LoL ranked system in 2026: Aegis of Valor, autofill, and more

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Starting in 2026, the way you climb the ranks in League of Legends will be updated. Expect quicker games and a new system called the Aegis of Valor, bringing a lot of exciting changes to the ranked experience.

Okay, so ranked in League can be a real grind, right? But good news – Riot’s planning some big changes for 2026! They’re overhauling the ranked system and adding new tools to hopefully make climbing the ladder a lot smoother for all of us. Let’s check out what they’re doing.

Autofill

In League of Legends, some positions in the game are more frequently chosen than others. This is especially true in certain areas, leading to many players being automatically assigned to less popular roles. Plus, finding a match can take a really long time, with queues often being incredibly lengthy. Nobody enjoys waiting 20 minutes just to start a game!

Riot Games understands it’s annoying when you’re randomly assigned a lane you don’t want, so they’re working to improve the autofill system for ranked games starting in 2026. Their first approach is to match autofilled players against each other – like putting one autofilled top laner against another. If that isn’t possible, the game will aim to have an equal number of autofilled players on both teams. In situations where perfect balance can’t be achieved, the team receiving autofill players might have slightly higher average skill ratings (MMR).

Riot Games wants to improve the game for players who were initially hesitant to try different roles. They have more plans in the works to help you enjoy playing and stay motivated, beyond just that.

Aegis of Valor

In 2026, League of Legends will introduce a new system called Aegis of Valor to recognize and reward players who autofill. When Aegis of Valor is active – you’ll see a notification when you enter a game – it will protect or give you benefits for playing a role you didn’t originally choose.

If you usually play using priority queues, you’ll get Aegis rewards at about the same rate as players who are automatically matched into games. As you can see in the Aegis of Valor screenshots, you might even earn rewards for performing well (getting a C grade or higher) while playing your priority role. This means you could either avoid losing League Points (LP), or even earn twice as many LP for your efforts.

Dodging

We strongly discourage players who intentionally leave games. Riot Games will now penalize this behavior by making the autofill role carry over to your next match. Repeatedly dodging will no longer reset your autofill status, meaning you’ll continue to receive random role assignments.

Players at the Master rank or above will face stricter penalties for dodging matches. Dodging will now be treated as a complete loss, your autofill status will follow you to the next game, and you’ll also receive a cooldown before you can queue up again. These changes are intended to shorten wait times and create a more reliable champion selection process.

Faster time to game

Riot Games is working to make getting into matches faster and smoother. Recent updates, currently being tested in some areas, aim to reduce wait times in queues and shorten the champion selection and preparation phase. They’re also removing the ability to ban champions that your teammates are considering, as this was a common reason players would abandon the lobby to avoid having their preferred champions banned.

Riot Games understands that these changes might attract some disruptive players, like someone intentionally playing Yuumi in the jungle. However, they don’t expect this to happen often. To help players get into matches faster, they’re reducing the time spent in Champion Select by about 30 seconds. These updates will be included in the League of Legends patch 26.01, which will be released worldwide.

Ranked skill distribution

A player at the Bronze level in 2015 wasn’t as skilled as a Bronze player starting in 2025. Player skill has generally improved since League of Legends launched in 2009. This is because players now have easier access to helpful guides, coaching, and online resources, and they benefit from a more connected community, all of which help them improve their gameplay.

Next year, the ranking system will be adjusted to more accurately reflect players’ skill levels, especially at lower ranks. Riot Games is also adding a feature called the Climb Indicator. This will show you when a player’s displayed rank doesn’t match their actual skill, like seeing a Silver-ranked player in a Platinum match who is still climbing the ranks.

Other updates

The popular Victorious skins will receive updates in 2026, though Riot hasn’t revealed details yet. They’re also improving the matchmaking system, so players will be matched with opponents of similar skill levels – meaning a Gold player won’t face a Master-level player. This change aims to make your Flex and Solo/Duo rankings more consistent with each other.

Great news! Riot is bringing back duos in Solo/Duo ranked play for all ranks. Most regions will see this change by 2026, even for Challenger players. We’re really looking forward to the new season and encourage you to continue sharing your feedback and experiences with the game.

That’s all for now. Stick around for more League of Legends news, guides, and updates.

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2025-12-01 19:15