Legends of Runeterra Expeditions: Understanding the new draft mode
The Legends of Runeterra servers are live once again, and players can now participate in the second phase of the developmental roadmap.
In October, players were able to get their hands on Riot Games’ new digital card-based strategy game for the very first time. The game remained available to selected players for five days and a portion of the community to experience the gameplay of Legends of Runeterra and the highly-praised rewards and progress system.
Starting November 14, players who participated in the Announce Preview Patch from October 15-20 can log-in to Legends of Runeterra and start playing again until 8 AM PT on November 19.
This period of the development cycle is for testing the new draft-based game mode called Expeditions. So, before you dive into the world of Runeterra for the second time, take a look over what awaits you in the Expeditions Preview Patch.
Legends of Runeterra Expeditions
Unlike the classic Legends of Runeterra game mode, the Expeditions mode does not use the cards from your collection but instead requires each player to draft a unique deck with a series of picks and trades.
Expeditions is a challenging but rewarding game mode in which players are required to build decks and craft dynamic strategies on-the-go. Deck-building skills will be tested in Expeditions, and so will a player’s ability to maximize the impact of each of their cards.
The objective of the Expeditions mode is to win seven matches. If a player loses two consecutive games, their trial is over; that means that a player who loses a game still has the chance to bounce back and make it to seven wins.
Every player starts their trial by choosing a couple of champions for their deck. Once a player has selected their champions, they’ll then need to pick synergy and wild for their deck.
As the name suggests, synergy picks allow players to choose a set of cards that are guaranteed to work well with the cards that you have drafted so far.
Wild picks, however, are entirely random sets of cards that could potentially enhance your deck in unexpected ways. For example, a player may be attempting to build a high-synergy deck, but after encountering an exceptional wild card, they may look to adjust their drafting strategy.
Once a deck is complete, the first battle begins. No matter the result of every game, the player can adjust their deck by participating in another round of picks and trades. If you don’t like the champion you chose at the start of your trial, then you can swiftly trade or pick another.
These constant deck-building opportunities allow players to continually adjust their strategy on-the-go and make significant changes to the overall feel of their deck.
If a player reaches six wins during their trial, they’ll then enter sudden death. A win here will result in glory and maximum rewards, but a loss ends the journey for that player.
Not happy with your performance in your first trial? You’ll get another shot. Every Expedition consists of two trials, and the best performance is the one that determines the quality of rewards that a player receives.
At the end of the Expedition, a player receives their rewards. All players are gifted at least one champion and may receive many more depending on their performance.
Players can attempt three new Expeditions weekly by using their Shards, Coins, or Expedition Tokens, and a seven-win Expedition will give enough Expedition Tokens for another journey.
The Expeditions Preview Patch runs from November 14 to November 19 (8 AM PT).