Reward and Ladder Changes coming to Solo Queue in 2023

Rilea

Dec 6, 2022 • 2 min read

We're still a few weeks away from the new season from kicking off, but Riot have already announced some major changes coming for 2023. Here are the headlines:

2 splits across the season
Promos changed to a best-of-3
Victorious skins available for all ranks

Format Changes

There will be 2 splits in the 2023 season, with the first beginning in January. This will motivate players to play throughout the entire year, rather than reaching their ranked goal in June then having no motivation to climb further for the rest of the year.

Each split will have a ranked reset, though Riot haven't stated whether this will be the usual 10 placement games or just an MMR reset. Speaking of MMR, it will now be the only factor influencing the games you're placed into, as your visible rank (e.g. Gold 3) will no longer matter.

The last format change is to promo series, as they will now be a best-of-3 rather than a best-of-5. This will make the promotion experience much smoother, requiring fewer games and punishing you less if you fail to get promoted.

Reward Changes

Two splits means there will be 2 Victorious skins next year, and they'll be much easier to acquire. The skins will no longer be locked behind finishing at Gold rank or above, and will be rewarded to players who play a ton of ranked games. You'll also earn the skin if you reach Gold at any point in a split, even if you then drop down to Silver or below.

Gold+ playerswill still earn the skin automatically regardless of the amount of games played, but players below Gold can now earn the skins. This is a rather controversial change as the Victorious skins won't be as prestigious if everybody can earn them, but now all players will be rewarded for being dedicated to the ranked grind.

There will still be exclusive chromas for each rank you earn above Gold, so high ranked players will receive more rewards for their success on the ladder. Riot also implied the Victorious skin will be available immediately upon hitting Gold, allowing players to show off as soon as they earn their skin.

Currently, the other ranked rewards feel a little underwhelming. You can earn eternals, emotes and icons, but these rewards aren't that special and don't come very often.

Therefore, more rewards will be available next year and you'll earn them at a much quicker pace. Instead of earning bonus points for playing fill, you'll now earn more for winning games so good play will be directly rewarded. Here's hoping these new rewards will include loot like Hextech and Masterwork chests.

Summary

There's a lot to look forward to in the new season, with more rewards, quicker progression, and more reason to play throughout the entire year; bring on Season 13!