Official Season 2 End FAQ

Earlier today, RiotYegg posted up a FAQ on some frequently asked questions about the season end and questions you might have:

So many questions, so little time to answer them...

SEASON REWARDS

When does the season end?

Season 2 will end with the patch that’s slated for the morning of November 6th. If the patch is moved back, the season will continue until the patch downtime.

When will I get my rewards?

We will start granting rewards with the patch downtime, although it may take a few days for them to show up for every player.

How does the bonus fourth icon work?

Players who earn an icon in all three queues will unlock the bonus fourth icon based on the lowest tier achieved in the other tiers. In other words, a player who achieved Gold in all three tiers will get a bonus Gold icon. A player who achieved Diamond in Solo queue, Bronze in 5v5, and Diamond in 3v3 will get a bonus Bronze icon.

Who will see my loading screen border trim and when will it be displayed?

They will only show up when playing in the queue where you earned them and they will only be displayed to your allies. We made these decisions because we want to be very careful about influencing perceptions around the fairness of the matchup before the game begins.

If I have an honor ribbon and the loading screen trim, will they both be shown?

Yes, they will both be displayed. The honor ribbon sits on top of the border trim.

If I got Gold in Season 1 and Platinum in Season 2, will I have two forum badges or one?

You’ll have two forum badges, one for each season.

Are the forum badges split out by ranks? Or do they show the queue where you achieved the medal?

No, in Season 2 the ranks were intended just as a way to show some visual progress towards the next tier. The forum badges are very small and already need to indicate the tier and the season, so we aren't currently planning on using them to convey more information.

What will happen to my icon border from Season 1?

We are removing the icon borders and giving everyone who had one a Season 1 summoner icon commemorating the tier that they achieved. We have big plans for summoner icons in the future, and this gives us the freedom to integrate borders into the icons themselves where it makes sense.

If I got Gold in Season 1 and didn’t play ranked in Season 2, will I still have the Gold profile banner trim?

No, the profile banner trim is based on performance in the most recent season.


SOFT ELO RESET

Why are we resetting Elo and what is a soft reset?

With a new season comes a fresh chance to prove your skills. A soft reset means that we'll be compressing everyone's Elo towards 1200 and resetting the system's confidence in those ratings so that large Elo swings are possible.

Why aren't you just resetting everyone back to 1200?

Since matchmaking is based on Elo ratings, this would mean that matchmaking would be entirely random, which would lead to incredibly lopsided matches for the first few days or weeks until ratings again converged towards appropriate levels.

Is the soft reset formula the same as season 1?

No, the formula has been modified in two ways: 

1. We’re shifting everyone’s rating upwards to re-center the average around 1200 Elo (it had fallen due to the old queue dodge penalties and ratings decay).
2. The formula now compresses average players less aggressively and compresses outliers more aggressively.

Does the soft reset use current rating or top rating?

The reset will be based on current rating at the end of Season 2.

Can you tell us the exact formula?

We won’t be giving out the exact formula, but we’ll be providing some examples.

Examples pls!

A player with a 2200 rating will be around 1700 after the reset.

A player with an 1850 rating will be around 1550.

A player with a 1500 rating will be around 1400.

A player with an 1150 rating will be right around 1200.

A player with an 800 rating will be around 1000.

A player with a 450 rating will be around 850.

Will team Elo ratings also go through the soft reset?

Yes, team ratings will go through the same reset formula.


RANKED TEAM QUALIFICATIONS

How do I qualify for rewards with a team?

You need to have either joined the team before September 1st or you need to have won five games in the appropriate queue.

So if I win five games in the 5v5 queue, will I get 3v3 rewards with that team?

No, you need to win five games in the 3v3 queue as well to get those rewards.

Is there any benefit to qualifying for rewards with multiple teams at the same tier?

Not in terms of rewards. You will only earn rewards based on the team with the highest Top Rating (that you’ve qualified with).

How do I know if I've qualified with a team?

We'll be sending out emails shortly to everyone who's on a team where they aren't yet qualified for rewards. The email will specify how many games you still need to win with that team in each queue.

If I am kicked from my team will I still receive rewards?

No, you will only receive rewards from teams where you're still a member when the season ends.


SEASON 3

Is November 6 the start of Season 3?

No, November 6 is the start of the preseason. We'll be expanding on what's in store for the preseason in an announcement coming soon.

Will I see my Elo when the preseason starts?

No, you will be unranked, and you’ll need to finish provisional matches before you can see your Elo again. You’ll be playing against players of similar skill though because you’ll start your provisional matches with an Elo based on the soft reset.

If I’m an experienced player, will I still gain or lose only around 12 points after each game?

No, we’ll be resetting the system’s confidence in your rating. You’ll be gaining or losing similar amounts of Elo as when you first started playing ranked.

Will Elo gains during the preseason carry over into Season 3?

Yes.

Will Season 3 use Top Rating for rewards?

Not exactly. Season 3 will work differently in many ways. More details on that later!


CHEATING

What is Elo boosting and why is it bad?

Elo boosting is when a highly skilled player logs into your account and plays in ranked games in order to raise your Elo. It ruins the games of unsuspecting players and is also against the Terms of Use.

Is duo queuing with a highly skilled player considered to be Elo boosting?

No, duo queuing in all forms is fine, as long as players are playing on their own accounts.

Is playing ranked games on a smurf considered to be Elo boosting?

No.

Is duo queuing with a highly skilled player who’s playing on a smurf considered to be Elo boosting?

As long as it’s an account that they created and leveled to 30, then it’s not Elo boosting.

What happens if I’m caught participating in Elo boosting?

Your account will be suspended for at least a week and your eligibility for season rewards will be revoked. We are also considering permanent bans for accounts that continued to engage in Elo boosting after our initial wave of bans and the corresponding announcement.

What is win trading and why is it bad?

Win trading is when two highly rated teams queue simultaneously at offpeak hours in an effort to get matched up with one another, and then one team intentionally loses to the other to boost that team’s Elo rating. This goes against the spirit of fair play and undermines the ladder rankings when teams gain rating without actually competing.

Are you still planning on punishing players who are engaging in these behaviors?

Yes, we're still finishing up a sweep for both of them. As always, we want to be very sure before we pull the trigger and suspend players or revoke reward eligibility. If the end of season happens before we finish the analysis, we'll remove rewards retroactively from players who are identified.