Riot Games has spiced up the Legends of Runeterra World Championship format, from a Worlds-focused balance patch and an expansion release right before Worlds to qualifiers and a group stage.
Scheduled to take place throughout the months of November and December, a total of 192 players across three regions will battle it out to compete for a Legends of Runeterra Worlds title. This is the second LoR World Championship, showcasing a more extensive competitive format that will have players compete in regional Worlds qualifiers, a group stage, and a top eight playoffs to determine the 2022 world champion. And to encourage viewership, the team is dropping the final Darkin expansion one day prior to the LoR Worlds Finals.
Related: How to watch Legends of Runeterra 2022 World Championship
Regional LoR Worlds qualifiers
The regional LoR Worlds qualifiers will take place on Nov. 19. A Worlds-focused qualifier balance patch will drop on Nov. 9, in conjunction with the Domination patch. Players competing in the regional LoR Worlds qualifiers earned an invite through one of three ways for each region: Top four finishes at Seasonal (20 players in total), top 22 in Seasonal points, or top 22 in Ranked ladder points.
Each region will showcase a Worlds qualifier. A total of six players from the Americas will advance to the LoR Worlds finals, along with five from Europe and five from APAC. Worlds qualifiers for each region will feature a seven-round double-elimination bracket in a best-of-three Pick and Ban champion-locked format.
Duplicate qualifications
It’s natural for players to qualify in multiple ways for the LoR Worlds qualifiers. If a player has qualified through multiple paths, the team has put together a system that prioritizes the qualified paths. A competitor, for example, who qualifies through tournament points and ladder points will earn the invite from their tournament points. The next player eligible for ladder points will then earn the invite.
Legends of Runeterra Worlds Finals
A total of 16 players from all three regions will advance to the LoR Worlds Finals, scheduled to take place from Dec. 8 to 10. The dates of the finals coincide directly with the release of the final Darkin Saga expansion on Dec. 7. All competitors who qualify for the LoR Worlds Finals will receive early access to the expansion prior to competing that weekend.
The Worlds group stage will take place from Dec. 8 to 9. All players will compete in pods of four, with the top two competitors advancing to the top eight playoffs. The format remains a best-of-three Pick and Ban champion-locked format.
The top eight will compete in a single-elimination bracket with a best-of-three Pick and Ban champion-locked format on Dec. 10. And at the end of the day, one player will earn the LoR Worlds title for 2022.
