LoL Patch Notes 26.20

Notes published Oct. 6, 2026, live on servers Oct. 7, 2026

Patch 26.20 is the Worlds patch, so this is the build the pros will play on for the biggest month of the year. Riot trims a few tournament staples (Ambessa and K'Sante both lose a little) and props up a long list of champions sitting just under viability, with Kennen and Kindred among them. Hextech Rocketbelt loses half its ability haste and gains damage, which pushes it back toward being an engage tool. League Classic brings back five more old kits, launch-era Aatrox included, and the HEARTSTEEL Live My Life skins arrive on October 7.

Buffs 11

Nerfs 5

Also in this patch

Private Replays (updated)Items Classic ARAM: Mayhem ARAM Ranked 5s Bugfixes & QoL Changes Upcoming Skins & Chromas

Private Replays

Update, Oct. 7, 2026: Riot delayed this a day after the notes went up. Replays work the old way for all of 26.20, so other players' games still download, and the lockdown moves to Patch 26.21. Riot wants a fix in place first for the creators and coaches who depend on those downloads.

Our write-up: Riot delays private replays to 26.21

From this patch on, you can only open replays of games you played in. Nobody else can download yours, and third-party apps and sites lose replay downloads entirely. Riot says cheat developers have been using that access, along with reads of game memory, to build unauthorized tools around League's game data, so both are getting locked down. Reviewing your own games doesn't change: download the replay and watch it in the client like before.

Champions

AmbessaNerf

Her late game keeps working for anyone who's put the hours into her, and pro teams most of all. Drakehound's Step [Passive] loses some damage, mostly off the bonus AD ratio that does the scaling.

Passive - Drakehound's Step

Damage: 5 - 30 (+25% bonus AD) ⇒ 5 - 25 (+20% bonus AD)

AsheNerf

Riot's view is that Ashe brings more utility than any other marksman and still hits too hard for it. Half a point of AD per level adds up to 8.5 less attack damage at level 18.

Base Stats

Attack Damage per Level: 3.5 ⇒ 3

CassiopeiaNerf

Second swing in three patches. The first one hit pros harder than everyone else, and she's still bullying early lanes, so her starting health and mana both come down.

Base Stats

Base Health: 630 ⇒ 610
Base Mana: 480 ⇒ 450

DianaBuff

Assassin Diana is fine. Bruiser Diana isn't, so Pale Cascade [W] now builds a bigger shield off bonus health.

W - Pale Cascade

Shield Bonus Health Ratio: 11% ⇒ 14%

KennenBuff

Kennen buys Rocketbelt a lot and Rocketbelt gets worse this patch (see Items below), so he's owed something. Lightning Rush [E] gives 10% more attack speed at every rank.

E - Lightning Rush

Bonus Attack Speed: 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80% ⇒ 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90%

KindredBuff

They're weak right now, and Riot picked buffs that won't make an early invade any scarier. Wolf's Frenzy [W] hits monsters harder, while Mounting Dread [E] slows for longer but can't be cast on small camps anymore.

W - Wolf's Frenzy

Monster Mod: 150% ⇒ 165%

E - Mounting Dread

Slow Duration: 1s ⇒ 1.5s
Small Monster Targeting: Enabled ⇒ Removed

K'SanteNerf

He's too safe a blind pick when five people on comms play around him. Path Maker [W] costs more mana and blocks a bit less damage, and Riot expects that to land mostly on organized teams.

W - Path Maker

Mana Cost: 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60 ⇒ 45 / 50 / 55 / 60 / 65
W Base/All-Out Damage Reduction: 30 / 75% ⇒ 25 / 70%

LilliaBuff

Last patch's buff barely moved her, so here's another. Lilting Lullaby [R] now puts people to sleep for up to 3 seconds at rank three.

R - Lilting Lullaby

Duration: 2.5s ⇒ 2.5 / 2.75 / 3s

LucianBuff

The 26.19 change was supposed to even out his mid and bot numbers. It landed as a bot lane nerf, so his AD growth goes up to give that back.

Base Stats

Attack Damage: 60 + 2.5/Level ⇒ 60 + 2.9/Level

MordekaiserBuff

Long gaps between ults left him behind teams that fight more often than he can. Realm of Death [R] comes back 20 seconds sooner at rank one, and Obliterate [Q] scales harder from level 10 on.

Q - Obliterate

Scaling Level 10-20: (+5/lvl) ⇒ (+7/lvl)

R - Realm of Death

Cooldown: 140 / 120 / 100s ⇒ 120 / 110 / 100s

NeekoBuff

Another Rocketbelt buyer getting compensation. Tangle-Barbs [E] does 10 more base damage, and the empowered root lasts a little longer until the last rank, where it's unchanged.

E - Tangle-Barbs

Base Damage: 70 / 105 / 140 / 175 / 210 (+65% AP) ⇒ 80 / 115 / 150 / 185 / 220 (+65% AP)
Empowered Root Duration: 1.8 / 2.1 / 2.4 / 2.7 / 3s ⇒ 2 / 2.25 / 2.5 / 2.75 / 3s

SmolderBuff

He's had a rough run, between the ranged Cleaver nerf and a bot lane meta that moved away from him. These buffs lean on crit, so his stacks hit harder with crit chance and his ultimate heals a lot more at ranks two and three.

Passive - Dragon Practice

Super Scorcher Bonus Magic Damage: 25 - 55% (+0-9% with IE) of Dragon Practice Stacks, scaling with Crit Chance ⇒ 25 - 60% (+0-10.5% with IE) of Dragon Practice Stacks, scaling with Crit Chance
Flap Flap Flap Bonus Magic Damage: 8 - 12.8% (+0-1.44% with IE) of Dragon Practice Stacks, scaling with Crit Chance ⇒ 8 - 14% (+0-1.8% with IE) of Dragon Practice Stacks, scaling with Crit Chance

R - Mmooommmm!

Self Heal: 100 / 135 / 170 (+50% bonus AD) (+75% AP) ⇒ 100 / 175 / 250 (+75% bonus AD) (+75% AP)

SwainBuff

Mid Swain gets the real buff here. Vision of Empire [W] hits harder and comes back faster, while trading 2 armor for 3 magic resist is meant to pull his mid and bot numbers closer together.

Base Stats

Base Magic Resistance: 31 ⇒ 34
Base Armor: 25 ⇒ 23

W - Vision of Empire

Damage: 70 / 105 / 140 / 175 / 210 (+60%) ⇒ 70 / 115 / 160 / 205 / 250 (+60%)
Cooldown: 22 / 21 / 20 / 19 / 18s ⇒ 20 / 19 / 18 / 17 / 16s

Tahm KenchBuff

The recent support item changes paid out in health regen, and Tahm has about the lowest of any tank support. Tongue Lash [Q] heals twice as much at max rank to make up for it.

Q - Tongue Lash

Base Healing: 10 / 13.75 / 17.5 / 21.25 / 25 ⇒ 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50

VayneBuff

Better health regen so she can sit through bot lane poke, and Tumble [Q] goes back to a flat 30 mana because the old cost felt terrible to play with.

Base Stats

Health per 5: 4 + .5/Level ⇒ 5.5 +.4/Level

Q - Tumble

Mana Cost: 46 / 42 / 38 / 34 / 30 ⇒ 30

YunaraNerf

Riot doesn't want Worlds to turn into two teams of hyperscalers shaking hands until 30 minutes, and Yunara is the champion most likely to make that happen. Cultivation of Spirit [Q] loses 2 on-hit damage per rank, and Arc of Judgement [W] no longer stacks its slow with anyone else's.

Q - Cultivation of Spirit

Passive On Hit Damage: 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 (+20% AP) ⇒ 3 / 8 / 13 / 18 / 23 (+20% AP)
Active On Hit Damage: 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 (+20% AP) ⇒ 3 / 8 / 13 / 18 / 23 (+20% AP)

W - Arc of Judgement

Slow Stacking: Stacks with other slows ⇒ No longer stacks with other slows

Items

Experimental HexplateNerf

Ranged champions rushing it in top lane got too hard to burst and too deadly once they committed. They now get half the item's attack speed and move speed, down from 70%.

Ranged Mod: 70% of Value (35% Attack Speed, 14% Move Speed) ⇒ 50% of Value (25% Attack Speed, 10% Move Speed)

Hextech RocketbeltAdjusted

Too many people bought it as a Flash they could pay gold for. Half the ability haste goes and the active hits harder, so it pays more to dive in with it and less to run away. That's why Kennen and Neeko got compensation further up.

Ability Haste: 20 ⇒ 10
Active Damage: 100 (+10% AP) ⇒ 135 (+15% AP)

Runaan's HurricaneNerf

The last buff went a little too far.

Attack Damage per Bolt: 65% ⇒ 60%

Scoreboard Cleanup

The following items' icon counters are now hidden on the scoreboard:

Show all 15 lines

Death's Dance
Haunting Guise
Liandry's Torment
Riftmaker
Kraken Slayer
Terminus
Guinsoo's Rageblade
Fiendhunter Bolts
Echoes of Helia
Dead Man's Plate
Spear of Shojin
Overlord's Bloodmail
Hullbreaker
Jak'sho the Protean
Force of Nature

Classic

Champions

New Aatrox

Show all 5

Passive - Blood Well: Aatrox's basic abilities damage himself to fill his Blood Well, which gives him bonus attack speed. If he's killed, he empties his Blood Well to revive on the spot.
Q - Dark Flight: Aatrox flies up and crashes down, damaging and knocking up enemies in the area.
W - Blood Thirst / Blood Price: Toggle between Blood Thirst and Blood Price, each of which have bonus effects every three attacks. Blood Thirst heals Aatrox, increased when he's low on health. Blood Price deals bonus damage and self-damages.
E - Blades of Torment: Aatrox fires out two projectiles that damage and slow all enemies they touch.
R - Massacre: Aatrox damages all nearby enemy champions and gains bonus attack speed and attack range for several seconds.

New Caitlyn

Show all 5

Passive - Headshot: Every few attacks, Caitlyn fires a headshot, dealing bonus damage. Headshot charges up faster while attacking from brush.
Q - Piltover Peacemaker: Catilyn fires a piercing shot that deals less damage to each subsequent target.
W - Yordle Snap Trap: Caitlyn puts a trap on the ground that roots and damages the first enemy champion to walk over it. She can have up to 2 traps down at a time.
E - 90 Caliber Net: Caitlyn fires out a massive net, knocking herself back in the process. The net damages and slows the first enemy it hits.
R - Ace in the Hole: Caitlyn channels then fires a single bullet at an enemy champion, which deals tons of damage, but can be intercepted by other enemy champions.

New Irelia

Show all 5

Passive - Ionian Fervor: Irelia gains bonus Tenacity based on how many visible enemy champions are nearby.
Q - Bladesurge: Irelia dashes to an enemy, dealing damage and applying on-hit effects. If it kills the target, Bladesurge's full cooldown and some of its mana cost are refunded.
W - Hiten Style: Passively, Irelia restores some health with every attack. While active, her attacks deal bonus true damage and restore even more health.
E - Equilibrium Strike: Irelia damages and slows a nearby enemy. If they have higher %HP than her, she stuns them instead..
R - Transcendent Blades: Irelia sequentially fires out four blades in a line, each damaging all enemies they hit and restoring some health to Irelia. This is definitely not just a wave clear tool.

New Karma

Show all 5

Passive - Inner Flame: Karma gains bonus AP based on her missing health.
Q - Heavenly Wave: Karma fires out blades in a fan, err, cone in front of her, damaging all enemies it hits. If empowered with Mantra, it also heals all allies (herself included), scaling with their missing health.
W - Spirit Bond: Karma bonds with another target, giving allies (herself included) move speed, slowing enemies, and creating a tether between the two. Any champion caught in the clothesline is hasted or slowed as if they were the initial target. Enemies who get caught in the clothesline are damaged. If empowered with Mantra, all move speed effects are doubled.
E - Soul Shield: Karma shields a target. If empowered with Mantra, it also damages all enemies around her target.
R - Mantra: Mantra is available at level 1 and can hold up to two charges. She can cast it to empower her next basic ability.

New Quinn and Valor

Show all 5

Passive - Harrier: Valor periodically marks nearby enemies, whom Quinn can attack to deal bonus damage.
Q - Blinding Assault: Valor flies out to damage and blind enemies in an area.
W - Heightened Senses: Passively gives Quinn bonus attack and move speed whenever she triggers Harrier. Activate to briefly reveal a large area around her.
E - Vault: Quinn dashes to and then vaults off an enemy, damaging, knocking back, and slowing them. Valor then marks the target with Harrier.
R - Tag Team: Quinn retreats from the battlefield, sending Valor in her place. Valor has substantial bonus move speed, permanently has an empowered version of Heightened Senses' attack speed buff, and casts modified versions of Blinding Assault and Vault. Re-casting (R) casts Skystrike, damaging all nearby enemies and returning Quinn to the battlefield.

Fiora

W - Riposte

Bonus Attack Damage: 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 ⇒ 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30

Graves

Base Stats

Basic Attack and Critical Attack Animations: Sped up
Base Attack Damage: 54.1 ⇒ 50
Attack Damage per Level: 3.1 ⇒ 2.5
Attack Speed per Level: 2.9% ⇒ 2.5%

R - Collateral Damage

Cone Damage: 140 / 250 / 360 + 120% bonus AD ⇒ 140 / 230 / 320 + 100% bonus AD
Projectile Damage: Unchanged

Fizz

Q - Urchin Strike

Ability Power Ratio: 60% ⇒ 40%

W - Seastone Trident

Active Ability Power Ratio: 35% ⇒ 20%

Kennen

W - Electrical Surge

Passive Damage: 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80% total AD ⇒ 25 / 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 + 100% bonus AD

Nautilus

Passive - Staggering Blow

Bug Fix: Fixed a bug where the empowered attack was critting for too much damage.

W - Titan's Wrath

Bug Fix: Fixed a bug where the shield wasn't factoring in armor or magic resistance.
Damage over Time: 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 + 40% AP ⇒ 40 / 65 / 90 / 115 / 140 + 40% AP
Shield Bonus Health Ratio: 10% ⇒ 15%
Shield Duration: 9.75 ⇒ 10

Items

Spirit Visage

Health per 5: 4 ⇒ 20

Force of Nature

Health per 5: 20 ⇒ 40

Warmog's Armor

Health per 5: 10 ⇒ 30

Banshee's Veil

Stat Filter Filters: Ability Power ⇒ Health

Bugfixes

Show all 16 fixes

Fixed a bug where an incorrect translation was displayed in Fizz's (E) ability description in a Classic match.
Fixed a bug where Shyvana's Burnout (W) could be cast while it was still active.
Fixed a bug where Miss Fortune's Splash Art used the Classic one for the Base.
Fixed a bug where Shyvana’s Dragon’s Descent (R) did not cancel channels.
Fixed a bug where Kayle's Reckoning (Q) applied on-hit effects.
Fixed a bug where Graves' Classic splash art was not displayed in the Collection tab, Loading Screen, Honor Screen, Progression Screen, or End of Game Scoreboard.
Fixed a bug where Champions Overview Role Icons did not match the listed Champions' Roles in the Classic Collection Menu.
Fixed a bug where Teemo did not regain the movement speed bonus from Move Quick (W) after death.
Fixed a bug where Graves' overview page did not display text under "Classic Changes."
Fixed a bug where Nautilus' title "The Titan of the Depths" was not displayed under the champion's name.
Fixed a bug where Sion could lifesteal when attacking enemy Inhibitors.
Fixed a bug where Pantheon's Aegis Protection (P) text description contained an unlocalized string of text in the Classic Collection.
Fixed a bug where Quicksilver Sash, Mercurial Scimitar, or Gangplank's Remove Scurvy (W) could grant temporary vision while affected by Graves' Smoke Screen (W) Near Sighted Debuff.
Fixed a bug where owned Rune Pages could overflow the available content area and clip the Rune Editor or Statistics panel.
Fixed a bug where Classic Summoner's Spells played incorrect sound effects when cast.
Fixed grammatical and text formatting errors in Fiora's Classic Changes Overview and Abilities Preview tabs.

ARAM: Mayhem

Mayhem's patch goes to the champions and Augments near the bottom. Six champions get Mayhem-only buffs to the things they already do, and several Augments get easier to use. Missile Split now splits at the end of its flight or on recast instead of on the first thing it touches, and Triggered Inferno drops from a 15 second cooldown to 5. Our ARAM Mayhem guide has the champion and Augment picks.

Champions

Bard

Meep Ability Power Ratio: 50% ⇒ 67%
Meep Recharge: 8s ⇒ 5s
Meep Auto Damage per Chime Breakpoint: 6 per 3 chimes ⇒ 10 per 3 chimes

Garen

Passive Regen: 1.5%–1.01% ⇒ 2%–12%
W Cooldown: 22–12 ⇒ 18–12
W Shield Strength: 18% Bonus Health ⇒ 20% Bonus Health
W Passive Stacks: 0.4 per minion kill ⇒ 0.75 per minion kill

K'Sante

W Cooldown: 14–10 ⇒ 10
W Damage Reduction: 30% ⇒ 45%
E Shield Strength: 13.5% bonus health ⇒ 15% bonus health

Lee Sin

Passive Attack Speed: 40% bonus Attack Speed ⇒ 50% bonus Attack Speed
Passive Energy Restore: 20 / 30 / 40 ⇒ 30 / 40 / 50
W Shield: 60–240 ⇒ 80–320
Q2 Damage: 60–180 ⇒ 80–240

Swain

Damage Taken: 105% ⇒ 100%
Healing: 95% ⇒ 100%
Soul Fragments Restore: 6% flat ⇒ 3%–6% scaling with level

Thresh

Passive Soul Drop: 2 ⇒ 3
W Cooldown: 21 / 20 / 19 / 18 / 17s ⇒ 19 / 18 / 17 / 16 / 15s

Augments

Juiced

REMOVED Mana Drain: Removed
Damage-to-Mana Ratio: 4.5% ⇒ 7%
NEW Ranged Mod: 80% of the 7%

Leg Day

Slow Resist: 40% ⇒ 50%

Missile Split

Split Trigger: On first unit hit ⇒ On end or recast

Shark Tempest

Slow: 30% for 3s ⇒ 40% for 3s
Base Area of Effect Damage: 50–100 ⇒ 100–200
Attached Damage over 3s: 75–225 + 0.6 bonus AD + 0.36 AP ⇒ 90–270 + 0.75 bonus AD + 0.45 AP

Squishy Slappy Grab

Cooldown: 35s ⇒ 30s
Damage: 30–100 + 10% bonus Health ⇒ 50–150 + 15% bonus Health
Shield per Target: 35–150 + 50% bonus Armor + 50% bonus Magic Resistance ⇒ 50–200 + 50% bonus Armor + 50% bonus Magic Resistance

Triggered Inferno

Cooldown: 15s ⇒ 5s

Bugfixes

Fixed a bug where Infernal Soul and Jeweled Gauntlet tracked damage dealt to minions.
Fixed a bug where King Me persisted in the slot after completing the quest.
Fixed a bug where King Me transmute to Overloaded causes Overloaded to be non-functional.
Fixed a bug where Shark Bait displayed an empty buff bar.
Fixed a bug where Aurora (Q) does not gain ability cooldown from the Skilled Sniper Augment.
Fixed a bug where Shen's Echo Cast Shadow Dash (E) fails to Dash when Shen flashed or queued another spell.
Fixed a bug where a move command can change Echo Cast's Clone direction.
Fixed a bug where Lucian's (W) missile fails to split with Spell Split augment when casting (E) during the spell cast.
Fixed a bug where Spell Split missiles do not split when casting a Summoner Spell during the ability's cast time.
Fixed a bug where champions are unable to queue other spells when casting an Ability enhanced by the Spell Split Augment.
Fixed a bug where Prom Queen's cooldown icon disappears upon death.
Fixed a bug where Urgot (W) missile would destroy Rite of Ascension's Soul.
Fixed a bug where Minion Mancer's damage amplification did not work on Shaco (R) Explosion and Ivern R's knockup.
Fixed a bug where Ultra Hydra's quest and card icon did not match up.

ARAM

Bel'Veth loses all three of her ARAM modifiers and plays at normal values. Locke gets a bigger damage bonus.

Champions

Bel'Veth

Damage Dealt: 105% ⇒ 100%
Damage Taken: 95% ⇒ 100%
Tenacity: 20% ⇒ 0%

Locke

Damage Dealt: 105% ⇒ 115%

Ranked 5s

Ranked 5s queue windows now run from 4pm to 4am server time, two hours later than the old 2am close.

Bugfixes & QoL Changes

Show all 22 fixes

Fixed a bug where Orianna's (R) VFX and actual hitbox become misplaced if she casts (R) before the ball reaches a fast-moving ally like Nocturne.
Fixed a bug where a Sylas-stolen Depth Charge (R) from Nautilus could fizzle after Sylas lost vision of the target.
Fixed a bug where Xin Zhao's Three Talon Strike (Q) went completely on cooldown if the first attack was dodged by spells like Shen's Shadow Dash (E) or Jax's Counterstrike (E).
Fixed a bug where Shyvana's Dragon's Descent (R) ability fails to cancel enemy teleports.
Fixed a bug where Kayle's Reckoning (Q) applies the on-hit Spellblade effect from Sheen, Lich Bane, Trinity Force, and Iceborne Gauntlet.
Fixed a bug where large melee champions could auto large enemy champions and not be in immolate radius.
Fixed a bug where Rune page tabs overflow and clip the editor when owning more than 20 pages.
Fixed a bug where Sivir's Spell Shield (E) does not block Leona's Zenith Blade (E).
Fixed a bug where the tab buttons in the champion overview window are misaligned and unusable.
Fixed a bug where multiple Classic Spells icons fail to fill their entire square area.
Fixed a bug where Malphite's Flash summoner spell is disabled after using Unstoppable Force (R).
Fixed a bug where purchasing Royal Guard Fiora skin does not grant the Royal Guard Classic Chroma.
Fixed a bug where images from the Classic Mode Homepage loaded when logging into a non-Classic Mode tab.
Fixed a bug where the sorting effect is the same for the "Release Date ↑" and "Release Date ↓" selection buttons in the Collection - Portrait tab in Classic Mode.
Fixed a bug where the Recommended Sort Option is missing in Classic Store - Runes.
Fixed a bug where the Release Date Sort Option fails to sort Runes in a certain order in Classic Store - Runes.
Fixed a bug where rapidly pressing Recall gains Guinsoo's Rageblade stacks.
Fixed a bug where the Imperial Classic Chroma is missing its name in Champion Select's chroma selection for Xin Zhao.
Fixed a bug where Runaan's Hurricane Volley (P) triggers Minions' Call for Help.
Fixed a bug where Sivir's Spell Shield does not block damage from Miss Fortune's Q.
Fixed a bug where Sona's (E) ability description incorrectly states that its effect applies only to champions.
Fixed a bug where multiple Classic Items icons fail to fill their entire square area.

Upcoming Skins & Chromas

Six HEARTSTEEL Live My Life skins and a Prestige Kog'Maw for Classic all go on sale October 7, 2026. Riot's art is a flat splash. Ours turns around, and every one of them is already in the 3-D library: Prestige HEARTSTEEL Live My Life Sett, HEARTSTEEL Live My Life Ezreal, HEARTSTEEL Live My Life Kayn, HEARTSTEEL Live My Life Aphelios, HEARTSTEEL Live My Life Yone, HEARTSTEEL Live My Life K'Sante and Prestige Classic Baron Kog'Maw.

The following skins will be released in this patch