2013 Ladder Season 5 is drawing to a close, and all ladders will be locked soon as we approach the first season of 2014 ladder play.

Here’s what this means for you:

• During the 2013 Season 6 lock, you can’t be promoted or demoted from your current league or division, and your bonus pool stops growing.
• Though you’ll be 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.
• If you're pursuing a league promotion, then you still have a chance to get there. The 2013 Season 6 lock will go into effect on Thursday, December 26 at 01:01 CET for the European region of Battle.net.

The hidden ratings used to determine promotions and demotions will continue to be used for matchmaking purposes, and will continue to update during the 2013 Season 5 lock. So if you play significantly better or worse than your assigned league at the time of the lock, you may find yourself in a different league when 2013 Season 6 begins (after you play your first placement match). Your games during the lock still count.

The first season of 2014 ladder competition will begin at 01:01 CET on Thursday, January 2. Season milestone rewards will be locked in at this time, and bonus pools will reset. The game will continue doing matchmaking and league placement using results from the previous season.

To learn more about this year’s ladder season and related subjects, check out our recent Multiplayer Ladder Situation Report as well as our League, Ladders, and Seasons FAQ.