LoL players love Briar but think something’s not quite right with her

Briar hit the League of Legends test servers on Aug. 31 and while the majority of players say she’s a great addition to the ever-expanding champion roster, others think she’s seriously missing something.

While she has a compelling background, some players claim Riot Games missed the mark by not tapping into her full narrative potential.

“Briar has interactions with only 3 champions,” one player said in an Aug. 31 Reddit thread. “The many small things they slowly removing as time progresses like Color Story which no longer releases since Naafiri. That’s was already insulting that she had no interactions with some key Shuriman champs but seeing how briar has only with 3 is crazy.”

The thread received a massive amount of responses from players, who agreed new champions should feature more interactions with other champions to make them feel a part of Runeterra.

There are over 150 champions in League now and they’re all connected in one way or another, whether they’re friends, allies, enemies, or just distant colleagues.

Related: Briar’s kit is so overloaded, she’ll probably break League of Legends

The Noxian vampire is a weapon created by the Black Rose, a secretive organization that counts Cassiopeia, Elise, LeBlanc, and Vladimir among its ranks. Vladimir is one of the few characters she interacts with, as well as Sion and Talon.

Briar weirdly doesn’t have any interactions with champions who played a key role in turning points in her life. This is the case with Swain, whose forces captured her in her lore. It makes her feel slightly isolated from the rest of the roster.

In the comments, players complained about voice lines being downscaled by Riot Games in recent years. “They aren’t bothering with all the small details that used to make League more than just a MOBA,” one disappointed player said.

The pace of champion releases has slowed down as well, and yet some aspects that make a difference like this are lacking and give an impression that less effort has been made, according to players.

“They cut back on VOs so much. Maybe they used people’s complaints about the champs talking too much as an excuse, but it doesn’t even make sense,” one player said. “Champs still talk a lot, but now they say the same thing over and over like new Nidalee meowing all game.”

This lacking element from Briar’s design is part of a broader trend that players don’t agree with. Despite the doom and gloom, though, the upcoming champion has received tremendous praise for her abilities, strong personality, and gorgeous reveal trailer.