New League of Legends ranked requirements are coming in LoL patch 14.15 as Riot Games targets alt accounts and smurfs. The update will see players forced to play unranked matches on Summoner’s Rift before they can start queuing for ranked mode, in a change that lead gameplay designer Matt ‘Riot Phroxzon’ Leung-Harrison says “is a long time coming.”
The next League of Legends patch is introducing a new prerequisite that must be fulfilled before you can jump into the ranked queue. Previously, players needed to reach player level 30 in the MOBA and own at least 20 champions to start taking part in the League of Legends ranked ladder. Now, however, you’ll also need to complete ten matches on Summoner’s Rift in unranked play before the ability to play in ranked unlocks.
The switch, Leung-Harrison explains, tackles several issues at once. “Some legitimate new players use ARAM and Bots to level up and we do not get a good enough signal on their actual skill level,” he writes in a post shared via X/Twitter. “A reasonable amount of them also are alt accounts that we would like to place at their actual skill level, rather than erroneously placing too low and stomping everyone on the way up.”
Leung-Harrison also notes that Riot will be continuing to watch for smurfing – the process of deliberately playing badly to tank your rating in an attempt to be placed into lower-skill games. “We will also be paying attention to accounts that attempt to misrepresent their skills in these calibration games in order to be matched with lower-skill players,” he says.
In addition to this, Riot is reducing the number of times you can decline a match when the queue pops before you’ll be temporarily locked out, “to reduce incidences of queue sniping and disruptive behavior in this space in general.” The lockout will also be increased for players who “are engaging in a multi-decline pattern,” and some additional changes have been made to how declines are handled when in a party.
“We think it’s reasonable to miss a queue pop, even two to get food or a drink, but not so many that you’re making the matchmaking experience worse for the other nine players,” Leung-Harrison remarks. Finally, he adds that Riot is “still committed to preventing and auditing accounts being leveled and exchanging owners for purposes like boosting and account selling through Vanguard and other technologies.”
League of Legends patch 14.15 is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday July 31, so expect these changes to land then. The patch also includes a round of balance changes, which include nerfs to the strength of boots across the board and champion changes to reduce the strength of ADCs in the early game.
In the meantime, check the latest League of Legends tier list to see who’s dominating the meta right now. You can also answer the daunting question, “How much have I spent on LoL?” Just make sure you’re sitting down first.
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