League of Legends Pre-Season released

Riot Games has launched the League of Legends Pre-Season for its multiplayer online battle arena game for Windows PC. The game is being distributed online and at retail through THQ. League of Legends will operate in seasons to foster competitive gaming and communities. The League of Legends Pre-Season will allow time for players to learn the game, build teams, and develop advanced strategies and tactics - in preparation for when Season One begins in the first half of 2010. Players can also look forward to the addition of clans, teams, tournaments, ladders, draft mode, as well as additional content such as new Champions and maps, between now and the start of Season One.

The League of Legends Collector’s Pack, containing exclusive items such as 20 Champions, a selection of Runes and $10 worth of Riot Points, is now available for download at www.leagueoflegends.com as well. The retail League of Legends Collector’s Pack is also available at all major retail outlets for $29.99, and includes an exclusive poster-size fold out map of Valoran with detailed champion portraits and bios on the other side, a $10 pre-paid game card for in-game purchases and an exclusive champion skin.

League of Legends combines role-playing and strategy elements with action and online competition. Built by a veteran development team and the original creators of DotA Allstars, one of the world’s most popular player-made mods, League of Legends is operated as a live service that will be frequently updated with new features, champions, maps and additional content as suggested by the community.

League of Legends Twisted Treeline map details

Riot Games has released details on the newest map for the upcoming PC game League of Legends The new map, Twisted Treeline, is one of the League’s newest arenas best suited for 3 vs 3 action and will officially be added to the closed beta on October 20. A full profile for Twisted Treeline can be found below.

Twisted Treeline Description

The Field of Justice known as the Twisted Treeline is one of the League’s newest arenas, and as such, still quite the mystery to most of the League’s competitors. The arena itself is located north of the Ironspike Mountains in a large expanse of forest nestled between the city-state of Zaun and one of the major passes that connect Noxus with the northern reaches of Valoran. It is one of the few remaining forests near Zaun that has not been exploited for natural resources; a mere cursory glance at the geography of the arena quickly explains why. The misuse of magic – mainly from Zaun but also from the numerous battles fought here during the various Rune Wars – has warped the verdant environs of the Twisted Treeline into terrain with a bizarre, alien-like visage. The two nexuses that power the Twisted Treeline do more to try and maintain the physical stability of the region more than any other function they would normally perform.

Twisted Treeline map features faster paced 3v3 action due to its two lanes/ two forests layout. One lane is curvy, and the other is straight. The map also features several neutral monster camps, and plenty of opportunities for team fights due to the two large forests located on the map. The top forest is accessible only from the top lane, has high reward monsters, and is structured to increase random forest encounters. The lower forest narrows in the middle, allowing for increased ganking opportunities. Other features of Twisted Treeline include new Sigil monsters, in addition to a new monster whose buff reveals the bottom forest for a short period of time.

League of Legends coming to PAX

Riot Games will be bringing its online multiplayer session-based game League of Legends to the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) September 4-6 in Seattle, Washington. The game will be shown and playable for the first time to the general public at booth #442.

Riot also announced that it is providing the first 20,000 PAX attendees with an exclusive in-game reward: a redeemable code for a limited edition champion skin designed by the makers of Penny Arcade. All attendees that play League of Legends or visit the booth will receive a beta key. Top PAX attendee players will be invited for exhibition matches versus the Riot Games development team for a chance to win a selection of exclusive prizes.

League of Legends combines elements of the role-playing and strategy genres with addictive battle action. Built by a veteran development team and the original creators of DotA Allstars, one of the world’s most popular player-made mods, League of Legends will be released October 6, 2009 for Windows PC via digital download and at retail outlets nationwide as well as in Europe.

For more information on League of Legends and to sign up for the closed beta, visit www.leagueoflegends.com.

League of Legends goes free-to-play

Riot Games announced that its online multiplayer session-based game, League of Legends, will be free of charge to all users. The company also revealed the Summoner and currency systems for the game. To make the game availble to all types of players, and to support and reward the community, Riot has confirmed that League of Legends will be free. Optional payment will enable additional virtual currency to be used within the Summoner system meta game for play diversity, customization and novelty.

Players takes on the role of a Summoner – a spell caster who has the power to bring forth a champion to fight as his or her avatar in Valoran’s Fields of Justice. As the Summoner controls the champion in combat, it also influences the outcome of the match through the use of spells, masteries and runes. Once a match is over, the Summoner gains Influence Points and Riot Points. Influence Points will be earned by simply playing the game, while Riot Points will be available for purchase with real money. Both currencies will be used to unlock additional content customization options, whereas only Influence Points will be used to unlock content such as Runes, which enhance the power of playable characters.

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THQ to publish League of Legends

Riot Games has inked a deal with publisher THQ to deliver its online multiplayer session-based game League of Legends: Clash of Fates to North America later this year. Riot’s game will be available in September for Windows PC via download at www.leagueoflegends.com and at retail outlets nationwide through Riot’s retail partner THQ Inc. The game will be published the game in Europe simultaneously.

League of Legends is a genre confused PC game that features role-playing and strategy elements with action that lends itself to replayability and competitive gameplay set in a fantasy universe. The game takes its inspirations from the popular Warcraft 3 mod, DotA, which many of the game’s key designers have modified; some of the core LoL team helped create the popular Warcraft 3 mod DotA-Allstars.

Learn more about the game at www.leagueoflegends.com.