Riot Games has started to test new map changes in PBE servers, with some alterations to Infernal and Cloud Rifts revealed ahead of the League of Legends 10.12 patch.
Riot introduced a dynamic map feature in League of Legends Season 10, which can now transform Summoner’s Rift and alter its gameplay after two of the elemental drakes have been killed in a match.
While there has been little to no major complaints around the new Elemental Rifts so far, Riot has been slow to implement any significant changes since they were first added in the pre-season.
League Gameplay designer, Mark Yetter, revealed in a blog post on May 15 that, although they were hesitant to make any changes that could cause the popular title to be imbalanced, they had some improvements lined up for both the Cloud and Infernal Rift in the 10.12 patch.
The Riot dev explained that they would be looking to “enhance gameplay possibilities” with the upcoming changes, which are being tested in League of Legends PBE servers, as of May 29.
LoL content creator ThePotatoWard was among the first to highlight the new additions to the map, sharing screenshots of the new blast cones that have been added to help players get around the Infernal Rifts faster.
As noted in QGT May 15th:
We have Elemental Rift changes on the PBE. There are new blast cones in the jungle and alcoves on Infernal Rift.#LeagueofLegends #RiotGames pic.twitter.com/6NNvrcDOCu
— ThePotatoWard (@ThePotatoWard) May 29, 2020
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ThePotatoWard also pointed out some of the new Scryer’s Blooms that have been added to the Cloud Rifts on PBE, which will give players the ability to gain even more vision in the jungle, adding a new dynamic to potential teamfights over vision control.
While those are the only map changes that are instantly noticeable in PBE servers, it was previously revealed that Riot would be increasing the bonus movement speed effect for players who are out of combat in the Cloud Rift jungle as well.
As noted in QGT May 15th: We have Elemental Rift changes on the PBE. There are new Scryer’s Blooms in the jungle on Cloud Rift.#LeagueofLegends #RiotGames pic.twitter.com/YOgUyx0sYC
— ThePotatoWard (@ThePotatoWard) May 29, 2020
It is worth noting that although the new rift changes have been revealed in the Public Beta Environment, they are still subject to change ahead of their release to live servers in the 10.12 patch, which is expected to go live on Wednesday, June 10.
These Elemental Rift improvements are not the only changes lined up for the 10.12 patch, as buffs for Predator and Guardian Runes and much more are also set to be included.