These dragons can change the rules of the game.
Get ready to spread your wings and climb the ranked ladder in League of Legends next year, as Riot Games finally provides more details on the new dragons making their way to the Summoner's Rift in the 2022 preseason season.
Making their debut in Patch 11.23, Hextech and Chemtech Dragons received a mixed reception from fans and players alike. The effects of the two dragons will have a huge impact on the meta, their playstyle, and how people will perform in the later stages of their game.
For the Chemtech Dragon, its normal buff deals bonus damage to the team against enemies with more health, giving it up to a five percent increase in damage per stack. Chemtech Soul will give champions a temporary second life similar to the Sion passive, where they can briefly revive and automatically attack and use abilities before they actually die.
Chemtech Dragon's impact on the map is a spooky addition for anyone playing more squishier champions, as gas zones spawn in four jungle zones. These zones camouflage any champion that enters and is not revealed by normal vision wards, but is displayed by Totems of Control, Scryer's Bloom, and other vehicles that spawn invisible units.
On the other side of the spectrum, Hextech Dragon gives a team attack speed and ability rush, while Soul unleashes a unique ability that adds a chain of lightning speed to basic attacks and abilities set to cooldown. Hextech Soul places pairs of Hexgates across the map, allowing players to travel through a door to their matched counterpart. These doors are activated with a short channel, but can be interrupted by an enemy stun or damage.
Hexgates are huge because they allow teams to spin quickly and efficiently across the map with minimal effort. It should help teams engage in teamfights or secure goals, and even provide some unfortunate people with a handy getaway if you're lucky enough to close the channel. There are also Hexgates that can create flanking opportunities if you can distract your enemies.
All of these changes will arrive in Rift in Patch 11.23 on Tuesday, November 17.