League of Legends Season 3 brings back beloved Doom Bots mode, with new champs

All I want is Harrowing Summoner's Rift. Reimagining League of Legends' classic battleground as a pumpkin-ridden, candlelit forest full of horrors, it's easily my favorite of Riot's various map skins (Winter's Rift is a close second, though - Santa Hat Baron when?). Coming into 2025, where seasonal map changes are the name of the game, the chance that these classic reskins may return doesn't feel so much like a pipe dream anymore; sometimes, dreams become reality. While Riot's new League of Legends Season 3 preview doesn't showcase the new and improved versions of Harrowing or Winter that I was hoping for, it does confirm that it's bringing back the beloved Doom Bots event, meaning that a Halloween event doesn't feel outside of the realm of possibility.

If you weren't around during the good ol' days, League of Legends' Doom Bots mode debuted in 2015 (psychic damage), returning in 2016 (more psychic damage) before vanishing back behind the veil. Described as a "co-op vs AI" mode, your job is to destroy waves of the titular Doom Bots, which take on the guise of various champions intent on shattering your Nexus.

Each bot has the ability to "mutate," with their level of corruption varying depending on what difficulty you're playing at. On lower levels their abilities look and play a little differently, on medium they change anytime the bot dies, and on the highest difficulty, the MOBA's tooltip simply says "Good Luck ^_^." Taking Amumu for example, his Despair (W) is shared with nearby minions, and his Curse of the Sad Mummy (ultimate) is a lot bigger. As an Amumu support enthusiast, that's absolutely disgusting.

It looks like there are some new additions to the roster, though, as the screenshots provided in Riot's Season 3 press kit include UFO Corki and Infernal Diana, as well as the giant Mega Ziggs, who's capable of "destroying all of the buildings in one of your lanes." In one of the screenshots we also see a 'King of the Hill' popup, tasking players with holding the center of midlane for longer than the Doom Bots, which is a bit of a mix up on the original formula.

Then there's The Evil Lord of the Doom Bots, who was added as part of the 2016 iteration. Surviving for 15 minutes would summon Little Devil Teemo, who acts as the mode's final boss. Defeating him would result in victory but, going by the 2025 event's official artwork, it looks like Fright Night Veigar may be replacing the evil little mushroom slinger as the Doom Bots' tyrannical regent.

The Season 3 mode is accompanied by the Trials of Doom challenges, which task players with completing a unique objective when they play. These rotate with each patch, so you'll have to keep your eyes peeled and your wits sharp.

In addition to Doom Bots (and hopefully the Harrowing Rift), Xin Zhao is getting a complete visual overhaul. While his gameplay remains the same, all of his skins have been updated and given a bit of polish. This does mean that both the Commando and Imperial skins will rise in price from 520RP to 750RP alongside patch 25.17, so I'd suggest picking them up before then. 

Riot has also confirmed that the Seneschal of Demacia will be getting an Epic skin (1350RP) as part of Season 3 Act 1, where he'll play a pivotal role in this year's overarching narrative. As we move away from the idyllic world of Spirit Blossom, LeBlanc's machinations will become clear, with Yunara and Xin being tangled up in the chaos.

Viktor's Machine Herald skin, which reimagines his pre-Arcane base skin, will also drop with patch 25.19, and is free to anyone who has Mastery level 5 on Viktor as of August 4. There'll be new Prestige skins for Mel and Sylas, too, as well as the T1-inspired Worlds skins, which will release in September.

On the gameplay side, Riot has confirmed that Season 3 will see the introduction of WASD controls, allowing you to switch out the traditional point-and-click scheme for something that's a little more intuitive. This will roll out on the PBE, then to solo queue, then Ranked, and will be "monitored closely to ensure neither offers a competitive advantage."

League of Legends Season 3 arrives with patch 25.17, which is currently slated to drop on Wednesday August 27. The patch's exact thematic hasn't been revealed yet, but hopefully there's a good dash of Halloween spookiness in there.

If you, like me, love decking your champions out in Halloween gear when October rolls around, we have a list of the best League of Legends skins. Alternatively, if you're looking for something a little more exclusive, here's our rundown of the current League of Legends Mythic shop.

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