Legends of Runeterra open beta launch date announced by Riot Games

League of Legends’ new card game, Legends of Runeterra, is moving into open beta on January 24. 

According to a press release from Riot Games, the open beta will introduce ranked mode, starting with a “beta season.” 

If January 24 is still too far away for some fans, Riot is offering early access to Legends of Runeterra to players who create an account prior to Janauary 20th. This includes players who participated in last year’s preview patches and already have pre-registered. Account holders can access the game on January 23 and can even start streaming and discussing the game.

While players who took part in the previous patches will have their accounts reset, the open beta later this month marks the end of account resets. That means anything players earn during the open beta will be theirs to keep when the game officially launches later this year. A mobile version will be available at some point in 2020 as well, offering full cross-platform play. 

The beta season is considered the game’s first ranked season and will last through launch. Players familiar with League of Legends will notice that the ranks are the same, ranging from Iron to Master. 

Open beta participants will receive an exclusive Moonstruck Poro Guardian once Legends of Runeterra launches. 

Legends of Runeterra open beta updates

Players that experimented with last year’s Legends of Runeterra beta will be seeing some major changes this time around. This includes new features and content such as a friends list, the ability to challenge a friend, and the game’s first new boards and guardians. 

According to the press release, the open beta patch also includes updates to over 20 cards. There will be a “major update” to Anivia and a variety of other improvements for general gameplay. The full patch notes will be available to the public on January 22. 

No other information was revealed in the open beta announcement, but players can expect chests and capsules to still be awarded when daily quests are completed, giving them the chance to pull new, powerful cards.