Exciting Changes and Features Coming to LoL Arena: Augments, Hextech Gates, and More!

Riot Games has announced several exciting changes and new features that will be coming to LoL Arena, the popular 2v2 game mode. Here are the key points:

1. Implementing 8-man Queue

The introduction of the 8-man queue is the first major change in LoL Arena. This allows groups of 2, 3, and 4 players to join together and choose their teams. Additionally, a full lobby of 8 players will be able to enjoy a private match, while still earning and losing rating points. This approach was taken to avoid splitting queues into ranked and unranked, which could result in longer queue times.

2. Champion Diversity

Riot Games has been working on increasing champion diversity in LoL Arena. They will introduce 60 new augments, including those that provide Ability Haste on Q, W, or E abilities. Augments will be limited to two copies each, encouraging experimentation and creativity. This change also helps to prevent stacking specific classes, as the best augments for those classes will be picked more quickly. Augments will come with core and frame visuals to enhance player understanding. The champion select process will also be revised, with all four duos picking a first champion blindly, showing those champions to everyone in the lobby, and then having the second champion blind-picked. Teams won't be able to pick any champion that was picked in the first round, leading to a more strategic approach. The LoL Arena Tier List will be updated once the game mode is released.

3. Hextech Gates

Hextech gates will make their debut in LoL Arena. These gates will give squishier classes more options to buy space. They will be on a global cooldown when used and will be distributed in random locations, adding a layer of strategy to the gameplay.

4. Stage Gameplay

In addition to the Hextech gates, Riot is adding the Downed State mechanic to LoL Arena. When a player is killed, they will begin spawning a circular area where they died. After a set amount of time, their ally can stand in this area to revive them. Each team only gets one revive per round. This mechanic aims to reduce hopeless situations when a teammate is eliminated quickly. Furthermore, the center point of the ring of fire will be randomized in each round, preventing champions from setting up in known locations early and abusing terrain control.

5. Cameos

Riot has confirmed that Cameos will be refined for now, adding more variety to the game mode. They will decide whether to keep them involved in the future. For now, players will still get Cameos and modify their content by adding two new Cameo champs from the Winterblessed skyline, and keeping the three most enjoyed Cameos from the first release. The champions that will be part of LoL Arena are:

• Sett
• Pyke
• Gwen
• Sylas
• Thresh, who will walk around the battlefield and periodically throw his lantern, providing a shield and an escape.
• Sylas, who will start the round by giving each combatant a random ultimate, Ult Spellbook style, that will override your non-flash summoner (which you then get back after casting the spell).

6. Rating Changes

All Arena ratings will be reset, and players will start from Wood Tier. MMR will be partially reset, and thresholds for Gold and Gladiator have been adjusted to make the climb more challenging. Players who reach higher ranks in this release will earn new tiers.

7. Challenges

Riot is adding new challenges to track players' performance, including Arena-specific challenges. It's important to note that progress toward the challenges won't appear until the end, even if a player is eliminated early.

With these exciting changes and new features, LoL Arena is set to provide an even more diverse and strategic gameplay experience. Players can look forward to experimenting with new augments, utilizing Hextech gates, and strategizing with their teammates to achieve victory. Get ready to climb the ranks and conquer the arena!