League of Legends Season 3: Doom Bots, WASD movement and smurf account bans

League of Legends Season 3 arrives in Patch 25.17 with some of the most wished-for changes in a while.

The new season brings back the chaotic Doom Bots mode, tests WASD movement controls for the first time and cracks down hard on smurf accounts. 

On top of all that, players can expect a fresh visual update for Xin Zhao, new skins rolling out, and handy gameplay improvements like individual jungle timers and better spell tracking.

With the 2025 World Championship heading back to China this fall — and the new Anthem releasing on October 10th — there’s plenty to get excited about both in and out of Summoner’s Rift.

Like a curse that can’t be removed, Doom Bots is back in Patch 25.17,  just in time to make Summoner’s Rift a Halloween horror show again. 

The beloved PvE mode, known for its ridiculous bots and unpredictable ‘curses’, last terrified players with Little Devil Teemo as the final boss, dropping mushrooms all over the Rift. This year, the title goes to Veigar, and he’s packing an endless supply of Dark Matter to rain on fans’ parade — literally — while bringing new curses, evil henchmen, and more difficulty modes. 

The ‘Trials of Doom’ will challenge players to survive unique objectives and twisted mechanics, promising more chaos than ever.

Leaks had shocked players two months ago, and now Riot Games confirms WASD movement testing is coming to League of Legends. The option will hit the PBE in upcoming patches, starting in non-Ranked queues before eventually reaching Ranked as well. Riot has stated that both options will be monitored closely to make sure neither gives an edge.

Point-and-click will still be there for veterans of the game, so no one will be forced to change their control style. According to Riot Games, the addition of a new movement mechanic is aimed at making the controls ‘more intuitive’ for newcomers and returning players who are used to keyboard movement in other games.

Starting Season 3 of 2025, jungle camps will now have individual timers, the death recap screen will better track summoner spell usage and improvements are coming to matchmaking accuracy. The biggest change coming to champions at the start of the new season is the fresh look Riot is giving to Xin Zhao after fourteen years.

The Seneschal of Demacia will receive a full visual update — no gameplay changes — with a new design leaning into a more mature, Ionian-style warrior mixed with polished Demacian armour to better reflect his origins. All his skins are being updated, with vaulted ones making a limited-time return in patches 25.17 and 25.18. As a result, Commando and Imperial Xin Zhao are also getting a first glow-up since 2011.

Xin Zhao will also receive a new Epic skin, which will come together with a wave of new cosmetics for other champions. Prestige skins for Sylas and Mel will hit the Mythic Shop, while Prestige Jarvan IV and Zoe will arrive through the Act 1 and Act 2 Passes.

The fan-favourite Machine Herald Viktor will also be released in Patch 25.19, and it will be free for players with Viktor Mastery Level 5+ as of August 4th. Finally, T1’s Worlds 2024 skins will hit the shop this September, three months after its usual release period. 

Right after looking back at Worlds 2024, League players will set their eyes on this year’s World Championship, which will be played on Season 3.

Riot Games has yet to unveil all esport-related gameplay changes or drop the meta-defining patches, but so far, Season 3 seems to be more tailored to the players’ needs and wishes than its two predecessors. 

Starting with Patch 25.18, Riot will take stronger action against players who use alternate accounts to unfairly climb the ranks, whether by smurfing, having others boost their account, or manipulating matches through hitchhiking. The company will also target accounts that have been automated by bots, as well as those that have been bought, sold, or shared between multiple users with the intention of rank climbing. 

If these activities involve multiple accounts, all parties involved will face consequences. On the other hand, Riot said that “alternate accounts used in good faith will remain unaffected.” Among those could be accounts created by high-ranking players used for experimenting or just queuing with friends without any ill intent.

Vanguard’s improved detection tools and player reports focused on rank manipulation will be the main tools with which catch unfair play more effectively. In addition to that, Riot is expanding tests for True Skill 2, a new matchmaking system aimed at making placements faster and ranking more accurate.

According to Riot Games’ own blog post, Patch 25.17 is set to launch August 27th, with Patch 25.18 coming September 10th.