Quick Take: Project NEXT 2025 drops on September 17, 2025, for the Original Server, shaking things up with four randomly picked maps during hero drafts in ranked and classic modes. Think Dangerous Grass for those nail-biting ambushes where burst assassins like Saber hit 80% win rates by lurking in the shadows. Mobility stars like Lancelot? They zoom 20-30% faster on Expanding Rivers. But watch out—immobile tanks like Tigreal and wall-clingers like Ling see their win rates tank by 20% without proper vision. Pro tip: Spam wards on high ground and the Lord's pit, and slap on Sky Piercer to contest objectives 20-30% quicker.
Project NEXT's Map Makeover: The Scoop on Changes and Why They Pack a Punch
Ever wonder how a few tweaks to the map could flip the entire meta on its head? Project NEXT 2025 does just that, rolling out four maps that get randomly slotted into your drafts. It's all about forcing you to think on your feet—adapt or get left in the dust.
Breaking Down the Four Drafted Maps
These aren't just cosmetic updates; they're game-changers that hit during hero picks in ranked or classic. Let's dive in, one by one.
Dangerous Grass turns high ground, inner turrets, Mid Lane, and the Lord's pit into a bushy nightmare—perfect for ambushes. Burst heroes like Saber thrive here, pulling off 80% win rates thanks to that extended invisibility time. (As an editor who's seen too many surprise ganks ruin a match, I love how this rewards sneaky plays.) Scout those bushes right from the loading screen. Draft a couple of vision heroes like Diggie to keep eyes peeled, then team up your assassins with supports for those killer flank ganks. Once you spawn, drop wards on high ground and the Lord's pit—no excuses.
Broken Walls? It's like the map got a demolition crew. Shortcuts, collapsed walls, hidden corridors, and sneaky backdoor routes pop up in sidelanes, jungle, and objective zones, slashing rotation times by 20%. Mobility beasts like Lancelot start slinging ganks through those corridors after the 8-minute mark. Ward those collapsed walls early on. Grab Dominance Ice for that sweet cooldown reduction, feint along the main paths to draw enemies out, then backdoor the Lord's Pit for a cheeky steal. Controlling those chokepoints? It nets your team 30% more team fight victories—data doesn't lie.
Flying Cloud adds a wild twist: Respawned heroes get launched into 5-second flights over high ground straight to buff areas, with a 10-second cooldown. This lets you reinforce mid-lane 15-20% faster, so Granger can land and unload bursts like nobody's business. Time your deaths to dodge that cooldown—push waves right after you pop back. Equip Wind of Nature to shrug off drops, and kick off aerial engages right at those buff spots. It's chaotic, but oh-so-rewarding.
Expanding Rivers floods the jungle and sidelanes with overflowing water currents after the Lord spawns (around 10+ minutes), handing out 20-30% speed boosts for chases and rotations while covering 30% more ground. Thamuz pairs brutally with Abyss here for chase dominance. Secure river vision before Turtle at 2-3 minutes, sync up with Hylos for those amp boosts, and equip Corrosion Scythe to gum up enemy slows. Then kite foes into spots without the current—smart play wins games.
The Big Idea: Why These Terrain Tweaks Hit Different
At its core, Project NEXT pushes ambushes, mobility, epic comebacks, and raw speed—tying right into hero revamps like Alice, Dyrroth, and Thamuz for that Abyss synergy. Random picks mean you can't sleep on versatile heroes; Obsidia's bone shards even inherit item effects, shredding tanks late-game on Dangerous Grass. (My take as an editor: This forces drafts to be more dynamic—love it or hate it.) Adapt your emblems for mobility and vision during picks, test runs in custom mode, and exploit those bushes for Lord contests. On Expanding Rivers, those currents amp ganks after 10 minutes, turning patches into skirmish central. Lean on global junglers like Nolan to ward up and prevent 40% of pick-offs.
Rollout Timeline: When It All Goes Live on Original Server
Mark your calendars—September 17, 2025, kicks off Season 38 on the Original Server, blending these maps with Obsidia and Abyss updates into ranked drafts. Check those patch notes ahead of time, grind practice on Advanced Server, and keep an eye on loading screens for the big reveal. Adjust your drafts early for vision-heavy needs. Past September patches give a solid adaptation blueprint; figure on a 30-day meta settle-in period.
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Mapping It Out: Before-and-After on Key Zones
Jungle Tweaks (Blue Buff, Red Buff, Creep Camps)
Broken Walls' hidden corridors shave 10-15 seconds off blue buff clears; Dangerous Grass bushes let you stealth-invade the Lord's pit without a peep. Saber can snag red buff safely before diving into ganks. Start blue on Walls, ward creep camps ASAP, and use Retribution for 20% quicker invades—pair with a roamer for backup. Flying Cloud's flights zero in on buffs, cutting downtime for junglers like Nolan by 30%. It's a jungler's dream... or nightmare, depending on your side.
Lane Widths and Brush Shifts
Expanding Rivers bulges lanes with 20-30% overflow speed; Dangerous Grass repositions mid-lane brushes for safer farms, but sidelanes get exposed, hiking vision denial by 25%. Eudora can combo from mid bushes to nuke Gord—brutal. Farm mid aggressively, steer clear of blind sidelane chases, draft vision deniers like Novaria, and hug turrets for cover. Broken Walls' backdoors give Freya the edge in split-pushes with her quick responses.
Objective Pits: Turtle and Lord Get a Facelift
Dangerous Grass demands bush scouts for Turtle fights at 2-3 minutes; Broken Walls backdoors make Lord access 30% easier after 8 minutes—junglers steal Turtles through corridors like pros. Secure vision pre-spawn, rotate with currents, rally your initiators, and ward pits to block steals. Flying Cloud flights mess with Lord timings by 10-15 seconds; Rivers currents crank up the intensity in post-10 minute brawls.
River Paths and Rotation Routes
Expanding Rivers overflows after Lord for 20-30% snappier rotations; Broken Walls corridors tie rivers to sidelanes for cross-map ganks. Hylos amps shine in currents, letting Nana trap edges like a boss. Ward rivers early at 2-3 minutes, leverage boosts for sidelane scraps, fight near overflows, and slap slows on enemies to deny their rotations. Simple, but effective.
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The Champs: 20 Heroes Crushing the New Terrain
Some heroes just click with these changes—based on early data, they're seeing win rates spike.
Saber, Natalia, and Karina? They're monsters on Dangerous Grass, hitting 80% wins with Sky Piercer's true damage from stealth bushes. Draft two assassins, buddy them with Diggie, ban squishy immobile carries, and flank the Lord's pit hard. Arlott and Helcurt snag 25% better disengages for sidelane ganks.
Johnson, Tigreal, and Minotaur bulldoze Broken Walls shortcuts for 30% team fight edges. Scout walls early, pair roamers with sidelaners, lock down Turtle, and rock Dominance Ice. Freya, Hilda, and Uranus zip through open paths; Cecilion pokes safely with escapes.
Granger, Aldous, and Ixia farm back up via Flying Cloud flights, boosting late-game gold by 15%. Farm hard, gear Wind of Nature, push after respawns, and ban anti-air like Zhask. Cecilion reinforces mid; Layla and Natan pressure with quick returns.
Lancelot, Wanwan, and Thamuz chase 20-30% better on Expanding Rivers—Thamuz and Abyss? Chef's kiss. Secure river vision, grab Corrosion Scythe, team with Hylos, and kite away from currents. Nolan and Zilong pursue relentlessly; Hylos and Nana amp rotations; Yi Sun-shin owns Turtle.
Obsidia? She feasts on Grass and Walls, her item-inheriting shards dismantling tanks late-game.
The Strugglers: 20 Heroes Taking a Hit from the Maps
Not everyone's celebrating. Data shows these picks dropping off without adjustments.
Tigreal and Estes? Their win rates dip 20% on Dangerous Grass to blind ambushes. Draft mobile picks like Ling, ward like crazy, stick with your jungler, and skip solo jungle runs. Gord and Cecilion get picked off easy; Ling overextends in those bushes—ouch.
Immobile heroes flounder on Broken Walls without escapes, handing coordinated squads a 25% advantage. Stay map-aware, ward paths, lean on roamers, and feint for Turtle grabs. Aggressive solos crumble against backdoors.
Zhask gets wrecked by Flying Cloud's aerial initiators— that 10-second cooldown is a killer. Track cooldowns, farm to catch up, ban flight-heavy heroes, and hit ground CC on landings. Static comps lose rotation wars.
Ling gets outpaced by 20-30% on Rivers boosts, cutting dash efficiency by 15%. Lock vision pre-activation, kite non-boost zones, use slows, and fight at edges. Nana and Ixia get dashed past; vision squads snag 35% more Lord wins.
Jungle Meta Flip: Fresh Routes and Timing Tweaks
Broken Walls corridors trim clear times by 10 seconds—Nolan invades red buff like clockwork. Blue start on Walls, prioritize red on Rivers, invade with 20% Retribution boost, and ward to gauge risks. Dangerous Grass bushes set up blue ambushes; Flying Cloud flights recover invades 30% faster. It's all about those split-second decisions now.
Vision and Warding: Total Strategy Reset
Dangerous Grass bushes scream for Popol wards—40% denial in high ground and Lord's pit. Place 'em early, predict enemy moves, draft 2-3 vision heroes like Novaria, and clear with junglers. Broken Walls dead zones dial back bush importance; supports roaming nets 25% win boosts. Vision isn't optional anymore—it's survival.
Objective Plays: How Turtle and Lord Shift
Rivers currents speed Turtle approaches 20-30% after 2-3 minutes; Walls backdoors prime steals. Vision pre-spawn, master rotations, sync initiators, and ward pits. Flying Cloud drops catch Lord off-guard; comps with two initiators see 15% more skirmishes. Objectives feel alive—adapt or lose.
Role-by-Role Guide: Tailoring Your Game
Marksman: Smarter Farms and Spots
Yi Sun-shin thrives in Grass bushes with global vision, upping mid-lane efficiency 20%. Exploit Rivers boosts, bounce back via Cloud flights, dodge Walls exposures, and gear for range. Stay alive, stack gold—that's the marksman creed.
Jungler: Picking Targets by Map Heat
Saber hunts immobiles on Grass, steals via Walls backdoors for 25% gank success. Draft map-specific, invade buffs, time Retribution, and roam-pair. Pressure is your weapon—wield it.
Tank/Support: Rotations and Vision Lockdown
Johnson zips Walls shortcuts; Diggie shuts down Grass bushes, speeding Rivers 30% with Hylos amps. Ward heavy, boost the team, hold chokepoints, protect flanks. You're the glue—don't crack.
Mage: Owning Zones in New Bottlenecks
Eudora controls Grass bushes; Cecilion pokes from Walls escapes. Scale on Cloud without missing waves. Zone smart, burst hard.
Fighter: Picking Lanes and Bail Routes
Lancelot splits on Rivers chases; Freya exploits Walls paths. Choose by terrain, use boosts, shortcut escapes, sustain in opens. Fighters adapt—thrive.
Pro Insights: MPL Buzz and Trends
MPL squads are all over Saber bursts on Grass—banning Tigreal left and right. Coordinated plays exploit Walls for 20% strategy pivots. (Editor note: Tournaments will be wild with these.) Use Cloud flights for clutch comebacks; kite Rivers currents for objective steals.
Pitfalls to Dodge on Fresh Maps
Blind jungle clears? They spike Grass deaths 30%—ward first, always. Scout early, sniff out ambushes, draft counters, skip solo invades. Walls blind spots invite backdoors; overcommitting ignores Rivers currents. Learn from mistakes—fast.
Meta Forecast: 30 Days In, 90 Days Out
In 30 days, Saber bursts could jump 40% pick rate on ambushes; jungle routes quicken timings 15%. By 90, it'll shift to team-paced objective grabs—Moonton will tweak for balance. Grind customs; tiers lock post-30 days. Exciting times ahead.
FAQ
What are the four new drafted maps in Mobile Legends Project NEXT?
Dangerous Grass (dense bushes for ambushes), Broken Walls (shortcuts and collapsed walls for 20% faster rotations), Flying Cloud (5-second flights for 15-20% reinforcements), Expanding Rivers (20-30% currents post-10 minutes). They launch September 17, 2025—ward the Lord's pit and peek at loading screens.
Which heroes benefit most from Project NEXT map changes?
Saber, Natalia, Karina burst on Grass (80% wins with Sky Piercer); Lancelot, Thamuz chase on Rivers (20-30% boosts); Granger, Yi Sun-shin recover on Cloud flights. Johnson gains Walls ganks (30% fight wins). Draft 2-3 synergies for 25-30% edges.
Which heroes are nerfed by the new Mobile Legends maps?
Tigreal, Estes drop 20% on Grass ambushes; Ling outsped on Rivers (15% rotation loss); Zhask vulnerable to Cloud drops. Gord faces pick-offs. Draft Diggie vision; kite non-boosts for 20% skirmish reduction.
How do Project NEXT maps affect jungle routes?
Walls corridors shorten 10-15 seconds for invades; Grass bushes risk ambushes; Cloud flights target buffs (30% recovery); Rivers currents boost post-Turtle rotations. Blue start on Walls, red for globals; ward early with 20% Retribution for 30% objectives.
What are the biggest terrain changes in Mobile Legends Project NEXT?
Grass bushes cover high ground and pits for stealth; Walls backdoors for post-8 minute access; Cloud 5-second launches; Rivers 20-30% overflows post-Lord. Shift to ambushes and rotations; scout layouts, draft assassins for Grass, equip mobility for 15-20% gains.
How should I adjust my warding strategy on new MLBB maps?
Ward Grass high ground and Lord's pit with Popol; Walls collapsed areas early; Rivers pre-Turtle (2-3 minutes); Cloud buff zones. Draft 2-3 like Diggie or Novaria; place post-spawn, clear with junglers for 40% pick-off denial and 25% objective control.