League of Legends Gets 2 New Ranked Tiers Next Year, Loses a Division

Riot Games is making some significant changes to League of Legends' Ranked mode next year that add two additional tiers and remove one of the divisions in each tier.

In the latest Riot Pls video that's seen above, lead producer New001 discussed the Ranked changes and how Riot is planning on adjusting the tiers. The full video is worth a watch for some important updates about competitive gameplay, but the news about the Ranked changes in question can be heard at the 4:30 mark.

Third, we're making a few adjustments to the tier system," New001 said. "The reality is, certain tiers like Bronze and Diamond have too broad of a skill range whereas other tiers like Gold make for a much faster climb. To smooth out the player experience, we're adding two additional tiers and moving to four divisions per tier so that you get more frequent feedback as you climb and hit bigger milestones at a better cadence."

This isn't the first time that Riot has discussed moving around players within certain tiers, but it's the first announcement that indicates it's actually happening. The announcement didn't provide a name for the two new tiers that will be added nor did it suggest where the new tiers will be inserted in the Ranked ladder, but New001's statements and a separate dev update suggest that the tiers will be found somewhere around Bronze and Silver as well as Diamond.

"The current design adds two new tiers, and the addition of these tiers will help achieve two things," Riot Sapmagic said in the update. "First, they'll help us smooth out the bad experiences in Bronze, Silver, and Diamond. Second, they'll bring more differentiation for Diamond players, which is something that has been a problem for a while now. Since we're adding two new tiers, we saw an opportunity to slightly compress the number of divisions, from five to four. The end result of these changes is a climb that emphasizes the high moments of hitting new tiers without exposing you to more division promotion series."

Riot is also considering radical changes for the ranked season itself that involve separating the season into different splits, just as the pros may experience.

"To improve the experience, we're looking at dividing the season into three splits," the dev update said. "Your rank won't reset between splits—instead, you'll have an opportunity to reflect on how you're doing, set new goals, and earn better rewards. We're still working through the details, so expect to hear more between now and launch."

Look for more updates from Riot Games as the more announcements come regarding next year's Ranked season.