2025 was awesome for League! They really went all out with themed seasons, new maps, and even added a ton of new stuff to do in-game. But now that this season is wrapping up, I’m already hyped to see what changes Riot has planned for League in 2026. It’s always exciting!
Following a Noxus focus last year, 2026 will highlight Demacia. Gameplay changes are coming, including fewer objectives on the map, better ways to split push, and a more distinct and impactful experience for each player role. We’re also improving ranked queues to make climbing the ladder more fun.
The new WASD control scheme will launch on December 3rd, 2025, in Patch 25.24, and will be available in all game modes except ranked queues. It was originally planned for a 2026 release.
The Removal Of Atakhan & Feats Of Strength
This Should Alleviate Objective Fatigue
The Atakhan and Feats of Strength objectives were added for the 2025 season but won’t be available in 2026. Players found there were simply too many objectives on Summoner’s Rift, leading to fatigue and a feeling of being overwhelmed.
Removing these elements will delay when Baron appears to 20 minutes into the game. Getting the first player kill and destroying the first tower will now each reward 100 and 300 gold, respectively. The game will also start a bit faster, as minions and monsters will spawn 35 seconds earlier. With fewer neutral objectives to fight over, it should be easier to focus on pushing individual lanes, particularly with the other changes coming soon.
Split Pushing Improvements
Permanent Turret Plates Everywhere, Crystaline Overgrowth, & Improved Homeguards
In 2026, players who focus on split pushing – applying pressure to side lanes – should find it easier to succeed. A new mechanic called Crystalline Overgrowth will function much like the updated Demolish ability, which now passively reduces tower health with every third hit. Crystalline Overgrowth builds up damage on towers over time, so when a split pusher reaches a turret, they can quickly deal a large amount of damage, effectively rewarding their strategy and effort.
We’ve made changes to how split pushing works. Now, the teleport ability, Homeguard, will last until you reach your outer tower, or later in the game, until you reach the furthest allied minion wave. We’ve also removed the 14-minute timer for turret plates, and added them to inner and inhibitor turrets. This means you’ll be rewarded for even quick split pushing, without needing to destroy a full tower. Finally, minion waves will behave differently in the late game, also impacting split pushing strategies.
Quests For Top, Mid, & Bot
These Will Grant Unique Role Rewards, Similar To What Junglers & Supports Have
Currently, Junglers and Supports in League of Legends have specific goals and rewards linked to the items they start with. In 2026, these goals will be expanded to include all roles. This change aims to give Top Laners and Bot Laners more control over the game’s outcome, as they sometimes have difficulty making a difference, even when they’re winning.
As a player, I’m excited to hear that we can just play the game as usual to complete these quests! Basically, everything we do in lane – getting last hits on minions, taking down champions, destroying plates and turrets, and securing big objectives – will all count towards finishing them. And here’s what we’ll get as rewards:
- Top Lane: A free or enhanced version of Teleport, bonus xp, increased xp gains & a new level cap of 20.
- Jungle: Increased xp and gold gains from epic monsters & movement speed in the jungle.
- Mid Lane: Tier 3 boot upgrades (similar to Feats) & a 4-second recall, with a cooldown.
- Bot Lane: Bonus gold, increased gold gains, & seventh item slot for boots.
- Support: Discounted Control Wards with a slot for them & increased passive gold income.
New & Returning Items
Hextech Gunblade & Stormrazor Are Back Alongside 9 New Items
Each year brings new and returning items to the game, and 2026 will continue that trend. We’re excited to announce the return of two popular items: the Hextech Gunblade, which boosts both attack damage and ability power, and Stormrazor, offering attack damage, critical strike chance, attack speed, and a burst of energized damage and movement speed.
The nine new items are still being finalized and will likely be adjusted before they launch, but they’re mostly designed to help specific types of champions succeed. For instance, enchanters who run out of mana will get a new Tear item, ADCs who focus on staying at a distance will benefit from an item that rewards that playstyle, and AP fighters like Diana and Gwen will have a new Sheen item to build.
Vision Changes
Faelights Are Premier Warding Spots That Grant Bonus Vision
While not the flashiest part of the game, having good vision control is really important. Traditionally, Supports have been responsible for warding, but the new Faelights should make it easier for everyone – especially new players – to learn where to place them effectively.
Placing a ward in a specific, marked location will give you extra vision range. You’ll also find yellow Trinket wards available more frequently, and special Scryer’s Blooms can be used to help detect enemy wards.
Ranked Improvements
Autofill Rewards, Harsher Dodging Penalties, & Faster Lobbies
Starting in 2026, League of Legends ranked games will feature a new system called the Aegis of Valor designed to improve the experience for players who are assigned roles they don’t typically play (autofill). The Aegis will either prevent them from losing ranked points (LP) for losses, or give them double LP for wins, as long as they perform at a C level or better. Players who choose less popular roles like Support will also receive the Aegis as a reward. The game will also try to match autofilled players against other autofilled players in the same role more often.
Avoiding an automatic game fill will now allow the game to continue instead of resetting. At the Master rank and higher, leaving a game in the lobby will count as a loss, which should encourage more players to start the match. The champion selection process will be faster too, with reduced animations saving about 30 seconds – meaning less time for players to abandon the game. Finally, duo queue is now available again for high-ranked players.
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2025-12-02 19:41