A major update for 2XKO just dropped, detailing all the exciting content from the game’s second Alpha Lab test. The video highlights a couple of new fuses, Juggernaut and Sidekick, ranked lobbies, champion mastery, and several gameplay tweaks. This test will run from April 18 to 20, exclusively for gamers in Canada, the USA, and Brazil. Sadly, if you’re elsewhere, you’ll have to wait a bit longer for your turn.
This Alpha Lab test has an exciting addition—Jinx will be available for public play for the first time, making a total of seven fully playable characters as we get closer to the game’s slated release later this year. According to Tom Cannon, keeping the test limited helps avoid delays, but rest assured, more tests are on the horizon.
Let’s dive into what’s new, starting with the Fuses. Sidekick, officially revealed by Shaun Rivera last month, now comes with additional details. This fuse keeps your primary and backup champions from swapping, while giving a health and defense boost to your point champ when they’re under 30% HP. Plus, Sidekick grants access to Double Down—enabling super chains—and lets you start rounds with super assist and fury break.
It also introduces a unique mechanic for the support champion player: timing button presses with enemy attacks to reduce incoming damage, which sounds like a neat way to keep support players engaged without being the main show.
On the flip side is Juggernaut, a fuse that eliminates your ability to interact with a secondary character, focusing your energy on one champion. This too offers health and defense boosts below the 30% HP mark and allows for fury break from the get-go. But Juggernaut offers some unique perks, like Eject, which forces foes to tag in their backup champs, and a solo version of Double Down for consecutive super moves. It’s perfect for training with a single character, which I find intriguing, especially since juggling two was a challenge for me during Alpha Lab 1.
Coming as a game-wide feature now is Fury Break, replacing the former Fury Fuse. Regardless of your selected fuse, you can activate Fury Break when a champion is knocked out. This yields a 25% boost in damage and damage reduction and varies depending on its use. Using it to cancel a dash during normal or special attacks shortens the buff by five seconds.
Also revamped are Pulse Combos, replaced by a toggle option during champion select that lets you perform auto combos with light, medium, or heavy buttons—enabling newcomers to pull off auto combos while exploring other fuses.
Now, onto Ranked Lobbies, which mirror the familiar League of Legends ranking system—from Aspirant to Challenger. This ensures players are matched with peers of equivalent skill, addressing previous issues of mixing veterans with new fighters. This should pave the way for more balanced match-ups, preventing seasoned arcade warriors from squaring off against rookies.
These gameplay updates are just part of what’s in store for Alpha Lab 2. Other tweaks include new mechanics like Push Assist, the removal of Last Stand for super assists, and combo enders with powerful bonuses such as extra damage or meter gain. For more specifics, check out the dev update post.
There’s more! Simplified controls, enhanced visual clarity, and improved public/private lobbies are now available. Plus, new cosmetics are on the horizon—complete with a fresh battle pass and an in-game store to spend your earned currency on various cosmetics, including Pool Party skins for Ahri, Darius, and Jinx.
Not forgetting, there are also Mastery rewards. Finish missions with champions to unlock cosmetics like Avatar clothing, taunts, stickers, and a mastery reward chroma. Time to start earning those cosmetics, gamers!
Seeing 2XKO back among players is thrilling, even if those of us outside the Americas might feel a tad envious. It’ll be fascinating to watch feedback roll in, especially regarding the new gameplay changes. I’m particularly intrigued by the Fuses, each designed to help integrate players in notably different ways. It’ll be interesting to see if these changes keep more newbie players engaged post-Alpha Lab.
What are your thoughts on this update? Are you eager to dive in next month? Share your excitement with us below!
