After over a decade, Riot Games' publishing partnership with Garena is coming to a close. As such, Riot Games will begin self-publishing League of Legends (LoL) and Teamfight Tactics (TFT) across Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, in January 2023.
According to Riot, LoL players in Garena regions can start to migrate their account data over to Riot servers from November 18, 2022, until August 31, 2023. Failure to do so will result in account deletion. Early migrations will also allow players to participate in a host of welcome rewards and events.
With that, here's all you need to know about LoL Garena to Riot account migration. You can see all the answers to the most frequently asked questions.
When will I be able to link my LoL Garena account to Riot Games?
Account linking will be available on November 18, 2022, at 10 AM (Philippine Time). Garena LoL players have until August 31, 2023, to migrate their accounts to Riot Games.
If I don't transition my account before December 31, 2022, what happens?
In the event that account data is not fully migrated, compensation will, unfortunately, be unavailable for the loss of account data.
How do I transfer over my Garena LoL/TFT information to Riot LoL/TFT?
Players can link their Garena account information to their new or existing Riot IDs. You can follow the tutorial on the Account Migration Microsite (https://accountmigration.leagueoflegends.com). For more details, you can also read the following:
What if I forgot or lost my email address and mobile number linked to my Garena account?
According to Garena, the migration only includes the game data of League of Legends, meaning your Garena username and password are the only credentials required when linking your account to Riot Games. Your personal data (including email and phone number linked to your Garena account) will not be migrated.
What if my LoL Garena Account is permanently banned? Can I get it back through the account linking process?
A permanently banned LoL Garena account is not eligible for migration. And since the account was banned on Garena's side, you'll need to resolve any issues through Garena first.
What are the activities under the Welcome Event?
Riot has planned a whole series of events to welcome Garena SEA players on January 13, 2023. Access up to USD 150 worth of content in the first month of the new server launch.
- Welcome Missions: To celebrate the occasion, Riot will have welcome missions where completion will unlock champions as well as score you tokens to exchange for rewards.
- Treasure Tokens: Redeem Ultimate skin permanents, random Legendary skin permanents or rare Little Legends eggs with Treasure Tokens.
- Unlock Champions: In honor of LoL's original launch, players will receive all previously released champions from 2009 till 2021 for free, which is 157 champions in total, excluding 2022-released champions like Zeri, Renata Glasc, Nilah, Bel'Veth, and K'Sante.
Also read:
When will Riot's LoL/TFT server launch?
The current plan is to launch the new servers on January 6, 2023.
Can I still play Garena LoL/TFT after I link my account?
You can continue to play LoL via the Garena client until early January 2023.
How can I play Riot LoL/TFT moving forward? What do I need to do?
LoL will be available through the Riot client, a single sign-on platform where all existing Riot games are housed. To download the multi-game client, you can go to https://www.riotgames.com.
I am based in Southeast Asia (SEA) but currently play on Riot servers outside of the region (North America, Europe, Japan etc.). Can I transfer my account to the SEA server?
Yes, players based in Southeast Asia, but playing on accounts outside of the region, will be able to transfer their LoL Riot accounts to the SEA server. However, this is a one-way transfer only. Accounts from other regions can be transferred to SEA but cannot be transferred out once completed.
See also:
I have both a Garena LoL account and a Riot LoL account, and I want to play in SEA. What do I do?
Riot recommends that you keep both accounts separate. If you still decide to transfer your Riot LoL account and link it to your Garena LoL account, know that most of your Riot Account progression and identity will be irreversibly overwritten with your Garena LoL account data.
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What does a transition mean for my account ranks and purchase history?
Riot Games intends to help Garena LoL players retain key account content, such as emotes, skins, champions and in-game currency, through the migration process. Some of these items include but are not limited to:
Cosmetic Content: All cosmetic content will be transferred. If you already have a certain skin on both accounts, Riot will provide you with a loot reward equivalent to the value of your cosmetic content. You'll keep your skins plus something extra.
Loot Inventory: All loot items and essence balances will be transferred and added to any existing loot inventory if you already have a Riot account.
RP: All RP purchases will be added to the Riot account. If you have already made RP purchases on your Riot account, your final RP balance will reflect both your Garena and Riot RP purchases.
Champion Mastery, Eternals, Level: Your personal champions' specific stats will carry over in the transfer.
Summoner Name: Your summoner name or in-game name will be retained if you have played at least one game in 2021 or 2022.
Friends List: Riot will be transferring your Friends List to your Riot account. Note that if your friends have not transferred their accounts, your list may not appear complete at the beginning. Your Friends List will be complete once all your friends have claimed their accounts.
Will I lose my Garena LoL account amidst this transition?
Once the transition period concludes, Garena LoL accounts will no longer be active. However, players can migrate from their Garena account information to their new or existing Riot Games IDs by following the account migration tutorial available on the Account Migration Microsite (https://accountmigration.leagueoflegends.com).
Can I convert my unused Garena Shells to Riot Points?
Short answer: No. Long answer: This transition brings about new game servers and monetization methods to ensure that players receive an authentic Riot-published gaming experience. To that effect, Garena Shells will not be eligible for conversion to Riot Points (RP) but can still be used on other Garena games. As such, players who wish to spend their Garena shells on League or TFT should do so prior to the transition.
Who do I go to with my player support questions?
Southeast Asian LoL and TFT players can now contact Riot Player Support directly through the in-game player support function. Player Support teams can also be reached via Riot Games Player Support (https://support.riotgames.com/hc/en-us).
In what ways will the Riot Games LoL/TFT experience differ from Garena's?
Riot's goal is to provide LoL and TFT players in Southeast Asia with the same in-game experience as other Riot regions. The game company also aims to provide the meaningful engagement players have come to expect from Riot both online and offline through in-game campaigns, ease of accessibility to cross-franchise events, and out-of-game experiences, including community activities and regional Riot-operated LoL and TFT esports.
What benefits do Garena LoL players stand to gain from migrating all accounts under one Riot ID?
Garena LoL players can look forward to a suite of exciting events and rewards, access to regional Riot publishing services, including Localization, Billing, and Player Support, as well as local marketing activations and partnerships. In the long term, players can expect to enjoy deeper content integration within the Riot ecosystem, with in-game campaigns and cross-franchise campaigns to enjoy. Riot's goal is to provide Southeast Asian players with the best player experience, with the same in-game events and content as other Riot regions.
Will Riot Games be compensating players for loss of purchase history?
It is Riot's goal to maintain the smoothest in-game experience for players through this transition, and this includes carrying over purchases through the migration. However, in the unlikely event that player data is not migrated effectively, Riot's Player Support teams are on hand to troubleshoot and support affected players.
In the unlikely event that account data is not fully migrated, compensation will, unfortunately, be unavailable for the loss of account data. However, we acknowledge the impact this has on your progress and will have a host of return rewards in store for players in the new year.
Will Riot Games continue to use the same payment partners that Garena offered?
While there may be slight variations, Southeast Asian LoL and TFT players can utilize the same payment methods currently available for Riot Games titles like Valorant. See payment options for Valorant Points in the Philippines.
Are there any price changes with the transition?
As part of the transition, Riot will be reviewing regional pricing for League and TFT to ensure parity with that of other regions' services.
Will Riot Games take over LoL esports from Garena too?
Riot and Garena have been in partnership for LoL esports, and Riot has made headway by rolling out the Pacific Championship Series in 2020. As part of the transition, Riot will regain ownership and operations of this league, as well as of the Vietnamese Championship Series. Riot will also continue to operate TFT esports. More information about esports plans for both games will be shared at a later date.
Will Riot Games be working with local publishing partners in Vietnam and Taiwan?
Yes, Riot Games will work with Taiwan Mobile and VNGGames to publish LoL and TFT in Taiwan and Vietnam, respectively. Riot will be announcing their local plans in Vietnam and Taiwan at a later date.
When will Riot Games launch TFT Mobile in Southeast Asia?
Since LoL and TFT PC share the same client, Riot is focusing on introducing these two games to Riot's SEA ecosystem first. The company noted that TFT Mobile is next on their list.
Sources:
https://lol.garena.ph/news/articles/5876
https://www.riotgames.com/en/news/riot-games-self-publish-league-legends-teamfight-tactics-southeast-asia
https://accountmigration.leagueoflegends.com/
Note: This article was updated to reflect the latest info made available.
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