Clash Royale July 2026 Events Guide – Season 85 Honor & Exile

Season 85, themed Honor & Exile, went live on July 6, 2026, and it's built almost entirely around one card: Ronin, Clash Royale's first brand-new Legendary in nearly a year. Around him, Supercell packed in a returning game mode, a full Album Event, a new chest type, and a competitive tournament, so there's more to track this month than usual. Here's what each piece actually involves and how to get the most out of it before the season wraps.

Ronin and the Road to Ronin

Ronin is a 5-Elixir Legendary melee troop, and his gimmick is a parry. Every few seconds he can absorb an incoming melee hit and fling it back at the attacker for more damage than he would have taken. That makes him an awkward matchup for single-target bruisers like P.E.K.K.A and Mega Knight, since their whole value comes from a big hit that Ronin can just return with interest.

He's not sitting in season chests this time. The three ways to add him to your collection are the Road to Ronin unlock event, picking him off the Upgraded Pass Royale track, or grinding the Album Event described below. Since the unlock event is usually front-loaded early in the season, it's worth prioritizing if you want Ronin in your decks sooner rather than later.

 

The Wandering Warrior Album Event

This is the season's main reward engine. The Album tells Ronin's backstory through a set of Scenes, and you unlock them by collecting Snippets rather than by hitting a simple progress bar. Snippets come in Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary rarity, and you'll pick them up from daily battle rewards (up to three per day), from events, and occasionally from the Shop. The event opens up starting at Arena 3, so most active accounts can jump in immediately.

Duplicates aren't wasted. Each rarity converts into a set number of duplicate tokens, and once you've banked six duplicates you can trade them in for a guaranteed new Snippet:

Snippet Rarity	Duplicates Earned
Common	3
Rare	3
Epic	4
Legendary	4

Finish the full Album and you'll walk away with 15 Ronin Cards plus two themed cosmetics. Keep collecting after that point and any extra Snippets convert automatically into bonus rewards, so there's no reason to stop playing once the Album itself is done.

 

C.H.A.O.S Season 2 (July 6 – August 3)

C.H.A.O.S is the mode that lets you build an 8-card deck from a restricted, level-capped pool, then deal with random modifiers that permanently upgrade one of your cards roughly every 45 seconds. It's back for a second run with real changes rather than a simple re-skin.

The card pool stays fixed at 50 troops for the whole season, but the lineup itself isn't static. Every Monday during the first three weeks, some cards rotate out to make space for new arrivals, and 15 troops are joining for the first time, including Ronin, Electro Giant, and Three Musketeers. Some of the returning cards keep last season's modifiers; others got reworked ones. There's also a Triple Draft format layered on top this time, and a fresh S.U.P.E.R S.E.C.R.E.T Badge waiting to be found, separate from anything unlocked in Season 1. A Competitive League caps off the mode at the end of the season for players who want to push further than casual matches.

 

Choice Chests

Season 85 introduces a new daily chest type that finally lets you pick your reward instead of getting whatever the game hands you. Choice Chests come in five rarity tiers, from 2-Star up to 5-Star, and each tier has its own reward pool:

• 2-Star: Common, Rare, and Epic Cards, Epic Tower Troops, Gold, Gems, Battle Banners
• 3-Star: Cards of all rarities, Epic and Legendary Tower Troops, Gold, Gems, Emotes
• 4- and 5-Star: Cards of all rarities, Wild Cards, Epic and Legendary Tower Troops, Evolution Shards, Gems, Tower Skins

You'll find it as the first slot in your Daily Battle Rewards. It's confirmed exclusive to this season for now, though Supercell has left the door open for it to return later.

 

Bare Bones Global Tournament

This one strips the game down on purpose — no Evolutions, no Heroes, no Champions. It's straight deck-building and fundamentals, which makes it a good test of whether you actually understand matchups rather than leaning on a strong Hero card. Climb the reward track as usual, and if you push into the top 10,000 players globally, you'll pick up an exclusive Leaderboard Finisher Badge on top of the standard tournament rewards.

 

Other Things Happening in July

The Clash Royale League (CRL) 2026 Season 5 runs from July 6 through August 23, so it overlaps with most of this season. Watching official broadcasts can net you extra in-game rewards even if you're not playing competitively yourself.

Season 85 also carries a balance pass, still labeled work-in-progress at the time of writing. The early notes point to nerfs for Hero Knight, Evo Executioner, Hero Magic Archer, and Hero Balloon, a buff for Ram Rider, and a full rework for Hero Tombstone. Since Supercell typically adjusts these numbers based on community feedback before they go live, treat the specifics as directional rather than final until the patch actually ships.

 

Priority Order If You're Short on Time

• Start the Road to Ronin unlock event first so you can actually use the new card
• Keep the Album Event ticking daily — Snippets are capped by your battle rewards, so missing days costs you progress
• Drop into C.H.A.O.S Season 2 for the Triple Draft format and the new Secret Badge
• Grab your Choice Chest reward every day rather than letting it sit
• Fit in Bare Bones if you want the Leaderboard Finisher Badge before the tournament window closes

 

FAQ

Is Ronin worth prioritizing if I'm F2P?

Since he's excluded from season chests entirely this time, the Album Event is realistically your main free path to him alongside the unlock event. Playing daily for Snippets matters more this season than usual.

Do I need to finish the Album Event in order?

No — Scenes unlock as you collect the required Snippets, and duplicates convert into progress toward guaranteed new ones, so there's no strict sequence you're locked into.

Will the balance changes affect Ronin himself?

The current Season 85 balance notes don't list Ronin among the adjusted cards, but WIP changes can shift before the patch is finalized, so it's worth checking back closer to the update.

Is C.H.A.O.S Season 2 worth playing if I skipped Season 1?

Yes — the card pool and several modifiers changed enough that returning players and newcomers are facing a genuinely different mode, not just a repeat.