It’s time to grab a friend (or several!) and jump into the Rings of Wrath to compete in 2v2v2v2 Arena mode and complete the LoL Arena missions to celebrate Winterblessed. Hold onto your festive hats as we outline the schedule and explain how Arena works, as well as the rewards LoL players can earn after completing the limited-time missions.
LoL Arena Missions And Winterblessed Schedule
With the LoL patch 13.24, developer Riot Games is wrapping up another year in style. The update sees the return of Arena Mode during the Winterblessed event. You’ll find the precise Winterblessed 2023 schedule below to plan your game time and earn all the shiny rewards.
- Start date & time: Dec. 6, 2023 at 11:00 PST / 20:00 CET
- End date & time: Jan. 8, 2024 at 23:59 PST / Jan. 9, 2024 at 09:59 CET
Note: Arena Mode missions begin and end on the exact dates and times as the Winterblessed event. However, you can purchase the Winterblessed 2023 Event Pass and Tokens until Jan. 15, 2024, at 13:00 PST / 22:00 CET.
Below, we’ll explain what you must do to complete the Winterblessed event pass missions to earn rewards.
Arena Returns
Players must queue for and complete 10 games of Arena in LoL during the Winterblessed 2023 event or three games with a premade party. Completing the Arena Returns mission grants 650 event XP and the “To Victory!” emote.
Better Hat Wins
To complete the Better Hat Wins mission, purchase a Cappa Juice and win three games with the buff active. The reward is 650 Winterblessed XP.
Bashing Through The Snow
Ready to bash the virtual skulls of your enemies? Sure you are! Completing the Bashing Through The Snow mission requires you to get 30 takedowns in Arena mode with 650 event XP as the reward.
Pro-tip: You will only see progress on your Arena missions once a match ends. You may not see progress immediately if you leave a game right after defeat.
Players can earn a variety Winterblessed rewards as they complete milestones and earn tokens and XP. It takes 400 Winterblessed XP to unlock each milestone. You can also purchase the Winterblessed 2023 Pass for 1650 RP to earn even more rewards!
How Does Arena Mode Work?
Arena was introduced with the Soul Fighter event (patch 13.14) on July 20, 2023, and was then removed on Aug. 28, 2023. It quickly became a fan-favorite game mode thanks to its exciting 2v2v2v2 gameplay.
In Arena, you face other duo teams across several rounds of play on four maps (Rings of Wrath). The heart-pounding action tasks players with attempting to lower and ultimately deplete the other three enemy teams’ health. There are also random Augments with powerful and unique effects to keep each match fresh.
LoL players can queue for Arena solo or in groups of 2, 3, 4, or 8. Just keep in mind that if you queue as part of a complete party of eight players, you won’t make any ranked progress. However, you can still complete the Arena missions.
Arena matches take place in three distinct phases. We’ll explain each phase below, discuss the match win condition, the Rings of Wrath, and how Augments work.
Lobby Phase
Once a match is found via matchmaking, you’ll enter a lobby. Your team is on the left side, while the others are on the right. There are no Runes in Arena missions. Everyone receives the same two Summoner Spells: Flash and Flee.
The lobby phase features a semi-draft pick system, where one player from each duo team picks a Champion, and then these picks are revealed. This opens up the possibility of counterpicks. Each player also gets an opportunity to ban one Champion, affecting the pool of all players. The Preparation Phase starts once all Champions are locked in.
Check out our guide to the best Duos for Arena, which includes the following combos:
- Taric and Master Yi
- Vayne and Lulu
- Kayle and Fiora
- Heimerdinger and Yorick
- Shaco and Teemo
We urge teams to experiment with different Champion combos to find one that works best for their playstyle.
Preparation Phase
Each Round of LoL Arena features a Preparation Phase. In this phase, you receive either Gold or your pick of an Augment. It is a phase where you can check out your opponent’s combos and strategize with your teammate.
During the Preparation Phase, players can also use Gold to purchase Juice before combat. Juice provides a single-round buff. There are currently four (4) Juices available, namely Juice of Power (AD/AP), Juice of Vitality (Health/Size), Juice of Haste (Ability Haste), and Cappa Juice. The latter adds a hat to your Champion and has no gameplay effect. You can stack Juices together for the next Combat Phase if you’ve earned enough Gold.
Combat Phase
The Combat Phase is all about fighting the enemy team. Your team teleports to a Ring of Wrath, where you must eliminate the opposition. You’ll earn 350 Gold for each enemy Champion kill during the Combat Phase. When the battle ends, the losing team’s health is reduced by two and an additional two for every three rounds. For example, your team would take eight damage upon defeat in Rounds 10 to 12.
Starting in Round 4, neutral Cameo Champions appear to cast unique spells with buffs, debuffs, or crowd control effects, adding even more chaos into the mix. The LoL Arena mode Cameo champions are:
- Sett
- Gwen
- Pyke
- Sylas
- Thresh
To ensure Rounds in LoL Arena do not go on for an extended period, a ring of fire spawns at the 30-second mark and reduces the play area every few seconds. Players also take damage if they touch the fire. If both teams survive for 15 seconds, the Round ends in a tie and both teams take damage.
LoL Arena Win Condition
The primary goal in a LoL Arena match is to be the last team standing. Teams lose health with every defeat per Round and they’re eliminated when their health reaches zero.
Rings of Wrath Maps
The LoL Arena game mode doesn’t take place on Summoner’s Rift. Instead, there are four unique Rings of Wrath maps where players battle each other throughout multiple rounds of combat, namely:
- Frostbite Thicket
- Desert Oasis
- Magma Chamber
- Frostbite Thicket
These Rings of Wrath feature terrain mechanics allowing for some interesting tactics. Among them is Power Flower, which provides the following when struck by players: Shield, Heal, Mana, and a partial Cooldown refund on abilities. There are no Turrets on the Rings of Wrath maps.
LoL Arena Augments Explained
In Rounds 2 and 5, teams can select an Augment. There are dozens of Augments in LoL Arena, all featuring special effects. Augments feature three levels of rarity: Silver, Gold, and Prismatic. The rarity of an Augment is random, but all players in a match get the same rarity in Rounds 2 and 5.
You can check out three examples of Augments below:
- Buff Buddies (Silver): Grants Crest of Cinders Crest of Cinders and Crest of Insight Crest of Insight permanently.
- Big Brain (Gold): At the start of each combat round, gain a Shield that absorbs damage equal to 300% AP.
- Accelerating Sorcery (Prismatic): Casting an ability grants 9 Ability Haste. This effect stacks infinitely until the end of the Round.
Step Into The Arena
With our tips and tricks for this beloved new game mode, we hope you’re eager to compete in the LoL Arena action. In addition to bringing a fresh spin on the game’s formula, Arena allows you to earn a variety of awards and plenty of bragging rights. Hopefully, Riot Games is paying close attention to the mode’s popularity among players so we can get another opportunity to step into the Arena in 2024 and beyond.
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