The new season of League of Legends starts on January 8, 2026, ringing in the new year for the MOBA. Many changes will be made, and a controversial monster will be completely removed.
What will change in the new season of LoL? The complete patch notes for the new season have not yet been published, but Riot has already given a preview for the first season of 2026. Not only will the controversial monster Atakhan be leaving, but many other changes will also be introduced (leagueoflegends.com).
The trailer for the new season will be released on January 7, 2026, at 4:55 PM on the official YouTube channel of League of Legends.
You can navigate to the individual points in our directory.
The epic monster Atakhan will be removed
Atakhan was added in January 2025 for the first season. In the same month, some players criticized the buff from the epic monster that rewarded you if you died on purpose. Players in the League of Legends subreddit also complained about Atakhan, stating he was unnecessary and too much for the junglers.
Riot has taken the criticism to heart and is removing the short-lived monster with the new season. They cite the overwhelming number of objectives on the map as the reason. With Atakhan, the Blood Roses will also be removed.
The “Feat of Strength” will also be removed
The “Feat of Strength” were introduced to League of Legends in 2025, just like Atakhan. This mechanic will also be removed to reduce objectives on the map.
By completing certain tasks, such as the first three kills of champions or destroying the first turret, a team could finish the “Feats of Strength” challenge and unlock an upgrade for their shoes.
With this mechanic’s removal, there will be more gold available for the first kill in the game and for the first turret destroyed.
Quests for each role
The roles Jungle and Support already have a role-specific quest for important upgrades. With the new season of 2026, Toplane, Midlane, and Botlane will also have theirs, provided they complete their quest:
- The Toplaner receives increased experience, a new level cap, and a free teleport (like the summoner spell, but with a longer cooldown).
- The Midlane receives the shoe upgrade from the “Feats of Strength.” Additionally, they will be able to teleport back to base faster, albeit with a cooldown.
- The Botlaner receives a gold reward upon completing the quest and earns more gold for each minion or champion defeated. With all that gold, they can finally buy a seventh item to scale even stronger.
Although the Jungler and the Support already have a quest, they will also receive some minor updates:
- The Jungler gains increased movement speed in their territory, as well as more gold for slain monsters.
- As a Support, they receive additional passive gold income and a special item slot for Wards.
Faelights for more visibility
The Wards that provide you with more visibility in League of Legends to see early enemy rotations will receive a new mechanic. The Faelights are pre-determined locations that exist at the start of a round and grant the ward placed there increased sight range.
At later points in time, such as when the map changes due to in-game events, there will be additional Faelights. With this mechanic, Riot aims to simplify learning how to effectively enhance visibility on the map.
Pushing is easier and more rewarding
In League of Legends, lanes must be pushed to destroy towers and ultimately the Nexus to win the game. The new mechanic “Crystalline Growth” affects the towers and is consumed on hit, dealing additional damage.
The tower armor, which only applied to the first towers and was removed at minute 14, is now permanently active. Additionally, the inner towers and those before the inhibitors will also have tower armor. For each armor destroyed, you will receive gold and this is designed to reward aggressive pushing should the tower not be fully destroyed.
Nine new items and two old acquaintances
With the new season, new items will also be introduced to Summoner’s Rift. There will be a total of nine items and they are intended to provide each class (like Tank, Assassin, or Mage) with new opportunities. Additionally, the items “Hextech Gunblade” and “Stormrazor” will be brought back.
Riot states that they have closely examined which classes haven’t received enough support from previous items and will fill that gap with the new items.
Rounds now start faster
Previously, the first minions appeared at the 65-second mark of a round. With the new season, the little helpers will spawn as early as the 30-second mark. Jungle monsters will also have a faster spawn accordingly.
Riot assures that invading the enemy jungle is still possible, players just need to decide faster whether they want to take that risk.
Although the year 2026 is still in its infancy and the first season of League of Legends is just starting, there is already information about 2027. Riot plans to extensively overhaul their MOBA in the form of a graphics update, a new client, and an improved experience for new players: Riot announces one of the largest updates in the history of LoL, plans a comprehensive overhaul of the entire game
