GamesMOBALeague of LegendsLeague of Legends is getting Valorant’s always-on Vanguard anti-cheat softwareWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesMOBALeague of LegendsLeague of Legends is getting Valorant’s always-on Vanguard anti-cheat softwareWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Riot Games)
Vanguard, the initially controversial anti-cheat software attached to Valorant, is coming to League of Legends.
In a preview ahead of the game’s new season, head of League studio Andrei van Roon announced that Vanguard would be coming to League of Legends. In an accompanying press release, Riot said that the decision was “a response to the feedback around high number of bots in games, disruptive smurfs in Ranked, and an increase in scripting.” As in Valorant, Vanguard implementation will allow for live matches to be terminated if cheating is detected, with ranked points being refunded to players affected.
Vanguard seems to have been pretty effective - I’m not a regular Valorant player, but while I don’t imagine there’s no cheating whatsoever in Riot’s tactical shooter, it’s rare - if ever - that I get to hear about it. That’s likely because of the greatest controversy around Vanguard at launch: the fact that it’s always on.
Vanguard runs in the background, booting up with your PC and working constantly - the Vanguard client tackles in-game cheater, but the ‘kernel-mode’ driver behind it is at work whenever your PC is on. The idea is that the anti-cheat will assess other programs on your PC, blocking them if they have a known vulnerability that could mess with its active anti-cheat systems. If you don’t let Vanguard start up at the same time as Windows, then it won’t trust your PC, and you won’t be able to play Valorant, or, now, League of Legends.
At launch in particular, Vanguard was seen as too intrusive. Always-on technology is rarely popular, especially when there’s the sense that it’s policing what you can and can’t do on your own hardware, and there were reports that Vanguard was getting in the way of software attached to keyboard and mouse control, and even tech designed to control the temperature of your PC. Since its launch in 2020, however, Riot has walked back the number of programs that its software interacts with. In the meantime, Valorant has gone from strength to strength, becoming a growing part of the global esports scene and a staple of Twitch, with anti-cheat concerns fading largely into the background. There’ll likely be some teething issues with the LoL integration, but Riot’s had plenty of practice ironing out those problems over the years.
Elsewhere, League of Legends' 2024 season will see some substantial overhauls, but the really exciting aspect of the LoL universe this year is the return of critically acclaimed animationArcane Season 2. That will be partnered with the arrival of one of the show’s characters within League of Legends itself, a first for the game.
This “forbidden” League of Legends build infinitely buffs almost every stat in the game, and it’s probably going away forever next month.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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1
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
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Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”