Legends of Runeterra OBT Launches 24th January
The Legends of Runeterra Open Beta Test (OBT) will be launching on 24th of January. However, you can get in one day earlier (23rd of January) if you’re in the Closed Beta already. Anyone who pre-registers will also be able to get in a day earlier. The Open Beta will also have a bunch of features that will be added in.
Things You Need To Know For The Open Beta
Before delving into the details of the upcoming OBT, you might want to check out our review of the gameplay basics first. Here are some key details and a little elaboration on the upcoming features in the Legends of Runeterra Open Beta.
No More Resets
Once the Open Beta launches, everyone will be starting fresh. Unfortunately for Close Beta players, that means you won’t get to keep your cards. However, this is needed to keep the playing field even. On the plus side, there will be NO MORE resets from this point on. That means anything you earn or purchase during Open Beta is yours to keep during the final release.
Ranked Matchmaking and Friends List
On top of that, there will be Ranked Matchmaking once Open Beta releases. The rank system is similar to League of Legends, where you climb from Iron all the way to Masters. Notably, you will never drop from a rank that you’ve earned. For example, if you’ve hit Platinum during a season, you will never drop below it, even if you have a huge loss streak. This is because Riot wants to encourage players to experiment in higher ranks without worrying about dropping their rank. Secondly, a Friend List will be implemented that will automatically add your friends from League of Legends! You can chat with them in-game as well as challenge them directly with the click of a button.
New Cosmetics
And of course, Riot’s philosophy of not selling power/advantages shines through even in Legends of Runeterra. Instead of being able to buy packs, players will instead have the opportunity to buy cosmetics. These cosmetic products range from new game boards, new companions and new emotes. There will be a choice of 5 purchasable game boards that will change the playmat and even the background music to one of the 5 available Regions in the game. Meanwhile, companions are quite simply pets that sit on the game board to entertain you. There will be three new pets joining the default Poro: the Snapper, Gromp Jr, and a mini T-Hex. Oddly, I did not see any sleeves as a cosmetic product.
Future Releases
New Cards, New Regions
In the future, Riot Games will also be releasing new expansions that will introduce cards from new regions and new champions that will be able to shake up the meta and bring in new exciting mechanics and keywords.
Mobile Version
A mobile version is being planned and will launch later in the year. Once it is out, the mobile version will have full crossplay compatibility with the PC version. Meaning your account will share progress both platforms, allowing gameplay on the go.