PBE Community Feedback Updates
League Classic PBE mid-July 2026 changes: free Classic Skins, Season 3 cutoff, Katarina 2012 kit, old bounties, voice-over restoration, and prestige rewards.
Classic Skins Now Free and Default
Within days of Classic's July 14 PBE launch, community backlash over 500 RP Classic Skin pricing prompted a rapid Riot response. Game Director FeralPony announced Classic Skins are free and unlocked for everyone, becoming the default appearance for all champions that have Classic Skins—replacing modern base models in Classic mode.
On July 17, 2026 FeralPony published an official follow-up vlog on Riot X reaffirming free Classic Skins and noting Riot will add Classic models to every champion over time where assets allow. Full breakdown on FeralPony July 17 Response. Classic Chromas later flipped free for modern-skin owners on August 3—see Chromas Now Free.
Season 3 Cutoff and Katarina 2012 Kit
PBE initially shipped content stretching toward Season 5 despite the Yasuo Season 4 boundary—the window Riot originally described as Seasons 1–5 in early builds. TheGamer and FeralPony's July 17 response confirm Riot is tightening to Season 3 exclusively based on player feedback. Katarina switches from the initially planned rework-era kit to her pre-2012 version per GamesHub and GosuGamers reporting—Riot applies case-by-case kit selection rather than a blanket cutoff year.
Champion kit details on Katarina 2012 Kit. GosuGamers also confirmed Twisted Fate retains older Gate mechanics capturing his classic identity. Full final-week PBE testing guide on PBE Final Prep.
30 Classic Levels and Council Milestones
PBE datamining from SkinSpotlights confirms the free Classic Levels track caps at 30 with rewards including IP, BE, classic rune pages, emotes, icons, Portraits, and skin tokens. Level 30 grants Rustier Blitzcrank. Council voting power increases at Levels 5, 15, and 25. Summoner's Journey unlocks during progression on Classic Levels.
Prestige Magma Chamber Jax (Classic Pass) and Prestige Magma Chamber Veigar (Act One Battle Pass) joined PBE alongside emotes like Shushei The Gragas Legend and Mighty Metagolem. See Prestige Magma Chamber for unlock paths.
Bounties, Voice-Overs, and Launch Prep
FeralPony clarified Classic uses the old bounty system with modern UI—not the comeback XP systems some viewers assumed after MSI. Riot is actively working to restore original champion voice-over lines where assets allow, adding another authenticity layer beyond free Classic Skins.
PBE remains a testing environment—balance and features may change before July 29 at 8:00 AM PT. Access guide on Classic PBE Guide. Full release timeline on overview and launch details on Date & Patch.