Welcome to Noxus: LoL Season 1 Overview
League of Legends' next season will bring plenty of updates, including a fresh Swiftplay game mode, a new jungle monster and a season-long battlepass. In addition, the season's theme will feature the harsh empire Noxus, tying into a possible Arcane follow-up project. Here's everything we know about League of Legends' 2025 Season 1.
New Seasons Structure & Battlepass
The League of Legends 2025 competitive season will introduce a new seasonal structure. Each competitive League of Legends year will now include three seasons, each lasting about 16 weeks. Every season will have a specific theme from a different Runeterra region and include a unique Battlepass. This competitive model is similar to Riot Games' first-person shooter VALORANT.
In this new model, hard ranked resets will occur in January of each year. Ranks will not be affected by changing seasons otherwise. Players with 15 Ranked wins will also have the opportunity to claim a new Victorious skin once per season.
Welcome to Noxus
League of Legends' 2025 Season 1 will center around Noxus, a brutal strength-based empire from Runeterra lore. The theme ties into Arcane's recent Season 2 finale, featuring two characters from Noxus (Mel and Ambessa) and teasing Noxian Champion Swain. Arcane's co-creator Christian Linke has also confirmed Arcane's follow-up projects will focus on Noxus, Ionia and Damacia. Some leak accounts have suggested Mel will become a playable Champion in the upcoming 2025 Seasons, but Riot Games has not yet confirmed this.
Related Article: What's Next After Arcane? Creator Teases New Shows
Viktor Update: Glorious Evolution
Viktor's League of Legends sprite will go through a 'glorious evolution' in League of Legends Season 1. His thorough Visual and Gameplay Update (VGU) will arrive on November 26, 2024, and take effect in-game immediately. Along with fresh character art, Viktor's backstory will receive an update to reflect his arc in Arcane. Viktor's update will also change all his skins' artworks and increase the Prototype Viktor price to 750 RP. Not to worry, though — it won't affect his in-game kit except for his Ultimate, which "will now get larger with every kill until the end of the ability’s duration".
In the Jungle: Atakhan, Bringer of Ruin
Legends of Runeterra fans may remember Atakhan, Bringer of Ruin from the Set 4 Empires of the Ascended expansion. Atakhan will return to the Rift in League of Legends' Season 1 as a new epic-tier Jungle monster. He will spawn in every game after 20 minutes in an arena which adds two walls to the map. Riot Games is moving the Rift Herald's spawn time to 16 minutes and Baron Nashor's to 25 minutes to offset Atakhan's addition.
Atakhan will spawn in a specific camp on the top or bottom side of the map depending on which sees more action occur during the game. While Atakhan is in the Rift, Blood Roses will have a chance to spawn in areas where Champions die. The roses grant players XP and a "permanently stacking Adaptive Force buff." He appears in two forms — Ruinous and Voracious. Ruinous Atakhan will appear in games with more engagements and kills. This Atakhan form will give the team that slays him Bloody Petals and spawn Blood Roses in his arena's area. Meanwhile, Voracious Atakhan will grant players a "one-time rebirth buff" which "resurrects its bearers in base upon taking fatal damage."
Swiftplay Mode
Riot Games is introducing a new Swiftplay mode to various League of Legends servers. Swiftplay will be "more strategic" than ARAM but less intense than Summoner's Rift. The game mode will also speed up players' gold and XP collection and make the game quicker overall.
Other Changes
League of Legends' 2025 Season 1 includes several additional smaller changes. Here's a quick run-down:
- A Multiplayer version of the Practice tool is being developed and may arrive in Season 1.
- "New game mechanics, items, and runes will be introduced to add strategic depth in the new season."
- A fresh 'Feats of Strength' mechanic will allow players to upgrade their boots with Noxian themes.
- Tank items will be adjusted.
- A new item, "Bloodletter's Curse", will "[reduce] the target’s magic resistance from repeated ability hits."
- Riot Games is adding new minor runes: Deep Ward, Sixth Sense, Grisly Memento and Axiom Arcanist.
- Nexus turrets will not respawn.
- Teleport will now visually bring a Champion across the map to their destination instead of blinking.
For a full list of League of Legends' 2025 Season 1 changes, check Riot Games' official Patch Notes.
