Do you even remember these fondly and with nostalgia?
League of Legends Game Modes: The Worst Ever
From the snow-covered lanes of Snowdown Showdown to the immense fun of champion ultimates and their synergies with other champion kits all the way to the vast success of Arena, League of Legends fans always love when the rotating game modes arrive to League. Some more than others, however.
Rotating game modes in League of Legends are the temporary game modes that Riot add to the game with no particular rhyme, as some are available more than others, based on popularity. To their credit, they do announce a schedule of when we can expect these game modes to hit the Rift.
Some game modes have only been featured once, and we are glad that they have, so they don't take up the spots of the game modes we actually love, while others have been spammed by Riot to the point of fans being sick of the game mode they once loved.
What are the Worst Game Modes in LoL?
The game modes on our list are the ones that have not left a lasting impression on the LoL community as a whole, as none can compare to the cult classic that is URF, with some only lasting for around 10 days, never to be seen again.
3. ARURF
The whole point of Ultimate Rapid Fire game mode is to give players a chance to try out different champions and try to abuse them with the balance changes during this game mode.
All Random Ultimate Rapid Fire game mode got really old, really fast, due to players receiving champions they don't know how to play in such a fast-paced game mode. Add to that the fact that not all champions are equal in Urf, and you have a recipe for frustration.
Especially since Riot seemed to bring ARURF back every few months, instead of other requested modes.
- To remind yourself of one of the most unique game modes ever, Dark Star: Singularity, get yourself a Thresh Figurine
3. One For All
Tacking on to ARURF is One For All, a game mode that was incredibly popular back in the day. The fact that it remained on the rotating game mode roster since 2011 speaks volumes of its qualities.
Unfortunately, too much of anything is bad for you, and Riot's insistence to use One For All whenever they needed to add a game mode quickly turned the whole thing sour for a lot of players.
Since then, a large part of the LoL community has been complaining about the existence of One For All, since it gets a yearly rotation, whereas modes like Snowdown Showdown, a game mode that is built around a holiday time period and tied with fond memories, does not.
2. Doom Bots
Playing against bots in League of Legends got so boring, that Riot are investing in updating their bots. The company that is becoming renowned for investing their time only in expensive skins that bring in the cash.
So, it's no wonder that the Doom Bots game mode is lackluster at best, even with all the changes given to champions in it.
For those that never had the opportunity to play this game mode, Doom Bots is a Co-Op vs. AI game mode, where the bots are given upgraded abilities, and the map spawns various curses to overcome. Even so, even overpowered bots are still bots at the end of the day.
It just did not make for an interesting game, because even when it was difficult to overcome, it was because of an overabundance of effects, and not skill expression.
1. Dominion
By far, the worst League of Legends game mode ever was Dominion, which used to be a permanent game mode turned into a temporary rotating one.
Not for the reasons you think, however, as the idea of a fast-paced, action-packed game mode was something LoL desperately needed at a time when Summoner's Rift games took 45 minutes on average.
Though not comparable to the mainstream game mode, the game mode, garnered a large fan base, which was destroyed due to bugs dodge penalties, and an abundance of bots, unlike Twisted Treeline which just petered out over time due to a lack of interest and being too close to Summoner's Rift in gameplay.
Add to that the fact that at first, the game mode was fast and fun, and later on, it was still only fast and fun. With no new updates, and issues taking entire seasons to be fixed, Dominion is Riot's worst-ever game mode in LoL. Not because of what it was, but because of what it could have become but never did.