The fan-favorite LoL Arena mode is returning to League of Legends in 2024.
Riot Games recently announced the return of the highly popular Arena mode. From new game sizes to a brand new type of item, we've compiled all the details from Riot's announcement.
Arena was introduced to League of Legends in 2023 as a new alternative for a fast-paced, casual, party-style game mode. With All Random, All Mid (ARAM) being the only option apart from Summoner's Rift, Riot has been looking for ways to diversify the way fans can play League of Legends. It's been gone for several months, but it will be returning in 2024 with some big changes.
LoL Arena mode will return in 2024 with double the lobby size
In Riot's most recent developer update video, the developers confirmed that Arena would be returning in 2024. Arena was an eight-player 2v2v2v2 mode in which players drafted pairs of champions to go into several rounds of 2v2 action. Between rounds, players would purchase items and pick Augments, powerful modifications to their abilities that can completely change how they played. Most of that formula will be the same when Arena returns later this year. However, the eight-player mode will be upped to 16 participants, making it League of Legends' largest game mode.
Prismatic Items take center stage
The League of Legends Arena mode's return will also introduce a brand-new mechanic — Prismatic Items. These are going to be build-defining items that can warp the game just as much as any Augment. These seem to be souped-up versions of the Mythic items system that Riot scrapped from Summoner's Rift early this season. The example Riot gives is The Demon King's Crown, an item that increases your base stats by a lot, but continues to amplify those increases with each round you win. However, each round you lose decreases those stats by more than a single win would raise them.
These, along with larger lobbies and almost assuredly new Augments mean a bevy of new experiences for League of Legends players. Arena is the closest Riot has gotten in its search for a faster-paced League of Legends mode since the disappearance of the ill-fated Nexus Blitz. Arena will return closer to the middle of the year, hitting the public beta environment (PBE) two weeks before it rolls over to live servers.
That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more League of Legends news and updates.