2XKO Alpha Lab 2 Introduces Ranked Lobbies, Two New Fuses, and More – European Players to Wait for Access

A new 2XKO update video has just dropped, detailing everything about the game’s second Alpha Lab test. This sneak peek includes two new fuses—Juggernaut and Sidekick—along with ranked lobbies, champion mastery, and other gameplay tweaks. The testing phase is set to run from April 18 to 20 and is available for players in Canada, the USA, and Brazil. For everyone else, hang tight; your time will come.

This test includes Jinx, who will be available to players for the first time, bringing the total to seven completed characters as we look forward to 2XKO’s official launch later this year. As Tom Cannon pointed out, the smaller scale of this test aims to prevent delays in the game’s release, but more tests are already on the horizon, so stay tuned.

Now, let’s dive into these updates. First, the new Fuses. Sidekick was officially revealed last month by Shaun Rivera, but now we have more details. This Fuse prevents your point and backup champions from switching places, but in return, your main champ gets a health and defense boost when health drops below 30%. It also grants access to Double Down, which allows chaining of supers, and immediate access to super assist and fury break at the beginning of rounds.

Sidekick adds a layer of interactivity by letting support players time their button presses to enemy attacks, reducing the damage taken. This feature keeps support players actively engaged even if they aren’t in the spotlight during matches.

Next is Juggernaut, offering a different tactical approach. This Fuse eliminates any interaction with the secondary character and focuses entirely on one champion, who—similar to Sidekick—receives a boost in health and defense when health is low, plus access to fury break at round start.

Juggernaut also introduces unique abilities like Eject, forcing opponents to tag in their secondary champion. It includes a special solo version of Double Down, enabling players to execute another super move right after the first, making it an excellent tool for learning just one character at a time. As someone who struggled with this during Alpha Lab 1, I’m eager to see how Juggernaut performs.

Fury Break is a new game mechanic available with both fuses and replaces the Fury Fuse, which is now obsolete. Players can trigger Fury Break when one of their champions is knocked out. It grants a 25% boost to both damage and damage reduction and has added effects depending on its usage, such as reducing the buff duration when used to dash-cancel attacks.

The Pulse Combo Fuse is gone, too, but fear not—its functionality is now an optional setting chosen during champion selection. This feature simplifies doing auto combos by just pressing light, medium, or heavy buttons, making life easier for newcomers without locking them out of other fuses.

So, what’s the deal with Ranked Lobbies? They now include a ranking system similar to League of Legends, ranging from Aspirant to Challenger. This aims to match players with equal skill levels and avoids the past Alpha Lab’s issues of mixing novices with arcade veterans, providing fairer match-ups.

Aside from these highlights, other changes include Push Assist, the swap from Last Stand to super assists, and even the ability to assist when a champion is already knocked out. Limit strike combo enders are now part of combos, offering bonuses like extra damage or meter gain. More tweaks await in the developer’s update post.

But wait, there’s more! The control scheme has been streamlined, visual clarity has improved, and lobbies—both public and private—have been polished. Plus, new cosmetics are coming in the form of a fresh battle pass and an in-game store, offering players a chance to spend their virtual currency on cool cosmetics and finishers, including Pool Party skins for Ahri, Darius, and Jinx.

Lastly, don’t miss out on Mastery rewards. Completing missions with champions unlocks cosmetics for your favorite fighters, featuring avatar clothing, taunts, stickers, mastery reward chroma, and more. So gear up and start earning those rewards.

Although 2XKO is available only to players in North and South America right now, it’s great to see it back in the hands of players. We’re eager to hear how testers respond to these latest changes. Personally, I’m most curious about the new Fuses and whether they help retain players who have little experience with fighting games.

What are your thoughts on this update? Ready to jump in next month? Share your excitement in the comments below!