Legends of Runeterra’s Expeditions Preview Patch has come and gone, taking the game with it into the (month-)long dark. It won’t be gone forever, though – after all, for all of the game’s high level of polish and artistic investment, these last two Preview Patch sessions weren’t technically even the beta!
But that Closed Beta will, in fact, be coming soon, and bringing with it the last major features to Riot Games’ card game, and first full-fledged video game publication since the launch of League of Legends over 10 years ago.
Here’s what we know about what’s coming up next.
Ranked Mode
It wouldn’t be a digital competitive card game without a way to prove your superiority (or lack thereof) amid serious competition. The most important element of next year’s Closed Beta patch will be the official inclusion of Legends of Runeterra’s ranked mode, with all that implies.
Presumably, ranked play will consist of user-made decks. However, at this time, a lot of details are still missing, such as how long a ranked season will be, what rewards are available to high-ranking players, how ranks will be divided up, and how initial placements will work.
Friends List and Social Interactions
All prior Legends of Runeterra games have thus far been based on randomized matchmaking. The Closed Beta patch is scheduled to also include standard social functions, such as a way to communicate with friends and arrange games directly with them.
Speculation
The Legends of Runeterra release date has proven more nebulous than the initial announcement for Expeditions, which had a hard date attached to it. Rather, the Closed Beta is currently only scheduled for “Q1 2020,” meaning early some time next year, between January and March.
Given the level of polish we’ve already seen in the Preview Patch, it’s probably safe to assume that we will not need to wait a full four months before it’s back again.
We can also assume that the Ranked patch will include a significant amount of balance tweaks, such as the ones that affected the Expeditions Preview Patch.
Read more: Legends of Runeterra: Biggest Winners and Losers on the Expeditions Patch Balance Update
But beyond tweaks to numbers and abilities – or even wholesale rewriting of how champions work, like with Kalista – we might actually see some legitimately new content as well. Per Riot Games, Legends of Runeterra’s Set 2 is already in the works, bringing with it a whole new region and its affiliated champions.
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Written ByJames Chen@Obscurica
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Legends of Runeterra