LoL Patch 26.10 Preview: Every Buff, Nerf & System Change

Patch Preview

26.10

First balance patch of Season 2 Pandemonium

4 Buffs 5 Nerfs 2 Adjustments 6 System Changes

26.10 is the first real balance pass on Season 2 Pandemonium, and Riot is already hitting the outliers hard. Zed, Ashe, Naafiri, Anivia, and Shyvana are all catching the nerf hammer after dominating the opening two weeks. On the other side, Ambessa and Wukong are getting real power injections, Galio picks up significant AP scaling, and Zeri gets a bugfix that makes her ult actually work.

The system side is where this patch gets interesting. Deathfire Touch is already getting tuned down after one patch — the level scaling is being flattened, which matters a lot for early-game DoT mages. Stormraider's Surge is getting more movespeed and duration across the board, which should finally make it feel worth picking over Electrocute on bruisers. Lichbane is getting a straight buff that's going to reshape mid lane. Doran's Bow and Doran's Helm both pick up stats.

Oh, and Gluttonous Greaves cost goes up by 50g while its omnivamp per stack drops from 1% to 0.6%. That's a real nerf for the champions who've been abusing them.

This patch is going live Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

Champion Buffs

Four buffs. Ambessa gets a substantial rework to her damage profile, Galio jumps into the AP ratio meta, Wukong gets more clone power, and Zeri's ult gets fixed.

Ambessa

Interesting one. Her Q1/Q2 max HP damage floor goes up significantly (2% to 4% at rank 1), but her bonus monster damage drops from 125 to 75. Combined with the R healing adjustment, this pushes her away from jungle and toward the lanes Riot wants her in.

Q1/Q2 percent target max HP damage: 2-6% >>> 4-6%
Q1/Q2 bonus monster damage: 125 >>> 75
R healing from abilities: 10-15% >>> 15-20%
R healing effectiveness vs monsters: 40% >>> 25%

Galio

This is the big one. Cheaper Q, more base E damage, and full 100% AP scaling on E. The R also now scales with bonus magic resistance instead of total MR, which rewards building tanky. Full AP Galio mid is back on the menu.

Q mana cost: 70-90 >>> 60-80
E damage: 90-250 (+90% AP) >>> 100-240 (+100% AP)
R damage scales with 100% bonus magic resistance

Wukong

Wukong's been hovering in B tier for ages. Stronger clone damage, longer clone duration, and more E attack speed all compound. His 2-item spike is about to feel meaningfully stronger — especially with Stormraider's also getting buffed this patch.

W clone damage: 30-50 >>> 40-60
W clone duration: 3.25s >>> 4s
E attack speed: 35-55 >>> 40-60

Zeri

More Q damage and better AS-to-AD conversion, plus the R bugfix is actually the biggest thing here. Autos during ult now extend its duration by 2.5s instead of 1.5s, which matters a lot in extended fights and drag skirmishes.

Q base damage: 21-33 >>> 22-38
Excess AS to AD conversion: 50% >>> 60%
Bugfix: attacks during R extend duration by 1.5s >>> 2.5s

Champion Nerfs

Five nerfs targeting the Pandemonium meta's outliers. Zed in particular is taking the biggest hit across two different parts of his kit.

Anivia

Anivia has been a top-lane terror with Deathfire Touch and Stormraider's. The armor nerfs don't touch her damage at all — they just make her squishier in trades and easier to all-in. Clean surgical nerf.

Base armor: 21 >>> 19
Armor growth: 4.5 >>> 4.1

Ashe

Late-game Ashe Q damage is getting shaved. The early ranks are untouched, so the 1v1 lane phase stays the same. This specifically targets the fed Ashe problem — less oppressive scaling when she's ahead.

Q AD ratio: 110-140% >>> 110-130%

Naafiri

Two angles. Monster modifier drop means slower jungle clears, and the massive W mana cost hike makes her much harder to spam in lane. She was a top pick in both roles, so both get tuned at once.

Passive monster modifier: 155% >>> 145%
W mana cost: 60 >>> 85/80/75/70/65

Shyvana

Post-VGU Shyvana has been strong across the board. Less HP per level and longer W cooldown at max rank both hit her mid-game pressure, which is where she's currently at her best.

HP per level: 100 >>> 95
W cooldown: 13-9s >>> 13-10s

Zed

Both the E damage (down to 70% bonus AD from 80%) and the passive max HP damage at ranks 1 and 2 are getting cut. Zed has been dominating mid lane the last two weeks with Stormraider's pick. This is the correction.

E damage: 70-170 (+80% bonus AD) >>> 70-160 (+70% bonus AD)
Passive percent target max HP damage: 6/8/10% >>> 5/7.5/10%

Champion Adjustments

Two meaningful reworks this patch. Lee Sin's W shield gets a full restructure, Quinn gets significant jungle damage plus R mana cost cuts.

Lee Sin

Shield values drop a touch but the duration gets unified to 7s whether you W a champ or non-champ — huge buff for flexibility. New mechanic: Lee Sin gets the shield even when Wing to a minion or ward, but the minion or ward does not. E's AD ratio drops 10%.

W shield: 70/115/160/205/250 >>> 60/105/150/195/240
W duration: 12s non-champ / 6s on champ >>> 7s at all points
Lee Sin gets the shield when jumping to a minion or ward (the minion/ward will not receive a shield)
E: +100% AD >>> +90% AD
R: body still sent flying when killed

Quinn

This reads as a jungle Quinn experiment. +50 passive damage to monsters plus 50% increased Q damage to monsters is massive for clear speed. The R mana cost drop means she can roam freely without mana issues. Don't be surprised to see Quinn jungle pop.

Passive now deals +50 damage to monsters
Q now deals 50% increased damage to monsters
R mana cost: 100/50/0 >>> 50/25/0

The Lee Sin change is the one to watch. A unified 7s shield duration across all W uses simplifies his decision-making in chaotic fights and makes escape Ws viable for longer. Getting the shield when Wing to a ward mid-escape is the kind of quality-of-life change that adds up across a game. The E AD ratio drop is the compensation.

System Changes

Six of them. The Deathfire Touch change is the headline — one patch after its return, Riot is already flattening the scaling.

Lichbane: Buffed

AP ratio up from 40% to 45%, movespeed passive up from 4% to 6%. This is a real power injection for every champion who rushes it — Ahri, Fizz, Kassadin, Ekko. Expect a lot more Lichbane builds this patch.

AP ratio: 40% AP >>> 45% AP
Movespeed: 4% >>> 6%

Stormraider's Surge: Buffed

Movespeed duration goes from 3s to 4s, and the movespeed amount jumps from 40% (30% ranged) to 48% (36% ranged). This is a significant quality-of-life buff. The rune has been strong on a handful of champions, but the 3s duration often meant the speed ran out before you closed distance. 4s fixes that.

Movespeed duration: 3s >>> 4s
Movespeed amount: 40% Melee / 30% Ranged >>> 48% Melee / 36% Ranged

Doran's Bow: Buffed

Base AD jumps from 6 to 8. Two extra AD on the starting item is a meaningful lane phase buff for every ADC.

AD: 6 >>> 8

Doran's Helm: Buffed

20 more starting health. Nothing dramatic, but it reinforces Helm as the tank/bruiser starting option — particularly against burst matchups in the top lane.

Health: 110 >>> 130

Deathfire Touch: Nerfed

The early ranks of the DPS range drop from 4-12 to 3-12. The AD and AP scaling stays the same. This is an early-game nerf that preserves late-game power — Riot doesn't want to kill the rune, just tune down how oppressive it is at level 6 with one item.

Damage per second: 4-12 (levels 1-18) >>> 3-12 (levels 1-18)
Scaling unchanged: +7% bonus AD, +2.5% AP

Gluttonous Greaves: Nerfed

Cost up by 50g, and the slay omnivamp per stack drops from 1% to 0.6%. The max stacks go up (6 stacks for 6% total) but the new range is 10 stacks for 6%, which means you need way more kills to reach the same ceiling. These boots were S-tier on everything since 26.9. Less so now.

Total cost: 950g >>> 1000g
Slay omnivamp per stack: 1% (up to 6 stacks for 6%) >>> 0.6% (up to 10 stacks for 6%)

Riot also noted that Cleaver + Deathfire Touch will have an internal cooldown starting 26.11. That's not in this patch, but if you've been stacking DFT with Black Cleaver on bruisers, know that combo is on borrowed time.

What This Means for the Meta

This is a course-correction patch. Season 2 went live two weeks ago and Riot has been watching which champions and items broke the meta. The answer is mostly "Zed and Naafiri mid, Gluttonous Greaves everywhere, Deathfire Touch on burst mages who weren't supposed to have it."

The Galio buffs are the most interesting lever. +10% AP ratio on E combined with the R scaling with bonus MR means hybrid AP tanks are real. Don't be surprised to see AP Galio top lane climb tier lists.

The Ambessa rework is a specific signal. Riot doesn't want her in the jungle — monster damage dropped 40% on Q, and her R healing effectiveness vs monsters dropped from 40% to 25%. They've moved power to her lane identity (more target max HP damage, stronger sustain from abilities). If you were playing Ambessa jungle, her winrate is about to crash.

Zed losing 10% AD ratio on E and having his passive damage cut at early ranks is the correction mid lane needed. He's been dominating lane phase with Stormraider's. With both Zed nerfed and Stormraider's buffed (which benefits everyone, not just him), expect the rune to spread to more champions while Zed himself falls from S to A tier.

Lichbane becoming stronger is going to change itemization for every AP bruiser and mage that autoattacks between abilities. Ekko, Kassadin, Fizz, Akali, and Ahri are all direct winners. Riven is indirectly buffed through stronger Cleaver + sheen variants. Expect this item to be first-item on champions who currently rush it second.

And Wukong just got three compounding buffs. If Stormraider's is your preferred keystone, Wukong is now one of the best picks for it this patch.

Once 26.10 goes live, check our tier list — it updates with live winrate data every patch cycle.

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FAQ

When does LoL Patch 26.10 go live?

Patch 26.10 is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, 2026 based on Riot's official patch schedule. OCE and Asian servers typically get the patch first, with NA and EU following later in the day.

Which champions are getting buffed in Patch 26.10?

Four champions are receiving buffs: Ambessa (Q1/Q2 max HP damage floor up, R healing up), Galio (Q mana down, E damage and AP ratio up, R scales with bonus MR), Wukong (W clone damage, duration, and E attack speed up), and Zeri (Q damage, AS-to-AD conversion up, R bugfix extends ult duration further on autos).

Which champions are getting nerfed in Patch 26.10?

Five champions are receiving nerfs: Anivia (base armor and armor growth reduced), Ashe (Q max AD ratio down 10%), Naafiri (monster modifier down, W mana cost increased significantly), Shyvana (HP per level and W cooldown at max rank), and Zed (E AD ratio down 10%, passive max HP damage reduced at early ranks).

Is Deathfire Touch getting nerfed in Patch 26.10?

Yes. One patch after its return, Deathfire Touch's early-game damage is being cut. The DPS range drops from 4-12 to 3-12 across levels 1-18, while the bonus AD and AP scaling stays the same. This preserves late-game power but reduces early-game oppression on champions like Anivia and Brand.

Are Gluttonous Greaves getting nerfed?

Yes. Total cost goes from 950g to 1000g, and the slay omnivamp per stack drops from 1% to 0.6%. The stack cap rises to 10 but the 6% ceiling stays the same, meaning you need significantly more kills to hit the same sustain. These were the dominant boot choice since 26.9 launched.

What's changing with Lee Sin in Patch 26.10?

Lee Sin's W shield is being unified to a 7-second duration at all points, replacing the split 12s (non-champ) / 6s (champ) system. Shield values drop slightly. New mechanic: Lee Sin gets the shield himself when Wing to a minion or ward, but the minion or ward does not receive a shield. E AD ratio drops from 100% to 90% as compensation.