The new season 1 theme will see creepy flowers growing around your corpse to boost your XP.

Riot, the developer of League of Legends, has released information on what players can expect from 2025's first season. There are a lot of details to unpack. The first season will feature a new map, a trial of a brand new game mode and a major change in how often your ranking resets. I know that the majority of players are going to be thrilled about this (spoiler alert: it's moving from once per season, to once per annum). There are also character upgrades and a new enemy to be found in the Rift.

Viktor, a champion of the game, will be reworked to better match his character from Arcane. This includes his audio, visuals, and backstory. Viktor's model will be more similar to his design in Teamfight Tactics. His ultimate will also increase in size as he kills until it is completed. Viktor's skins will also be updated to match the new look. However, his price will increase from 520 RP up to 750RP.

Summoner's Rift has also undergone a major update with the addition of an entirely new map inspired by Noxus. The blue buff zones and river zones will retain their lush forest-like look. Bases, red buff lanes and main lanes will all adopt a new appearance, similar to something straight out Noxus Prime. This visual overhaul will also affect things inside the Rift, with minions, turrets, and even shopkeepers wearing different clothes to keep up with this new aesthetic. The Rift has also been given a new plant: the Blood Rose. These will spawn in the areas where champions have been killed and will give you a small XP bonus, as well as a permanent Adaptive Force buff.

This map introduces a brand new enemy straight from Legends of Runeterra. Atakhan will spawn after 20 minutes in the jungle and target the lane that has the most early kills. If there are no kills, the boss will spawn on the lane that has the most damage. Atakhan will appear in the pit along with two walls that will remain until he takes form. This will give you enough time to prepare for his attack. It's a great way to keep you on the edge of your seat.

In addition, the amount and type of damage that champions do in the game as well as the number of kills will also affect the version of Atakhan that spawns. Ruinous Atakhan appears in high-stakes and high-action games. If you defeat him, the effects of Epic monster rewards will be permanently increased for your entire team. He will also leave behind a Blood Rose field that you can harvest.

If you are having a challenging game, with low kills and damage, Voracious Atakhan may spawn. Your team will receive a one-time buff for rebirth and a permanent gold increase from champion takedowns as a reward for defeating this less-threatening version. It's not quite as good as the reward for defeating Ruinous Atakhan but it is still worth it if you want some extra help and find this task less intimidating.

A new game mode, called Swiftplay, is being tested by a few regions in place of Quickplay. Swiftplay is a new game mode that is a slower-paced, more relaxed version of Summoner’s Rift. It aims to shift the focus from dominating your opponents to developing your champion's skills. It's still competitive, because let's face it, any League of Legends game is going to be. But the stakes are lower. Swiftplay is perfect for those who don't want to get into the trenches of Ranked or for those who just want to have fun with friends.

Swiftplay has altered many aspects of the standard Summoner’s Rift to make it more enjoyable for everyone. As the game progresses, players who are slightly behind their team, as well support players, will also benefit from increased rewards. The timing of key moments has been accelerated to help make the game faster. For example, turret plating or Baron spawning should happen earlier. Swiftplay will replace Quickplay in the following regions once this season is released:

• North America
• Latin America (North)
• Latin America (South)
• EU West
• EU Nordic & East
• Russia
• Brazil
• Turkey
• Taiwan
• Vietnam

We don't yet know when more regions will be added if Quickplay proves to be as popular as it is now. As of now, any region that is not on the list can still play Quickplay.