Everything you need to know about Dual Nova

Hey everyone! Today we released our Patch Preview for 6.1. We shared a lot of information with you and even had a very special surprise guest. If you haven’t checked it out already, you can here. The biggest change for 6.1 that we discussed in our Patch Preview is a new patch theme and experience called Dual Nova.

WHAT IS DUAL NOVA?

As David mentioned in our Patch Preview, we’ve been experimenting with different patch themes since last year, when we released our Shadow Isles patch back in 5.1. Along with these themed patches, we’ve also added a ton of new content to Wild Rift since our launch, like multiple new gamemodes, Ranked queue, Legendary queue, rewards, and more. When the team took a step back and started planning for this update, we felt there was a way for us to star-chietect a new cosmically cohesive way to approach patch theming and your adventures on the Rift.

Dual Nova is our take on that! We’ve decked out the whole game in this sparkly new theme. You’ll notice stars twinkling in the background of champion select, the store, and even the loading screen. But you won’t only be able to gaze up at the sparkly stars there.

The second you log in, you’ll be transported to a starry galaxy full of new adventures for you to take on. In this new galaxy you’ll see two stars. The purple one is Challenger’s Star, and the blue one is Adventure’s Star. On the first day of the patch, Adventure’s Star won’t be shining as bright as Challenger’s Star, because there is a connection between the two. As you progress throughout the patch, you’ll see Adventure’s Star gradually shine brighter and brighter until we reach week five, when Adventure’s Star reaches its max brightness and is fully unlocked. We’ll dive more into the journey that awaits you within each star, but first, you’ll also notice six constellations orbiting both stars. These constellations will symbolize and represent the six major features for Patch 6.1, and they are:

1. Reward Constellation

2. Legendary Constellation

3. Guardian Constellation

4. Medal Constellation

5. Glory Constellation

6. Rune Constellation

Reward Constellation, Legendary Constellation, and Guardian Constellation will be available when 6.1 launches, and then the final three will launch when Adventure’s Star is fully charged. A special reward track will be tied to these constellations, and every time you fully light one up, you will unlock a reward. To fully light up one constellation, you’ll need to spend 10 Nova Fragments, and you’ll be able to collect Nova Fragments by playing a game in any of our modes and then spend them to light up your constellations. Don’t fret though; if you miss a week of playing, you’ll still be able to earn enough Nova Fragments, unlock all your goodies, and light up the sky.

CHALLENGER’S STAR

Challenger’s Star has landed and is here in all its celestial glory. For Patch 6.1, this is the Challenge Mode where you’ll be able to access Ranked, Legendary Ranked, and Normal PvP modes with just one tap. When the team worked on the Challenge Modes, they made some updates, so you’ll now be able to see a lot more information before you queue up into your game. Like, what protections you have available, if you’re close to ranking up, or if you’re about to surpass your friend on the ladder!

Additionally, all modes will now display your Champion and Lane scores; just click the new button we added in the lobby to have a look. The team felt this would be helpful, that way you could easily take a peek at what champions you’re mastering or those you might want to put some more games on so you can truly master them. Who knows, you might even discover you’re a pro at enough champs already and want to give Legendary Ranked a try!

Speaking of Legendary Ranked, we’re also introducing ranking star cards so that the mode continues to be challenging for those who want a more competitive experience, but just a little less stressful. We also wanted to make climbing Legendary Rank feel more rewarding, so we also made a few adjustments. The first being, we’re revising the Legendary Ranked tiers so that it’s easier to understand and see your achievements as you climb against the best of the best. We’ve also shifted around how much Champion Score you can earn so that you’ll earn a bit more when playing Legendary Ranked. 

We’ve also heard a lot of feedback from you that our previous Season Reward system for Ranked was not intuitive, so we’ll be removing the old system and instead introducing a new reward track within the Challenger’s Star for Ranked and Legendary Ranked. There will be two new reward tracks, one that is weekly and one that is seasonal. Each will be available to click on before queuing up, and will be clearer about what rewards you can earn. With this new track it’ll be easier to earn key rewards, like the season’s unique skin, and there will be even more rewards for you to earn than before as you play matches and climb the ladder.

Challenger’s Star debut will also mark the launch of a brand new Ranked Season. We know the start of a Ranked Season is the most exciting time, and everyone wants to queue up and climb to the top. Because of this, we wanted to introduce something special for those who reach the top early in the season. So, any player who reaches Master during this event will earn some shiny ranked wings, a special title, and a unique title background in their namecard. 

ADVENTURE’S STAR 

Adventure’s Star is currently orbiting in space, channeling some astral energy, but it will be available later this patch. Once Adventure’s Star is available, it will unlock three new constellations for you to light up and will be where you go to find all things adventure modes and the new seasons. 

Each season will last about 90 days, and as you complete star-studded tasks and objectives from playing and participating in these Adventure Modes, you’ll earn Season Points. In addition to Season Points, you’ll also be able to earn badges, which will be similar to the ones you use in Ranked. They will even have the same names: Iron, Bronze, Silver, etc. Adventure modes are all about having fun and queuing up with your friends. So you’ll be able to get the badges you want and level them up just by playing and enjoying the fun! However, each gamemode will have its own points, and the badges are calculated independently. For example, let's say you’ve been playing ARURF with your friends a bunch, and you’ve reached Diamond with your friends. When Arena comes back around and you and your squad queue up, you won’t have your Diamond badge from ARURF and will instead need to play games in Arena to earn a new badge for that mode. 

We wanted to also make earning these badges feel rewarding, so we’ve made some adjustments that’ll let you flex on your friends. When you enter the lobby, the badge level you’ve earned will flash above your icon, showing your prowess of the Adventure’s Star to your friends the second they invite you to their lobby. Additionally, your badge level will be above your Champion’s health bar in-game, in your profile, and on your friend’s list. And for those of you who are able to earn Challenger badges across multiple gamemodes, you’ll be crowned and given a special title, depending on how many Challenger badges you’ve earned. 

The new badges and achievements won’t be the only thing you earn while participating in each Challenger Star season. You’ll also be able to earn an array of other goodies just from queuing up and playing, like special titles and even a new pet!

While we’re excited for Adventure’s Stars release, we also know that it is replacing the previous season system we had in place for ARAM and Arena. So if you participated in a previous ARAM or Arena system, you’ll be receiving the following rewards: 

• 10 Point Bonus Card 

• Emote of the badge of the highest rank in ARAM

• Emote of the badge of the highest rank in Arena

STAR-TACULAR ADVENTURE AWAITS 

That’s all from us for now; we’re so excited for the launch of Patch 6.1 and can’t wait to hear all your thoughts about the Dual Nova theme this patch. As always, please send us your feedback and hype plays, and we’ll see ya on the Rift!