Get ready for the 2015 ranked season!

Riot·Jan 12, 2015·1 votes·406,706 views

It’s time to slim back down to fighting weight and pull those tryhard pants on, because on January 21 we’re opening up the 2015 ranked season! If you’ve spent the holidays hiding under a large rock, then you’ve only got a few days to catch up on the latest updates and get prepared for the 2015 season! However, all’s not lost - here’s a super short list of the biggest recent changes along with a couple of pointers for the coming season:

Seeding

As usual, you'll have ten placement games to fight through before settling in to your tier and division, ready for the climb. But this time, they work a little differently: in previous seasons, placement games were way more impactful than regular season games. Challenger players could lose all ten games and end up in Silver during the 2014 placements, while Bronze players could go on lucky winning sprees and end up in Plat before getting their butts kicked repeatedly until they fell a few tiers. Neither of these are good experiences, so while this year’s placements are still important, they won’t cause established players to swing as far up or down because of good or bad luck. Your placement will still be heavily influenced by where you ended up last season. If you’ve never played ranked, then your form in your placements will be all that matters!

Finally, with the pretty substantial changes that preseason brought, we figured that everyone should have a fresh opportunity to rise to the top. Because of that, we’re again running a soft reset to player position with the start of the ranked season, meaning you’ll likely place lower than where you ended the previous season.

Summoner’s Rift

We gave Summoner’s Rift a Sion-sized update back in November! We could tell you about the new map, or you could just click here and explore it at your own pace. You should totally do that.

Preseason

We also brought in some huge preseason changes at the end of last year! Aside from looking different, Dragon and Baron now give different rewards to the team that kills them, and the jungle’s teeming with new camps that actually do things. Like kill you! Seriously - the raptors hurt SO MUCH NOW.

Preseason also brought in a heap of new items and tweaks to existing gear. Check out the full details here.

Rek’Sai

Finally, we introduced a new champion to League over the break. Rek’Sai’s a subterranean nightmare who stalks her prey with her unique tremor sense before digging tunnels to claim kills when the time’s right. Check out her spotlight here.

Rewards

We’ll have more information as the season progresses, but there will definitely be a victorious skin, and you’ll unlock unique wards as you play ranked 5s!

That’s it for now! We’ll have more updates as the season develops, but for now, get practicing, because ranked is coming up FAST!

742 Comments

Flay and PrayJan 13, 2015193 votes

You hear that? Everyone has a chance to rise to the top. It's your time to rise my dear friend..... Urgot

MyddenJan 13, 201549 votes

Pretty sure the changes are going to make it a lot harder to climb...

Flay and PrayJan 13, 201597 votes

Urgot has 4 legs. If he tried, he could climb wherever he wanted to. I climbed from bronze 4 to Plat 4 this season by not playing urgot. I think that itself is proof that he at least exists.

CubeliosJan 13, 201529 votes

So all the progress I made during the preseason to try and climb higher in hopes to have a better chance to place even higher in the reset is completely null and void.

hippobot7Jan 14, 201512 votes

Yep

SubIronJan 14, 20154 votes

It's a soft reset. (MMR+1200)/2 so you did gain something.

check nameJan 15, 20156 votes

Yeah this is ridiculous... Riot is completely ***king some of us. I placed Silver 2 this season due to lack of playing and educating myself. I spent a lot of time learning and playing to climb to Gold 2 (headed towards plat), and NOW Riot tells us this?

I think they should have said this at the start of preseason if they wanted to do this. I feel wronged.

Batth SaltsJan 15, 201510 votes

its the same like last season, preseason rank doesn't carry into reg season. you should know this..

Izzy250Jan 13, 201592 votes

Ya hear that? 800 words!

The Real GrimlaiJan 14, 201533 votes

Everyone has a chance to Ryze to the top.

PwnanobrienJan 13, 2015125 votes

My body is ready for season 5, but my GPA may not be.... (/all 'worth')

Silentduck1Jan 13, 201523 votes

BRING IT ON!!! PLAT 5 HERE I COME!!! wait a minuite, i want plat 5, this is season 5, there are 5 players on a team. I said 5, 3 whole times....... Nope, i just said it a fourth.. Nevermind have a good day! :)

thiswoodisroughJan 13, 201545 votes

u said it three times, a triangle has three sides, illuminati confirmed?

Spooky SpookerJan 13, 20153 votes

Tell the government

not a starburstJan 14, 201515 votes

The government is the Illuminati! item 2050

ZoeisyourhomieJan 13, 20159 votes

item 2050 Illuminati Confirmed !

WORSTTHRESHEUWESJan 14, 201520 votes

Is that item actually in the game??! I never knew it existed. item 2050 item 3187 item 2044 item 2049 item 2043 item 2045

RgRyderJan 13, 201556 votes

Confirmed has 9 letters in it the square root of 9 is 3 Illuminati has 10 letters 1+0=1 3-1=2 2 as a fraction is a half HALF LIFE 3 CONFIRMED!!!

RikumaruJan 14, 201590 votes

Me: Ok guys this is my chance to get to gold finally, I think this is going to be a good game, good luck and have fun! FeedsForLife: Don't worry guise,I have been carrying as Urgot jungler lately.

FlamingoFlamer: Your so retarded, I can't believe you play that piece of @#$%^ champion, *FlamingoFlamer had disconnected.

YoloSwagKid13: You stole my kill! Time to start feeding.

LeTroll69: Teemo Teemo Teemo

Me: Just like last year... item 2043 item 3070

A Clever PunJan 14, 201516 votes

Lol, the usernames were a nice touch

Koba1tJan 14, 201557 votes

"we figured that everyone should have a fresh opportunity to rise to the top" RIOT HAS FAVORITISM FOR TOP LANERS CONFIRMED

rebound2Jan 13, 201550 votes

"Seriously - the raptors hurt SO MUCH NOW." I bet our friend RIOT MIRROSS (according to the "BY" part of this post by the picture)is trying to kill the big raptor first. Silly RIOT MIRROSS, so very silly. Shaco You gotta take the little raptors first RIOT MIRROSS. Shaco Shaco Shaco Shaco Shaco Draven Draven Draven Draven Draven Jinx Jinx Jinx Jinx Jinx

They're all laughing at silly RIOT MIRROSS

LeoriteJan 13, 201540 votes

gets hype cause he finally reached Gold V :D

Oh wait...

realizes Riot is gonna put him back in Silver

im cri.

fireelemen6Jan 14, 201513 votes

I feel that, i finally managed to force teams to get kills enough to pull me out of bronze as a support main, i'm even getting close to hitting gold V because preseason has done wonders for my matchmaking. And now right back into the gutters with me.

Remember me when i'm gone LP.

TheMontrealBagelJan 14, 20154 votes

Yup... But you have a whole year to get better :)

Clone9786Jan 17, 20154 votes

im b5. theres no where to go but up.

madmaninablueboxJan 14, 201530 votes

Cant decided which is ore important,college or trying to climb the ladder in league

Stick In MuddJan 14, 20154 votes

I really like your name.

Are you 'mad' like insane? Or 'mad' like angry?

Kage no KitsuneJan 15, 201515 votes

Mad man in a blue box = Doctor Who I'm going with insane, :P

He is the CarryJan 13, 201529 votes

"the jungle's ***teeming *** with new camps"

Teemo summoner 11

Crzymstrbkwrm876Jan 13, 201528 votes

So, because of the soft reset, it is possible for a bronze 5 player to be demoted to cardboard 1? :D

Kholdstare13Jan 13, 201516 votes

No Dominion? No fucks given.

Over 3 years since you promised us ranked, Riot. It's time you stepped up and made good on your word for once.

American CatJan 13, 201591 votes

The community for ranked dominion would be smaller than Teemo himself.

not a starburstJan 14, 201524 votes

Dominion is half trolls and half hide and seek. Pretty fun, but Dominion ranked is never going to be a thing. Too much re-balancing and fragmenting of the game.

JanosWuryonJan 14, 201515 votes

Rather then just QQ about potential disasters with this let me ask a simple question to any riot staffer who cares to reply. Given the soft reset and placements games is there a ratio of W/L that will keep a person at their current tier? Is it possible for me to go 10-0 and still get "Promoted" to a lower tier or ladder. I get that if I tank these games im going down but I really think we have the right to know when we are safe. Just like I think their should be a demotion series when you hit 0 points. Tell me I need to win 1 of the next 2 games to avoid demotion, give me something

momongaJan 13, 201513 votes

IMO Riot should pace up new games modes they're always unique and fun in their own ways, it's really nice to play something different than just mindlessly playing meta on Summoner's Rift.

ArdondJan 14, 201529 votes

then don't play meta on summoner's, play urgot support. *disclaimer: Ardond is not responsible for any rage, DC's, feeds or over all awfulness caused by playing urgot support. he is how ever responsible for eating the leftover food in your fridge.

Lord ImrhialJan 13, 201513 votes

January 21st is my birthday! Do I get something special? :)

KBingoJan 14, 201529 votes

<(^.^)> a hug

Lord ImrhialJan 14, 201512 votes

This is gonna be da best birthday ever!

SnowSenkenshaJan 14, 201513 votes

Has anyone else recieved random friend requests from freshly made level 1 accounts? If you do don't accept them, most are just looking to get you to fall for "exploits" allowing you to get free RP. None of them work and only put virus's on your computer.

NoobLearninGameJan 14, 201519 votes

Yeah, seemed like at first when I'd ignore one account's requests, it would repeatedly send messages, though not very frequently, over time. After a few months I blocked it, then they proceeded to send me another friend request on a different account, I blocked that. Then it happened about once a day, two more times. Hasn't happened again in about a week, for a total of four times.

LoLfreeAccG91 lolfreegg85na lolfreegg89na lolfreegg90na

Those were the account names, level 1 accounts sending random friend requests.

epee11cJan 14, 20158 votes

It continues by the way. lolfreegg91na then 92 etc. they probably have hundreds of accounts with just one number different.

ArkenStormJan 13, 201510 votes

But jg exp is way down.... :P please increase it and/or reduce spawn times

DCANSMACKJan 13, 20158 votes

Whens the next Jinx skin coming out??? item 2044 item 3070

Bloody ScreamerJan 13, 201510 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkvy7NwAK0Y

IgotgreenzJan 13, 20156 votes

OK i'm new to league and was wondering when we receive the silver portrait ? i hit 30 and got placed in Silver.. do i have to play a certain amount of ranked games or wait til s5 is over?

GaleWinUnleashedJan 13, 201521 votes

That means you did it AFTER the end of Season 4, during the off-season between that one and Season 5. So you missed out on ranked rewards for Season 4, but Season 5 is definitely fair game for you. Go for Gold! Or higher if you want =P

AsstroBoyJan 14, 20156 votes

I was in silver 5 and i for some stupid reason just started to play ranked only in pre-season........went to bronze 1....now im pretty muh screwed and going to bronze in s5.......how hard is it to climb out of Bronze? BTW silver 5 was the REAL HELL

NumberMuncherJan 15, 20154 votes

Bronze to gold are all the same. There are subtle differences. You are more likely to have more players who know their champs in silver or gold but its still a toss up. People still chase kills, feed, afk, rage, and don't pressure objectives.