Details on the upcoming Gifting Center

The new gifting center feature, which so far is only temporarily available during this holiday season, is coming in the next patch and there are a number of rules in place to protect it from being abused.

Whether the previous PBE post or the recent Snowdown Showdown announcement piqued your interest, continue reading for a rundown of the new Gifting feature, some of the rules that come with it, and information about the future of such a feature.

Here's the lowdown on the gifting system, straight from Hippalus himself:

"‘Tis the season for giving, so this Snowdown we wanted to offer you all the opportunity to spread some holiday cheer. In the coming patch you’ll be able to buy champions, skins, and RP as gifts for the significant summoners in your life. The gifting center will only be open for a limited time, so be sure to plan your holiday shopping accordingly.

Here’s how to give to a friend:

• Click on the Gifting Center in the store
• Choose the type of gift you’d like to purchase; you can give champions and skins with your RP, or buy RP to give to a friend
• Choose a friend
• Fill in your payment information if you’re gifting RP, or select the skin or champion you’d like to purchase for your friend; you’ll be notified if your friend is ineligible to receive the gift
• Add a touch of holiday cheer by filling in a personal message

Your friend will receive his present along with your Snowdown sentiments the next time he logs in.

This is the first time that we’ve offered gifting, so we’ve got a few rules in place to protect your account from any funny business or uncouth shenanigans. Here’s an overview:

• You need to purchase any skins, champions, or RP that you plan on giving away: we know that you might have some items in your inventory that you’re not using that frequently, but re-gifting is only classy when Amumu does it
• You can only give to summoners you’ve had on your friends list since early December: we apologize if you’re smitten with a new acquaintance, but for your own protection there’s no adding someone and then immediately showering them in gifts
• You must be at least level 20 to send a gift and level 10 to receive one: gifting is available for two weeks, so if you want to be a precocious gift-giver, level fast
• There are other restrictions on who can send gifts (no banned accounts) and how many gifts you can send or receive per day (generally 3/day): plan your gift-giving needs accordingly

Now that the fine print is out of the way, let’s get back to what’s really important: the spirit of giving. When the next patch lands, throw on your Santa hat and head over to the store to start your holiday shopping."

 On the future of the gifting center, Hippalus commented:

"If the holiday gifting feature is well received by players and does not become too tempting of a target for fraud and hackers, it will be brought back in early 2013, with improvements based on player feedback. Eventually we'd like it to be a permanent feature."