TFT Set 12 Charms are here to work wonders in your gameplay, a wonderful and whimsical set mechanic that create the feel of a magical world.
The highlight mechanic of Magic n’ Mayhem, Charms are one-time-use spells available for purchase that will appear in every other shop, taking the place of a champion slot.
Charms are available exclusively during PvP rounds. You can purchase one Charm per round, and can keep rolling to find a more valuable Charm, up to the limits of your Arena’s gold reserves, of course.
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The cost of Charms depends on their power and the stage at which they become available, with higher-priced Charms offering greater benefits.
ONE Esports speaks with Sam Judd, Senior Technical Game Designer and Magic n’ Mayhem Set Lead to find out more about how the TFT devs conceptualized this unique key mechanic for this set, and how they went about balancing over 100 available Charms.
How Riot Games came up with enchanting TFT Set 12 Charms mechanic
“We had experimented with design mechanics similar to Charms in the past, and we knew it was something we would probably do someday, but we just needed to find the right time,” Sam told ONE Esports.
“We have folks all around Riot who pitch set thematics and mechanics, from more junior folks all the way to senior leaders, both within TFT and other games,” Sam continued.
“It was actually Andrei Van Roon, the Head of League Studio, who first pitched the idea of ‘Hey, what about magical effects you could buy from the shop? That seems like it would be a good fit for the theme.’ And the theme of Magic n’ Mayhem presented a great opportunity to pull that mechanic off the shelf.”
Admittedly, Charms weren’t the first thing that the TFT team tried for this set, but it became clear that this was the best place to implement the mechanic.
Once that was decided, they fleshed out details of how best to make the idea work and were very mindful of making it easy for players to see a Charm, read it, understand it, and make a decision about how to use it.
Balancing TFT Set 12 Charms started right from the get-go during prototyping
In order to find Set 12’s in-game balance, a group of Game Design team members created an initial prototype of Charms. They then worked with the Finalization Team to turn that prototype into the final set we see today.
“When something unique comes along like Charms, the Finalization team is just as eager as we are to solve the puzzle of how to make our new features play well. Having a group of experts in that aspect of design helps to ensure that whatever wacky things we add to the game can be exciting to all kinds of players without feeling overwhelming,” Sam explained.
Through these iterations, the team ended up with a robust collection of over 100 Charms, which give players the chance to master every type of magic while maintaining the thrill of discovery even after they’ve played several games.
What’s more, late game Charms have a huge impact on the outcome of a match. They cost more gold and therefore significantly more powerful than early game ones.
“During the final few rounds of the game, Charms make it feel like you’re actually slinging magical abilities in tense duels where you are desperately trying to eke out just one placement better by getting the best charms you can roll into,” shared Sam. “We’re really excited with how they turned out and can’t wait to see players Charm-roll to a first place finish!”
How previous sets informed TFT Set 12 Magic n’ Mayhem
The top of line goal that informs each set is that each should feel distinct. This is one fundamental way that previous sets shape the direction of future sets.
“Magic n’ Mayhem followed Inkborn Fables, which was more introspective and serious. As the summer set, we wanted Magic n’ Mayhem to have a lighter and more playful tone with brighter colors. The Charms mechanic really captured that feel,” said Sam.
Because they’re smaller in scale, Charms create “fun, magical little moments throughout the game,” which contrast with mechanics like Treasure Dragon in Dragonlands (Set 7), Encounters from Inkborn Fables (Set 11), and Augments in Gizmos and Gadgets (Set 6). Intentionally, Magic n’ Mayhem switches up gameplay “by moving to the other side of the scale.”
“I hope fans have a great time playing. Beyond that, I hope they take away a sense of the endless possibilities that TFT has,” said Sam. “With a roster of 60 League of Legends champions including 27 traits, three new characters, and more than 140 Augments, I hope everyone can find something they enjoy in Magic n’ Mayhem.”
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