TFT: Galaxies (Teamfight Tactics Set 3) will be launched with an incredible new mechanic that encourages variance and adaptability.
Earlier this week, Riot Games officially unveiled the core of what Set 3 will take care of Team combat tactics: variance in gameplay. With TFTRiot has consistently tried to create a game where you need to strategically adapt to the flight. Welcome, TFT: Galaxies.
Whether it’s the carousel, the random falls or the shop of champions, there has always been an element of randomness Team combat tactics with the aim of making each game “a little different”, as the developer says. With TFT: Galaxies (what Riot calls Set 3), the developer is taking it one step further. No wait, a whole galaxy further. See what I did there?
This week, he offered some information on the new mechanical set for TFT: Galaxies. It’s pretty simple but it completely changes the game.
In addition to the normal rule games, some TFT games will take you to a different galaxy where the rules are only slightly different.
In other words, every game you play will have some sort of wrinkle in the traditional Team combat tactics rule set. An example provided by Riot was a “Neekoverse Galaxy, where they all begin with two ready-to-use Neeko Guide articles”. Suffice it to say that the strategic decisions that result from this set of rules are crazy.
Do you use them early on a powerful three or four costs to start winning streaking? Are you chasing a powerful 3 star that might normally be too difficult to reach? Or hold on for that 5-star 2-star champion late in the game?
These seem to be the kind of decisions on the fly that Riot has always aimed to make with Teamfight Tactics. Set 2: Rise of the Elements has only scratched the surface with its elemental hexagons. However, Riot acknowledges that the power level of the hexes has been somewhat disappointing, so some players have simply ignored them.
In set 3, you won’t be able to ignore a rule that completely changes the game, as in the example given above. Another example is a “4-carousel” galaxy in which the first carousel is made up entirely of four-charge samples. Again, this sort of thing never existed Team combat tactics, therefore it would be wild to see what strategy players adopt with this rule.
One of the complaints about randomness in a game like Team combat tactics is that it could lead to an unfair advantage for some players. While Riot has done a considerable amount of work to minimize the advantage of the RNG, the best thing about the Galaxies is that the rules will apply to all players. If everyone starts with the help of Neeko or the possibility of a four-cost champion, then there are no immediate benefits.
Sure, there will still be more “powerful” champions and I’m sure we will have guides that suggest the best team compositions for the different galaxies, but it seems that it will not be as simple as the previous sets. With more variance, there is less than a simple path to building the most powerful team – and that’s a good thing.
TFT is at its best when you can’t simply seek guidance and know the best way to play, but rather you have to adapt to what’s going on in the game. So it was important to find a set mechanic who made it possible.
At the end of the day, there will always be a “goal” to build on – two or three different teams considered the strongest. But at least with the galaxies, getting to that comp will be different for everyone. You will not be able to enter a dead game on a certain comp. Together with the other seven players, you will have to adapt to the randomness of a certain galaxy.
At launch, TFT: Galaxies will have the normal game mode with one or two different galaxies, but Riot hopes to extend it to 10 different galaxies. I can’t wait to see what they will come up with.