Riot’s agent balance lead, Dan, stated that Neon remains too strong based on internal metrics tracking both win rates and agent frustration levels across the player base. Dan acknowledged some frustration is inherent with agents like Neon, but argued she deviates from Riot’s tactical design principles and holds too much raw ranked power across skill brackets.
The upcoming changes will not be another round of stat reductions. Riot is aiming for what it calls pattern-level changes
to Neon’s gameplay, and the team is currently testing multiple options with no firm release date announced yet.
Neon’s last nerf in Patch 12.09 altered her High Gear sprint, stopping air speed gains from jumping while sprinting, and limited fuel regeneration from kills to her Overdrive ultimate. Those adjustments didn’t push her out of professional play. Neon was the second most picked agent in VCT Stage 2.
Dan also raised concerns about the ranked experience itself, describing it as too samey/flat.
Riot plans to address this by rewarding macro strategy and diverse tactics, with the goal of diversifying agent picks in ranked matches. The team admitted they overswung
on Yoru’s initial nerf, which suggests a more cautious approach is coming for Neon. Riot is also weighing reworks for agents lacking a clear role, including Miks.
Performance Score Does Not Touch MMR
Riot also cleared up confusion around the new Performance Score, which replaced Average Combat Score (ACS). The score has no direct impact on matchmaking rating (MMR) or Ranked Rating (RR) gains or losses. MMR remains driven primarily by match results, while Performance Score simply reflects a player’s impact on a specific game.
Derek, a Product Manager on Competitive Systems, said the design is meant to promote playing TOGETHER.
A few specifics on how the score is calculated:
- Kills remain the largest factor in the score
- Utility scoring is weighted relative to each agent’s kit
- An
Adjusted Kills
figure is visible to players, though Riot hasn’t disclosed how it’s calculated - Riot says it is still fine tuning this part of the system
What’s Coming Next
The current Agent Mastery system is still an early version, and Riot is watching how players engage with its rewards before making changes. The team is also discussing the 10,000 Kingdom Credits cap, studying spending trends before deciding whether adjustments are needed.
Developers are exploring ways to give players more control over map selection. Map Rating is confirmed for Patch 13.08, and a new Competitive Flex mode will follow in Patch 14.00.
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