Riot Games has announced that WASD movement will go live in League of Legends as part of 25.24 patch on December 3rd.
The new movement system, which has recently been in public beta testing (PBE), aims to provide players with an alternative control scheme to use in matches.
WASD movement will seemingly be slowly introduced, with it going live in the League of Legends client for all queues except for ranked and normal draft games.
Testing of WASD movement in League of Legends began in the Autumn, arriving in the PBE to allow developers to identify and resolve bugs before introducing the control scheme. To ensure there’s no advantage between WASD and point-and-click schemes, Riot Games reveals that it will monitor both to maintain balance for players taking to Summoner’s Rift.
“Since our debut on the PBE, we’ve been continuously updating all the different facets of WASD,” said Kellye Smith, Software Engineer at Riot Games.
“We’ve made improvements to navigating around minions, wall sliding, the new dynamic locked camera, and more. Our goal is to keep WASD as an alternative control scheme at all levels of play, not just for brand-new players. We’ll be keeping an eye on feedback as well as our internal data to ensure it remains an equitable experience.”
In addition to the arrival of WASD, Riot Games revealed plans to combat mismatched teams in Ranked matches, along with long queue times. In October, the developer announced plans to reduce instances of smurfing and boosting on the ladder.
How Will WASD Impact League Of Legends Esports?
The arrival of WASD movement to League of Legends offers players an alternative method to move around the Rift. With Point and Click being the sole control scheme for the MOBA title for several years, professional players undoubtedly continue to use this scheme for the foreseeable future. Moreover, with WASD movement not ready to be utilised in normal and ranked draft games, players are unable to pick up the movement in a traditional competitive setting.
However, for newcomers, having the option to select two control schemes improves accessibility. With Riot Games keeping tabs on how WASD performs, it will be interesting to see its long-term impact on the title.
