Riot Games recently hosted a livestream event previewing major updates to anticipate for League of Legends and LoL Esports throughout 2024. With new gameplay elements, improvements to ranking systems, updates to major tournaments, and nods to Arcane, it’s set to be an exciting year for fans.
Bringing Arcane to Life in LoL
The mega-popular Arcane series that debuted on Netflix in 2021 is continuing to influence LoL in 2024. Riot announced that new champions and gameplay coming to Summoner’s Rift will take inspiration from the characters and style featured in the show’s second season, set to premiere later this year.
Arena and URF Confirmed
Riot has also announced the return of popular gamemodes Arena and URF. Arena pits players in consecutive 2v2 fights against other players, with unique items and modifiers reminiscent of TFT. URF takes place on Summoner’s Rift, Ultra Rapid Fire gives everyone near-instant ability cooldowns on-top of high passive gold gains to create a hectic experience. URF will be returning to League during the Lunar New Year.
Updates to Core League Gameplay
Beyond the Arcane content, 2024 will focus on evolving core LoL gameplay to heighten fan experiences. Season 14’s PBE changes proved to be incredibly popular with the community at large, removing Mythic items and adding more build options for every champion style. I think my personal favourite is Stormsurge, an AP-Collector style item that casts an AOE on champion takedown.
Changes are coming to Champion Mastery to better reflect player skill, while the return of the fan-favorite Arena mode will include quality-of-life upgrades. An entirely new mode will also launch toward the latter half of 2024.
Enhancing Competitive Integrity
For ranked play, Riot is implementing improved systems around skill evaluation and matchmaking to provide more accurate placements and fairer games. The Vanguard program is also launching to crack down on cheating and botting to uphold competitive integrity.
Excitement for LoL Esports Scene
Major highlights are also in store for LoL Esports and its most prestigious tournaments in 2024. The winning MSI team will automatically qualify for Worlds 2024, earning an extra spot for their region. Further details revealed Chengdu, China as the MSI 2024 host city in May, while Worlds 2024 heads to Berlin in October.
Alongside the tournament updates, Riot is creating a Hall of Legends to induct iconic LoL figures who have made a lasting mark on Esports. The inaugural class will be revealed throughout 2024.
More to Come
The early 2024 livestream sets the stage for League of Legends to expand through new gameplay, advancing systems, and community celebrations. Stay tuned for champion visual updates, new skins, and improvements focused on the player experience as the epic saga continues in this milestone year.
