Likely reroll upgrades coming to LoL Arena, but Riot fears too many champions getting arrested

Riot Games is now considering making major changes to rematches when Arena returns to League of Legends but one thing proves tricky: any changes the developers want to make could actually push the “mode’s power level” too high.

While Competition Arena has long been hailed as a breath of fresh air in the wider Competition fandom, there are always things players want to see changed, including rerolls. As it stands, the two-vs-two-vs-two-vs-two gladiator mode offers some control over the augments and anvils that appear in lobbies, but many players agree that the way it currently works “feels bad to play” in most cases.

Riot has heard the players’ complaints, Competition Fashion designer Mike Breese said today, but it’s not as simple as changing everything overnight. Breese said, “Reroll changes are on the table, but not a priority (at this time).”

The biggest issue is overall power: more re-rolls in each player’s pocket means more consistency, which in turn “pushes the mode’s power level up.”

That’s something Riot really wants to avoid where possible, with the Competition Arena Balance Team firmly believes that Limited Time Mode should be about customization and experimentation rather than a fixed metagame. Should players have access to the strongest “best-in-slot” options every time through rerolls, certain powerful Competition champions would naturally rise to the top very quickly.

One way they could find a middle ground for the feature, Breese explained to fans, is to keep the Arena’s reroll numbers the same, but remove all of the “bad choices” so that the Augments offered never feel tedious to use in a lobby.

The developers of the two-vs-two-vs-two-vs-two mode will get a chance to test everything once Arena goes offline in September. In addition to rerolls, the Riot team will be looking at how to build Gladiator mode so that it lasts long into the future⁠—and perhaps even permanently, if they can spare the resources.

This Arena run lasts until Wednesday September 10, after which the Arena will close again.