Key highlights:
- Players must complete 10 unranked Summoner’s Rift matches before playing ranked.
- Changes aim to tackle smurfing and improve skill assessment.
- New rules coming in patch 14.15 on 31 July.
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League of Legends, the popular online battle arena game, is shaking things up with new rules for its ranked play.
Riot Games, the company behind LOL, is bringing in these changes to make the game fairer and more fun for everyone.
What’s Changing?
Right now, if you want to play ranked matches in League of Legends, you need to be at level 30 and own at least 20 champions. But soon, there will be a new rule: you’ll also need to play 10 unranked matches on Summoner’s Rift, the main map in the game.
Matt Leung-Harrison, who helps design the game, explained why they’re making this change when speaking to PCGamesN, He said:
“We’ve been planning this for a long time. It will help us understand how good new players really are.”
Why Are They Doing This?
There are a few reasons for these new rules:
- Helping New Players: Some new players only play special game modes like ARAM (All Random All Mid) or against computer-controlled bots. This doesn’t give Riot a good idea of how skilled they are at the main game.
- Stopping Smurfs: ‘Smurfing’ is when experienced players create new accounts to play against less skilled players. This isn’t fair and can ruin the fun for others. The new rules should help put these players at the right skill level faster.
- Fixing Alt Accounts: Some players have more than one account. The new system will help place these accounts at the right skill level quicker, so they don’t end up beating lots of less skilled players on their way up the ranks.
Other Changes Coming
Riot isn’t just changing the rules for ranked play. They’re also making some other tweaks to improve the title:
- Queue Dodging: You’ll have fewer chances to decline a match when it’s your turn to play. This is to stop people from trying to avoid certain players or disrupting the game.
- Punishing Bad Behaviour: If you keep declining matches, you might be locked out of the game for a while. This punishment will be stronger for players who do this often.
- Party Play: There are also some changes to how declining works when you’re playing with friends.
In regards to the queues, Leung-Harrison said:
“We think it’s okay to miss a game once or twice if you need to get a snack or drink. But we don’t want people to keep doing it and make the game worse for the other nine players.”
Tackling Cheating
Riot is also working hard to stop people from cheating. They’re using a special system called Vanguard to catch people who:
- Sell accounts
- Buy accounts that have been levelled up by someone else
- Help other players cheat by playing on their accounts (called ‘boosting’)
When Will This Happen?
All these changes are coming in the next big update to the game, called patch 14.15. This update is set to arrive on Wednesday, July 31st.
Other Updates in Patch 14.15
The new ranked rules aren’t the only changes coming in this update. Riot is also making some changes to balance the game:
- Boots Nerf: All types of boots in the game will be a bit less powerful.
- ADC Changes: ADC (Attack Damage Carry) champions won’t be as strong in the early parts of the game.
What This Means for Players
If you’re a League of Legends player, or thinking about starting, here’s what you need to know:
- New Players: You’ll need to play more unranked games before you can start ranked matches. This will help you learn the game better before jumping into competitive play.
- Experienced Players: If you’re making a new account, you’ll be placed at your true skill level faster. This means fairer games for everyone.
- All Players: You might notice shorter wait times for matches, as people won’t be able to decline games as often.
The Future of League of Legends
While these changes are big news for the main game, Riot is also working on expanding the League of Legends world:
- Fighting Game: Riot is making a League of Legends fighting game called “2XKO”. You’ll be able to try it out in 2024, with the full title coming in 2025.
- MMORPG: There’s also a League of Legends MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) in the works. However, Riot recently said they’re starting over on this project, so it might be a few years before we see it.
Last year there was serious unrest in the Championship Series with the professional LOL players going on strike. That situation has since been resolved though, and the eSports scene is now booming!
These new changes to LOL show that Riot is always trying to make the title better and fairer for everyone.
By adding new rules for ranked play and fixing issues like smurfing, they’re hoping to create a more enjoyable experience for all players, whether they’re just starting out or have been playing for years.
