Legends of Runeterra; how to play and what we know so far

Legends of Runeterra (LoR) is the most developed game out of the seven titles that Riot Games announced, and it may be the only desktop release in 2020. Luckily, the wait is almost over—here’s the latest on LoR rollout schedule.

The public beta for Legends of Runterra starts on January 24

Everyone with a League of Legends account will be able to download the game and test it. The progress will carry over to the release version, which is currently scheduled for the first half of 2020.

The exact start time is 11 am PT/8 pm CET. I’d be surprised not to see a big queue that would delay you for some time (remember the TFT demand?), therefore the January 24 beta launch is not split into any time windows.

Announcement for Open Beta for Legends of Runterra by Riot Games — **Announcement for Open Beta for Legends of Runterra** | Source: Riot Games

Pre-registration for LoR would let you play a day early.

Head over to the official League of Runeterra website to secure your spot. It’s unclear whether pre-registration is limited to a certain number of players. This early reservation is free.

With an unrestricted early start, however, it is no surprise that Riot would want to moderate the traffic. Your journey will begin with an invitation link sent via email, which may come exactly at 11 am PT/8 pm CET or a few hours later.

Those who played LoR in November 2018, will have an early start secured.

The game is open for you again on January 23, and you won’t have to wait for any links before diving into action.

The open beta is not just about gameplay.

You can secure a Moonstruck Poro Guardian by logging into Legends of Runeterra at least once. This item will be delivered only with the game’s full release, but it’s evident that this game is not heading the Artifact’s way.

This is how the Moonstruck Poro Guardian could look like in the upcoming Legends of Runterra game by Riot Games — **Moonstruck Poro Guardian** | Source: Riot Games

(Un?)fortunately, Moonstruck Poro will not be a very exclusive item. Even though it is spotlit as a beta reward, all new players who launch the release version within the first 7 days will earn the Guardian as well. Hopefully, Riot Games finds a different way to reward players for the testing effort.