League of Legends is returning to a single annual reset for ranked play, starting in 2025, as the developer moves away from the softer seasonal reset of last season.
In the current version of League of Legends ranked play, players will start each season at a slightly lower rank than they were in the previous season. This all happens ahead of placement matches, where players will once again be sorted into their fixed opening rank before progressing.
Placement matches are squashed down to five for those who have already completed the process once, allowing a relatively streamlined entry into each new season.
Despite a generally positive reception to that system, Riot is making some major alterations ahead of next year’s round of competitive play.
LoL’s new annual reset explained
The new ranked system, including both visible rank and MMR, is returning to a singular, significant reset in January. The tuning for this reset hasn’t been specified, but it will follow a similar format to those seen in 2022 and earlier.
Despite the new system, players will still have the chance to earn three Victorious skins throughout the year. To do so, players must win 15 ranked games during that season.
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Head of League Studio Andrei Van Roon had the following to say on why the change has been implemented.
“Ranked resets have been a topic of a lot of conversation in recent years, particularly when it comes to feelings of how often you want to restart your climbs, how fast a climb should be and what feels rewarding versus what feels like a grind.”
“Looking back, we don’t think this has been the right call for League. We’re going back to one large reset at the start of the year, with no additional resets throughout the year.”
The new system should allow players longer to climb and, therefore, likely reach higher ranks, reducing the emphasis on an accelerated grind.
Striking the right balance is clearly the priority for Riot here, and it should have a tangible effect on the maximum ranks players are able to reach in League of Legends.
