LoL Season 2025: new map, epic monster, runes, mode, and gameplay changes

Riot Games unveiled on Monday a Dev Blog detailing the gameplay changes coming to League of Legends in 2025 for Season 15. Ranked reset, new epic monster, a Noxus pimped map, turrets respawning, new runes, multiplayer practice tool... Here’s a look at the most significant updates announced.

Season 15 will feature a slightly restructured format, divided into three seasons, each split into two acts. Every season will span eight update patches and focus on a specific region of Runeterra, influencing gameplay, skins, and champions. The most significant change, delighting ladder enthusiasts, is a single major rank reset at the beginning of the year, simplifying competitive progression and rewarding consistent climbing.

Riot Games is thus refreshing its map for the first time in a decade, introducing significant visual updates at the start of Season 15 in early 2025. The first segment of the year will bring a map inspired by the lore-rich region of Noxus, the map overhaul celebrates the game's universe while enhancing the visual experience. Originally designed to improve clarity and readability during gameplay, the updated map will include thematic changes to structures like the Nexus, inhibitors, turrets, and even side-specific shops, providing a fresh aesthetic deeply tied to the game's storytelling roots.

As announced, the entire map has been visually updated, with the color scheme altered, and key structures like the Nexus, inhibitors, and turrets modified. Additionally, even the shops on the red and blue sides have received thematic adjustments to align with the new aesthetic.

Accompanying this new aesthetic is a surprising gameplay feature: Nexus turrets can now respawn after a short time. Similar to inhibitors, these turrets will return with full health, offering a glimmer of hope for teams that have lost all their defensive structures on the map. This change could provide new strategic opportunities for comebacks.

A major change is being introduced: Atakhan, a new epic monster, makes its debut:

Riot Games has clarified that Atakhan is a permanent addition to the game and not a temporary feature. While his full lore remains mysterious, Atakhan has previously appeared in Legends of Runeterra, offering a glimpse into his potential backstory. Fans curious to delve deeper into the League of Legends universe, especially after enjoying Arcane, are encouraged to explore Legends of Runeterra for more insights into Runeterra's rich narrative landscape.

It is a system that encourages teams to take risks early. If a team knocks out two out of these three achievements in the early game, they will receive the "Blessing of Noxus" buff: First Blood, First Turret, and the first three epic jungle monsters (Drakes, Herald, any three void grubs). It instantly provides a bonus to any tier 2 boots to the winning team.

Once you get two legendary items, you also have the opportunity to spend gold to upgrade your boots to tier 3 granting unique effects and even more stats bonuses to your boots. Even Cassiopeia will get some specific bonuses.

This announcement has been eagerly awaited: Riot Games is finally launching a training mode that supports multiple players simultaneously. While it's not specified how many players can connect at the same time, this is a highly significant addition that will impact the professional scene in particular, making specific training sessions much easier to organize.

Riot is launching a new game mode that is shorter, more forgiving, and less punishing, offering a faster-paced experience. The new mode, designed to replace Quickplay, is a 5v5 on Summoner's Rift with adjustments that reduce the punishments for mistakes, making it beginner-friendly. Key changes include:

Three runes from the Domination tree will be removed: Zombie Ward, Ghost Poro, and Eyeball Collection. They will be replaced by:

Another new rune, Axiom Arcanist, has been introduced in the Sorcery tree, replacing Nullifying Orb. This rune enhances your ultimate abilities by increasing damage, healing, and shields, while also reducing cooldowns upon eliminating an enemy.

Each of the three seasons will feature a Battle Pass system with both free and paid content. The traditional event tokens and shops will be removed, and instead, each season will have two Battle Passes, totaling six per year. Each pass will last for 8 weeks, double the current duration, and the price will remain the same as it is today.

Here's the full list of the free Battle Pass rewards:

Below are the paid Battle Pass rewards:

No official launch date has been announced for Season 15, but more details are expected in the coming month. It is likely, as usual, that these changes will take effect in January, with Mel Medarda also making her debut on Summoner's Rift.