League of Legends ranking system has finally been handled
The League of Legends community has long been puzzled by one aspect of the game’s ranked system: how it handles new players dipping their toes into ranked matches for the first time.
Many have criticized the system for often placing new players in higher skill tiers than they actually belong after their initial placement matches. However, a recent update in Patch 14.8 aims to address this issue, promising a more accurate placement for newcomers on the ranked ladder.
According to Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, League’s lead gameplay designer, who shared the update on social media, the changes in this patch are designed to ensure that all players, regardless of their prior gaming experience, are seeded more accurately into the ladder.
Previously, players who played in modes like ARAM and Bot matches weren’t being correctly placed, but these adjustments seek to rectify that.
Internally, Riot aims to position the average player around Silver IV upon completing their first set of placement matches. However, this rank may vary based on the player’s experience in normal games. This means that new players will now find themselves matched against opponents more aligned with their skill level, rather than being thrust into matches with more seasoned players. So, if you were hoping to skyrocket to high Gold after acing your placement games, you might need to adjust your expectations.
Moreover, these changes could impact smurf accounts, making their climb through the ranks longer and more challenging. Leung-Harrison notes that due to limitations in adjusting visual ranks easily, new players will initially experience negative LP gains as they transition to more appropriate skill brackets. These LP gains may seem imbalanced at first, with losses resulting in greater LP deductions than wins, but the system aims to balance out over time.
This adjustment is just one of many steps Riot is taking to refine the climbing experience. Earlier adjustments, such as making demotions more impactful and reducing starting LP at a new rank, hint at a trend towards making climbing more challenging.
It’s likely that Riot will continue to tweak the ranked system throughout the remainder of the 2024 season, aiming to create a more balanced and rewarding experience for all players.