Legends of Runeterra FAQ

by Terence · October 15, 2019

Below is the official FAQ for Legends of Runeterra, direct from Riot themselves.

What is Legends of Runeterra?

Set in the world of League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra is the strategy card game where skill, creativity, and cleverness determine your success.

In LoR, you can:

Build decks with your favorite League champions (and new characters) from the regions of Runeterra, each with their own style and strategic advantage.
Face off in dynamic, alternating combat full of opportunities for outplay.
Earn cards for free as you play or buy exactly what you want in the store—you’re in control of your collection.

But that’s just the beginning—check out this video for an in-depth look.

What platforms is LoR available for? Is it cross-platform?

LoR is being developed for both PC and mobile (coming at launch), and will be playable cross-platform.

How can I get access to LoR now?

You can pre-register right now for a chance to play on PC during a special preview patch and during the closed beta in early 2020. The Announce Preview Patch will be open from October 15 (7 PM PT) to October 20 (7 PM PT), and will be followed by another preview patch in November.

You can also watch LoR live on YouTube and Twitch for a chance to get instant access.

YouTube:

Link your Riot (or existing LoL) account to your YouTube account. You MUST do this in order to get a chance at instant access.
Watch LoR live streams on the Riot Games, Legends of Runeterra, and League of Legends channels.
If you get access, you’ll be notified via the email associated with your linked Riot account.

Twitch:

Link your Riot (or existing LoL) account to your Twitch account. You MUST do this in order to get a chance at access.
Watch LoR on any Twitch Channel.
If you get access, you’ll be notified via the Twitch notifications panel and the email associated with your linked Riot account.

When will LoR release?

You can pre-register right now for a chance to play on PC during a special preview patch and during the closed beta in early 2020. The full launch, including mobile, will be sometime in 2020—as soon as we’ve landed on an exact date, we’ll let you know.

What languages does LoR support?

LoR currently supports English, Korean, Japanese, French, Italian, German, and Spanish (Spain). We’re working on additional languages for launch and beyond—more info to come!

Is there a pre-registration reward?

All pre-registered accounts will receive an exclusive Moonstruck Poro Guardian once Legends of Runeterra fully launches in 2020. To redeem this variant for the Poro Guardian, you’ll just need to login once during beta (though you won’t get the variant until LoR launches) or within seven days after LoR launches. Don’t worry, your poro pal will wait for you.

Why is Riot making a card game?

A lot of us have been playing card games since we were kids, so we know the issues with the genre: Spending an entire paycheck just to try another deck. Over-the-top randomness deciding which player wins. Playing against the same decks over and over, and cards that stay broken way too long.

So we asked ourselves: what if we could change all that?

Basically, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what we’d do differently. And now we have a chance to shake up the genre by keeping what’s great, improving what’s not, and adding some new twists of our own.

So we’ve been hard at work making the best card game we can imagine—one that we hope players everywhere will love. We’re pretty excited to show players what we’ve got so far, and we can’t wait to hear what you think!

What’s different in LoR?

Beyond bringing the world of League of Legends—including the champions, characters, creatures, and regions of Runeterra—to a totally new game, there are three big things we aim to do differently with LoR:

Strike the right balance between accessibility and strategic depth.
Give players more choice and control when it comes to getting cards.
Support a diverse meta and endless experimentation with frequent releases and balance updates.

That’s really just scratching the surface—check out this video for all the details.

Who is LoR for?

League players who love strategy and card game players looking for something different should feel right at home with LoR, but we hope players of all types can find something they love about our take on the card game genre.

Do I have to pay to get started in the game or to unlock certain things?

Legends of Runeterra is free to play. There are two in-game currencies: Shards you earn through play, and Coins you can purchase anytime.

Here’s how unlocking stuff works in LoR:

As you play, you’ll complete quests and earn experience to advance and automatically unlock new cards, but which region you unlock first is totally up to you. You decide where your cards come from, and can switch regions whenever you want, which makes assembling your dream deck a whole lot easier.

Once a week, you’ll also unlock chests from the Vault. The Vault levels up as you play and upgrades the chests inside, which increases the number of cards you get from each. Individually, both the cards and chests have a chance to upgrade into something even better, and at level 10 and above, you’re guaranteed a champion.

Sometimes you’ll encounter wildcards, which can be turned into any card you want—no guessing required. A limited number of additional wildcards are available in the store, which is replenished with a new stock each week.

We know that sometimes you just want a guaranteed way to get specific cards. So instead of waiting for the right drop, you can unlock cards for your collection using the Shards you’ve earned or the wildcards you’ve acquired through play or purchase.

Bottom line: In Legends of Runeterra, you will never pay for randomized packs, and you have a bunch of different ways to get the cards you actually want and build multiple decks for both casual duels and the competitive meta.

When it comes to cosmetics, there are free base options that every player starts with: the Summoner’s Rift Board and the Poro Guardian. Stay tuned for more details on other ways to personalize your LoR experience in the future.

Why are you limiting how much players can spend on cards?

It’s a good question, with a slightly complicated answer.

The summary version is that we want to ensure you always have something you’re looking forward to unlocking, and that you’re constantly discovering new cards and strategies. Slowing down how quickly the entire set of cards can be unlocked is one method for helping us accomplish that goal. There’s a lot more to it than that, so expect to see an article soon that dives deep into how card acquisition will work in LoR.

Does LoR include all the champions and factions from League of Legends?

Currently, LoR features six major regions of Runeterra—Demacia, Noxus, Ionia, Piltover & Zaun, Freljord, and the Shadow Isles—and 24 champions (four from each of those regions). League players will probably notice that there’s a lot more of Runeterra to still be explored…

Will LoR have its own story and champions or will it co-exist within current League lore? Will there be any new and unique champions in LoR?

Every character and card in the game comes from a region of Runeterra, the same world that the champions from League of Legends hail from. You’ll encounter some familiar faces and discover completely new ones.

Will there be a ranked system?

Absolutely—it’s currently in development.

Will there be a “limited” or draft-based game mode?

Definitely—we plan on sharing some details very soon.

Can I play with my friends?

We’re still working on the friends list and a friend challenge feature—both are currently set to be ready for closed beta in early 2020.

What are LoR’s minimum specs and supported operating systems?

Windows
- 64-bit Windows 7, 8.1 or 10
- 3 GHz processor
- 4 GB RAM
- GPU with 512MB+ VRAM
Mac OS
- Not supported.
Mobile (iOS & Android)
- Specs coming once we release LoR for mobile.

Is LoR going to be an esport?

We believe that wherever there’s dedicated competition, there’s an esport in the making. However, this isn’t something we’re aggressively pushing to happen. For now, our focus is entirely on building the best card game we can imagine—one that we hope players everywhere will love.

How long has Riot been developing this game?

The idea of a League card game has been around for a while at Riot (what can we say, we’re fans). We’ve had several prototypes over the years, but Legends of Runeterra itself was largely built over the last couple years.

Is LoR finished? What’s a preview patch?

LoR is still in active development, but we’re gearing up for beta in early 2020. However, the League Ten Year Anniversary was just too good an opportunity to pass up for sharing an early preview with League players. From October 15 (7 PM PT) to October 20 (7 PM PT), we’re inviting players to join us for a special “preview patch,” to be followed by another in November.

These preview patches are a way for us to give you an early look at the game while it’s still in development, showcase new features as we go… and squash some bugs in the process.

This first one is all about the core experience—which includes getting cards, building decks, and playing games—so you can try out the fundamentals before we add more stuff. And, as a bonus for this Preview Patch, we’re giving you a bunch of wildcards up front to help jump-start your deckbuilding experience.

Can I spend money during the preview patches?

Yup! The preview patches are a great opportunity to get early player feedback on what we’ve built so far, and LoR’s business model is something we’re particularly excited to show you. We’re really excited we get to focus less on selling packs and more on the things that make a card game great: deep, interactive strategy; frequent releases and balance updates; and endless experimentation.

Any money you spend during the preview patches will be carried through any pre-launch account resets in the form of Coins (with any purchased content refunded to Coins).

We want LoR’s progression to feel great for players regardless of how much they spend, so let us know what you think about it!

Will there be account resets?

Yes, at least one prior to launch. You’ll keep any Coins you’ve purchased and get back any you’ve spent during the preview patches or closed beta when LoR launches.

Is Riot working with anyone to make LoR?

LoR is mostly being developed at Riot, but we’re working with three fantastic art partners: SIXMOREVODKA, Kudos3d (partner studios for card art) and Beyond FX (partner studio for VFX). Working closely with our veteran, in-house art team, our partners are playing a critical role in making LoR a game that lives up to Riot’s high artistic standard, and takes players deeper than ever before into the world of Runeterra.

We also work with several external parties who provide functional QA, localization QA, and compatibility testing services that help ensure LoR hits the quality bar players deserve.

Why doesn’t LoR use Riot Points (League of Legends’ paid currency)?

There are two main reasons. First, Riot is working on multiple mobile games (LoR and League of Legends: Wild Rift), and, as it turns out, both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store actually don’t allow games to share currencies (for a bunch of good reasons). This restriction and other eccentricities of cross-platform currencies pushed us towards an independent paid currency (Coins) for LoR.

Second, we’re trying some interesting new stuff with LoR’s business model (see earlier questions for more info on that), and plan to actively fine-tune our system prior to launch as we gather data and hear what you think. An independent paid currency will give us the freedom to make any necessary changes in the run up to launch, without worrying about cross-game ripple effects.

Do I need the League of Legends client or a LoL account to play LoR?

No to both! Legends of Runeterra is a standalone download. If you have an existing LoL account, you can use it to pre-register, but those without one can easily make a Riot account while pre-registering.

How do I choose a game name in LoR? Will LoR use my League of Legends summoner name?

If you don’t have an existing League of Legends account, you’ll be asked to create a game name. You can’t change this name in the LoR client once you’ve created it (for now), so pick a good one.

If you have an existing LoL account, your LoL summoner name will be used to create your LoR game name and tagline. If you change your summoner name in LoL, it will change your name in LoR.

We’re still working on game names in LoR, so expect updates once we implement the friends list and social panel during closed beta in early 2020.

How can I contact player support?

Head to https://support-legendsofruneterra.riotgames.com.

How long does one game of LoR usually take?

Games take around 10 to 15 minutes to finish, but we’re warning you now: you may end up playing all night.

How are you handling cheaters?

Riot is deeply committed to competitive integrity in all our products. We have detection and protection services in place on LoR, and will take any and all necessary measures to preserve a level battlefield.

I’m interested in creating a website, app, bot, etc. for LoR, how can I get started?

Head to the LoR section of our Riot Developer Portal.

I’m a member of the press or a content creator and interested in covering LoR or making LoR content, how can I get started?

Head to www.riotgames.com/en/press for starter assets or contact us with inquiries at media@riotgames.com.