Popular MOBA game, League of Legends (LoL), just recently sees its overall roster expanded by yet another hero with the introduction of Samira. But what was considered by many as a “broken” hero due to being OP has seen an almost immediate balancing, just a day after her launch.
Like other heroes in LoL, Samira is a playable character that underwent player testing before release. Many who participated in the event called the gun and sword-wielding heroine a little too strong, considering her repertoire of close- and long-ranged attacks.
For a heroine that has the potential to break the game in every match due to being overpowered, it comes as a great surprise why she got launched with her OP status. Subsequently raising the question as to, really, “Why?”
No reason given
That question was never answered nor hinted at as to indeed why. But Samira’s creator considers the case as a first from himself. This is considering the fact that out of all the heroes he came up with, Samira was the only one that needs nerfing. Others were essentially the complete opposite—they require buffing for being underpowered.
The statement does not necessarily justify why Samira was launched in her “overpowered” state. But it does only corroborate to the notion that she indeed deserved the weakening alterations she was subsequently given.
Samira micropatch nerfs should be live now!
Base HP:
600 > 530R:
Base Damage from 10/20/30 > 0/10/20 (so 100/200/300 to 0/100/200)
Ratio down from .6 to .5 TADLooking to make her early game more vulnerable and take down the power of the R.
— Blake Smith (@Squad5lol) September 22, 2020
In a tweet, Samira’s creator Blake Smith highlights the status modifications rendered to the new heroine. That is, following the day one patch. Which, as it appears, sees her dropping her health by 12% and 100 points reduction on damage across the board.
Some Samira Hotfix Nerfs just went live:
Base HP 600 >>> 530
R total damage 100-300 (+600% tAD) >>> 0-200 (+500% tAD)— Mark Yetter (@MarkYetter) September 22, 2020
The post was also corroborated by the game’s lead designer, Mark Yetter. Particularly, showing Samira’s HP reduced by 70 points, and her base damage decreased by 100 points on all three levels.
Where every number can significantly influence many possibilities in-game, particularly between survival and overcoming opponents, that level of nerfing was quite dramatic.
Not the first
Samira is just another classic case of fans questioning the developers’ reason for coming up with a faulty hero. Throughout League of Legends’ development, many other heroes had also suffered the same fate. Some were receiving their nerfing later than others, nonetheless receiving them just the same.
But, then again, for a game that is all about balance and competition as a set within that constraint, every bit of excessive empowerment to any hero could indeed ruin the game.
The ramifications may not always be immediate, but this imbalance in power would often manifest itself when certain issues arise. It’s only good that the developers at Riot Games are not waiting for that condition to happen.
Image used courtesy of League of Legends/YouTube Screenshot