League of Legends Classic Guide - S3 Map, 60 Champions & How to Play

League of Legends Classic is Riot's official return to the game's early era: a permanent game mode built around the design, pacing and power level of Season 3, launched on July 29, 2026 alongside patch 26.15. It brings back the original Summoner's Rift, the old rune and mastery systems, a shop full of long-removed items — Deathfire Grasp, Heart of Gold, Philosopher's Stone and about 140 others — and a starting roster of 60 champions playing their old, pre-rework kits. No separate download, no new client: Classic lives inside the regular League of Legends client every active player already has.

This is not a limited-time event. Riot has stated the mode will get its own patches going forward, with a published roadmap of content waves adding more champions — so this hub and its four companion guides are built to be updated as the roster grows.

The League Classic key art — Zilean's clock is doing the heavy lifting, thematically. (Artwork: Riot Games / League of Legends, via the official League of Legends Wiki)

Quick Facts

What is League of Legends Classic?

Classic is a curated snapshot of old League rather than a literal restoration of one exact patch. The base is Season 3 (2013), but per the official League of Legends Wiki it incorporates "elements from both earlier and later versions," with late Season 2015 as the absolute cutoff for any feature. In practice that means the item shop mixes Season 1–2 relics (Force of Nature, Innervating Locket, Ionic Spark) with Season 3 staples (Spirit Stone jungle items, Sightstone, the old Trinity Force) and a few later additions like Bami's Cinder — while the champions play their Season 3-era kits.

Riot's stated intent for ongoing updates is telling: the mode "is expected to branch out from the modern version of the game, with patches expected at the same cadence," and all changes "are meant to preserve the original, slower-paced design philosophy of the game." Translation: Classic will evolve, but it is supposed to keep feeling like 2013 — slower combat, fewer dashes, more time to think between fights.

One deliberate omission you should know about before looking for stats anywhere: Riot withholds all match data for Classic, including winrates, explicitly to "preserve gameplay exploration and prevent aggressive metagaming." There is no op.gg-style number to look up — which shapes how our tier list works.

How to Play: Queues & Access

Classic is available directly in the League client's game mode selection — if you can play a normal game, you can play Classic. The available queues are Normal Draft, Co-op vs. AI, and custom games. There is no blind pick, and there is no ranked — the competitive itch is served by Summoner's Journey (below) rather than an LP grind.

The old summoner spell roster is back too, all 16: Barrier, Clairvoyance, Clarity, Cleanse, Exhaust, Flash, Fortify, Ghost, Heal, Ignite, Promote, Rally, Surge, Revive, Smite, and Teleport. If you never got to see a Fortify or Revive-Teleport play live, this is your chance.

The Season 3 Map & Old Systems

The mode runs on the original Summoner's Rift — the pre-2014 map, purple side and all, with the old Baron, the old dragon, and jungle camps in their classic spots. A couple of mechanical notes verified from the official wiki: jungle monsters scale with game time, updating their level dynamically, and Homeguard (the fountain speed boost) unlocks after 20 minutes.

The out-of-game systems are the old ones as well:

• Runes — the pre-2018 system: 9 Marks, 9 Seals, 9 Glyphs and 3 Quintessences per page, bought with Influence Points. Covered in detail in our builds guide.
• Masteries — the old three-tree system (Offense / Defense / Utility) with 30 points, enabling the classic 21/9/0-style splits.
• Influence Points — IP is back as the earned currency for runes and unlocks.
• The old item system — over 140 items including gold-generation items and long-deleted actives; the full tour is in the items guide.

Champion Roster: All 60 Launch Champions

The launch roster covers the game's earliest years — the original 40 champions plus 20 more early releases (the newest face is Lulu, released March 2012). Every champion uses their older, Season 3-era kit — so this list includes old Sion, old Taric, old Warwick, old Fiddlesticks and other kits that no longer exist in modern League. Our champions guide breaks down what's different.

Ahri, Alistar, Amumu, Anivia, Annie, Ashe, Blitzcrank, Brand, Cho'Gath, Corki, Dr. Mundo, Evelynn, Ezreal, Fiddlesticks, Gangplank, Garen, Gragas, Heimerdinger, Janna, Jarvan IV, Jax, Karthus, Kassadin, Katarina, Kayle, Kog'Maw, Lee Sin, Leona, Lulu, Lux, Malphite, Malzahar, Master Yi, Miss Fortune, Morgana, Nasus, Nidalee, Nunu, Olaf, Pantheon, Rammus, Ryze, Shaco, Sion, Singed, Sivir, Skarner, Sona, Soraka, Taric, Teemo, Tristana, Tryndamere, Twisted Fate, Twitch, Vayne, Veigar, Warwick, Wukong, Zilean.

More are coming. Riot's published roadmap starts its first content wave on August 12, 2026 with three additional champions, and the wiki lists eight confirmed future additions: Akali, Caitlyn, Fiora, Graves, Irelia, LeBlanc, Mordekaiser and Urgot. The roster will eventually stop "before the release of Yasuo" (late 2013) — so don't wait for wind wall.

The original Summoner's Rift, down to the old Nexus. (Screenshot: Riot Games / League of Legends, via the official League of Legends Wiki)

Classic Levels & Summoner's Journey

Classic has its own progression track, separate from your modern account level:

• Classic Levels run 1–30, "mirroring League of Legends' original leveling system," and unlock runes, masteries, Influence Points, Blue Essence, and cosmetics as you go. Yes — that also means rune tiers gate the early levels, just like 2013. Higher-tier runes unlock as you level (tier 3 historically required level 20).
• Summoner's Journey unlocks at Classic level 10 and is the mode's stand-in for ranked. The tiers, in ascending order: Salt, Wood, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Legend. Riot starting the ladder at "Salt" and "Wood" tells you how seriously to take it.
• The Council is a community voting system: players vote on which champions, skins and features should be prioritized next, and votes from higher Classic levels carry more weight.

Where to Start

• Want to know who's strong? The Classic tier list ranks all 60 launch champions — with an honest methodology section, because no winrate data exists for this mode by design.
• Forgotten how to build in 2013? The builds guide covers the S3 item logic — gold-generation items, flask starts, old runes and masteries — role by role.
• Picking a champion? The champions guide covers roles in the old meta, the best beginner picks, and what the pre-rework kits actually do.
• Staring at an unfamiliar shop? The items guide is a full reference for the S3 item system, including every removed item that's back.

FAQ

Is League of Legends Classic permanent or limited-time? Permanent. Riot launched it as a standing Featured Game Mode on July 29, 2026, with its own roadmap of content updates and its own patch cadence going forward — not an event with an end date.

Do I need a separate client or download to play Classic? No. Classic is built into the standard League of Legends client — you queue for it from the regular game mode selection, on the same account you already have.

Does my modern account level or collection carry over? Classic runs its own progression: Classic Levels 1–30 with their own unlocks (runes, masteries, IP, cosmetics), plus the Summoner's Journey ladder from level 10. You start the climb fresh, which is much of the point.

Is there ranked in League Classic? No ranked queue. The available queues are Normal Draft, Co-op vs. AI, and customs. Summoner's Journey — the Salt-to-Legend tier track — is the mode's competitive progression instead.

Will Riot add more champions to Classic? Yes. The first roadmap content wave lands August 12, 2026 with three more champions, and Akali, Caitlyn, Fiora, Graves, Irelia, LeBlanc, Mordekaiser and Urgot are confirmed as future additions. The roster will cap out before Yasuo's late-2013 release point.

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Written August 4, 2026, six days after League Classic's July 29 launch (patch 26.15). Mode facts — roster, queues, systems, progression — are sourced from the official League of Legends Wiki's League Classic page and Riot's launch communications and published roadmap coverage. Riot may adjust the mode in its own patches; we update this hub as roster waves land.

One Hit Kill Guides' League Classic coverage was created under Riot Games' "Legal Jibber Jabber" policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.