Riot Games is introducing a new PvE game mode, Swarm, to League of Legends, set in the Anima Squad universe. The highly anticipated co-op mode promises a fresh, narrative-driven experience that will have players navigate various challenges, including a deliberately tough first mission designed to teach some essential survival skills.
Riot has taken a bold approach with Swarm’s first mission, intentionally setting players up for failure. The aim is to familiarize players with the survival mechanics and the importance of building strength over time, much like in every other game in the bullet heaven genre.
In a first look at Swarm, Riot emphasized even experienced players will have a tough time at first since part of the survivor genre is “understanding you need to build up your strength.”
In the first mission of the narrative-driven mode, the expectation is players will likely die, and “that’s OK,” Sope May, product lead for Swarm, said while introducing the deadly initiation to the new PvE mode. This will help players learn the mechanics of Swarm, which include gaining coins to unlock “global power-ups” that can help players in future runs.
Eager League players are encouraged to embrace the challenge and dare to defy it as they continue playing the new playlist after its release in July.
By designing the first mission for failure, Riot prepares League players for the cooperative nature of Swarm: The more players in the run, the better your chances of success. As players overcome the early obstacles of the mode, they’ll gain valuable skills for future challenges, including the Completitionist End Game level—the highest one in terms of difficulty.
