League of Legends' Nexus Blitz Alpha Goes Live This Week

Starting in the next patch that goes live this week, Riot Games will open up a Nexus Blitz alpha [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

Starting in the next patch that goes live this week, Riot Games will open up a Nexus Blitz alpha test for all League of Legends players to take part in for four weeks.

At the end of July, Riot Games revealed Nexus Blitz, an experimental game mode that the creators hope to make permanent. It was said back during the initial reveal that Riot planned on taking the game out of the PBE and into an alpha test for all players sometime in Patch 8.16, an alpha that appears to be starting early on in the patch, according to August "Riot Jinxylord" Browning.

"Starting sometime in patch 8.16, we'll be live playtesting a new experimental mode: Nexus Blitz," the latest update shared today said. "The test will run for four weeks and everyone can participate—no invitation needed. If the community loves Nexus Blitz, we'll keep developing it after the alpha ends, but we need your input to make that call!"

From a mandatory double jungle meta to special events and items exclusive to the game mode, Nexus Blitz is a whole different beast compared to the game's current modes that take place on the Howling Abyss and Summoner's Rift. These Nexus Blitz matches are expected to last around 15 minutes, Riot said, and take place on a totally new map that puts the Nexuses on the left and right of the map with a river bisecting the two halves. Jungle monsters are stronger, buffs yield powerups to two champions at once, and entire set of items are unique to Nexus Blitz with new, returning, and adapted items available in the store. There's a lot to take in when it comes to Nexus Blitz, a game mode that Riot says it'll be "aggressively patching" throughout the four-week alpha, so players looking to join it would do well to read up on how it works.

As for the future of experimental game modes, Riot says that Nexus Blitz isn't the only game mode to come.

"Nexus Blitz is the first of its kind, but it won't be the last," Riot Games' update said. "An experimental mode is basically a gameplay prototype designed to deliver a different kind of experience than Summoner's Rift, Twisted Treeline, or ARAM. We're looking for something that could last a while—maybe even as a permanent addition to League. By sharing experimental modes with players early on, they're also a great way to test the water and get an initial community response before delving into additional months of development for a final version."

The Nexus Blitz alpha is expected to start sometime this week.

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