Riot Games’ digital card-based strategy game Legends of Runeterra may still be a couple of months away from its official launch, but players will gain access to all aspects of the game starting later this month.
In a video titled “Beta Season and Beyond: Legends of Runeterra in 2020,” the developer revealed that the game’s open beta will commence on January 24.
The reveal was certainly unexpected considering that many fans were expecting the next phase of the roadmap to be the previously announced limited-access closed beta. Instead, all players will now gain access to all features of the game, including ranked mode, friend challenges, personalization, and new sets, guardians, and champions in the open beta.
One of the more interesting announcements made during the video was regarding ranked mode. The developer shared that ranked mode will be available throughout the entire open beta and that the experience will be relatively similar to League of Legends. For example, players can advance through divisions by earning LP.
In an attempt to reduce the reliance on strong meta decks and to also increase creativity and independence, Riot has shared that ranked progress will operate differently from what can be found in many other popular card games such as Hearthstone. One way that the developer will achieve this experience is by allowing players to hold their gained rank for the rest of a season.
All account data and ranked progress — including the purchase of new personalization items — will remain when Legends of Runeterra advances to the official release in the first half of 2020. The free-to-play game will be available on both PC and mobile.
