Blog post explains the reasoning behind Grandmaster, and reveals a new system to promote rivalries.
Riot has released further insight into the changes being made to Ranked play in League of Legends next year.
As we reported on geeksplatform earlier today, the placement system is to be overhauled, and two new tiers are to be added to the ladder system for 2019.
In a blog post published on the official site a little earlier on today, Riot’s Ed Altorfer has gone into further detail about the reasoning behind these changes.
Starting with the new tiers, Altorfer explains that the intent behind adding an extra Grandmaster tier between Master and Challenger isn’t to increase the grind to the top. Rather, it reflects the need to recognise that in the five years since Ranked play was designed, player skill and progress has increased dramatically.
This has meant that in the upper tiers in particular, a fairly dramatic gulf in skill difference has become established between the top and bottom spots within each tier.
By working from Diamond to Master, and soon Grandmaster before hitting the top Challenger rank, it’s hoped that progress and improvement will feel more meaningful.
To add further spice to the proceedings, there’ll also be a new system put in place to encourage rivalry and tension as your approach promotion – or demotion – into a new tier.
As you approach a new tier, a new UI element will indicate who you’re about to knock down a peg or two – and who’s about to do it to you if you’re close to the bottom.
Further changes are also planned for the UI, but these are largely quality of life improvements. For the full details, head over to the official announcement about these planned changes.
