Teamfight Tactics (TFT) is removing the foundational Carousel mechanic for its upcoming Set 17: Space Gods. The developers will replace the rotating shop with a new system known as the Realm of the Gods.
The Carousel has long served as a primary comeback mechanic within the game. It allowed players with low health to have first priority when selecting from a rotating shop of champions and items. Conversely, players with high health were forced to wait their turn.
In the upcoming set, players will instead navigate a celestial bazaar. This new mechanic features various deities that players can choose between to earn specific boons and rewards.
Noëmi Couté, the set design lead, told Polygon that the Realm of the Gods is a simplified version of a much more complex original concept. She originally envisioned a "carousel bazaar" that offered a deeper social experience.
"I wanted this kind of social experience where players can come to the Carousel, shop for what they want, see everybody moving around shopping between different vendors," Couté said. Her initial design included specialized locations such as a Choncc shop and a Pengu shop.
Technical limitations
The development team ultimately had to scale back the complexity of the system. Technical and time constraints, alongside the massive number of fundamental changes required for the new set, forced a more streamlined approach.
Couté noted that the current iteration is a starting point for a system with significant potential. She believes the mechanic requires more testing and repetition than the current production schedule allows.
"It just is going to take a lot more repetition and experiments than we actually have time for on a standard set timeline," Couté said.
The Carousel is scheduled to return for Set 18. However, the developers may remove it again if the Realm of the Gods mechanic continues to evolve, similar to the development of the Galaxies and Augments mechanics.
Couté intends to revisit the more complex version of the bazaar once the team gathers enough player data.
"I would personally love to take another stab at this once we have data on what people liked, what people didn't like, and a bit more time to actually flesh out the more complicated version of what we wanted," Couté said.
