Super Evil Megacorp announced at a major Vainglory (Free) event that the long-awaited 5v5 mode will release on February 13th for the general public. The mode is currently available to those who won a Golden Ticket, but everyone will have their chance to play it starting on Tuesday.
On the gameplay end, 5v5 brings several major changes. The map is no longer a single lane, but instead a three-lane experience like most 5v5 MOBAs. This means players will have to make new strategic decisions for which lane to play, when to switch lanes to go on attack or defense, and there is the expanded jungle sections to deal with now. It’s functionally the same as a console/PC MOBA, or like other 5v5 titles that are on mobile now. True fog of war is now in the game engine as well. 5v5 includes new music from Horizon Zero Dawn composer Joris de Man.
While 3v3 will still exist in the game, it’s more likely that this will become the preferred loadout of the Blitz modes for quick play. It will more likely resemble something like Arena of Valor (Free), which also has a single-lane 3v3 mode, but is positioned as a shorter playtime mode with a different dynamic. How many people will still want to do the full-length 3v3 matches when 5v5 is clearly positioned to be the dominant game mode? There’s sure to be some purists, of course.
While the game itself will see a major change due to 5v5 becoming the featured mode, the esports scene will also undergo a massive shift with 5v5 becoming the official competitive format. As part of that, the Vainglory Esports banner that comprised the entirety of official competitive Vainglory. Now, the official Vainglory esports league is named the Vainglory Premier League. It will be headquartered in Las Vegas, where ESP Gaming’s studio will host and produce matches, similar to how Overwatch League is headquartered out at the Blizzard Arena in the Los Angeles area.
Because of the new 5v5 mode, the next season of Vainglory Premier League will not kick off until June, with an extended preseason to allow teams to build out their rosters from 3v3 up to the 5v5 format. The regular season will also see a new format, where there’s a double round-robin between teams in the league with midseason and postseason playoffs. The World Championship will still exist, with regional qualifiers for the championship, along with a relegation tournament for the Premier League. Relegation and promotion is one of the most fascinating aspects of sports leagues that American sports rarely use, so this should add an extra layer of intrigue to the season if a team has to play for its place in the league!
Along with all this news, SEMC announced a partnership with Razer to bring the game to the Razer Phone with its 120 Hz display. Arena of Valor was first to support the Razer Phone, with a showcase at the Razer Phone announcement, but now Vainglory joins the fray. Additionally, Vainglory will support the Razer Phone’s Project Linda laptop dock. The game already has keyboard and mouse controls on Android devices and Chromebooks, so this is just a natural but handy extension of all this.
Vainglory‘s 5v5 mode with all these changes hits the app on iOS and Android this Tuesday, February 13th.
