First Look at Jayce and the PvE Event

The upcoming PvE Event, The Path of Champions, has been revealed, alongside our first look at the new Champion coming to Legends of Runeterra: Jayce.

As we’ve seen in a previous article here on RuneterraCCG, we can expect the PvE experience that’s soon to be replacing Lab of Legends and Saltwater Scourge to be bigger and better. Alongside this large expansion, to tie in with the Netflix Show, Arcane, we’re getting Jayce as a new Champion for this event and constructed play.

We’ve seen Jayce’s function in an earlier leak, but this video confirms this preview, shows off his Level Up animation, and gives us a look some relevant followers, spells, and landmarks. You can expect to see a full breakdown of Jayce’s competitive viability in a later article right here on RuneterraCCG, but for now we can take a look at some of Jayce’s support cards.

Jayce looks to bring a lot of spell power, and his supporting cards help that plan along. We don’t know what the ‘Assembly Workers’ do, but we can be sure that they’ll supplement how he works.

We know that Jayce will headline along the new PvE player mode, but that’s not all!

It’s been a done thing for Lab of Legends and Saltwater Scourge to bring us upgraded forms of the cards we know, to turbo charge our decks. This game mode looks to take that customisation even further, with cards unique to the Path of Champions game mode. This extra surge of power, similar to the unique cards in the Starter Challenges will bring even more unique gameplay to the new Lab. Check out the Path of Champion Cards here.

You can tell these cards are for the event, as they don’t have a rarity gem on the bottom, and they’re a bit too strong for ladder and gauntlet. However, they’ll bring a welcome level of power to your Path of Champions decks.

As with any new expansion, we can expect new cosmetic choices from the game. This upcoming expansion is looking to have new card back, guardian, and board options.

It looks like we have a Jayce card back, as well as a zeppelin one. Perhaps it’s to celebrate Progress Day.

For guardians, we have a gunner pup dressed like a Piltover enforcer, and one that resembles one of Jinx’s wind up, explosive toys.

It looks like there will be an Arcane themed board which perfectly marries together Piltover elegance and Zaun graffiti, with easter eggs from the show, like those cup cakes from episode one.

The developers have answered a lot of Frequently Asked Questions in their article unpacking the Path of Champions event. You can read the original article on PlayRuneterra. You can also see this game mode in action right here.

Is The Path of Champions Free-To-Play?

Short answer – yes, but you must own at least two copies of a champion to begin their adventure in The Path of Champions.

Long answer – also yes, but we’re also planning on exploring additional opportunities for premium content as we continue development on The Path of Champions as a permanent mode. We don’t have anything to share right now, but we’ll keep everyone updated as we continue our exploration!

With Future Updates, Will My Progress Ever Be Reset?

That’s a very specific question, but yes, we currently have plans for a progression reset at some point next year. We’re proud of The Path of Champions as it exists today, but it’s still just our initial rollout. We have big plans for the future, and we’ll be actively developing and iterating on the mode as we see what works, and what still has room for improvement – just like we’ve done with Lab of Legends and Saltwater Scourge.

That means there’s a point where we know we’ll need to reset certain aspects of progression, like Reputation levels, to create the best experience possible. We’ll keep everyone informed as to when that’s going to happen and exactly what it entails when we get closer to that point.

Will The Path of Champions Support a PvP Mode?

At the moment, we don’t have any plans to support PvP within The Path of Champions. Making this a PvE-only experience gives us much more room to play when it comes to Reputation & Relic bonuses, mode-exclusive non-collectible cards, powers, and more without being constrained by PvP balance concerns.

You’re going to face some tough encounters in The Path of Champions, and we want to give players the power, freedom, and creative expression to tackle them with their favorite champions, however they’d like.

How Will The Path of Champions Affect Legends of Runeterra’s Development (PvP, Expansions, etc.)?

Not much at all, actually. The Path of Champions and Legends of Runeterra’s more traditional 1v1 PvP modes are being developed by largely separate teams. This release is more heavily weighted towards The Path of Champions since it’s a brand new mode and we want to celebrate its release, but you’ll still see expansions, balance patches, and more for traditional 1v1 PvP alongside updates for The Path of Champions moving forward.

What’s Next For The Path of Champions?

More of everything! We’re prioritizing adding new regions, champions, powers, and Relics, as well as actively adjusting Adventures based on player response. Look forward to a lot more coming to The Path of Champions in the coming year.

Jayce, his new cards, and The Path of Champions all come to our Runeterra clients on November 10th. To quote Jayce from his level up: “Tomorrow has never looked so good.”