League of Legends Game Designer Phreak has confirmed that the unpopular jungle role will be buffed, but some players are unhappy about this news.
In the action-packed lanes of League of Legends, even the most independent laners may sometimes need help. This is where the vital role of the jungler comes to play.
A good jungler can make or break your ranked games and, moreover, a pro match. Being a good jungler means defeating monsters or raking up gold and items. Still, it also calls for high-level map awareness, the perfect timing to call for objectives, and knowing when and where to roam to help your laners decimate the enemies.
The arduous task of being a jungler may also be behind its unpopularity. As confirmed by League of Legends Game Designer Phreak, some of the changes in the next patch include jungle buffs to make the role more palatable to pick – an announcement that some players did not receive well.
LoL players think that jungle role is “overbearing,” not underpowered
In the Reddit post, the player suggests that picking jungle is unpopular not because of its lack of power but because of the immense responsibility and importance it plays in ranked games. They further explain that junglers are often blamed whenever a lane player dies – even if it’s not their fault.
Jungle players have also expressed their sentiments in the comment section. One player expounds that the low pick rate for the jungle is due to toxicity, pressure, and attitude associated with the role.
Some of the jungle buffs in the forthcoming patch are Maokai’s increased damage to monsters. While these changes are labeled as “nerfs,” as the Champion is now dominating the top lane ranking, many players are unhappy to see Maokai’s return to jungle prominence.
Buffs or not, it is still up to the players to focus on the roles they enjoy for the nearly hour-long game of League of Legends. But the devs hope to see an uptrend in the pick rate as the patch rolls out.