The League of Legends esports scene is no stranger to controversy, but the latest uproar isn’t about a team, player, or game balance—it’s about the new overlay introduced for the First Stand event.
Fans tuned in for the first match between Team Liquid and Karmine Corp, expecting to focus on a classic NA vs. EU match, but instead, what caught their attention was an unwarranted change to how they watch the game. The overlay, which displays crucial in-game information, underwent a drastic redesign, and fans wasted no time voicing their frustration across social media.
Many complained that the previous overlay, which placed champion portraits and essential stats on the sides of the screen, was far better. Most fans say the new version crams information into a lower third that feels overwhelming yet somehow lacking in key details. The team gold and other main stats have been shifted to the top left of the screen, which one fan called “one of the worst things I have ever seen.” Others pointed out that crucial information—like individual gold differences, bounty indicators, XP, and rune choices—was missing entirely.
The new HUD is “bigger L than hextech chests removal” one frustrated viewer commented on X (formerly Twitter).
The health bars themselves became another point of contention. Previously, they were positioned on the sides, making it easy to check status while watching the action, but now, at the bottom, and many argue this change makes it harder to follow fights. “If someone’s health is changing rapidly, they’re probably already in the middle of the screen—I don’t need to see it twice,” one fan wrote on Reddit. Another added that full-sized HP bars at the bottom are unnecessary when every champion already has a “giant floating health bar in-game.”
In contrast, summoner spells and ultimate abilities are too small to see even when up close to a screen, minion stats are too spread out, and there’s no longer a champion stats screen when the camera focuses on a player. “It’s kind of wild how there’s too much information, yet so little that actually matters,” one post summed up.
While some admitted they dislike the “outrage cycle” that happens whenever Riot changes something about its streaming UI, even those who are usually indifferent agreed that the new overlay is a downgrade. “This didn’t need fixing,” one fan wrote. “We were good with what we had.”
The game clock is reportedly glitchy, and features like the Atakhan revive timer—one of the biggest additions to the game this 2025 season—are missing entirely. Some have also called out how the overlay cycles through information instead of keeping key details visible at all times.
League fans are passionate about their game and viewing experience of the esport, and they expect UI changes to enhance clarity rather than obscure vital information. With First Stand just getting started, Riot may face pressure to tweak or even revert some of these changes to align better with community expectations—after all, it wouldn’t be the first time the dev listens and welcomes changes after fans’ harsh criticism. Until then, the discussion surrounding the new overlay will likely continue to overshadow the action on the Rift.
Update March 11, 5:30am CT: On the second day of the 2025 First Stand tournament, Riot updated its overlap to make it more readable. Smaller health bars, gold difference indicators, and an Atakhan-meter were added to much joy of the viewers.
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Published: Mar 11, 2025 05:30 am