LoL Preseason 2024: 3 Changes We're Most Excited For

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The LoL Preseason 2024 update is upon us, and League of Legends fans have much to be excited about as Riot developers prepare to roll out sweeping changes ahead of Season 14!

While the exhilarating 2023 League of Legends World Championship reaches its electrifying conclusion and the dreamy boyband HEARTSTEEL bursts onto the global music scene with their record-breaking debut single “PARANOIA“, players are eagerly anticipating what Season 14 has in store.

From the removal of Mythic Items to the introduction of a three-split ranked structure, there’s a plethora of exciting changes to look forward to! In this article, we’ll delve into the three things we’re most excited about in the upcoming Preseason 2024 update.

LoL Preseason 2024: 3 changes we’re most excited for

Among all the anticipated changes, here are three that stand out as particularly noteworthy, as revealed in the “Preseason & Ranked Changes” developer update video.

It is crucial to note that all the changes mentioned below are still under development and may be subject to adjustments before Season 14’s official launch!

1. Removal of Mythic Items

Back in 2021, Riot Games introduced the Mythic items system with the aim of diversifying builds and providing more strategic options for players. However, this addition to the item hierarchy had an unintended consequence: it, conversely, streamlined builds and subsequently stifled creativity.

In the “Preseason & Ranked Changes” dev update, it was announced that the Mythic items system is set to be removed from the game in Preseason 2024.

League of Legends shopkeeper official artwork.

Mythic items have been a point of contention in the League of Legends community as well, with many saying that they kill build diversity and only benefit certain groups of champions.

Riot devs acknowledge that Mythic items do not align with their desired direction for League. The current state of the game could greatly benefit from this item overhaul, potentially introducing a much-needed sense of build diversity to the game.

Essentially, popular Mythic items will be adjusted to be “exciting options rather than prescriptive centrepieces.” As such, players can expect some Mythics to be removed completely from the game, while the popular ones will transition back to Legendary items.

2. Three-split ranked structure

In an effort to improve the ranked experience and speed up the ranked climb, Riot Games plans to introduce a three-split ranked structure in 2024. This means that, from Season 14 onward, there will be three ranked resets per year, instead of just one.

Splits have already been incorporated into League this year. Season 13 featured two ranked splits, which, according to developers, were well-received. Riot is now expanding on this new format by dividing the next season into three splits: January, May, and September 2024.

League of Legends Season 13 official banner.

Riot Games has acknowledged that the current year-long ranked structure can feel like a real grind, with a long gap until a fresh climb. They also recognise that there is a down period at the end of the year where a lot of players want to play ranked but can’t.

The new three-split ranked structure is designed to address these issues. With three ranked resets per year, players will have more opportunities to climb the ladder and earn ranked rewards. Additionally, the shorter split lengths should make each split more impactful and exciting.

The increased number of splits also allows for greater flexibility, enabling players to take breaks from ranked play for a few months without jeopardising a full 10 months’ worth of progress.

Having three ranked splits also gives Riot three points in the year where they can make bigger changes to core gameplay without disrupting in-progress climbs.

3. Terrain and map changes

Last but certainly not least, Riot developers have unveiled plans to make substantial adjustments to the terrain of Summoner’s Rift. This is particularly exciting news considering that the map has not undergone any significant changes since it was redrawn in 2014, aside from the addition of Elemental Drakes.

These map changes are designed to revitalise and breathe new life into the game, and they include:

New jungle paths
Removal of Baron pit
Wider river
and more

These changes are anticipated to have a massive impact on the game’s flow, influencing jungle pathing, ganking strategies, map traversal, objective control, and lane positioning. Additionally, they may help alleviate long-standing debates about the significance of side selection by balancing the amount of space and paths on both sides of the map.

LoL Preseason 2024 release date

League of Legends Preseason 2024 will kick off on 20 November 2023 in the Public Beta Environment (PBE), LoL’s test server. The anticipated release date for these gameplay changes on live servers is 9 January 2024, which also marks the start of the first split of 2024.

Meanwhile, players can continue on their current ranked journey until 3 January 2024.

Interested in learning more about LoL Preseason 2024? We’ve got you covered. Check out our comprehensive LoL Preseason 2024 guide here, which includes more in-depth details on the upcoming changes!

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