Riot Games' digital collectible card game inspired by Magic The Gathering and featuring elements of the fan-favorite League of Legends has proved popular with players, with Legends of Runeterra providing lots of great content since its release in 2020. From its impressive visuals and thoughtful design to its accessibility, Legends of Runeterra has been winning over gamers with well-crafted gameplay and a plethora of interesting expansions and new sets.
There have been plenty of changes and new additions to Legends of Runeterra over the last two years, including the Darkin Saga: Awakening expansion – a recent update that introduced a new region, new mechanics, cosmetics, and new Champions to the popular card game. The ever-evolving Legends of Runeterra has really been packing content into its set-up recently, and the changes that have come with the most recent expansion showcase the exciting future of the spin-off title.
New Characters And Changes
Riot Games has created a vibrant, expansive world with its League of Legends franchise, with multiple spin-off games, comics, books, and even a critically acclaimed animated series releasing alongside the original MOBA. Legends of Runeterra marks another successful avenue for the IP, with the card game receiving a warm reception from fans of the franchise and creating a substantive player base since its release. Riot Games has managed to maintain the goodwill of players with frequent updates, changing the shape of the game and adding new elements to keep things interesting.
Legends of Runeterra's Darkin Saga: Awakening expansion is among the more recent changes the developer has made to the collectible card game and has brought with it a large list of additions and updates. The expansion contained five new Champions, including Kayn and Rhaast, Jax, Ornn, and Master Yi. Darkin Saga: Awakening also brought Legends of Runeterra's very first exclusive champion, Norra – a friendly old Yordle with a penchant for portals that fans of wider League of Legends lore will already be familiar with.
Each Champion has their own unique set of skills and abilities that could help give players the edge, like Master Yi with his useful Quick Attack, The Frejlordian demi-god Ornn with his powerful Forge triggers, and the Darkin champion Kayn with his multiple forms. The expansion also includes a handful of new Darkin, either ones that players might know from previous League of Legends lore or some that might be entirely new to them.
Card Types And Gameplay Updates
Alongside the collection of new characters, Legends of Runeterra's Darkin Saga: Awakening expansion is adding some new card types to switch up play even more. One of the biggest changes is the addition of Equipment cards, which allow players to provide perks or boosts to unit cards during a turn, and then they'll return to their hand once the unit is destroyed to be used again. Although there's a once-per-round restriction, this new mechanic could open up play in intriguing ways.
Some of the newer units added in the expansions will also include an Auto-Equip keyword, which means any weapons in the player's hand or on the field could be automatically equipped to that particular unit. In addition to Auto-Equip, there will also be new keywords in the form of Forge and Improvise, both of which can provide buffs to equipment or units to bring additional advantages. While these changes won't affect Legends of Runeterra's gameplay in fundamental ways, they will provide another fun layer for gamers to experiment with.
There's also the Path of Champions, a set of PvE campaigns for new Champions Jax, Kayn, Ornn, Master Yi, and older ones Veigar, Leona, Diana, and Ashe. These campaigns will add more narrative aspects to the Champions as players explore their campaigns, as well as more content for them to play through. To tie in with the titular Darkin and the dreaded corruption, some characters will gain alternate Corrupted skins and new Champion Kayn will get two boards, one for his human side and one for his Darkin side, Rhaast. Gamers will be able to also run through three weekly challenges – Starlight Portal, Shadow Portal, or Dark Star Portal – once a week to keep them occupied and gain some additional rewards.
Legends of Runeterra is available now for PC and mobile devices.