Riot developers taught fans an important lesson today—be careful what you wish for.
After many League of Legends fans criticized the hitbox on Nautilus’ Dredge Line (Q) for being broken, Riot devs took matters into their own hands. Several designers made hyperbolic changes to the Titan of the Depths, creating a meme that’s spiraling out of control.
The most recent iteration by League VFX artist Kevin “Sirhaian” Leroy makes Nautilus one scary anchorman.
I've enjoyed all the recent videos trying to fix Nautilus' Q, but I think that ability alone isn't the only thing that needs to change.
Here's my take on making sure all players can witness the true might of Nautilus.
— ✨✨ K/DA Sirhaian ✨✨ (@Sirhaian) February 13, 2020
Sirhaian enlarged Nautilus’ Q to take up the entire width of the mid lane and made it able to travel across the map without a problem. And it didn’t stop there. Titan’s Wrath (W) caused the underwater abomination to grow 10 times in size, while his ultimate Depth Charge (R) ability skyrocketed the enemy into space.
The artist’s Nautilus meme was in response to fellow developer Riot Beardilocks, who tweeted out a new Q hitbox that makes it nearly impossible to miss.
I like the direction you're heading in, but I'd really love to see a unique, strategic output for Nautilus. Might I suggest this: he can yeet his target into his own fountain
— Riot Xenogenic (@Xenogenic) February 12, 2020
Other Riot devs joined in on the fun as well. Design lead on events and skins Justin “Xenogenic” Hanson tweaked Nautilus’ Q to “yeet his target into his own fountain,” causing little outplay potential. QA analyst on playtest Riot Blizz made similar adjustments to the anchor’s hitbox.
For fans worried that these changes may hit the live servers, Sirhaian assured the community that these are “all jokes.” At least, we hope so.
