League of Legends: Community suggests time indicator for certain champions ultimates
The League of Legends community is requesting Riot to add timer indicators for some champions’ ultimates.
Recently, a Redditor named “jtpredator” in the official League of Legends subreddit posted about how some ultimates need to have an indicator, so players are aware of the duration of the ability.
Jtpredator then mentioned some champions who don’t have a clear time indicator for their ultimates, such as Tryndamere, Alistar, Jax, and Kayle. They suggested these champions be equipped with “a timer circle that shows everyone its duration”.
The Redditor also highlighted that Riot has done it before with other champions, such as Katarina and Morgana with a circle, and Nasus and Veigar with “stacks showing beneath their champion details.”
“They are all key abilities that show when they are empowered or tougher. Right now, they already have a duration timer under their champion details when you click on them,” reads the post. Jtpredator finds it annoying how the feature is there, but rather obscured so it is unclear how long can champions keep up their respective ultimates.
Some echoed another idea. One Redditor stated, “Nightbringer Tryndamere had this when it was released in the PBE, but Riot ended up removing it.” While another Redditor mentioned a character who used to have such a feature but was then removed by the developer. One also complained about how “hiding mechanics or information isn’t a good design.”
However, some disagreed and thought the idea was “unnecessary” because it will be a huge buff for some of the champions like Tryndamere and Kayle.
Redditor Prinz_ said, “When their ult is on, there’s no point fighting them.”
Some also consider counting down the ultimates at the top of your head is a skill that should be earned to master the game itself, and the game does not need to be “dumbed down” even more. Some also commented “just count 5 seconds” in response.
Importance of timer
Ultimate abilities play a big role in any match on the Summoner’s Rift, as they can be considered a champion’s strongest, most characteristic, and most game-changing ability, enabling players to change the tide of any team fight.
In League, there are several types of ultimates. Some are called global ultimates, such as Twisted Fate’s Destiny that can reveal enemy players on the map and enable the user to teleport to any specific location, and Galio’s Hero’s Entrance, which enables the champion to jump on a teammate from long distance and giving them damage reduction. Others can even influence the entire enemy team with crowd control (CC).
Some ultimates tend to power up the characters themselves in various ways, such as an increased damage boost, a stat increase, or increased defense in a set duration.
However, not all champions are equipped with time indicators. Some users can count through the animation, sounds, or the interactive environments they were in. These users will have the upper hand in the games, as others are unable to do so while being focused on the gameplay.
Some champions are already equipped with the feature, but the design is either too small or too complicated to access, requiring players to click for details.
Since posted, 6,200 Redditors have upvoted the suggestion. Although such an idea is not a definitive input for the company, it still holds influence on the development as some sort of player input.