Legends of Runeterra Landmarks Revealed!

Well, this came out of left field — Riot has just announced a brand-new type of cards in Legends of Runeterra called Landmarks. We know that the second set (titled Monuments of Power) is scheduled for release on October 14th, but no one expect an entirely new game mechanic.

Fortunately, by the looks of it, this seems like a very good one.

So what are Landmarks in Legends of Runeterra? Well, in short, think of them as units that remain on your side of the board and have unique, ongoing effects. If you’ve ever played Magic the Gathering, a parallel can be made with saga cards. Landmarks, however, are a lot less intimidating it seems like (i.e. easy to use). They’re more like field spells in Yu-Gi-Oh! than anything else.

Landmarks cannot attack, block, or take any kind of damage, and yet they’ll have a persistent effect on the game. In other words, they carry quite a lot of power. They’re also a much-welcome addition to the game. At best, they’re going to leave a considerable mark on the way Legends of Runeterra is played. With LoR’s somewhat simplistic gameplay mechanics, this kind of update is almost guaranteed to leave a mark.

A More In-depth Look

Landmarks cannot be attacked, but you’ll be able to remove them with certain spells (some of which will be updated with the upcoming patch like “Falling Comet” and “Singular Will“). If things pan out as expected, Landmarks will affect the game in a myriad of ways.

The first Landmark that was revealed is “Vaults of Helia” that falls under the Shadow Isles region. It’s a 5 mana card that has a very peculiar effect. Whenever a round starts (and “Vaults of Helia” is on the board) you’ll automatically sacrifice your most expensive unit to summon another one from your deck that costs 1 more mana. The synergy with existing Shadow Isles decks is quite evident, and this card alone should nudge Elise and Kalista towards viability almost overnight.

Updates Galore

We’ve also gotten a glimpse at a couple of upcoming changes to the game:

• We’ll be getting a brand-new limited-time event in October (in line with the Spirit Blossom one that happened recently), with more details coming soon!
• Starting in November, you’ll be able to spectate your friends with ease!
• Card cosmetics are currently being worked on, with a somewhat lofty release date set for early 2021.
• Seasonal tournaments will now happen at the end of each season. They’re supposed to be the “apex of competition” and they’ll run exclusively in-game. Over 1000 players in each global region will be able to compete, but not everyone will be able to qualify. To do so, you’ll either have to be one of the top ranked players on your server, or one of the first players to complete the final gauntlet. The first seasonal tournament is scheduled to happen on December 6th, so make sure to start grinding!

For a more official breakdown of Legends of Runeterra Landmarks, you can check out Riot’s announcement video!