League of Legends is bringing one of the largest updates ever seen in Arena, adding new ways to play, new maps, and new Guests of Honor. The update focuses on variety and experimentation, with Riot pushing the mode further into chaotic gameplay while still keeping Arena’s core identity intact.
Riot has announced a major update for Arena coming with Pandemonium, S2 of 2026, and it comes with a wide set of gameplay changes. Much like the changes coming to Summoner’s Rift, the new Arena update aims to bring more variety in matches, more build options, and more ways for players to experience different types of fights every game — and it all starts with events.
Events change how Arena works
Events are limited-time rule changes that completely reshape how Arena matches play, and Pandemonium, League S2 of 2026, brings three of them. “3x6” expands lobbies into six teams of three players, while “Bravery” removes normal drafting and pushes players into random or preset champion pools. “Swift Arena” cuts the format down to four teams of two for faster matches and more repeated encounters.
Alongside these events, Arena will also receive a new Demacia-themed map while the Ancestral Woods map is updated to improve pacing and reduce overly tight control points. But that’s not all as the update also introduces Augment Levels, a new system that lets players upgrade their augments during a match instead of only picking new ones — and yes, there is more.
As well as that, over 20 new or reworked Guests of Honor join the pool, including disruptive effects like Nocturne’s darkness zones or Shaco’s chaos-driven augment randomization, changing how fights develop in real time. To top it all off, 30 new Augments are also being added, so buckle up Arena players.
If you want to read more details on all the Arena updates coming out soon read the following article:
This update marks the biggest evolution of Arena since it became a permanent mode in the client and as a nice cherry on top, Riot has also enabled Arena for custom games too.
As Arena continues to grow alongside other game modes — like ARAM Mayhem — Riot’s investment suggests a strong long-term support for it. And with this scale of changes, players are likely to see Arena stay one of the most popular, alternative ways to play League.
