WASD hits ranked queues in 26.9, alongside new champion-specific keybinds, and more...

First introduced in December, the WASD control scheme is set to arrive in ranked queues with Patch 26.9 after months of testing. Alongside this rollout, Riot Games is adding several quality-of-life improvements for both WASD and the traditional point-and-click system. Among the most notable updates are champion-specific keybinds, allowing players to customize hotkeys and toggle Quick Cast on a per-champion basis. This feature will go live earlier, on April 15, with Patch 26.8.

Additional updates arriving in the coming days include expanded accessibility options, such as broader controller support, mouse remapping, more flexible keybind settings, and an increased cursor size option, further improving usability for players.

First made available on League’s Public Beta Environment (PBE) before rolling out to live servers, WASD has been in the works and in the hands of players for nearly half a year. As a significant change to the now seventeen-year-old game, the feature underwent extensive testing and multiple rounds of feedback to ensure it wouldn’t disrupt the core League of Legends experience.

According to Riot, while this may change as players grow more accustomed to the new control scheme, WASD currently remains at a slight disadvantage compared to traditional point-and-click controls. With this in mind, the company has determined that the feature is ready to be introduced into competitive queues.

Developed with the goal of bridging the gap with genre-adjacent games and appealing to a younger audience, WASD’s arrival in ranked was largely inevitable as Riot continues to make strides in refreshing its player base.

Ultimately, while the testing period addressed numerous game-breaking bugs, it also helped solidify Riot’s core design goals: WASD should not be overpowered, its win rate should not exceed that of point-and-click controls, and both control schemes should remain broadly equitable, with only minimal differences in win rate.

Throughout the testing period, the company reported “hundreds of thousands” of players worldwide tried the feature, many providing feedback through in-client surveys—further reinforcing Riot’s confidence in WASD’s future.

In its communications, Riot has reaffirmed that WASD will now be treated as part of League’s everyday live balance, with further adjustments and polish expected over time, as the company continues to monitor the gameplay impact of both control schemes.

Interestingly, Riot also ran player-sentiment analysis through blind polling, which revealed that players generally could not tell whether opponents were using WASD or point-and-click—suggesting that, beyond data, the feature did not introduce visible frustration to the core player base.

Since its initial release in December, WASD has gone through multiple iterations, with bug fixes playing a key role throughout testing. Beyond stability improvements, Riot also focused heavily on refining how movement and controls feel in real gameplay scenarios.

One of the biggest areas of improvement was movement around terrain. Unlike point-and-click, where champions automatically path around obstacles, WASD introduces direct movement inputs—making it easier to run into walls or awkward corners. To address this, Riot fine-tuned how champions interact with terrain, improving how they slide along walls, stop when needed, and navigate tight spaces across Summoner’s Rift.

A notable change also targets jungle play. When a player moves their camera away from their champion, WASD pathfinding will now automatically route around walls instead of getting stuck. This helps prevent situations where players think they are moving toward a play, only to find their champion blocked by terrain.

Riot also revisited how abilities chain into basic attacks. Some abilities traditionally trigger an automatic follow-up attack, but with WASD—where actions are harder to cancel—this could feel restrictive. As a result, the team adjusted this behavior on a per-champion basis, enabling or disabling follow-up attacks depending on what felt most natural.

Finally, new control options were introduced to improve comfort. One example is the ability to rotate WASD inputs relative to map orientation, allowing movement to better align with lane directions. This can make extended play more comfortable and reduce strain, while also helping players with certain keyboard limitations.

Alongside WASD’s continued rollout, Patch 26.8 introduces a range of smaller but impactful updates, primarily focused on customization and accessibility.

The headline feature is champion-specific keybinds, allowing players to fully customize their controls on a per-champion basis, including options like toggling Quick Cast.

These changes are supported by a broader overhaul of the input system, which expands keybinding flexibility and introduces new accessibility options. Players can now remap more inputs than before—including binding the left mouse button to different actions—and even move the mouse cursor using custom inputs.

Additional updates include improved support for accessibility-focused controllers, such as enabling WASD movement on joysticks, as well as more granular mouse settings that separate actions like attacking, interacting, and ability casting into individual keybinds.

While full controller support is not currently planned, Riot has stated it will continue to monitor player feedback as these features roll out.