Riot pulls last-hit indicators from Ranked after Patch 26.13

Riot Games removed last-hit indicators from Ranked matches hours after Patch 26.13 went live, while leaving the feature active in Normal Draft. The studio announced the change on the same day the patch launched.

The indicator placed a small white marker on a minion’s health bar when a basic attack would kill it. Riot introduced the tool to help players secure creep score more reliably, improve gold income and clarify pacing for players learning last-hit timing. Patch 26.13 initially applied the indicator to both Normal Draft and Ranked queues.

Reactions among players were divided. Supporters described the marker as a learning aid that could help newer players understand timing and wave control and potentially speed up games by reducing missed last hits. Critics argued that last-hitting is a core mechanical skill and that an on-screen indicator could reduce opportunities for skill expression, particularly for attack-damage carry roles where precise last-hits affect damage and gold. Mid-lane players were also mentioned in discussions because many champions in that role have lower attack damage and different damage scaling.

On the social platform X, user Dragdar wrote: “This change is absolutely absurd. Last hitting minions is quite literally League of Legends.” Former professional William “Meteos” Hartman posted that he had turned the indicator off, calling it distracting. Karmine Corp Blue top laner Alexis “Koala” Gonzalez, an EUW Challenger player, wrote that there is “legit 0 reason to not activate it every time and handicap yourself.” These posts reflect differing views among high-level players.

Riot’s announcement removed the feature from Ranked play only, keeping it in more casual modes so players can use it while learning. The company has not confirmed whether the indicator will return to Ranked in a future update. Developers previously tested a WASD control scheme earlier in the year; that control option remains available in Ranked. Riot has not released details about changes planned for the next patch beyond cosmetic notes included for upcoming content.

Earlier, Riot Games placed six T1 Worlds 2025 skins on the Public Beta Environment for player testing ahead of a planned live release with patch 26.14 on July 15, 2026.