps not cleared for a set amount of time.

Stonewall008's first clear with Lee sin

And last but not least, we take a look at some of the new items. These are undoubtedly the largest changes to bask in and completely change the way League of Legends is played. Here are some of the biggest examples:

Item: Banner of Command
What's unique about it?
It looks like they are revamping Promote into an item, so the DotA route is being taken of some of what we currently have as summoner spells becoming unique item-activated abilities.

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Item: Crystalline Flask
What's unique about it?
Not only is this both a health and mana restorative consumable, it also is charge-based, with multiple uses based on when you go back to buy. You start with 3, consume the charges, and return to base to "refill" it.

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Item: Kage's Last Breath
What's unique about it?
While not putting a summoner ability active on an item, this does offer a unique effect that is more reminiscent of a DotA-style item. What this does is throw a blizzard on an ally, slowing nearby hostiles by 30%

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Item: Wraith Collar
What's unique about it?
This might be the strangest new addition to the League. It's active summons two ghosts to harass an enemy target with the ghouls being invulnerable for the duration of their lifespan. Not only does it slow an enemy, it reveals them as well.

If all of these changes weren't enough, the masteries have been completely revamped. Below is a short video by Reignofgaming.net which briefly shows each new mastery (feel free to pause during the video.)

With all of these changes coming at us, the game is bound to take a huge turn in how it plays out and will raise the bar for exciting strategies in competitive play.

Relevant links:

Riot's Official Overview
Full Item Summary - Reign of Gaming
Images for all items + recipes
Full-Size Item Shop
Full list of jungle changes - Reign of Gaming