Starcraft 2 news » Season 5 Lock Coming Soon

Season 5 is drawing to a close, and that means that all ladders will be locked soon.

Season 5 Lock

What does this mean for you? During the Season 5 lock, you can no longer be promoted or demoted out of your current league or division, and your bonus pool will stop growing. Once locked to a league and division, you'll still be able to play out your remaining bonus pool and compete for standing within your division until the end of the season, so it's a great time to enjoy yourself and maybe even push for a better milestone. If you're pursuing a league promotion, then you still have a little time left! The Season 5 lock will go into effect on Wednesday, 15 February.

Please note that the hidden ratings used to determine promotions and demotions will continue to update during the Season 5 lock and be used for matchmaking purposes. This means that if you play significantly better or worse than your assigned league at the time of the lock, your league may change when Season 6 begins and you play your first placement match. If you go on a winning streak during the lock, for example, you may end up promoted next season. On the other hand, if you happen to lose a lot more than usual, then you could end up demoted. The bottom line is that your games during the lock still count!

Season 6 Start Date

The Season 5 lock also means that Season 6 is right around the corner. During the week of 20 February, Season 5 will end and Season 6 will begin. Season milestone rewards will be locked in at this time, and bonus pools will reset. Hidden skill ratings used for matchmaking and league placement will carry over from the previous season, so if you've completed placement matches in a previous season you will only need to play one new placement match after Season 6 starts.