Clash Royale Removes Max-Level Duplicates and Reworks Hero Unlocks in 2026 Update

Supercell has dropped a major bombshell with its upcoming Clash Royale February 2026 update, and the community appreciates all the changes that the developers are implementing to tackle some of the pressing concerns of the community.

After receiving player feedback on the rise of duplicate level 16 cards, Supercell is implementing stronger safeguards to reduce the duplicates. Additionally, reworks are also planned on Hero Fragments and how to unlock Heroes in the Clash Royale roadmap 2026. That being said, here are all the changes that are in the cards.

Clash Royale February 2026 Update: New Additions and Balance Changes

@ClashRoyale took it to their official X to share the details of the forthcoming update and the roadmap ahead with the community. As per the official announcement, a lot of updates and changes are incoming!

Players won't get Max Level Duplicate Cards

This is the first major change of the Clash Royale February 2026 update. To reduce the duplicates until more of your collection is maxed, Supercell has taken strong measures. After the update goes live:

• Players will not receive duplicates of max cards if they have fewer than 60 max-level cards.
• If there are more than 60 max-level cards, the drop weight of them will be reduced to 90%.

You can unlock Heroes from Arena 5

As per the announcement, the heroes can now be unlocked from Arena 5. And hence, players who are just beginning their journey won't have to wait long to get their hands on the first hero card. And apparently, two new Heroes are leaked to arrive in Clash Royale this month.

Clash Royale Roadmap 2026

After the next Clash Royale update on 23rd February, we will see some interesting changes to the game starting from next month.

Deck Slot Reduction for Special Cards

Firstly, we will see a change in the deck slot. From four special slots, there will now be only three. It will comprise one Evo slot, one Hero Slot, and a Wild Slot where you can include either an Evo card or a Hero card. From Ranked to Trophy Road and Challenges, the changes will bring a much-needed balance and flexibility to deck-building.

No Randomness on Hero Unlocks

From now on, there will be no more randomness on hero unlocking journey. Players can choose precisely which hero they want when they are using their fragments. As the change is in the cards, we will also see the free random Hero unlock event undergo some required changes. In a part of the update, there will be 75 confirmed Hero Fragments available in the free pass of every season from next month. And if you are looking for some freebies, check our Clash Royale Free Rewards article right now!

Clash Royale 200 Hero Fragments Reward

Speaking of fragments, to help the players with the transition from random to selected picks, Supercell will have a Clash Royale 200 Hero Fragments reward in store for all the players who have passed the unlocking step in Arena 5. Players will have three months to claim the reward.

The changes announced by the developers have sat well with the community, who have showcased their appreciation to the company for listening to their feedback. In addition to the changes to hero unlocking, the roadmap ahead has the potential to bring some interesting changes to the game.

New Evolution and 5-star Chest Improvements

Speaking of evolutions, there is a brand new evolution arriving in April, with no evolution coming in May. The community is already predicting April's evolution card as @GregoryFie96776 has shared their prediction on X.

The developers further added in the Clash Royale roadmap 2026 that there will be rotations between the arrival of heroes, new cards, and evolutions. Additionally, there will be improvements in the cards for the 5-star Lucky Chest rewards! As the Clash Royale February 2026 update rolls in this month, we will get to see more of the detailed changes. And for more news and updates, keep tabs on our Sportsdunia gaming page.