LoL Classic Returns with Season 3: The Old Rift and the Comeback of IP

Riot Games has confirmed that League of Legends Classic is coming back to Summoner's Rift. As reported by Marca eSports, the mode that takes players back to an earlier era of the game will be the one to open Season 3 of 2026, with an announced date, a roster of champions from that period and a detail that will strike a chord with plenty of veterans: the return of IP, the old Influence Points.

The news matters for two reasons. The first is purely about gameplay: for years the community has been asking for a way to feel the LoL of the early days again, and Riot seems to have listened. The second is about the calendar: tying the launch to the start of a season gives the mode a weight that a simple weekend event would never have. For a community like ours, spread across the Americas and Europe, it is a window for content and internal competition worth marking down.

What you need to know

• What it is: League of Legends Classic is a version of the game that brings back an earlier era of League of Legends, according to the information published by Marca eSports.
• When: it arrives with the start of Season 3 of 2026. Riot announced a specific date; we are sticking to what the source says, so check the client and the official channels before organizing anything.
• Champions: the mode will have its own champion roster matching the era it recreates, not the full current roster.
• IP is back: Influence Points, the currency earned by playing matches before Blue Essence came along, return within Classic.
• It is a comeback: the word being used is "return", so this is not a new idea but a bet the company is picking up again.

What changes and for whom

For the longtime player, Classic is a break from the race of patches, reworked items and new systems that has defined LoL in recent years. Going back to a reduced champion roster also means going back to a more readable meta: fewer variables, fewer odd interactions, more weight on pure mechanics and map decision-making. That favors those with solid fundamentals and punishes those who rely on the raw power of the newest champions.

The return of IP is more than a nostalgic nod. That currency was earned only by playing, and unlocking champions had a slow pace that built attachment. If Riot keeps that logic inside Classic, progression will feel very different from the main client. What we do not know, because the source does not go into it, is whether that IP connects in any way to your current account or whether Classic lives in a separate bubble. That is the question we most want Riot to clear up.

Background

League of Legends has gone through years of deep redesigns: the Rift changed its look, the rune system was rewritten and many early champions no longer resemble what they once were. Other games in the genre and in the MMO world have shown that there is an audience for "classic" versions, and that this audience is not small. Riot is not inventing the formula; it is applying it to its most important game, and that in itself is a sign that nostalgia has become a product category.

Our take

At Underworld Lordz we see Classic with enthusiasm, but with one condition: it must not turn into a museum. A nostalgia mode lasts as long as it takes the community to remember why certain things changed. If the champion roster carries imbalances we already know about, Riot will have to choose between respecting the era exactly as it was or stepping in, and neither option leaves everyone happy. We would rather have an honest version, rough edges and all, than a sugarcoated reconstruction.

For the team's competitive players, the advice is simple: do not treat it as a break, treat it as a laboratory. A meta with fewer pieces is the ideal setting to work on positioning, wave control and communication, which are the things that carry over to the main client afterwards. And for content creators, Classic is pure gold: comparing the LoL of then with the LoL of now is a format that explains itself, and the return of IP is enough for entire episodes of progression that the younger players on the server never experienced.

Our criticism goes in another direction: the announcement leaves too many questions about the connection to the main account and about how long the mode will be available. If Classic disappears after a few weeks, the effort of putting together internal tournaments or video series is left half done. Riot has a community that has already shown it patience; now it is Riot's turn to respond with clarity.

What do you think?

We want to know whether the return of League of Legends Classic excites you or whether you would rather Riot put that energy into the current game. Drop by the team chat or our Discord and tell us: are you going back to the old Rift, or staying on the current one?