League players upset with new “grind” caused by Season 14 ranked splits

League of Legends Season 14 introduced a third split for ranked players that eliminated the pre-season period, and fans think the game has started to feel like a grind.

Riot Games increased the number of splits in a single season in 2023, going from a one-year-long period to two six-month ranked sessions with a ladder reset between them.

For 2024, the developer created yet another split for a total of three. This added another reset period and increased the amount of ranked ladder-based earned content.

League players are only on the first reset of Season 14. The new ranked split started May 15, but some fans are already feeling the impact of playing three splits in two years after a decade of one split seasons.

In a Reddit post complaining about the ranked reset, one player outlined how a few bad placement games could ruin their progress on the latter and pit them against the same-ranked competitors.

“I worked my ass off getting to Diamond 3 with decent MMR… Only to have bad luck in my placements in the second ranked split, losing 4 in a row and being placed in Emerald 4…” said one player.

They go on to ask, “So you mean I have to work myself all the way back to Diamond 3 again? Facing people that were in my similar MMR while I climb back up? What’s even the point?”

The comments in the thread explained that Riot wants people to play more games and try to earn ranked rewards. When the ranked season was one split, players had more time to grind to hit their goal ranks and less incentive to play once they achieved them.

“It’s frustrating, I understand the purpose is to make you grind more but that’s unfun. I was Emerald 3 yesterday, I’m Platinum 3 today, but I’m still playing with all the same people. So what’s the point Riot?” asked one fan.

Like many live service games, League has multiple systems in place that hook players on playing and grinding out matches. For example, the game changes drastically every few months and thus incentivizes people to constantly check in to stay up to date on champion power levels, and new additions.

However, it seems the game is slowly creeping over the line with how much players need to log in and grind for ranked prestige for some, especially if their reward at the end of each split is a skin and a full-tier demotion.