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First League of Legends Dev Update of 2026: Shyvana Rework, Demacia Rising, and New Skins
As we finally enter Demacia for 2026, Riot Games has dropped the first Dev Update of the year introducing what League of Legends has in store for us.
For starters, Summoner's Rift is now Demacia themed along with a new Battle Pass with Demacia-themed rewards coming to the game tomorrow. The Dev Update also introduces Shyvana rework, new metagame Demacia Rising, returning ARAM Mayhem, new skins and more. Let’s recap everything that was talked about in the first dev update of the year.
Enter Demacia - Theme and Gameplay Changes
The most immediate change with the year is the theme change. As we officially enter Demacia, Summoner's Rift will be themed accordingly along with easter eggs. This also means a new metagame - Demacia Rising.
New season also means a plethora of new changes, which we have covered in previous articles. These detail the multiple changes coming to the game, objectives changes, quests and quest rewards. These can be found below:
- League of Legends 2026 Changes: New Role Quests, Demacia Theme, New Items
- New League of Legends Role Quests: Rewards for Every Role
- LoL Patch 26.01: Rundown of the Biggest Changes in Season 16
The devs also teased the much awaited Shyvana Rework.
Shyvana Rework
The Shyvana rework will hit the game with Act 2 of the 2026 season. This includes changes to visuals, kit details, and playstyle.
The rework will focus on connecting Shyvana’s two forms better throughout the kit. The fury aspect of her kit will work how it used to, but her ultimate is tweaked, transforming her into an actual dragon.
The rework preserves her ability to be played as a bruiser or mage, however the mage build will become a primary choice for her. The full reveal of the kit will come closer to the second act.
New Metagame - Demacia Rising
The latest metagame, Demacia Rising, will be a turn-based strategy game where you take Demacia from a settlement to a beautiful shining nation. In the game, you will experience Demacia through the eyes of young Lux as she receives lessons in History, Politics and Military Strategy from her grandmother.
Riot Games has ensured players don’t have to play the game for 15-30 minutes, instead they can play as little as they want or play as much to gain bonus rewards and XP.
ARAM Mayhem Is Here to Stay
The community has taken ARAM Mayhem by storm and it is here to stay. The mode will receive a major update with Patch 26.3. The patch notes for the same will be unveiled closer to the release.
New Skins and Battle Pass
New season also means new skins and Battle Pass. As discussed in the previous Dev Update, the new season will feature both Demacian and non-demacian skins, this includes previously used themes and completely new ones.
Some of the skins coming this season are:
- Prestige Mother Morgana
- Prestige Sona and Mordekeiser (later in the act)
- Mythic Aurelian Sol and Master Yi
- Revenant Reign Viego (Exalted Skin)
- Battle Academia Briar and Samira
- Mecha Anime-Inspired Aegis Frame Galio and Ornn
- Returning Fire Cracker skins for Lunar Year celebration
- Wild Rift Collab Pedals of Spring Yasuo and Lillia
- April Fools skins
- Demacia dark-themed Rogue Warrior skins
The Act will also feature a new Battle Pass with Demacia and non-demacia themed skins.
The Season 2026 Act 1 Battle Pass rewards can be found [here].
Esports Changes Coming to 2026
The Dev Update also introduces First Selection, a tweak to the pick/ban phase to the game for pro play. While not as consequential as Fearless Draft, this will definitely increase strategic depth.
We have covered what the season has in store for us in a different article which you can read [here].
You can watch the For Demacia Dev Update or read Riot’s TL:DW here.
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Featured image credit: Riot Games
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