Quick answer: Honor & Exile (Season 85) started Monday, July 6, 2026 and introduces Ronin — a 5-elixir Legendary swordsman with 1,779 HP and 337 damage per hit at Level 11 who parries one melee attack every 3.5 seconds, reflecting double the blocked damage back at the attacker. He is the first brand-new card of 2026. C.H.A.O.S Season 2 returns the same day with a fresh 50-card rotating pool (15 new entries including Ronin, Electro Giant, and Three Musketeers), doubled Tower HP, and a new Triple Draft format. Ronin is not in season chests — unlock him via the Road to Ronin event, the Wandering Warrior Album Event (complete all 9 scenes for 15 Ronin cards), or an Upgraded Pass Royale track.
Honor & Exile (Season 85) launched Monday, July 6, 2026 with 1 new Legendary card (Ronin), C.H.A.O.S Mode Season 2, a new Choice Chest system, and the Wandering Warrior Album Event — making it the most content-dense season since Stone Cold. The single most important unlock decision: Ronin is not in season chests; the three acquisition paths are the Road to Ronin event, the Wandering Warrior Album (9 scenes, 15 Ronin cards on full completion), or the Upgraded Pass Royale track.
What Is the Honor & Exile Season (Season 85) in Clash Royale?
Honor & Exile is Season 85, the July 2026 season. The theme is a wandering samurai exile — centered on Ronin, the first new card added to Clash Royale in almost a year (the last was Vines in September 2025). The season ships alongside the July 2026 balance changes, which touch 6 cards (4 nerfs, 1 buff, 1 Hero Tombstone rework) and affect the same meta Ronin enters. This guide covers the season content, events, and reward strategy. For the full stat-by-stat breakdown of every balance change, see the linked balance guide.
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What Are All the Honor & Exile Season 85 Events?
Impact: significant. Four major programs run across Season 85 — C.H.A.O.S, the Wandering Warrior Album, the Bare Bones Global Tournament, and the Road to Ronin challenge. Plan which to prioritize, because the album and CHAOS both demand consistent daily play.
| Event | Dates | Type | What It Is | Headline Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.H.A.O.S Season 2 | July 6 – August 3 | Limited game mode | 50-card pool, modifiers every 45 s, doubled Tower HP, weekly rotations | Secret badge + Competitive League finale |
| The Wandering Warrior Album | July 6 (4 weeks) | Album Event | Collect snippets to unlock 9 scenes of Ronin's story | 15 Ronin Cards + themed cosmetics (full album) |
| Road to Ronin | TBD | Challenge / Event | The dedicated unlock event for Ronin | Ronin Legendary card |
| Bare Bones Global Tournament | TBD | Global Tournament | No Evolutions, Heroes, or Champions | Leaderboard badge (top 10,000) |
| Choice Chests | Season-long | New chest type | Player-choice from cards, resources, and cosmetics by rarity tier | Wild Cards, Evolution Shards, Tower Skins (4–5★) |
What Is the New Ronin Card in Clash Royale?
Ronin is a 5-elixir Legendary ground troop and the first brand-new card of 2026. At Level 11 he has 1,779 HP, deals 337 damage per hit, and reaches 240 DPS. His unique ability is the Parry: once every 3.5 seconds, Ronin automatically reflects one incoming ground melee attack back at the attacker, dealing 2× the damage he would have received. This makes him a hard counter to high-damage close-range melee threats:
- P.E.K.K.A (melee, ground): reflected hits deal significant burst damage back to a card that normally cleans up single-unit threats
- Mega Knight (melee, ground): bounce damage on a card that jumps in aggresively punishes the Mega Knight player's timing
- Barbarian Barrel and other ground melees
Ronin targets only ground troops, is melee-range himself, and operates at fast movement speed. Because his Parry window is every 3.5 seconds, decks that flood him with multiple melee units simultaneously can overwhelm the mechanic — one parry does not cover the full swarm.
How Do I Get Ronin?
Ronin is not available in season chests. The three acquisition paths are:
- Road to Ronin event — the season's dedicated unlock challenge; complete it to earn Ronin directly.
- Wandering Warrior Album Event — complete all 9 scenes (collect every unique snippet) to receive 15 Ronin Cards plus themed cosmetics.
- Upgraded Pass Royale track selection — one of the selectable card tracks in the upgraded Pass includes Ronin cards.
If you want Ronin quickly, prioritize the Road to Ronin event. If you play consistently and want the extra themed cosmetics, the album route also earns you the card plus the full story.
What Is C.H.A.O.S Mode Season 2?
Impact: massive. C.H.A.O.S returns for its second run from July 6 to August 3, 2026 with a substantially updated card pool and format.
What Changed in C.H.A.O.S Season 2?
- 50-card rotating pool — players build their 8-card deck from a fixed set of 50 cards, all capped at Level 11.
- 15 new troops entering C.H.A.O.S for the first time, including Ronin, Electro Giant, and Three Musketeers.
- 15 older Season 1 cards rotated out to make room; some Season 1 cards return with updated modifiers.
- Weekly rotations every Monday for the first 3 weeks — the pool is not static; adapt your deck each rotation.
- Tower HP doubled — matches run longer, pushing play-out sequences slower than standard ladder.
- Modifiers every ~45 seconds — the game pauses and offers a choice between 2 modifiers, each permanently upgrading one card for the rest of the match.
- New Triple Draft format — blends draft-style card selection with C.H.A.O.S modifiers; a new way to enter the mode.
- New Secret Badge — separate from the Season 1 badges; unlock challenge TBD.
- Competitive League finale — a structured competitive endpoint for the mode.
Season 1 engaged 41% of players to unlock one Secret Badge, 7% to unlock two, and only 2.4% to unlock all three — making the mode genuinely challenging at full completion. Season 2's fresh pool and Triple Draft lower the barrier to entry while adding new skill expression via draft.
What Cards Are in the C.H.A.O.S Season 2 Pool?
The confirmed new additions are Ronin, Electro Giant, and Three Musketeers. The full 50-card pool rotates weekly (Mondays) and the complete list has not been published at season launch. Check our C.H.A.O.S Mode deck guide and C.H.A.O.S tier list for per-rotation rankings once the pools confirm.
What Are Choice Chests in Clash Royale?
Impact: significant. Choice Chests are a brand-new chest type launching with Season 85. Unlike standard chests, they let you choose what you receive — not only card type but also resources and cosmetics — across 5 rarity tiers:
| Tier | Available Choices |
|---|---|
| 2-Star | Commons, Rares, Epics, Gold, Gems, Battle Banners |
| 3-Star | All rarities, Tower Troops, Emotes |
| 4-Star | All rarities, Wild Cards, Evolution Shards, Tower Skins |
| 5-Star | All rarities, Wild Cards, Evolution Shards, Tower Skins |
Choice Chests are available as your first Daily Battle Reward, so the highest-leverage habit for Season 85 is logging in and claiming that daily reward before anything else.
What Is the Wandering Warrior Album Event?
The Wandering Warrior Album tells Ronin's backstory across 9 scenes. The event runs for 4 weeks and works on a snippet-collection model:
- Earn up to 3 snippets per day from daily rewards and events
- 6 duplicate snippets exchange for 1 unique snippet (fill gaps without replaying everything)
- Completing the full album (all 9 scenes) rewards 15 Ronin Cards plus exclusive themed cosmetics
The album is the most reliable way to accumulate Ronin cards over the season without spending. Prioritize logging in daily for the snippet drops; if you miss days, the 6:1 duplicate exchange lets you catch up.
What Is the Bare Bones Global Tournament?
Bare Bones is a Global Tournament format that excludes Evolutions, Heroes, and Champions — a return to core-card Clash Royale strategy. The top 10,000 finishers earn a leaderboard badge. This is the season's meta-equalizer event: it rewards deep card knowledge and fundamental deck-building over access to premium unlocks. Bring your strongest ladder deck stripped of the special-category cards.
What Should I Do First in the Honor & Exile Season?
If you want Ronin fastest: play the Road to Ronin event as soon as it opens — that's the direct unlock path.
If you want every Ronin card possible: play the Road to Ronin event AND commit to daily album snippets in the Wandering Warrior Album for all 4 weeks (15 additional cards at full completion).
If you're chasing C.H.A.O.S badges: log in on each Monday rotation to see which 50 cards are active that week and adjust your deck accordingly. Tower HP is doubled, so longer matches favor attrition-heavy archetypes like Three Musketeers and Electro Giant (both now in the pool).
If you're climbing ladder: re-tune for the July balance changes before grinding — Hero Tombstone was reworked and 3 additional cards were nerfed. Run your 8-card list through the Deck Impact Brief to see which of your cards changed.
If you want the badge: Bare Bones requires no Evolutions or Heroes, so prepare a strong classic deck (Hog Cycle, Giant Double Prince, Log Bait without evolved cards) and target top-10,000 during the tournament window.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Honor & Exile season start in Clash Royale?
Honor & Exile (Season 85) started Monday, July 6, 2026. C.H.A.O.S Mode Season 2 opened the same day and runs through August 3, 2026.
What are Ronin's stats in Clash Royale?
At Level 11, Ronin has 1,779 HP, 337 damage per hit, and 240 DPS. He costs 5 elixir, is a ground troop targeting only ground units, and his Parry reflects one incoming melee attack every 3.5 seconds for 2× the blocked damage.
How do I unlock Ronin in Clash Royale Season 85?
Ronin is not in season chests. Unlock him via: (1) the Road to Ronin event (direct unlock), (2) completing the Wandering Warrior Album Event's 9 scenes (earns 15 Ronin Cards), or (3) selecting the Ronin card track in the Upgraded Pass Royale.
What is new in C.H.A.O.S Season 2 in July 2026?
C.H.A.O.S Season 2 adds 15 new troops to the 50-card pool (including Ronin, Electro Giant, Three Musketeers), rotates 15 Season 1 cards out, introduces a Triple Draft format, adds a new Secret Badge, and adds weekly card-pool rotations every Monday for 3 weeks.
What are Choice Chests in Clash Royale?
Choice Chests are a new chest type in Season 85 that let you pick your reward — cards, Gold, Gems, Wild Cards, Evolution Shards, or Tower Skins — across 2-star to 5-star rarity tiers. They appear as your first Daily Battle Reward each day.
Is Ronin good in Clash Royale?
Ronin counters melee-heavy win conditions — specifically P.E.K.K.A and Mega Knight — by reflecting double damage back at them every 3.5 seconds. At 5 elixir he is correctly costed for a Legendary with a unique mechanic. He is weak to simultaneous multi-unit melee floods that overwhelm his single-parry window and to ranged or air cards that bypass his ground-only targeting.
Does Season 85 have balance changes?
Yes. The July 2026 balance update shipped with Season 85 and touches 6 cards: 4 nerfs, 1 buff, and a Hero Tombstone rework. See the July 2026 balance changes guide for every stat and percentage.
How long does the Wandering Warrior Album Event last?
The Wandering Warrior Album runs for 4 weeks from July 6, 2026. Log in daily for up to 3 snippets; trade 6 duplicates for 1 unique snippet to fill gaps. Full album completion (all 9 scenes) rewards 15 Ronin Cards and themed cosmetics.