The latest League of Legends patch, 26.22, is packed with changes, including a major shift for Teamfight Tactics, a slew of champion balance updates, and item adjustments aimed at refining the meta. Whether you're a Summoner's Rift regular or an ARAM Mayhem enthusiast, there's something here for you.

Teamfight Tactics Gets Its Own Client

In a significant move, Teamfight Tactics is officially graduating to a standalone client starting November 4th, 2026. To facilitate this transition, patch 26.22 will be a larger download than usual, but the team has ensured that swapping between League of Legends and TFT will be as simple as clicking a button. All existing TFT cosmetics will remain usable in League, with the first batch of TFT-only Little Legends arriving on December 1st, followed by full separation of TFT cosmetics (including emotes and icons) on December 15th. After this patch, players can opt out of TFT downloads in League patches entirely.

Champion Balance: Buffs, Nerfs, and a Midscope

Several champions are seeing adjustments this patch, with a focus on helping those who have been struggling and reining in outliers.

  • Aurelion Sol: His E (Singularity) is getting a buff to make maxing it second more viable, aligning with player intuition.
  • Corki: After being held back for Worlds, Corki is receiving buffs to his R (Missile Barrage) to make him more competitive.
  • Kayle: A small early-game buff to her Q cooldown and R cooldown to help her scaling fantasy in the top lane.
  • Locke: Nerfs to his Q stack damage and W duration, as high-elo players have shown he remains too strong early.
  • Maokai: Buffs to his Q damage against monsters and minions to help him in top and jungle, not just support.
  • Mel: A midscope adjustment shifting power to scaling, reworking her W into an AoE missile destruction tool, and adjusting Q and R cooldowns.
  • Naafiri: Buffs to her Q heal and W bonus AD to bring her back to mid lane.
  • Rumble: Buffs to his R AP ratios to help average players more than pros.
  • Shen: Buffs to his Q monster damage modifier to bring jungle Shen back into the meta.
  • Smolder: A generic buff to his W explosion damage, with the Doran's Bow nerf also helping him indirectly.
  • Thresh: Another nerf to his base AD and R damage, as he remains dominant among high-tier supports.
  • Viktor: A buff to his health growth and R AP ratio to compensate for last patch's early-game nerf.
  • Yasuo: A nerf to his Q AD ratio, following in Yone's footsteps as crit builds rise.
  • Zaahen: A buff to his Q cooldown to improve his early laning and skirmishing.

Item Changes: Doran's Bow and More

Doran's Bow is getting a slight nerf, with its attack damage reduced from 8 to 7, as it has become the default choice for marksmen over Doran's Blade. Additionally, Overlord's Bloodmail is being adjusted to better fit its role as a juggernaut capstone item, though details are still emerging.

ARAM Mayhem and Bug Fixes

The patch also includes changes to augments and bug fixes for the ARAM Mayhem event, "Journey to Stardom," ensuring a smoother experience for players enjoying the chaotic mode.

Source: Riot Games - League of Legends Patch 26.22 Notes. For full details, visit the official patch notes.