Predecessor rewrites a golden MOBA rule in "most ambitious" update ever

For anyone that's played a MOBA for more than a couple of months, their individual maps become ingrained in your memory. You could navigate Dota 2's battleground or the Summoner's Rift in League of Legends with your eyes closed. While some other MOBAs push the boat out with multiple maps or limited-time modes that introduce some twists, the familiarity and rigidity of the arenas is a core competitive tenet of the genre. Looking to spice things up, Predecessor is now ripping up that golden rule. Born out of Epic's failed Paragon and still trucking on more than three years after release, Predecessor's next update introduces World Shift, a new mechanic that will alter its map in the middle of a match.

I know talking about Battlefield is a rather unusual tangent in an article about one of the best MOBA games, but hear me out. Some of my favorite memories of that series (I'm hoping Battlefield 6 will soon create more) involve its 'levolution' moments - huge events that alter the way a section of the map changes. The launch of a rocket opening up its landing pad as a new area for conflict. The felling of a radio tower depriving snipers of a place to camp. The collapse of a skyscraper to create that action movie feel. I love them. Now, Predecessor is going down a similar path in update 1.8 with its new World Shift events.

While there is still an all-new map in the works behind the scenes, World Shifts will inject some excitement into the current arena. Triggered by defeating a new enemy known as the Shaper who spawns 15 minutes into a game, the first type of World Shift event, Cataclysm, will send a shower of meteorites down onto the map. Not only will you be damaged by any that strike you, but they'll change the layout of the map. "We've added new paths, strategically placed rocks that create new chokepoints and alter lines of sight, and Geysers that launch players to previously inaccessible areas," developer Omeda Studios says in the new update's patch notes. This is not some limited-time stunt only coming to casual modes either - World Shift events will occur in Quick Match, Nitro, and even Ranked.

Omeda Studios says World Shift is one of its "most ambitious" gameplay innovations yet, and the meteor showers are just the beginning. "[Cataclysm's] map changes are subtle compared to future themes, [and] we're excited to see how they will shift mid-to-late-game strategy, and how players respond to the feature as a whole.

"Looking ahead, we have big plans for World Shift, including improvements to Cataclysm, and a completely new Shift for our major update in November. From that patch onwards, there will be a possibility of one of several different Shifts being triggered during a match."

This new mechanic is so radical and game-changing that it almost made me forget about the new hero joining Predecessor's roster - usually, a new character would be the headline addition of a big MOBA update, but not today. Alas, the new kid on the block is Akeron, a rather imposing beast whose ultimate ability sees him suck enemy players towards him and dish out lethal bites to those that actually collide with him. Ouch. Omeda says that Akeron is primarily an offlaner, but could find some use as a jungler or even a support.

Update 1.8 also makes loads of balance changes to its lineup of heroes, gold and XP rates, minions, structures, and more - even without the game-changing World Events and Akeron, this would be a very chunky patch. If you're a Predecessor enjoyer keen to check out every single change, head to the full patch notes here.

Predecessor's 1.8 update goes live on Tuesday, September 2.

If you like to get competitive but you're not the biggest MOBA fan, check out our best multiplayer games list which has plenty of brilliant options. Alternatively, take a look at our best gaming mouse guide for all your precise (or furiously aggressive) clicking needs.

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