Riot Games Implements Duo Queue Restrictions in League of Legends
In a significant move to enhance the matchmaking experience for high-ranked players, Riot Games has introduced new restrictions on duo queues in League of Legends. This decision comes as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to address persistent frustrations within the competitive landscape of the popular MOBA. Matt ‘Phroxzon’ Leung-Harrison, the game’s creative director, has shed light on the recent MMR reset that has reshaped the early season dynamics, emphasizing the necessity of these changes to curb disruptive behaviors that can spoil the experience for many players.
Finding a reliable friend to team up with in League of Legends can feel akin to discovering a rare gem amidst a sea of ordinary stones. Phroxzon acknowledges the social aspect of the game, stating, “Many players enjoy League as a social game,” and highlighting that the early season, filled with fresh content, is a particularly enticing time for players to engage socially. Historically, this period has seen the re-enabling of duo queues in apex ranks, but the reality is that loosening restrictions often leads to exploitation of the system, resulting in matchmaking imbalances.
Phroxzon notes that this season has seen a notable increase in such exploitative behavior, prompting Riot to take a firmer stance. “We want to crack down on these behaviors more over time, especially when disallowed actions like de-ranking or illicit account sharing are involved,” he explains, indicating that the company has already begun implementing measures to address these issues.
As part of the current adjustments, Riot has disallowed duo play up to Grandmaster rank, even for players with Grandmaster MMR. Phroxzon admits that this decision contradicts an earlier message he shared, which he now recognizes as inaccurate. “We will try to re-enable Challengers duoing with Grandmaster and Grandmasters duoing with Masters as fast as possible,” he assures players. For those in Master rank, pairing with Diamond 1 players remains an option.
Additionally, Riot has increased the duo penalty this season to better reflect the advantages duos gain when playing together. Phroxzon points out that consistently teaming with the same player offers a significant edge over being randomly assigned to a team of four. While this change may create some unusual matchmaking scenarios, such as teams featuring two duos, he believes that overall balance remains intact, even at the highest ranks.
On the topic of MMR resets, Phroxzon shares insights into how these resets affect matchmaking at the beginning of a new season. He describes the start-of-year reset as “reasonably hard,” designed to provide more opportunities for new players, but acknowledges that it can lead to visual rank disparities between teams. To enhance player confidence in matchmaking, Riot plans to introduce an indicator that signals when a player’s actual MMR significantly exceeds their displayed rank.
Phroxzon also observes a trend where the best players continue to improve relative to the general player base, resulting in higher peak LP each season. He notes that this phenomenon contributes to the longevity of +30LP gains this season, clarifying that this is not inherently problematic but indicative of evolving seasonal benchmarks.
Lastly, Phroxzon addresses the delay in implementing improvements to the autofill matching system, which aims to reduce instances where players are assigned to roles outside their preferences to expedite queue times. “We were pushing hard to get this in by the season-start patch, but the risk to get it in was not worth it,” he states, expressing hope for a timely deployment of these changes. He encourages players to share their feedback, particularly if their experiences diverge from the goals Riot has set forth.
