Forget the new champion, the latest League of Legends patch just made me cry with an addition I've waited almost a decade for

League of Legends has made me cry many times. Whether it's Silco's untimely demise in the first season of Arcane, or getting absolutely obliterated during a ranked promo match, for all my complaints about Riot's MOBA, I still truly love it. But my mind can't help but wander back to the good ol' days of Butcher's Bridge and Snowdown Showdown, and while we saw the Gangplank-inspired ARAM map return earlier this year, the one I've been waiting for has always been Winter Rift. Baron's been missing his Santa hat for far too long, but League of Legends patch 25.23 has brought it back, and I won't lie, I got a little teary.

Now this may sound really silly: imagine crying over a videogame? Well, my relationship with League of Legends has been relatively strained this year, with the increasing price of skins and the rotating seasonal battle pass system leaving me out in the cold. While I liked seeing Butcher's Bridge return out of the blue, it didn't quite hit like the original event did - disabling 'dead' Gangplank will go down in history as one of the best decisions Riot ever made (although its decision not to 'kill' off Xin Zhao following that latest cinematic did disappoint me a little).

This Winter Rift, however, feels right. The last time we saw it was 2017's iteration of Snowdown Showdown, and there are some significant changes this time around. The nexus is surrounded by a rotating toy train filled with poros (hearing their little squeaks on repeat as I grabbed screenshots in practice mode was adorable), and there's a thick dusting of snow across the entire map. Each monster has their own unique Christmas getup, with Shelly the Rift Herald donning reindeer antlers and a red nose, while Atakhan gets a Santa-style glow-up.

The thing that got me, however, is the Baron. For the past few years, our scaly purple pal has been missing his Santa hat, which I've considered an absolute travesty. Even if the Rift itself couldn't change, I never understood why the Baron couldn't have his hat. Now, it's back in pride of place on his primary head, while his smaller ones have green earmuffs. His myriad limbs have also got some warm gloves, and he's got a matching scarf, too. I never thought I'd see Winter Baron again, but I'm so glad he's back.

I also want to touch on the music. While the original Winter Rift jingle was more upbeat, this year's theme is a little more somber. I loaded into a practice match to check things out, and as I sped up time and sobbed over happy Christmas poros, it provided the perfect ambiance. It's really beautiful, and while it'll quickly be drowned out by Fizz shouting "feeding time!" as he destroys your ADC, it helps tie it all together.

Now it's worth noting that this is just a map reskin. Mana and health potions haven't been transformed into eggnog, and while there are a few new winter skins on the horizon, they don't have the same charm as the busted old Regifted Amumu, Reindeer Kog'Maw, or Nutcrako (I hate it). Instead, we've got Winter Wonder Milio and Zeri, Reindeer Smolder, and Prestige Winterblessed Mel to look forward to, which all look beautiful, but don't quite capture Riot's mid-2010s playfulness.

There's plenty more buried in the patch notes, which usher in new champion Zaahen and the new Arcane anniversary event (which also fixes up the much-maligned $250 Arcane Fractured Jinx skin), alongside account-wide bans for the baddest of actors (Riftbound is included in that list). But, for most of us, the highlight is the Winter Rift - I'm just so glad it's back.

I've found myself drawn back to LoL in recent weeks following what's becoming an incredibly unhealthy obsession with Riftbound. While I'd love to see a return of Snowdown Showdown in all its chaotic glory, I'll take what I can get for now - and what I've got is pretty damn good.