League of Legends - Arena Game Mode

What is Arena?

Arena is a 2v2v2v2v2v2v2v2 (16 players!) game mode for League of Legends where you face off against other pairs across multiple maps (Rings) over the course of several rounds, whittling down your opponent's team health until only one duo stands victorious.

You'll also get to choose from a random selection of Augments as you go, making every match fun and intense in its own unique way.

Of course, this is just a broad overview, so read on for the deets.

Schedule

Arena's back from May 1 to September 24.

To give you time to acclimate to the various changes, ranked progression won't begin until Patch 14.10 on May 15. That said, your secret Arena MMR will change depending on your performance before then, possibly resulting in greater Gladiator Point gains and quicker climbing when the Ranked season does officially start.

Arena Lobby

The Arena experience begins the moment you enter the lobby.

You and your duo show up on one side of the lobby while the other teams appear on the right. You'll immediately notice several key differences from Summoner's Rift, such as…

No Runes - Arena's tempo makes certain rune choices less meaningful, so they've been removed entirely. Besides, many of the in-game Augments feature powered-up versions of the existing runes. Use those to custom-tailor your playstyle.

Preset Summoner Spells - Everybody starts with the same two Summoner Spells: Flash and Flee (which is similar to Ghost), though you'll sometimes have the option to swap out Flee via Augment.

Semi-Draft Pick - One player from each team makes a pick, then those picks are revealed before each duo completes their team. Time for counterpicks!

One Bans Per Team - The first player of each team gets a ban, rounding out to 8 bans overall. To change who gets to pick the ban, swap pick order.

Once everybody's locked and loaded, it's time to enter Arena.

Preparation Phase

Every round begins with a preparation phase where you'll receive a variety of avenues to powering up, including Gold, Augments, and Anvils. Use this time to scout out the competition, stretch those wrists, or slam some Juice (irl or otherwise).

Round	Bonus	Champion Level
1	500 Gold, Augment	3
2	500 Gold	5
3	Prismatic Anvil	7
4	2500 Gold	9
5	2250 Gold High Stakes: +15 Health for winning	11
6	Augment	12
7	Stat Anvil	13
8	2250 Gold	14
9	Augment High Stakes: +15 Health for winning	15
10	Stat Anvil	16
11	2250 Gold	17
12	Augment	18
13	2250 Gold High Stakes: +15 Health for winning	18
14	2250 Gold	18
15	2250 Gold	18

Anvils

You can purchase most of the items available in Summoner's Rift once you get some Gold, but you also have access to Arena-specific items/perks through Anvils as the match goes on. They're sometimes handed out to all players as listed above, but they can also be purchased directly from the Shop:

• Prismatic - 4000 Gold: Randomized choice between all Prismatic items, Arena-specific gear that can take your build to the next level.
• Legendary - 2000 Gold: Randomized choice between Legendary items within your desired class (fighter, mage, etc).
• Stat - 750 Gold: Randomized choices between raw stat upgrades.

You can re-roll an Anvil if you don't like your choices, but keep in mind this will come from the same re-roll pool as your Augments.

Augments

Augments are special game-altering effects that, once selected, apply for the rest of the current game. They come in three flavors of increasing intensity: Silver, Gold, and Prismatic. While the rarity is random, you can rest assured that all players are offered the same level of power.

There's a huge variety of Augments, and many of them interact in strange, interesting, and powerful ways. Don't be afraid to explore new options or dial in on a cracked combo.

Juice

Earn a little extra money from knocking out your opponents? Consider knocking back a tasty Juice© for a short-term buff, now available every round.

Juice	Single Round Buff
Juice of Power	AD/AP
Juice of Vitality	Health/Size
Juice of Haste	Ability Haste
Cappa Juice	Get a SWEET HAT that lasts the entire match (with no other effect)

Although you can't stack the same kind of Juice*, you CAN drink different kinds of Juice together to get their cumulative effect. 

*Cappa Juice is the only exception. Just like real life, hats can be stacked infinitely.

Combat Phase

Ready. Set. FIGHT!

Once preparation finishes, your team of two will be transported to one of four rings where you'll face off against another pairing. Last team standing wins the round, while the defeated team will lose health based on the round. 

Round	Damage for Defeat
1–4	15
5–8	25
9–12	45
13–16	55

Win any of the bolded rounds above (5, 9, and 13) to gain 15 Health.

Win or lose, getting a kill will score you 250 Gold.

Ring of Fire

If your match runs longer than 30 seconds, a ring of fire will begin to close in around your ring every few seconds. You'll receive a small amount of health %-based true damage whenever you're standing in the fire, so try to avoid the flames if possible. If the ring closes entirely, damage ramps up significantly. If you and your opponent both somehow manage to endure the flames for another 15 seconds after they've reached peak intensity, the round will end in a tie, dealing damage to both teams.

With this version of Arena, the ring of fire's flames will leave lasting-but-unseen burns. If you spend an exceptionally long time within the flames, you'll take even more damage—and this extra damage can persist between rounds.

Rings of Wrath

The mode may be called "Arena," but it actually features FIVE different rings you can battle on throughout the competition.

Frostbite Thicket

Ancestral Woods

Desert Oasis

Magma Chamber

Koi Pond

Terrain and Plants

Arena boasts a few exclusive features to give you even more tactical options:

• Deep Water (terrain): Doesn't block vision but otherwise acts like any other terrain.
• Power Flower (plant): Gives Shield, Heal, Mana, and partial Cooldown refund on all abilities each time it's hit.
• Bridge Bloom (terrain/plant): Can be walked on for a limited time before disappearing. If you're on it when it vanishes, you'll be knocked up and over to the closest piece of terrain.

Cameos

Not content to just sit around and let you have the fun, the following champions appear in your ring on random rounds throughout the match to add their own unique brand of chaos to the proceedings:

• Lux
• Sett
• Pyke
• Jhin
• Thresh

Down But Not Out

If your teammate is defeated, a circle will appear at the place of their death after a few seconds. Stand in this circle for a few seconds, and they'll return to your side. Just because your teammate falls doesn't mean you'll have to finish the fight alone!

Each team only gets one revive per round, so treat your second life like it's your last.

End Game

Once your team health drops to 0, it's game over. You can choose to stick around and see who wins or leave without penalty, after which you can jump right back into the queue. Just know that the results aren't tallied until a final pair of victors emerges from the fray, so you may not see progress on your missions if you leave immediately after being knocked out early

If an odd number of teams remain at any point, one team will be randomly selected to sit out a match. Take a breather—you've earned it.

Challenge Progression

Check the Legacy Challenges tab to peruse Arena-specific challenges. Progress far enough and you'll get a Title for your efforts.

Just remember that challenges won't track until the match is complete. If you get knocked out early, you'll have to wait a bit to see where you stand.

Ranking System

Arena's ranking system mirrors its gameplay philosophy—simple, fun, and competitive.

Arena Tiers

Tier	Gladiator Points
Wood	0–1399
Bronze	1400–2599
Silver	2600–3299
Gold	3300–3999
Gladiator	4000+

Your current tier is shown via your in-lobby banner and in the post-game report.

Placements and Climbing

All players are initially seeded in the Wood tier (heh) at 500 Ranking Points, plus any points you earn for winning. But don't sweat it if victory is not forthcoming, as you'll be protected from losing any Gladiator Points until you reach the Gladiator tier. Your hidden Arena-specific MMR will still change behind the scenes to ensure you're getting fair matches while you climb, but becoming a true Gladiator is attainable to all players so long as you're earning Ranking Points by placing 4th or above. You'll start losing Gladiator Points for placing 5th or below once you hit Gladiator, but you'll never drop below 4000 Gladiator Points..