LoL Arena Ranks and Tier System – Everything you need to know

Just started playing LoL Arena and have little to no idea how the ranks work? Here’s a rundown of the tier system in the new 2v2v2v2 game mode.

Image Credits | Riot Games

Ranks in LoL Arena – Introduction

With the start of the summer event, Riot Games launched its newest 2v2v2v2 game mode, also known as LoL Arena. Compared to the slower-paced 5v5 on Summoners’ Rift, Arena allows you to team up with one player and go up against other duos to determine who deserves to be the last one standing.

As the name suggests, the new game mode wants to give players quick and explosive battles to become the gladiators worthy of Arena. But before getting to the top of the ladder, you need to be able to understand how the ranking system works, which is a bit different from the traditional one you would see in solo queue. Without further ado, let’s jump into the ranks of LoL Arena.

Ranking System Explained

Unlike the 10 ranks you would see in the traditional Summoners’ Rift map, ranging from Iron all the way to Challenger, there are only 5 ranks in LoL Arena:

Wood
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Gladiator

While Bronze, Silver, and Gold are the same as the ones used in solo queue, LoL Arena has two unique ranks: Wood and Gladiator. The former is a bit like the Iron version for the ranked solo queue while Gladiator is the highest rank available. There are chances Riot will add more ranks to the system, just like they did with solo queue this season, by adding the Emerald rank at the start of the new ranked split.

If you’re wondering what happens beyond the Gladiator rank, we’ll explain that soon.

How to rank up in LoL Arena

The way to improve your rank in the new 2v2v2v2 game mode is the same as the traditional solo queue ladder: whenever you win games, which means finishing in the top two of a lobby, you get to earn ranked points. And when you lose, points are curtailed from your profile.

So the goal to quickly rank up in LoL Arena is by getting a top-two finish. There are going to be games where you are not destined to win: learn how to reduce your losses as much as possible and maintain a positive win rate. It’s better to get multiple positive finishes rather than getting ups and downs by ranking first and last.

Since the LoL Arena ranking system is points-based, there are no divisions and promotion series between tiers. As long as you earn enough points beyond the threshold set for a given rank, you will automatically receive that rank.

If you’re just starting to play LoL Arena, be aware that there is loss mitigation for the first games you play. This will give you a bit of time and gameplay to get accustomed to the peculiarities of the game mode. Try to maximize your knowledge in those matches and start grinding after.

Is there a non-ranked queue in Arena?

Unfortunately, casual and tryhard players are going to be placed in the same lobbies since Riot decided to implement a ranked tier at this point in time. This means that if you’re playing for fun, you might find yourself against players trying to grind the game mode and aiming to win with the strongest champions and the best strategies.

Don’t worry, though. Riot recently announced they are planning to add new features in the future, such as custom 2v2v2v2 lobbies, which will allow players to enjoy Arena with friends and partners.

Will LoL Arena be a permanent game mode?

For now, Riot devs haven’t said they plan on making LoL Arena a permanent game mode. In a recent dev vlog update, they mentioned their intention to first collect more feedback before making any clear decision.

Simultaneously, though, the devs also made it clear they see a bright future for the game mode, so there is a good chance it will be brought back in the future. It will highly depend on how well the LoL players receive the game, and if there is a good enough player base to keep it.

Are there going to be ranked rewards for LoL Arena?

Based on the information we have so far, there is no confirmation on whether Riot will bring rewards for players ranking higher in LoL Arena. In the solo queue ladder, players will usually be able to earn skins, and other special items and accessories, based on how well they perform during the season.

It looks like we’ll have to wait a bit to find out whether Riot plans to reward grinding players for reaching the highest ranks in LoL Arena. Regardless, there is an in-client leaderboard that shows who are the best players in each server. If you want to be among them and get a similar feeling to pros and high Elo players reaching Challenger, this might be the right time to tryhard and aim for Gladiator while scoring the highest amount of points possible.

Unfortunately, I have to spend time grinding solo queue so I will likely miss out on getting this achievement (this time around).