Riot Games Testing Major Revamp of League of Legends’ Arena Mode
Riot Games will be testing a major revamp to League of Legends’ Arena mode in the coming weeks. Gameplay boss Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison revealed a myriad of changes designed to appeal to more players as fans cry foul over “sweaty” lobbies.
Changes Coming to League Arena Mode
From tweaking the average length of a League Arena match to adjusting how early players can be eliminated, Phroxzon detailed more about the changes coming to the mode in an April 24 post on X (formerly Twitter). First eliminations will now occur a whole round later, while duos will receive their second augment one round earlier—meaning a team will enter the elimination round with more of a power spike.
Gold Boost and Item System
Also on the docket is a gold boost to Stat Shard rounds “to help people engage more with the item system later in the game,” Phroxzon stated in the X post, as well as a 250 gold cost increase to the Prismatic Anvil. These Arena changes, Phroxzon said, are designed to cater more to casuals after the team noticed a trend toward a ranked audience, with limited overlap to those who played modes for fun like ARAM.
Arena 2.0 and the Element of RNG
“We believe we were cutting out too much of our prospective casual audience by making 1.5 so indexed into mechanically outplaying opponents,” said Phroxzon. He added that League Arena 2.0 will be designed so playing for the top spot will require “more RNG” than previous versions. The new gameplay will mirror that of Teamfight Tactics or poker, where players have to make the best out of the circumstances rather than solely controlling the match.
Ultimately, Riot still aims for the best players to win but hopes these changes will further balance the scales. “Even the best poker player in the world cannot guarantee they’re going to win in a session against even beginners, but in the long run, they will win out,” Phroxzon stated.
Testing and Future Updates
Phroxzon emphasized that these updates are for testing purposes only and are not guaranteed to make it to live servers next week. He hopes the feedback from players trying out Arena will help improve the mode for future updates.
League Arena returns officially on May 1, with all expected changes going live alongside Patch 14.9 on Wednesday.