LoL Legacy DX9 Mode: What It Is and How to Enable It

What Is LoL's Legacy DX9 Mode? How Do You Enable It?

Riot Games has made numerous improvements to League of Legends over the years to make it playable for all players. LoL's legacy DX9 mode is one of several settings you can pick to help keep your gameplay experience at its best. Some players wonder about LoL's DX9 mode. For those curious about this mode, we'll cover what LoL's legacy DX9 mode is.

What Is LoL's Legacy DX9 Mode?

DX9 Legacy Mode is one of the additions Riot has built into LoL so that nearly every player can find a comfortable setting to try the game without hassle. If you're having performance issues in the game, you can enable DX9 Legacy Mode in your settings.

DirectX is an application that sends the instructions from the software on your computer to your existing hardware. As of 2024, League of Legends uses a more modernized version of this application with DirectX 10 and above, but unfortunately that version is optimized for newer computers. If your computer is older, you can use DX9 mode to help ensure the game runs as smoothly as possible.

How Do You Enable LoL's Legacy DX9 Mode?

To turn on DX9 Legacy Mode, you need to log into LoL and click the Settings icon in the top-right corner of the client. Then, on the left side of the menu that opens, you'll find a tab labeled "Game." After clicking that tab, you'll see a checkbox above the other options, under Graphics, labeled "Prefer DX9 Legacy Mode." Check that box and click "Done" after making your changes.

Don't forget to follow our Gamer Papers website and our social media accounts for the latest news. 🙂

What Are the Advantages of This Mode?

• Lower System Requirements: DX9 mode can run the game more smoothly on older, lower-spec computers.
• Better Performance: DX9 mode can consume fewer resources compared to newer versions like DX11 or DX12, which can provide a more stable gameplay experience.
• Compatibility: In some cases, players can resolve certain compatibility issues by enabling DX9 mode. This option can be especially helpful for issues encountered with older or incompatible hardware.

What Are the Disadvantages of This Mode?

• Graphics Quality: Since DX9 mode uses an older graphics API, visual quality can be limited compared to DX11 or DX12.
• Less Development Support: Riot Games generally focuses its development and improvement work for newer versions of the game on DX11 or DX12. As a result, improvements made for DX9 mode can be more limited.
• Future Support: As League of Legends continues to develop, support for DX9 mode may decrease. Because of this, its compatibility with future updates and content to the game may be uncertain.

About League of Legends

League of Legends is a video game developed and published by Riot Games. It launched on October 27, 2009, as Riot Games' first game under the name "League of Legends: Clash of Fates." It's a MOBA-style strategy game. The game was built modeled after Defense of the Ancients, a Warcraft III map.