League of Legends is always changing. Season 12 is reinventing the way we view itemization as a whole through the addition of mythic items. This adds volumes and depths to the game as it forces all players to learn new things from scratch. And while these items are partially positively and partially negatively received, some old items in League of Legends were universally loved!
We’re talking about the items that existed at some point in the League’s history but were later removed for one reason or another. And these items are no longer available and will likely never return, despite the fact they made for one of the most unique playstyles in the game.
If you didn’t play League of Legends back then, you might not know their names, effects, or icons. But trust us, they were amazing! And if you did play and want to take a trip down to memory lane, then join us as we review the top 5 best old items that appeared in League of Legends!
5. Elixir of Fortitude and Elixir of Brilliance
We kick it off with Elixir of Fortitude and Elixir of Brilliance. As the name suggests, these weren’t full item upgrades but rather simple on-use elixirs. In modern terms, they were the predecessors of Elixir of Iron, Elixir of Wrath, and Elixir of Sorcery.
Elixir of Fortitude gave the player a bit of damage and HP when used, while Elixir of Brilliance ability power and CDR. But what was genius about them was that they weren’t restricted to any level. That’s right, any champion from level 1 could pick them up for only 250-350 gold from the shop. And you’re probably wondering why anyone would do that instead of purchasing a Doran’s Ring or a Doran’s Shield? Then you’ll be surprised to hear that many champions actually benefited more from the Elixirs early on than from any of the Doran’s items.
There was a popular strategy amongst the Zed players around season 3 that involved buying an Elixir of Fortitude as early as level 3. As soon as Zed unlocks all of his basic abilities, he has a high potential to one-shot any enemy champion on the same level. Well, players would intentionally recall to base around level 3 to purchase an Elixir of Fortitude. Or they would also carry it in their inventory from the start of the game, and as soon as they hit level 3, they would use this item for the all-in and secure the first blood.
Sadly, such freedom in itemization hasn’t been seen in a long time in League. Now, the building path is much more linear and well known. But back then, the elixirs were kings!
4. Sightstone
Sightstone is another legendary item that will be a synonym for great gameplay to many veteran players. It was a support item that had one simple job – place wards. Yes, Sightstone was later reworked to have the same active effect as today’s support item upgrades. However, Sightstone wasn’t restricted to anyone as well.
The first thing that you’ll think of is, of course, Lee Sin. Sightstone was a core item in his build, no matter which role you send him in. It was built out of a cheap 400 gold Ruby Crystal and required only 400 more to complete. In return, Lee Sin would get 3 wards in his inventory every time he left the base. This helped him become one of the scariest and most popular champions in the earlier days of League of Legends.
But Sightstone was great for supports as well. When the role wasn’t carry-oriented, and the flow of gold was lower, this item was a very cheap investment for a lifetime supply of wards. The extra HP was beneficial on that meta’s champions like Sona, Janna, and Zyra, so everybody loved Sightstone!
3. Zz’Rot Portal
Zz’Rot Portal is another famous name in the history of League of Legends. The item was a defensive one, upgraded after purchasing Raptor Cloak and a Negatron Cloak. And initially, the item was meant to help out the tanks in the split pushing situations, where they couldn’t match the power of the bruisers. But that wasn’t all that it was used for.
As you may now, Zz’Rot’s active was to set a turret at the targeted location, out of which little voidlings would start spawning, ignoring the enemy players, and just pushing. They did okay amounts of damage to turrets, but they weren’t too popular. However, when the new Baron buff was introduced, it also affected the Zz’Rot’s minions. Naturally, the professional and the solo queue players alike started abusing this power item. Whenever one team managed to secure the Baron, buying a Zz’Rot portal as a finishing item was almost a must. The pushing power simply couldn’t be matched. And sending one person with the item on a side lane pretty much resulted in a victory.
And to this day, Zz’Rot Portal stands as one of the most unique items that has ever taken over the meta in League of Legends.
2. Banner of Command
Banner of Command stood along the same lines as Zz’Rot Portal. It’s active was a simple idea too – buff your own minion to deal more damage and be beefy. And for a long time, no one really cared about it.
But somewhere along the line of patches, Banner of Command received a lot of bonuses that made your empowered minion a real monster. It received more armor, more magic resist, more damage, and, most importantly – a 70% damage reduction by enemy champions. And when the Hand of Baron buff arrived on Summoner’s Rift, all hell broke loose.
Suddenly, empowering your cannon minion was the most essential thing in the game since it can push turrets from out of range in 6-7 auto shots. Multiple players on the team would rush Banner of Command as a first item, and it was a battle to secure the Baron and push with your God-like panzer.
Banner of Command was shortly nerfed and soon afterward removed entirely. But it gave us a glimpse at one of the strangest strategies to win games in League.
1. Deathfire Grasp
And the item that got most people upset about its removal was Deathfire Grasp. This item was the Luden’s Echo of today, way before the latter was even dreamed of. It was the standard first purchase for many AP assassins like LeBlanc or Fizz, but also mages like Twisted Fate or Ahri.
Deathfire Grasp was built out of a Needlessly Large Rod and a Fiendish Codex. It provided the player with a nice AP buff, but the active was where all the magic was hidden. Upon activation, Deathfire Grasp would damage an enemy champion and mark them for a brief duration to receive even more. This opened a window for all these AP champions to all-in and one-shot their opponents successfully. And during season 3, there were moments where the mid laners could simply delete even the tankiest players in just a split second.
Deathfire Grasp was later removed from League of Legends, and Riot Games explained that the item caused an “unbalanced gameplay”. And maybe rightfully so, but Deathfire Grasp stands as the single best old item that has been put and removed from the game.
Conclusions
Because League of Legends is such a big game, numerous other items appeared at one point or another in the game’s timeline. An honorable mention goes to Ohmwrecker, whose removal broke the hearts of many LoL fans.
Many will say that the old items were just outdated. But they ruled the time when the gaming world was still young, and with fewer inspirations and more direct effects – they managed to make the League of Legends a blast for us! Respect for the old items!
