News

BEACON Split 1 2023 will see a brand new Tournament Structure, with Teams competing for promotion to the VALORANT Challengers Northern Europe: Polaris 2024

  • BEACON Split 1 2023 will kick off with EPIC38 on February 25, concluding with the BEACON Split 1 2023 Circuit Finals on the May 22
  • Tournaments will be categorised in a new way for 2023, with teams competing in Minors, LAN Events, and Majors, granting an increasing amount of circuit points respectively
  • The Division 1 Circuit Finals will grant two teams the opportunity to qualify for VALORANT Challengers Northern Europe: Polaris in 2024

London, 18 January – VALORANT Regional Circuit: BEACON Split 1 2023, the Northern European VALORANT circuit focused entirely on the grassroots-level of play, is kicking off on February 25 with a LAN event at EPIC38. Following on from last year, budding VALORANT pros will be able to compete in a series of events and accrue circuit points, giving them a chance to qualify for the prestigious Polaris Regional League through the end-of-split Division 1 Circuit Finals taking place on May 22-26.

The BEACON Circuit has always prioritised getting as many eyes on up-and-coming VALORANT talent as possible, to help them on their journey towards professional play. In 2022, the BEACON Circuit saw just under 40,000 unique viewers consume nearly 24,000 hours of livestream content, giving aspiring VALORANT pros the opportunity to showcase their skills to a wider audience. The 2022 BEACON Split 1 Finals Weekend also made waves on social media in 2022 with 1.3 million impressions, 250 thousand engagements, and 361 thousand video views. 

This year the BEACON circuit, operated by license holders Promod Esports, will be separated into three new tiers of competition; Minors, LAN Events, and Majors with each awarding up to 100, 500, and 1000 circuit points respectively. These points will contribute towards a team’s qualification and seeding for the Division 1 Circuit Finals. A full list of the confirmed BEACON Tournament partners, including the tier of the tournament they are hosting within the circuit, can be found down below. 

Circuit events will start on February 25, and run until the BEACON Split 1 2023 Circuit Finals that take place from May 22. Teams will be able to compete in as many tournaments as they like within this time period, however, points earned from LAN-tier tournaments will not stack, and only the highest point finish across all BEACON Split 1 2023 LAN events will count towards the team’s total points. The 2023 Split 1 Division 1 Circuit Finals will once again feature eight teams that accumulated the most points throughout the split, as well as the two lowest-placed teams from the previous Challengers Northern Europe: Polaris Split. The top two teams from the Division 1 Circuit Finals will then lock in their place for Polaris in 2024.

Rob Black, Founder and CEO of Promod Esports, said, “We’re thrilled to be supporting grassroots VALORANT players through the BEACON Circuit in 2023. Offering future star players a clear and defined pathway to professional play has always been a key goal for us, and we are proud that we can continue to provide that with BEACON throughout the coming year.”

Broadcasted events throughout the split can be found on the local tournament organisers’ Twitch channels, so make sure you’re keeping an eye out for announcements on our social media so you can follow and tune in to all the action! For more information on the VALORANT Regional Circuit: BEACON Split 1 2023, check out the BEACON website and Discord.

Confirmed BEACON Tournament Partners:

More events may be added to the circuit, so keep an eye out for new partners and tournament editions as we move closer to the start of the Split. If you are interested in hosting an official BEACON event this Split, please apply via the official website.

Teams competing in the Beacon Split 2 will now be able to promote directly to the VALORANT Regional League Northern Europe: Polaris league

  • For the first time ever in Northern Europe, there will be a direct link between a VRC and a VRL, allowing up-and-coming VALORANT players competing in Beacon Split 2 to aim for promotion to the Polaris League
  • Beacon Split 2 will be separated into three distinct tournament circuits; the Majors, the Minors, and Community Events
  • Teams will be able to accumulate circuit points through competing in both Majors and Minors, with the top eight teams qualifying for the Division 1 Circuit Finals

VALORANT Regional Circuit (“VRC”): Beacon Split 2 is bringing sweeping changes to both the format and the circuit’s links to the VALORANT Regional League (“VRL”) Northern Europe: Polaris. For the first time, teams competing in the Beacon circuit will have the opportunity to qualify directly for the Polaris regional league through an end-of-split tournament called the Division 1 Circuit Finals.

VRC Beacon Split 2 will be separated into three distinct tournament levels; Majors, Minors, and Community Events, with each system awarding teams a set amount of circuit points that will contribute to a team’s qualification for the Division 1 Circuit Finals. A win at a Major event will award the first placed team 1000 circuit points, whilst a win at a Minor will award 350 points. Minor tournaments will also be held in specific countries within the region, providing fresh teams with a level playing ground to get involved in competitive VALORANT. Community Events will be run throughout the split with approved partners, if you are interested in hosting a community-run tournament within Beacon Split 2, please apply via the official website.

Circuit events will start from September 2022, and run until 4th December 2022. Teams will be able to compete in as many tournaments as they can within this time period, however, points earnt from LAN tournaments will not stack, and only the highest point finish across all Beacon Split 2 LAN events will count towards the team’s total points. The Division 1 Circuit Finals will feature eight teams that accumulated the most points throughout the split, as well as the two lowest placed teams from the previous VRL Polaris Split. The top two teams from the Division 1 Circuit Finals will then lock in their place for the forthcoming 2023 Polaris Split, due to start early next year.

Will Attwood, Competitive Experiences Manager at Riot Games, “We’re excited to be taking the next step with our VALORANT Regional Circuit in Northern Europe. Beacon Split 2 will not only provide more opportunities for budding VALORANT teams of different skill levels to compete but will also provide a clear grassroots path to pro for players and teams, with a now visible player journey through the ecosystem in Northern Europe”

Broadcasted events throughout the split can be found on the local tournament organisers’ twitch channels, so make sure you’re keeping an eye out for announcements on social media so you can follow and tune in to all the action! For more information on the VALORANT Regional Circuit: Beacon Split 2, check out the Beacon website and discord.

TEAMS.gg becomes official team-finder for VALORANT in Northern Europe

Bespoke squad-finder TEAMS.gg partners with VALORANT tournament/circuit organiser Promod Esports to support regional grassroots competitions Polaris and Beacon.

Bespoke free matchmaking service TEAMS.gg (https://teams.gg/) has announced a partnership with Promod Esports, tournament organiser for Riot Games’ VALORANT, which will see it support the VALORANT Regional League (VRL) Northern Europe Polaris and VALORANT Regional Circuit (VRC) Beacon as they unfold in 2022.

As a result, TEAMS.gg has been named the official team-finder for VALORANT in Northern Europe. As sponsor of the recent VRL Polaris finals and headline sponsor of this year’s ongoing VRC Beacon circuit, TEAMS.gg will provide a rare example of a partner that can actively assist aspiring participants keen to compete for the top spot in circuit events like EPIC.LAN and Dreamhack.

TEAMS.gg CEO James Duffield said: “This is the perfect partnership for us. We’re excited to support players who want to take part in the Beacon circuit, helping them build new teams and sticking with those who progress to VRL Polaris or any future VALORANT tournaments. This is personal for all of us here at TEAMS.gg – throughout our entire adult lives, we’ve been playing in tournaments like EPIC.LAN and Dreamhack. Now, we’re able to actively support those grassroots tournaments, which is a dream for us.”

Rob Black, CEO of Promod Esports, which runs the Polaris and Beacon circuits, said: “Being able to help the Northern European VALORANT scene flourish is something we are very proud of at Promod. This partnership with TEAMS is the next step to providing players with as much support as possible to begin their grassroots competitive journey with VALORANT, and we are really excited to have them on board as the official team-finder for Northern Europe.”

TEAMS.gg’s partnership with Promod Esports kicked off with the recent Polaris finals which took place on July 1 to 3, 2022. It will then extend to multiple events and tournaments taking place in the second half of 2022, in which players will be able to earn Beacon Points in a bid to qualify for the Beacon finals at the end of August.

Perfect for Beacon competitors

Beacon (https://beacon.mp/) is in its first year as the grassroots circuit for competitive VALORANT players taking their initial step on the ladder to esports immortality. As such, its participants stand to benefit the most from TEAMS.gg’s unique service designed to help VALORANT players find the perfect team-mates with complementary skills, and thereby progress as smoothly through the ranks as possible.

Polaris – also run by Promod Esports on behalf of Riot Games – constitutes the next rung above Beacon on the competitive VALORANT ladder, providing a route to the VALORANT Challengers circuit and ultimately the VALORANT Masters and Champions tournaments.

TEAMS.gg CEO James Duffield said: “A big part of competing in any of these tournaments, for most players, involves finding the perfect team-mates. Players need a group of people around them to be able to compete at any level, and they need to be able to do that with the same people on a regular basis, so that they can learn and progress with each other. That’s exactly what they will find when they sign up to TEAMS.gg.”

Credit to TEAMS.gg for press release

Beacon, a new VALORANT grassroots esports series, launches for players in Ireland, Nordics & UK

In association with Riot Games, Promod Esports will launch the VALORANT Regional Circuit, which hosts two splits of competition per year, before culminating in a self-operated Circuit Finals in August

London, UK – Promod Esports are launching Beacon, a competitive VALORANT circuit for the Northern European Region, in association with Riot Games. The regional circuit will bridge the gap between matchmaking, and the wider VALORANT esports ecosystem, creating brand new pathways for players in the UK, Ireland & Nordic Regions.

“We are delighted to be working with Promod Esports in launching Beacon, which will offer new and exciting opportunities for competitive VALORANT players in the community within Northern Europe. We look forward to welcoming new players to VALORANT esports!” – Will Attwood, Competitive Experience Manager, Northern Europe at Riot Games

Beacon will have two splits each year, each of which will comprise of numerous tournaments operated by third party organisers, where teams will earn points based on their performance. Points will be used to determine division and seeding for the Circuit Finals at the end of each split. Having multiple divisions for each Circuit Final creates opportunities for players of all abilities to have their Grand Finals moment, and a clear indication of how they shape up against the entire region.

As the licence holders of the Regional League for Northern Europe (Polaris), Promod are well positioned to expand the existing VALORANT Esports ecosystem to include Beacon, serving as a new entry point for competitive play across Ireland, Nordics & UK.

“The start of a player’s journey in esports begins with small communities competing with each other and this is still a vital part of esports. We’re proud to be working with Riot Games to create and manage that stepping stone for players in Northern Europe, while at the same time being able to work with fantastic communities and existing competitions to give players many possible routes to becoming the next superstar.” – Rob Black, CEO, Promod Esports

Promod are working with Riot Games, tournament organisers and VALORANT communities to host tournaments across the Northern European Region. During Split 1, VALORANT Community, The GooseHouse (11th & 12th June) and esports gaming platform, LeaguesGG (25th & 26th June) will host their own online tournaments, full details to be revealed in the coming weeks. 

Dreamhack Summer (18th – 20th June) and EPIC36 (8th – 10th July) will have LAN competition for attending players creating a combination of ways to accrue circuit points.

Beacon’s first Circuit Finals will take place between 19th – 20th August, consisting of three divisions of competitive play. Featuring a €10,000 prize pool distributed between all divisions of play, teams will compete in elimination brackets to crown division champions.
For more information on Beacon, eligible tournaments and circuit finals information, please visit the Polaris Twitter, Instagram & Facebook, or visit the official Beacon website beacon.mp.