Players wanted a more authentic trip back to old League, and Riot has already started making changes.
League of Legends (LoL) Classic has barely arrived on the Public Beta Environment (PBE), but the long-awaited trip back to the Rift's early days has already sparked a wave of criticism from veteran players who say developer Riot Games has missed what made the original game memorable.
While many welcomed the return of older champion kits, items and gameplay, the biggest complaints have centred around LoL Classic's presentation. Players argued that modern champion models, voice lines, visual effects and even monetisation decisions undermine the nostalgic experience Riot set out to recreate.
The feedback was swift enough that Riot has already announced several changes, including making Classic skins the default option, restoring original voice lines where possible and shifting more of the mode's design back towards Season 3.
Why are League of Legends Classic players disappointed?
One of the biggest talking points has been Riot's decision to use modern champion models as the default for much of the roster, while older appearances were originally tied to unlockable Classic skins.
The original Reddit thread, titled "League 'Not So' Classic", quickly gained traction as players shared what they felt was missing from the experience.
"Charging for Classic Skins is genuinely wild. We are being asked to pay for what used to be the default look of the game. Under no circumstances should the old models be paywalled… especially when most champions in the mode still appear with their modern models anyway. Even Blizzard wasn't this greedy with WoW Classic," thread creator prime_desire wrote.
Beyond the paid skins, players argued that the overall presentation felt inconsistent with the era Riot was trying to recreate. Modern champion models, animations and visual effects appearing alongside older gameplay made the mode feel less like a faithful recreation and more like a modern version dressed in classic mechanics.
"Why the f*** arent old model baseline, i don't want to play classic while looking like reworked Sion or new Cait....." Relah added in response to the thread.
Players also pointed to smaller details that, while seemingly minor individually, carried years of nostalgia for long-time League fans. "Apparently Ryze auto-attacks are not the "zap/lightning" I remember. What's the point?" Undesiredbeast said. Others pointed out that Ryze no longer says iconic lines such as "Let's go, let's go" and "Unpleasant... I will show you unpleasant," while others found that champions like Dr. Mundo still used their modern voiceovers. "Played the classic Mundo skin and its the new voicelines," DroneisHD confirmed.
Players also questioned Riot's choice of champion versions, arguing that some characters appeared to be pulled from much later seasons despite League Classic aiming to recreate an earlier era. "I also don't understand their champion state choices, like why is Ahri apparently getting season 8 state when she's in the game since season 2??? and it's supposed to be s3 ish???" Haillynka said.
Not every response was entirely negative, however. Some players said they enjoyed the gameplay itself, but believed Riot had underestimated just how important the visuals and presentation were to recreating the classic experience.
"I'll [be] charitable and say that Riot kinda misread the room. I think visuals are a larger part of the nostalgia than they realized... They probably should've positioned this more as a remastered version of the game," DangerDamage said.
League of Legends Classic skins are now free
One of the loudest complaints centred on Riot placing Classic skins behind progression rather than making them the standard experience.
"It's so pathetic that they are actually charging for old 3 polygon models, it completely ruins the immersion and nostalgia that was promised. i thought i would come back to league for this but no thanks...." Certain_Guidance_703 wrote.
Following criticism over paid Classic skins and the mode's overall nostalgic presentation, Riot developer RiotFeralPony thanked players for their feedback on Reddit and confirmed the team was already looking into the community's biggest concerns.
"Hey folks, thanks for all the feedback here. I really appreciate it, even when it's spicy. We're taking a look at a number of things to address around some of the biggest areas of feedback," RiotFeralPony wrote, promising a further update.
That update arrived over the weekend in a developer video, where Riot confirmed that all Classic skins are now unlocked for every eligible champion on the PBE. The studio also said those skins will soon become the default appearance, replacing the modern base models, while additional Classic skins are being created for champions that do not yet have one. Riot also confirmed it is restoring as many original voice lines as possible.
Why isn't League of Legends Classic based on one season?
Riot also addressed one of the community's biggest questions: why League Classic is not recreating one specific season. According to the developer, surveys conducted during development revealed an unexpected pattern. Players overwhelmingly considered League to be "Classic" during the year they first started playing, believed the game was at its best the following year, and generally felt anything before that was simply too old.
Rather than recreating a single patch or season, Riot said its goal was to build the "best game with the best pieces of Classic League" by combining memorable champion designs, gameplay systems, items and mechanics from multiple eras.
Even so, the developer acknowledged that player feedback had shifted its approach. Instead of primarily drawing from Seasons 1 to 5, Riot is now moving much more of League Classic's content towards Seasons 1 to 3, while still selectively keeping newer quality-of-life improvements where they improve usability without fundamentally changing the classic experience.
What is Riot changing in League of Legends Classic?
Beyond making Classic skins free, Riot confirmed several other changes following the first round of player feedback. The developer said it will continue restoring original voice lines where possible, refine champion kits around what players remember most fondly from League's earlier years, and pull more gameplay content back towards Seasons 1 to 3. At the same time, certain modern features, such as the current ping system and clearer bounty indicators, will remain to preserve usability and game clarity.
Riot also said it will continue refining individual champions based on feedback. As one example, the developer confirmed Katarina will be moved closer to her Season 3 version after players overwhelmingly preferred that iteration, while Twisted Fate will retain older mechanics that better capture his classic identity.
Riot's latest update has been welcomed by many players, though the discussion around how authentic League Classic should be is far from over.
Some praised the developer for responding quickly while continuing to offer suggestions for refining the experience.
"Great stuff, thanks for listening and course correcting so quickly. I agree with keeping the new ping systems. However could we have the UI/UX design for them look like they were designed in 2012. It sorta takes you out the experience," Balkyne wrote.
Others felt Riot's changes were a step in the right direction, but argued the mode should fully commit to recreating the original experience.
"Better, i still hate the idea of having new skins being available. its extremely odd having a SUPER MEGA ULTRA LUX Skin in the mode, next to an OG sion," codegeas1914 said.
Another player thanked Riot for listening, but said they were still hoping for a more faithful recreation rather than a modernised take.
"I just want to play the old League and experience it the way it was. I don't want a remaster or a modern remake. If I wanted that, I'd just stick with the current version. Thank you for the improvements!" Stressced wrote.
League of Legends Classic remains available on the PBE, with Riot saying it will continue monitoring player feedback and making further adjustments ahead of the mode's full release. The game mode is coming out on 29 July.
