2XKO Alpha Lab 2 Date Announced, Arcane’s Jinx Playable

The last update for Riot Games’ League of Legends fighting game 2XKO was not promising. Game Director Shaun Rivera confirmed the developer was planning a larger-scale Alpha Lab (Riot Games’ term for playtest) period next month, but will instead run a smaller playtest as the studio works to “build out the infrastructure” of the upcoming fighter. While that may be sad news, the good news is that some players will be able to play the fighting game once again in the newly announced 2XKO Alpha Lab 2.

Riot Games announced the new playtest period today alongside a new video showcasing the studio has been working on the past six months. All of these new features and changes will be part of the upcoming 2XKO Alpha Lab 2 period beginning on April 18th. At that point, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S players in the United States, Canada, and Brazil can enjoy the game over the course of that weekend, as the last day of the playtest is April 20th.

Players who initially signed up for the 2XKO Alpha Lab 1 will automatically be signed up for the upcoming playtest period, but it does not guarantee an invite. As this is a smaller-scale playtest, players will not be able to use a referral to invite a friend. For players who have not yet signed up for the playtests, they will have to make a Riot account and register on the website here.

Arguably, the most exciting feature being added in 2XKO Alpha Lab 2 is Arcane‘s Jinx as a playable character for the first time. The popular League of Legends character makes her mark in the game as a solid zoning fighter by utilizing her unique arsenal of guns, traps, and explosives to take out her foes. A full list of her moveset is available to see here. All of the champions from the previous playtest will be available too. Just in case, here is every fighter playable in 2XKO Alpha Lab 2:

• Jinx
• Braum
• Ekko
• Yasuo
• Darius
• Ahri
• Illaoi

Another notable feature coming to 2XKO Alpha Lab 2 is the new Pulse Combo setting. This replaces the Pulse Fuse, which used a team’s Fuse slot to toggle autocombos. Due to community feedback, that Fuse was taken away as it forced both teammates to use autocombos, which may not be favorable for more competitive players. Instead, each player can now toggle a Pulse Combo setting during champion selection without taking up a team’s Fuse slot.

Players lucky enough to get access to 2XKO Alpha Lab 2 will be able to test out two new Fuses, both of which seemed aimed for single-player users. As mentioned in the previous update from Rivera, the Sidekick Fuse locks the point and assist champions in those positions. The point champ gets a health boost, as well as a defense boost when below 30% health. The assist champ supports the point with assists and Fuse abilities, and never comes out to fight directly.

RELATED: League of Legends Fighting Game Reveals First Illaoi Gameplay

The second is the Juggernaut Fuse. This Fuse takes the assist champ out of the match entirely. Instead, the point champ gets a number bonuses and buffs to make up for the missing champ. This particular Fuse is served for players looking to learn a single champ, or new players looking to learn the fundamentals of the game. Here are all the buffs champions get with the Juggernaut Fuse:

• Increased overall health
• Defensive boost while below 30% health
• Access to Fury Break at round start
• Access to Eject, a unique mechanic that costs one bar of meter and forces your opponent’s assist champ to tag in
• Access to self-Double Down, allowing them to perform two Supers back-to-back, or a Super and Ultimate back-to-back
• Starts with two bars of Super meter and can store up to five

There are tons of other new changes coming to 2XKO with this upcoming playtest including updates to visuals, lobbies, tutorials, controls, and mechanics. It will also introduce numerous cosmetic items to the game, as well as a free Battle Pass. Anyone interested can check out all the details on Riot Games’ post here.

Since this is a much smaller playtest than Riot Games intended, a larger playtest will happen closer to launch the developer confirms. However, the studio confirms that the game “could” end up being delayed. Whether that means it will be released outside of 2025 is still unknown, but it seems the game is still targeting a launch this year for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.