Teamfight Tactics Leaves LoL Client Amid Unreal Engine Fixes

Teamfight Tactics launched its standalone PC client with Patch 18.6 on Wednesday, Nov. 4, separating the game from the League of Legends client. The release comes with a larger-than-usual download and focuses on stability and core functions.

The separate client gives the TFT team more control over features designed for its players. Additional tools and improvements will arrive in later updates. Players can still switch between TFT and League of Legends, including Summoner’s Rift and ARAM, with one button.

Riot will gradually separate the games’ cosmetic systems. Starting with Patch 19.1, newly released Little Legends will no longer be available as ARAM companions. Existing Little Legends will remain usable. New TFT emotes will become separate from League of Legends emotes with Patch 19.2, while previously released emotes will retain cross-game compatibility.

The first client release does not include every planned feature. Patch 18.7 is expected to restore leaderboards, simplify friend invitations and improve switching between solo and party lobbies across queues. Riot is also considering end-of-game tools for sharing winning team compositions and team codes.

The team plans to improve the interface for larger PC displays after players reported that the layout left too much unused space. Riot has not announced a release date for that update.

Patch 19.1, scheduled for Dec. 1, will add interactive in-client events with Set 19. One planned feature, Tour Collection, will let players customize a room that displays progress and memorabilia from the set’s music-themed content. The room will include more than 70 customization options.

Set 19 will introduce a new version of the True Damage trait. Players can choose between an A-side focused on winning streaks and a B-side that benefits from losing streaks. Riot plans to provide more details in an upcoming Set 19 Dev Drop.

Patch 18.6 includes clearer in-game chat, the return of Streamer Mode, shorter waits during Carousel rounds, improved Combat Recaps and more visible Buy XP and Reroll buttons on PC. The update also addresses crashes, gameplay errors and missing item borders on mobile devices.

Riot is restoring cosmetics that became unavailable after TFT moved to Unreal Engine. The official patch notes list 75 returning cosmetics in Patch 18.6, along with additional Arenas. Work continues on frame-rate drops, crashes and delayed inputs.

The Unreal Engine transition began with Set 18, Enchanted Wilds, which launched in August. Riot replaced the previous technology after determining that it had reached its limits and required some experiences to be built separately for PC and mobile. Players later reported frame-rate problems, crashes, delayed shop interactions, missing cosmetics and other bugs.

On Oct. 13, Riot apologized for the game’s condition and launched Follow the Fix, a public tracker for reported problems, investigations and completed fixes. The tracker’s Oct. 21 update listed frame-rate issues, crashes and delayed inputs as ongoing problems.

Riot will provide appreciation rewards during Set 19. Players who complete one game will receive 500 Treasure Tokens. Those who complete 20 games will receive a token redeemable from a banner containing random Mythic Chibis. The banner will exclude Unbound Tacticians and Mythic Little Legends.

Players who owned a Mythic Tactician or Mythic Arena before Patch 18.7 will receive two Mythic Medallions. Those who owned a Prestige Tactician will receive an unrevealed Mythic Chibi. Riot plans to deliver these ownership-based rewards automatically after Patch 19.1 launches.

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Reviewed and fact-checked by Alex Panasenko on November 4.