Riot has done away entirely with IP (Influence Points) in favor of merging them with the essence system from 2016. For many, this is a scary changeover while they wonder if they are going to be rewarded less for games than before despite Riot’s assurances that this system would be faster. However, Riot has been quick to jump on new user complaints using handy dandy math to explain that for most players, Blue Essence (BE) will in fact be a better system. To quote the devs:

Essentially, the BE system is about players investing into it. By disenchanting items from loot boxes and leveling, the overwhelming majority of players will end up with more than they had before. The only caveat is that this does mean that Riot has sort of put all their eggs in the Loot Box basket. This will inevitably infuriate some players just based on the controversy surrounding Loot Boxes, but it does mean that it is ultimately a move that has the player in mind.

The new system is both good and bad in that regard. The problem with IP was two-fold. Firstly, players who played much, much more, felt IP was useless. At a certain point, it rewarded nothing (once a player owned all the runes and champions they wanted). For those players, BE is better in every regard because they get something for nothing. But, the trade-off does mean that any players frustrated with the crafting/loot box system just have to accept the future of League of Legends is in it.

If it is any consolation for those players, the removal of the rune system means that BE will be spent almost exclusively on champions and skins, the things that most players said they cared about in the first place. The only unresolved issue with BE has to do with masteries. Unlocking champion masteries were a pain before, and after this new changeover, they are even more of a pain. Though Riot has taken to the subreddits to discuss working on a fix, it’s unlikely it will be immediate.

The final verdict is that BE should, in almost every way, be a slightly better to much better system than before, albeit one with a few kinks.