The League of Legends development team, led by Jeremy "Riot Brightmoon" Goffe and Andrei "Meddler" Popa, announced significant updates to the game's structure. The Ranked structure will transition to three resets per year, each with its own set of gameplay changes. This is part of an effort to make the game more exciting and player-friendly.
The team also revealed plans for the Preseason, which will now hit the Public Beta Environment (PBE) in mid-November, with an official release in January 2024. This change aims to align the excitement of players to start their Ranked climb with the introduction of new gameplay changes.
The team also discussed changes to the item system, indicating that Mythic Items will be removed from the game starting in January 2024. However, current Mythic items that players like will be adjusted to be exciting options rather than prescriptive centerpieces.
In addition to these changes, the team shared updates on Arena and Nexus Blitz. The next version of Arena, with improvements like added augments and improved champion viability, will drop in early December. Nexus Blitz will return in late October for a five-week run.
The team is also working on improving bot A.I. to enhance the new player experience and make playing against bots feel more like a real game. The first player-facing technical test of the new bots will be conducted on PBE soon.
Lastly, the team hinted at future updates on new champions and champion updates, including Skarner, who's set to release early next year, and Jax's visual and audio update, which will be revealed later this year.
1. The text is a transcript of a discussion between Jeremy (Riot Brightmoon), Andrei (Meddler), and Pu Liu (Pupulasers), the Game Director of League of Legends. They are discussing updates to the Ranked structure in the game.
2. The current Ranked structure in League of Legends has remained consistent since the early days, with Ranked kicking off in January and ending just after Worlds in November.
3. After Worlds, the game enters Preseason, where gameplay changes are experimented with.
4. The team has identified areas for improvement in the current Ranked structure, including a long gradual climb over months and a long gap until the next window for larger changes to Summoner’s Rift gameplay.
5. In response to these issues, the team has decided to move to a three Ranked resets per year structure.
6. This change will result in more impactful games and a faster climb for each split.
7. The team is also planning to make changes to the Preseason structure. Past Preseasons have gone onto PBE in early October, giving players a lot of time to explore and learn the gameplay changes.
8. The team is planning to have Preseason hit PBE in mid-November, with an official release in January of 2024.
9. The team is also working on changes to the item system in Preseason, including the removal of the Mythic item tier in January 2024.
10. The team is excited about the response to Arena and is planning to make it even better again, with the next version of Arena set to drop in early December.
11. The team is also working on improving bot A.I. to enhance the new player experience and make playing against bots feel more like a real game.
12. The next time they talk to the community, they will cover new champions and champion updates, including Skarner, who's set for a release early next year.