The 2026 World Championship may be underway, but the regular patch cycle marches on. Patch 26.21 has arrived, and it's a substantial one, touching a wide swath of champions across roles. The balance team is targeting outliers who have dominated their positions while giving some breathing room to pros' favorites now that the Worlds patch is locked. Additionally, item adjustments and a new replay download limit aim to improve the overall game experience.

Champion Nerfs: Toning Down the Top Performers

Several champions who have been overperforming are receiving nerfs. Caitlyn and Jinx, two of the most dominant marksmen, are getting hit. Caitlyn's late-game headshot scaling is being reduced, with some power shifted to her early Q damage to flatten her curve. Jinx is losing a bit of attack damage and health per level to slow her snowball. Lee Sin remains a popular pick, so his W cooldown is increased, and his R damage is reduced. Nidalee, despite not being meta, has an extremely high win rate in skilled brackets, so her W and E are getting minor taps. Rammus, who has been rolling over opponents, sees his defensive steroid ratios lowered.

  • Caitlyn: Passive headshot damage scaling reduced; Q base damage increased.
  • Jinx: Attack damage and health per level decreased.
  • Lee Sin: W cooldown increased; R damage reduced; E bugfix.
  • Nidalee: W and E damage/attack speed reduced.
  • Rammus: W bonus armor and magic resist ratios lowered.

Champion Buffs: Helping the Strugglers

On the flip side, several champions are getting some love. Azir's mana growth is increased to allow more ability usage in lane. Darius gets a lower Q cooldown at max rank, helping his sustained damage. Locke, the newest champion, sees adjustments to his mana and scaling, with his E damage increased. Miss Fortune receives compensation buffs following the Hubris nerf, with higher E damage and R crit scaling. Nunu & Willump get a significant boost to their ultimate's maximum damage. Orianna's Q and W AP ratios are increased for better late-game burst. Qiyana's Q damage is partially reverted after an overbuff. Ryze gets better scaling on his Q and W. Sion gains health per level and a stronger ultimate damage ramp. Taliyah's E damage is increased, making her a more viable mage jungler. Taric also receives adjustments (though details are sparse).

  • Azir: Mana growth increased.
  • Darius: Q cooldown reduced at max rank.
  • Locke: Mana growth reduced, W mana cost increased, E damage increased, passive refund adjusted.
  • Miss Fortune: E damage increased; R crit damage increased.
  • Nunu & Willump: R maximum damage increased.
  • Orianna: Q and W AP ratios increased.
  • Qiyana: Q damage partially reverted.
  • Ryze: Q flux bonus damage and W AP ratio increased.
  • Sion: Health per level increased; R damage ramp increased.
  • Taliyah: E damage increased.

Item Changes and Replay Download Limit

Item-wise, Gluttonous Greaves and Hubris have been overperforming on ranged champions, so both are getting nerfed. Dawncore, on the other hand, is receiving buffs to make it a more attractive option. In a separate but important change, replay downloads will now be limited to 10 per hour. This is to prevent bad actors from scraping thousands of replays using automated tools. The limit is time-based to still allow content creators to access replays while curbing abuse. The team will monitor the situation.

Skin Release and Final Thoughts

Also coming in this patch: the Prestige True Damage Know My Name Ekko, along with True Damage Know My Name Akali, Qiyana, Senna, and Yasuo skins will be available on October 21, 2026. As always, for more detailed information, check out the community-run wiki. And if you were looking for TFT patch notes, you can find those here.

Source: Riot Games. Original patch notes can be found at https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/news/game-updates/league-of-legends-patch-26-21-notes