Teamfight Tactics Gizmos & Gadgets hands-on preview: New experiments

Riot Games expanded the League of Legends universe in 2019 when it released Teamfight Tactics, an auto chess game set in the iconic gaming universe. In Teamfight Tactics, players build teams of Champions and deploy them into round-based matches against up to seven other players. Riot Games has continued to support TFT with additional content since its launch, and the upcoming Gizmos & Gadgets expansion is set to be one of its biggest yet. I had the chance to go hands-on and learn more about the new content coming to Teamfight Tactics.

Expanding the playing field

Gizmos and Gadgets is the newest deck coming to Teamfight Tactics, and adds a host of new traits and mechanics to shake up gameplay. One of the new traits featured is Academy, which lets Champions enjoy boosted attack damage and their own ability power will be increased every time an ally casts an ability.

Chemtech is a trait that empowers Champions on the brink of defeat. Once their health reaches a critical level, they’ll have an increased attack speed and will begin regenerating health as time passes. These Champions will also take less damage when in this state. What the developers are describing as one of their “most ambitious traits yet,” the Mutant trait will take on one of seven forms in every game. These different forms are based off of other existing traits in a game. Every Champion with the Mutant trait in a game will take the same form.

There are several more traits arriving in Teamfight Tactics with the Gizmos & Gadgets set, such as Scrap, which turns some incomplete items into full items for that combat at the start of a match. Innovators bring a companion with them into battle, and the Socialite can bring bonuses to Champions standing within a spotlight. Each of the new traits fit into the set’s theme of experimentation, and are meant to throw new challenges and strategic options at players.

Altering the meta

Another way that Riot Games is switching things up with the latest TFT expansion is with the Hextech Augments mechanic. Not only will Hextech Augments allow players to experiment with and bend the existing rules of the game, but they’ll also be able to create new ones of their own.

There are a slew of different augments across three different quality tiers. Some augments are exclusive to one tier, with others having different versions seen in different tiers. Players will select from them throughout the game using their Hexcore. The developer shared that there's more than 140 Hextech Augments that players could end up with.

There are also a host of new items coming to TFT in the new update. League of Legends players will recognize the Banshee’s Claw, which is a 600 HP shield that can block one incoming spell. There’s also Quicksilver, which provides Champions with a 20 percent boost to their attack speed. What’s really interesting, is that there’s an item coming to the game that doesn’t originate from LoL, and was made specifically for TFT. The Tactician's Crown is an item that holds some surprises, which we’re set to learn more about when the new expansion launches.

New ways to play

With Gadgets & Gizmos, Teamfight Tactics is getting a new game mode. In Double Up, 8 players will face off in teams of 2. Duos will have a shared health, which will reset to 1 after it is initially depleted. After that, players will be eliminated if they lose. Players will be able to help out their teammate by giving them components, gold, and other boosts through the Assist Armory.

Players will also be able to gift Champions and items to their ally using the Rune of Allegiance. If one player defeats their opponent's army before their teammate can do the same, players can send their Champions over to their teammate’s board to aid in battle.

Teamfight Tactics gets new Little Legends in Arcane Sprite, Dr.Sisha, DuckBill, Gloop, and Piximander. Chibi Champions are a brand new Tactician type that players can use instead of Little Legends. The first Chibi Champions will be Jinx, Ekko, and Vi. With these added characters comes some new arenas themed around them. This includes VI’s Pummel Pit and Jinx’s Explodey-Fun-Land.

Keeping it tactical

Teamfight Tactics’ Gizmos & Gadgets set is looking to not only build upon what’s already there, but shake things up for the auto chess game. Players will get to experiment with new characters, items, and mechanics, while testing out strategies in an all-new game mode. Gizmos & Gadgets comes to Teamfight Tactics with patch 11.22 on November 3, 2021.

This preview is based on a test build of Teamfight Tactics, which was provided by Riot Games. Teamfight Tactics is available for free on PC.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_