Swiftplay is a new mode that will be making its way to League of Legends in 2025. It’s expected to go live on January 11, 2025, with patch 25.S1.1 which will also be introducing the Noxus season featuring new thematic changes to the Rift.
Riot is creating Swiftplay for players who want to have a more casual time in Summoner’s Rift. While it will be quite similar to the existing Quickplay mode in the MOBA, there will be some big differences that will make it more causal-friendly.
Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming Swiftplay mode in League of Legends.
How does Swiftplay work in League of Legends?
Swiftplay will be completely replacing Quickplay in League of Legends. While the modes will look similar on the surface there are some gameplay differences especially when it comes to how neutral objectives work.
The mode is much more lenient and tailored towards those who want to have a more casual experience on the Rift. During the recent Dev Update, Riot said the following about Swiftplay:
“Our goal with creating this new queue is to create a more accessible experience for players that are looking for a bit more of the traditional League experience… Players who want to play with friends, players who just want to chill in the evening after work, players who are just learning (or relearning) the ropes, and so on.”
Swiftplay vs Quickplay in LoL
Here are all the ways that Swiftplay will differ from Quickplay in League of Legends:
1) More gold and XP in later stages of the game
The early game on the Rift will remain fairly unchanged, however, as a match progresses all sources of gold and EXP will provide more rewards. These bonuses will be dynamic and will be more significant the longer a game goes.
2) Players will have an easier time bouncing back
Those who have fallen back to a great extent during the early stages of a game will have an easier time catching up. You will be able to get more gold and XP from almost every source on the map. The bonus amount you receive will depend on how far behind you are from your team and the enemy.
However, do keep in mind that while the bonuses are significant, they won’t automatically sling you had of the rest.
3) Players who are behind will no longer be fodder
Targeting a single enemy over and over again will have diminishing returns. If a player is already behind, your team cannot keep farming them to build a sizeable lead. You will have to look for other ways of increasing your team’s gold and XP lead than just targeting the weakest enemy.
4) Accelerated objective timings
Objective timings around the Rift will be accelerated. Here are some of the things that will change:
- Turret plating falls off at an earlier time.
- Baron Nashor will spawn earlier.
- You will only need three drakes to claim a soul.
- Jungle and Support item objectives will be met faster.
5) Minion deaths grant gold even if you don’t kill them
This feature is similar to ARAM. If a minion dies near you and you are not the one to last hit it, you will get some gold. Last hitting a minion, on the other hand, will net you the full gold value of the minion you killed.
6) Supports gain more passive gold
Supports will gain more gold out of their items, however, the cost of their core items will also go up.
When does Swiftplay go live in League of Legends?
As mentioned, Swiftplay is expected to go live on January 6, 2024, with League of Legends patch 25.S1.1 (formerly 15.1). However, you will be able to try out the mode earlier from the LoL PBE as the new changes will hit the test servers on December 11, 2024.
