League of Legends , Riot Games’ wildly popular free-to-play MOBA, will be getting a new ranking system alongside the launch of season 3, the developer recently announced.
The new “League” system, as Riot is calling it, aims to offer players a deeper sense of progression. After you’ve played your placement matches, the League system will place you in one of six tiers — bronze, silver, gold, and so on — and then a division within that tier.
In order to progress to new divisions and tiers, you’ll need to of course win some games. Here’s more info on how it all works, courtesy of Riot:
“Winning ranked games earns you League Points that help you move up the rankings in your league. As you acquire more points you’ll have the opportunity to fight your way into the next division, or even into a new league at the next tier of competition. Each triumph brings on new challenges and tougher opponents, as well as rewards at the end of the season.”
The new system applies to solo/duo ranked as well as three-on-three and five-on-five ranked matches. If your ranked five-on-five team managed to make it all the way into the top 15 in the Challenger tier — the highest tier — you might even have the chance to go pro, Riot says.
It’s worth noting that, according to the FAQ, the new League system will not necessarily match you up with players in the same tier. The FAQ reads:
“Matchmaking isn’t affected by your league, and you’ll still be competing against all opponents of your skill level in the League of Legends community. Your league measures your progress against a set of opponents of similar skill level, but doesn’t restrict competition solely to those players.”