League of Legends’ ‘classic’ mode has a release date, and it isn’t just an old version of the game—players will vote on new patches, Old School RuneScape-style

What’s old is new in League of Legends Classic, which was teased a couple of weeks ago in the wake of leak after leak. The full reveal came during yesterday’s MSI Finals, where the mode debuted in a showmatch starring pros like Doublelift and Cpt Jack. It’s a Frankenstein’s monster of different eras with a huge emphasis on season three: a bunch of old kits are back, but some of the art has been modernized and various late additions like ward trinkets have made it in.

More details can be found on the Riot Games website, which reveals that the mode will release later this month on July 29. It names a bunch of old, busted builds poised to make their triumphant return: ability power Master Yi (God help us), pre-rework Sion (God help us), any mage with Deathfire Grasp, and so on.

But unlike, say, World of Warcraft Classic, it won’t split itself up into era-locked versions—the mode will change with the times as voted by the community, similar to Old School RuneScape. If we, the common MOBA proletariat, can vote the 3v3 map Twisted Treeline back into League of Legends, it might just restore my faith in democracy.

And yes, the old upgrade systems are back. Runes and quintessences will let you pile on incremental stat upgrades, and the old mastery pages will simplify the system back down to three talent trees. Old summoner spells are back too, so if you’ve been missing the likes of rally and revive, you’re in luck.

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