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| (Image Source: Dexerto/Riot Games) |
Renouned video game publisher and developer Riot Games has officially kicked off Season 2024 in "League of Legends" (League), the world's most popular MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) and #1 PC game, and LoL eSports with a video outlining what's to come in 2024, including a preview of the second season of "Arcane". The event acts as the official beginning of the League Ranked and tournament season for both everyday and professional players, respectively, and also serves as a moment to update players on upcoming content for the year.
“Season Start is a moment to set the stage for the weeks and months ahead and provide a sneak peek at some of the content the team has been working on. We hope you're excited about what you've seen so far for 2024. This year is also extra special because we'll be celebrating League's 15th birthday in October! Best of luck on your climbs, and welcome to Season 2024," said League Studio Head Andrei van Roon. In 2024, players can expect a wide range of updates including Arcane-inspired gameplay and characters, changes to the Champion Mastery system, the return of Arena, a brand new game mode, and more. In addition, LoL eSports revealed changes to the qualification rules for their two global tournaments, the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and the League of Legends World Championships (Worlds) and introduced the LoL eSports Hall of Legends, League's version of a Hall of Fame. A long-awaited cinematic in the style of The Call, Ruination, and Warriors will commence the new season on January 10, 2024. Here are more details on the upcoming content and updates for League's Season 2024.
Arcane Season 2
As previously announced, Arcane Season 2 will be released globally in November. In celebration of the new season, Ambessa Medarda who was first seen in Season 1 will be coming to the Rift (alongside the aforementioned Arcane champion VGU) later this year. Additionally, Arcane-inspired gameplay, an in-game update to a beloved champion in the show, and new skins will also be released in League of Legends at the same time. In the meantime, a preview of the new season can be viewed on YouTube.
Champions in 2024
• Skarner's visual gameplay update (VGU) is finishing up and will be heading to the Rift in the first half of the year.
• After Skarner, the team will work on two other champion updates: a champion featured in Arcane which will be updated to better match their depiction in the show and Shyvana who will be receiving special attention around her gameplay.
• Smolder the Fiery Fledgling will be going to Public Beta Environment (PBE) on January 9, 2024 with more details now available on the League's official website.
• After Smolder, players can expect a Vastayan, solo-laning, mid-range mage as the next champion.
Skins in 2024
• In 2024, Rammus and Olaf will be getting skins!
• The first half of 2024's Prestige skins will be for Rakan, Ezreal, Kindred, Evelynn, and Kayle (in that order).
• The team is working through Lee Sin's skin catalog now and his art and sustainability update (ASU) will be available to players in early May.
• Teemo's ASU is taking the team longer than intended and will have an updated timeline to be shared later this year.
• Lunar New Year, the first event of the year, will feature new skinline Heavenscale and returning thematic Porcelain. Players can look forward to the following skins in patch 14.3 and 14.4: Heavenscale Lee Sin, Prestige Heavenscale Ezreal, Heavenscale Ezreal, Heavenscale Kai'Sa, Heavenscale Master Yi, Heavenscale Diana, Heavenscale Janna, Heavenscale Smolder, Prestige Porcelain Kindred, Porcelain Graves, Porcelain Darius, Porcelain Miss Fortune, Porcelain Morgana, Porcelain Irelia, Porcelain Aurelion Sol.
• Other skinlines returning in the first half of 2024 are Porcelain, Faerie Court, PROJECT, and Blood Moon.
• Older Legendary skins will receive borders (Brolaf, Corporate Mundo, Dragon Trainer Tristana).
Systems in 2024
The team will focus on making improvements to how the Ranked system evaluates player skill, reducing situations where a player is matched up with someone in a vastly different rank, and how much LP a player loses LP in relation to how much they gain in the new season. Additionally, there will be changes coming to the Champion Mastery system in the first half of the year. More information on that can be found on the League's official website. On the other hand, Vanguard is coming to League as a response to the feedback around high number of bots in games, disruptive smurfs in Ranked, and an increase in scripting. The implementation will allow for live match termination and will refund LP to players in games with/against detected cheaters and bots.
Modes in 2024
• Arena will be coming back in the first half of the year with more improvements. The number of teams in a game of Arena will increase from four teams of two, to eight (for a total of 16 players). Changes to the UI will be made accordingly and there will be new Augments, maps, and other improvements.
• Ultra Rapid Fire (URF) will be back for Lunar New Year in patch 14.3 and 14.4, and One-For-All after that.
• A new game mode coming later this year will be a different take on core League gameplay and will be a more relaxed way to spend time with friends.
LoL eSports in 2024
LoL eSports will continue to increase the stakes around MSI and strengthen its connection to Worlds. To that effect, in 2024, the winning team at MSI will be awarded a guaranteed spot at Worlds which also counts as an additional slot for their region. The second best performing region will secure an additional seed for their region as well. This season, there will be a base of three Worlds slots for the LEC, LCS, LCK, and LPL. The PCS and VCS will each retain two Worlds slots, and the LLA and CBLOL will each retain one Worlds slot. And as previously announced, MSI 2024 will be held on May 1-19, 2024 in Chengdu, China while Worlds 2024 will be held on September 25-November 2, 2024 and is set to take place in Berlin for Play-Ins and Swiss Stages at the Riot Games Arena, Paris for Quarterfinals and Semifinals at the Adidas Arena, and London at the O2 Arena for Finals. Finally, to celebrate those who have made a lasting impact on the game, the sport, and the community, LoL eSports is proud to introduce the LoL eSports Hall of Legends, the League's version of a Hall of Fame. An independent voting panel of eSports industry veterans and experts from every region will vote to select the very first inductee. Those inducted will be celebrated both in- and out-of-game. More details will be shared at a later date.
Season 2024 Merch
On January 11, 2024, players can purchase new merch in celebration of the new season at the Riot Games Merch store which will include the following:
• Jimei Palace Aatrox 1/6 Scale Statue
• Samira Unlocked Statue
For more information on League of Legends and LoL Esports, visit leagueoflegends.com and lolesports.com.
