Demacian Theme of the Season
Season 1 of 2026 will feature the theme of the "golden age of Demacia ." The map will include gold and blue elements, a series of Demacian skins will be released, and the January cinematic will be dedicated to the legends of this kingdom.
Faster Match Start
In the new season, the game will begin noticeably more dynamically. Minions and the first jungle camps will spawn 35 seconds earlier to reduce waiting time and make early decisions more impactful. Invades will still be possible, but executing them will be more challenging due to the accelerated pace.
New Vision System with Faylites
Riot is updating the approach to map control by adding Faylites points, which enhance wards with unique vision zones. They will appear both at the start of the game and after the transformation of the elemental map. This will expand the role of solo lanes in providing vision and reduce the overload on supports.
Removal of Atahan and Strengthening of Epic Monsters
Atahan and the Blood Roses system are completely removed from the game — developers acknowledged that they caused fatigue from constant fights over objectives. Baron will return to spawning at the 20th minute, and dragons and other epics will become tougher to give the trailing team a chance to counterattack.
Return of Classic Rewards
With the removal of Feats of Strength, bonuses for First Blood and destroying the first tower are reintroduced into the game. Riot wants to restore the value of early successful actions without turning the match into a race for mandatory global objectives.
Crystalline Overgrowth and Siege Enhancement
Towers will receive a new mechanic — Crystalline Overgrowth. Crystals will accumulate over time and deal additional damage to structures upon hitting, opening more opportunities for pushing. Demolish will be simplified to a three-hit passive.
Plates on All Towers
Plates will now remain on outer towers permanently and will also appear on inner and inhibitor towers. This creates constant sources of gold for aggressive actions. The total amount of gold does not increase — it is distributed across the plates.
Increased Pressure Through Minions
In the late game, minions will start respawning faster, and the Homeguards effect will deliver champions directly to the most advanced wave. Nexus towers will now respawn with partially missing health, so the sieging team won't have to break them down from full HP again.
Role Quests — The Main Innovation of the Season
Each lane receives its own quest with unique rewards.
- Top laners unlock a free "Teleport" and gain bonus experience, including an increase in maximum level.
- Mid laners receive a free upgrade to tier-3 boots and accelerated return to base.
- ADCs become the main source of late-game damage — they receive a one-time gold bonus, income boost, and a separate boot slot to purchase six legendary items.
- Junglers have their early clear slightly weakened but receive a stronger Smite and increased income after completing the quest.
- Supports get an additional slot for control wards, discounts, and a bit of extra gold.
New Items and the Return of Classics
In Season 1 of 2026, League of Legends will feature nine new items, including the return of the legendary Hextech Gunblade. Players can also expect a major update to existing items:
Eternal Hunger
- 60 AD, 5% omnivamp, 20% tenacity
- +11 ability haste
- Upon killing a recently damaged enemy: +15% omnivamp for 8 seconds
Hexoptics C44
- 50 AD, 25% crit chance
- Up to +10% damage based on distance (max damage at 700 units)
- After killing an enemy: +100 attack range for 6 seconds
Fiendhunter Bolts
- 40% attack speed, 25% crit, 4% movement speed
- +30 ultimate haste
- After ultimate: 3 auto attacks gain +50% attack speed and weakened crit. If the attack already crits — adds 10% true damage
Bastionbreaker
- 55 AD, 22 lethality, 15 ability haste
- Abilities deal an additional 15 true damage to champions and epics
- After a kill: the next attack on a tower or epic deals 840 true damage over 3 seconds
Diadem of Songs
- 200 health, 1000 mana, 8% healing and shielding power, 100% mana regeneration
- Heals the nearest ally for 1% of your max mana every second if a shield/heal was recently used in combat
Bandlepipes
- 200 health, 15 ability haste, 20 armor, 20 magic resistance
- After slowing or controlling an enemy, an aura activates: +20 movement speed and +30% attack speed for allies
Hextech Gunblade
- 80 AP, 40 AD, 10% lifesteal, 10% spell vamp
- Active (60 seconds): deals magic damage and slows the enemy
Dusk & Dawn
- 300 health, 70 AP, 20 ability haste, 25% attack speed
- Spellblade: after using an ability, the next attack deals magic damage and applies on-hit effects twice
Protoplasm Harness
- 600 health, 15 ability haste
- When HP drops below 30%, Lifeline activates: +200 max health and restores 400 HP
- During restoration: +15% size, +10% movement speed, +25% tenacity
Season 1 of 2026 promises to be one of the most extensive updates in the history of League of Legends: from the revamped match pace and vision system to new siege mechanics, enhanced roles, and the return of iconic items. The Demacian theme will give the season a vibrant visual style, and the global changes to Summoner's Rift will make each position significant and self-sufficient.
