All changes coming to Arena in League of Legends 2026 Season 2

With the arrival of Season 2 of League of Legends in 2026, several changes are set to affect one of the game’s most popular modes in recent months. Arena, where players traditionally compete in teams of two, will undergo a series of adjustments and new additions for the upcoming season.

Among the most significant changes, three new Arena modes featuring distinct mechanics will be introduced, replacing the classic format. New augments and guest champions are also expected to be added. Sheep Esports provides a recap of all the upcoming changes.

Initially, no event will be introduced during the first patch of the 2026 second season to give players time to familiarize themselves with the new augments, the guest champions, and all the new features offered by Arena.

The first event to take place will then be 3x6. As its name suggests, Arena will, for the first time, be played in teams of three across six teams, bringing greater variety to team compositions and allowing a wider range of champions to be played within the mode.

The second mode will be called Bravery. This mode will be centered around randomness and the possibility of selecting champions at random. During champion select, players will be able to click a “random champion” button to determine their character. With this option, the developers aim to encourage players to overcome the challenges Arena presents through their adaptability and their ability to flex across a wide range of champions.

The final mode will be titled Swift Arena. This will be a shorter version of the traditional Arena format, featuring four teams of two who will face each other more frequently. The objective is to provide a condensed experience for players seeking the full essence of Arena without committing to the longer duration of the standard mode.

Among the new additions introduced in the updated version of Arena is a new map that will join the rotation: Petricite Grove. The map is located on the outskirts of Demacia and features mining bombs used to extract petricite, scattered across the battlefield. These explosives will be interactable by players and can be thrown at opponents to deal damage.

In addition, the Ancestral Woods map is also set to receive several adjustments. Previously characterized by its relatively small size, the developers have decided to introduce multiple Power Flowers around the edges of the map, along with a Bulwark Blossom positioned at the center, in order to add a greater strategic dimension to matches. A series of brush areas and terrain elements have also been added with the same objective in mind, allowing players, for instance, to briefly stall engagements before having the opportunity to revive their teammate.

Changes will also be introduced to augments in the upcoming season. From now on, players will be able to level up augments they have already selected. Once upgraded, these augments will gain additional effects. This will be the case, for instance, with Fan the Hammer, which will fire more missiles each time it is triggered during a round.

Although players will still be limited to a total of four augments, they will be offered more frequently. This will give players the choice either to upgrade an existing augment, select a new one, or—another new feature—to replace an augment once the maximum number of slots has been reached.

In addition, a Crafting Round will be introduced during the eighth round, allowing players to gain an additional augment slot or remove an augment to upgrade one of their remaining augments.

In addition to these changes, 30 new augments are expected to appear in the game mode this season. Some were already present in the ARAM Mayhem mode, and others were made especially for the mode. Riot Games has not revealed them, but has already showcased a few that you can see below.

When selected, fill your remaining augment slots with Silver augments. Taking this in the first round is great for taking advantage of the new augment leveling system by getting a head start with a bunch of augments and then leveling them while others are still hunting for their builds.

Autocast fling a fireball at a nearby that will bounce between enemy champions, as this is leveled the number of bounces will increase, and at max level it can bounce endlessly. Functioning as both a burn and auto cast, Wild Fire bridges the gap between the two, opening the door for builds and augments that amplify either or both.

For those looking to show off their trophies, Scavenger is for you. Each time you defeat an opponent you’ll gain one of their augments, but this comes at the cost of augment offerings only offering augment level ups.

Each combat has a falling star. Catching this star knocks back enemies as they dance during your magical transformation, afterwards you’re empowered and stars rain down on your opponents. While this season has plenty of demons thematically, we don’t want to miss out on the fun that can come with just letting your hair down and going all out.

Another essential feature of Arena is the Guests of Honor present across the various maps, with whom players can interact to potentially shift the outcome of a match. No fewer than 20 new champions are expected to join the mode during the second season of 2026 in League of Legends, including demons, demon hunters, and champions originating from Demacia.

Riot Games has specified that the previous Guests of Honor will be temporarily disabled to make room for these new additions, although they are expected to return in the near future. In the meantime, here is a sample of the new characters introduced for the game mode.

Divine Ascent: Gain a shield that prevents your team from losing health on your next loss. When this shield breaks, gain a reward based on how long your shield lasted.

A Harmless Scarecrow: Augments are offered with attached blessings and curses.

Inner Demon: Vote for your team to ally with Demons or Demon Hunters.

The Forge God: Unlock the rotating prismatic item shop.

Darkness: Creates zones of darkness, enemies outside of the darkness can't see you.