The upcoming tag-team fighting game by Riot Games, 2XKO, is almost here. However, fans who have been enthusiastically following along with the development of the game have some concerns. Despite having endless characters that can be taken from the world of League of Legends and applied to 2XKO as playable fighters, fans seem to be less than happy with the roster. Furthermore, there’s very little time until launch, meaning a roster extension or new character arrivals are unlikely.
Fans Are Less Than Thrilled With 2XKO’s Roster Heading Into Launch
2XKO officially kicks off the year for Riot Games with an upcoming launch, set to take place on January 20, 2026. This leaves just over two weeks until players can dive into the game, but fans aren’t all that thrilled just yet. As a co-op Fighting game, 2XKO enters a very interesting space in the gaming world. It’s also launching following the rapid downfall of MultiVersus, which was a fighter following a very similar concept but with characters from different pop culture franchises.
However, Riot is very well-known for creating characters fans absolutely fall in love with, as seen in both the League of Legends and Valorant titles. They also have a pretty strong track record of projects involving characters from the world of Runeterra outside of LoL, considering the huge success of Arcane.
Despite having this potential to appeal to both fighting game enthusiasts and League of Legends fans, gaming enthusiasts seem hesitant about 2XKO. From the name itself to gameplay functions and everything in between, one glaring topic has been much more discussed than others – the state of the playable roster for launch.
2XKO Roster – All Playable Characters
The roster of playable 2XKO character and their Archetype is as follows:
- Ahri – Rushdown
- Blitzcrank – Grappler
- Braum – Bruiser
- Darius – Striker
- Ekko – Mixup
- Illaoi – Bruiser
- Jinx – Zoner
- Teemo – Trap
- Vi – Rushdown
- Warwick – Rushdown
- Yasuo – All-Rounder
What Are the Roster Problems, & Will 2XKO Fix Them Before Launch?
Taking a look at the roster, there has been just 11 characters revealed so far. One of the most significant complaints from the size of this roster is that as a 2v2 co-op fighter, players see a big chunk of the character pool in a single match. Additional comments suggest this is to do with balancing, which makes an even smaller handful of characters overpowered in comparison to the others. As a result, it tends to be the same four-or-so characters who pop up in each match, which can feel tiresome and boring to play.
In addition to this, there is a lack of diversity of characters on the roster based on their location. The world of Runeterra is massive, with many notable locations and over 170 playable character in League of Legends. However, the 2XKO roster largely features characters from mostly Zaun, with a couple others here and there from other locations.
From Zaun alone, players are able to choose from Vi, Jinx, Ekko, Warwick, and Blitzcrank. That’s five characters, which is pretty much half of the entire release roster. Considering these facts, players do have a fair point in their criticisms. It’s true that Zaun has become massively popular largely thanks to Arcane, but even so, it would be nice for fans to see a roster that involves a wider range of characters.
Of course, there is always a slim possibility that some surprise character reveals may be made in the days leading up to launch. A similar situation occurred before Marvel Rivals kicked off Season 0, with the devs revealing. On the other hand, while its unlikely, the game could also launch with an extended roster of characters people have not yet seen in-game. Until further notice, 2XKO players will just have to wait patiently with their fingers crossed.
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