Jared Wynne 
League of Legends players are anticipating one of the game’s biggest changes in recent years that’s soon to arrive: The removal of Mythic items from the game.
Mythic items have been a controversial part of the game ever since they were first introduced to League of Legends. Their impact on builds can be significant, and they play a large role in the exact build paths players are able to take while still optimizing their characters.
But developer Riot Games has apparently seen enough, as Mythic items are being removed from the game. Here’s when to expect that change, and what comes next.
When are Mythic items being removed from LoL?
Mythic items will be removed from LoL in the upcoming preseason. This preseason period will serve as the bridge between 2023’s ranked seasons and the next ranked seasons that will begin in 2024.
That also represents some big changes in League of Legends this year, as this preseason period will be different. The preseason will be played out on the Public Beta Environment (PBE) rather than on live servers. The 2024 preseason begins with a November 20 patch on the game’s testing grounds, at which point players should have their first look at gameplay without Mythic items.
Preseason being moved from live servers to the PBE also means that the current ranked season will be extended all the way into January 2024. There are likely multiple reasons for this.
Why is the LoL preseason being changed in 2024?
Riot Games may way to test major changes in the LoL preseason before bringing them to the broader player base on live servers and in ranked games. The removal of Mythic items is a major change, so it could be argued that Riot is better served testing this change with a smaller number of players who expect odd behaviors and questionable gameplay experiences.
More cynically, it has been theorized that Riot is removed the public preseason because it wants players to feel incentivized to play in ranked games throughout the entire calendar year, rather than having a down period of several weeks of preseason during which ranked games don’t count towards a player’s final standing.
As for what players can expect after the removal of Mythic items, it could in theory open up more diverse build paths for more champions. Currently, the bonuses offered by Mythic items make them almost mandatory early builds, while also dictating how the rest of the build should go.
Removing Mythic items may give many of the game’s champions more opportunities to experiment away from the game’s expected meta, and may also allow for more flexibility in builds between games depending on which enemy and allied champions are in each game.
