Legends of Runeterra patch 0.9.0 Expeditions and EXP changes

The Legends of Runeterra patch 0.9.0 will bring a plethora of changes to the Riot Games digital card game, including buffs and nerfs to cards, changes to Expeditions Archetypes, rewards and EXP gains, as well as other miscellaneous changes, which will improve player's gaming experience.

While the card buffs/nerfs are perhaps the most interesting changes that will come with LoR patch 0.9.0, we cannot overlook all the tweaks which will be made to the Expeditions.

EXPEDITION ARCHETYPES CHANGES

While Riot Games are happy with the diversity of strategies and archetypes that can perform well in Expeditions, patch 0.9.0 will still introduce some small tweaks in order to polish up the players' experience while venturing off into LoR Expeditions.

As stated in the patch notes, Demacian Steel has been consistently outperforming due to a full roster of units with strong statlines. In order to bring some stability, LoR will introduce a common card (Chain Vest) that's on the weaker side, however, adds some diversity to this archetype.

Added: Chain Vest

Battle Scars has proven to play a pivotal role when increasing the power of units, however, could have a hard time when it comes to closing out the games. For that reason, Might will be added to the deck as it will allow units to have a better time facing with opposing blockers. On the other side, Blood for Blood and Bull Elnuk are both removed. The latter will be swapped out for Alpha Wildclaw for a stronger late game.

Added: Might, Alpha Wildclaw

Removed: Blood for Blood, Bull Enluk

Suit Up has had a great time in Expeditions due to the consistency of Challenger units backed up by Frostbite and Barriers. In order to bring some stability, Suit Up will have Alpha Wildclaw removed in favour of Bull Enluk.

Added: Bull Elnuk

Removed: Alpha Wildclaw

Unlike Suit Up, Shroom and Boom has been struggling lately, which led to the removal of some underpowered cards like Get Excited!, which worked against the idea of using Mushroom Clouds to put shrooms in the opposing deck. As a replacement, Assembly Bot and Plaza Guardian will be added to reward players for casting Mushroom Clouds as well as Statikk Shock, which will serve as a flexible removal spell.

Added: Assembly Bot, Statikk Shock, Plaza Guardian

Removed: Academy Prodigy, Chempunk Shredder, Get Excited!

Adding to that, there will also be some small changes to shopkeeper, which will have its "trade logic" improved, meaning it will provide players with more compelling choices when picking out the cards for Expedition.

EXP & EXPEDITION REWARDS CHANGES:

The 0.9.0 patch will build on the idea of "Play the way you want to play" by implementing additional changes that will make players feel like LoR respects their time, regardless of whether they would rather climb the Ranked ladder or play against AI.

With the help of the community feedback, LoR team has identified some key areas they need to change, namely the way players earn EXP. Up to now, players were unable to play whatever they wanted, simply because their idea of a "good time" was sometimes not optimal for EXP gain.

LoR team came to a consensus that end-of-trial EXP bonus was way too high compared to other modes. Initially, the EXP bonus was meant for accounts for the slower pace of Expedition matches and the time spent drafting, but it ended up being so high that it became the optimal way for grinding EXP. For that reason, LoR has reduced the EXP granted when completing a trial.

End-of-trial XP reduced:

0 wins: 100 → 50

1 win: 300 → 150

2 wins: 500 → 250

3 wins: 700 → 400

4 wins: 900 → 600

5 wins: 1200 → 800

6 wins: 1500 → 1000

7 wins: 2000 → 1500

To complement this change, LoR also made some tweaks to the PvP win bonus EXP, to help out the players who are looking to grind EXP or just play a lot. In a bid to make constructed PvP wins more awarding for players, LoR team will change the EXP bonus so the players who win more PvP matches in a day get better rewards. Each player will, however, receive at least 100 EXP for a constructed PvP win.

Base PVP win XP: 200 in Normal / Ranked, 100 in Expeditions (no change)

1-10 wins: full XP (no change)

11-15 wins: -50 XP → full XP

16-20 wins: -100 XP (no change)

21-30 wins: -150 XP → -100 XP

31+ wins: -200 XP → -100 XP

EXPEDITION REWARDS:

LoR team heard the outcries of the community, who expressed their frustration over the fact that 6-win run in Expeditions rewarded only 33% of the shards needed to play another Expedition. While LoR team believes the overall Expedition rewards are in a good spot, they've decided to increase the shard gain for six and seven-win runs, in a bid to make those achievements feel more rewarding.

6-win Expeditions will now reward 50% more shards (1500), as well as a random champion card and golden chest.

7-win Expeditions will now reward 17% more shards (3500), as well as a champion capsule.

FRIEND CHALLENGE EXP CHANGES:

Friend Challenge EXP structure will also see a change, in a bid to prevent the win/loss trading. Friend Challenge wins will now grant 100 EXP for the first five wins and no EXP for sixth and more. Adding to that, Friend Challenge losses and ties will now grant no EXP. Friend Challenge matches will no longer count towards daily PvP wins/losses for first wins of the day bonuses. They will, however, still count for quest progress

PC FPS Options

LoR will also add the FPS Option in-game (PC-exclusive), which will allow players to set the max framerate LoR will run. The players will have three options to choose from; 30/60, 60 and 60+.

30/60: This option is the previous default setting, which runs the game at 30 FPS during non-interactive moments and at 60 FPS during interactive ones; such as grabbing and moving cards. As stated by LoR team, this option is best used for devices that run the game on battery, as it helps with battery consumption and responsiveness while interacting with cards.

60: Locks the framerate of LoR at 60 FPS – supposedly doubles battery consumption compared to 30/60 option.

60+: With this option, the game will try to run as fast as possible, up to 240 FPS. This is the most demanding option for batters usage, as it will drain the device's battery very quickly. That said, some animations may run faster than intended, which may lead to game crashes when rapidly navigating through the client.