League of Legends patch 26.11 is looking to correct an oopsie the balance team made with the AP Xin Zhao, making him quite overtuned, especially in terms of self-healing and outsustaining incredible amounts of damage.
We’re also getting some further adjustments to the underlying rune and item systems, as well as specific and targeted character buffs and nerfs.
26.11 Full Patch Preview!
— Matt Leung-Harrison (@RiotPhroxzon) May 20, 2026
The major changes this patch are to the Systems mentioned yesterday to adjust the relative balance of Ranged vs Melee supports in bot lane.
There are also some changes to Statikk Shiv to make it slightly more attractive on AD users and a nerf to… pic.twitter.com/xG3fcK3uMU
Champion buffs
Diana
- P monster damage: 230% → 270%
- W health bonus health ratio: 9% → 11%
- W health bonus health ratio on full orb detonation: 18% → 22%
Diana is getting another set of jungle passive damage changes. Her passive was nerfed earlier in the year, but it’s being brought up again along with the W buff. This change is going to help out her clear speed somewhat, but it won’t feel as impactful as some of the champion damage buffs.
Ekko
- P cooldown per target: 5s → 4s
This change is more substantial than it may seem at a glance. Ekko rarely kills his targets in one rotation, and after this change, he will be able to proc his high-damage passive faster. His trade patterns could change as well, to maximize the potential damage in lane.
Heimerdinger
- Q turret range increased: 530 → 550, +50 against minions
- E vision duration increased: 1s → 1.25s, to resolve edge case where turrets lose vision and don’t fire their beam
Heimerdinger’s turrets are strange, as he can’t lure ranged creeps into their range, and their range is also measured center to center instead of edge to edge. Unfortunately, this range won’t help him come back on mid, as most mages will still outrange his turrets, but he will continue to make League of Legends a living hell for melee toplaners.
Kassadin
- Q CD: 10–8 → 9–7
- W passive damage: 20 (+10% AP) → 25 (+10% AP)
Kassadin gets no-nonsense damage buffs, which are quite dangerous on a character that can take over games when fed. There are many matchups where he doesn’t max Q, so shaving a second of cooldown will allow him to use it in trades more and better last-hit in difficult matchups.
Quinn
- P bonus monster damage: 50 → 75
- Q monster damage: 150% → 200%
For some reason, Riot Games wants this 800 movement speed monster to be a viable jungler, so they’re buffing her clear speed quite substantially. Surely nothing bad can ever happen.
Champion nerfs
Brand
- Base armor: 27 → 24
Brand is a little bit too durable on botlane, Riot has decided. 3 Armor is not the end of the world, and he will continue to bully the matchups he usually bullies.
Smolder
- Passive bonus magic damage on Q: 40–60% of your passive stacks, scaling with crit chance → 25–55% of your passive stacks, scaling with crit chance
- Passive bonus magic damage on E: 12% of your passive stacks → 8–12% of your passive stacks, scaling with crit chance
Riot Games doesn’t really like that Smolder abuses Deathfire Touch, so along with adjusting the rune, the balance team also nerfs him and tries to shift him back to his crit builds.
Teemo
- E damage on-hit/poison scaling: (+10% bonus AD / +20% bonus AD) → (+5% bonus AD / +10% bonus AD)
- Armor growth: 4.95/lvl → 4.5/lvl
Teemo nerf is coming as a preventive measure to the Statikk Shiv buff that will benefit him quite a lot. The change will be practically unnoticed on the classic mushroom-based AP build.
Champion adjustments
AP Xin Zhao
- Passive damage: 15/30/45/60% bonus AD at levels 1/6/11/16 → 15/30/45/60% bonus AD (+0/10/15/20% AP) at levels 1/6/11/16
- Passive healing: 3/4/5% max HP (+50/65/90% AP) at levels 1/6/11 → 3/4/5% max HP (+45/55/80% AP) at levels 1/6/11
Xin Zhao emerged as a flavor-of-the-month funny pick, outsustaining entire teamfights in his new AP build. Xin has been viable in AP in the past, and this is a repeat of that situation, albeit after his rework that happened last year. His sustain will still be high after these changes, but they should no longer allow him to simply refuse to die. As compensation, he gets AP scaling on his AD passive damage.
System buffs
Aftershock
- Bonus resists: 35 (+80% bonus AR/MR) → 45 (+75% bonus AR/MR)
Guardian
- Cooldown: 90–40, levels 1–18 → 75–40, levels 1–18
- Shield amount: 45–180 (+25% AP) (+5% bonus HP) → 40–150 (+20% AP) (+6% bonus HP)
Heartsteel
- Damage to permanent HP conversion: 8% → 10%
Knight’s Vow
- Damage reduction: 12% → 14%
- Healing ratio: 10% → 12%
Locket of the Iron Solari
- Armor and MR: 25 → 30
Zeke’s
- Now waits for up to 5 seconds after casting your ultimate for a valid enemy to be close enough to you before triggering the Storm effect
System nerfs
Dreammaker
- Blue Bubble DR: 75–255, levels 1–18, but only affects the literal first instance of damage → 50–194, levels 1–18, affects the entire first damaging spell
- Purple Bubble damage: 50–170, levels 1–18, triggering on-hit → 40–160, levels 1–18, triggering on damaging attack or ability, with AoE reduction for AoE triggers
Echoes of Helia
- Damage stored: 35% → 30%
Moonstone Renewer
- Starlight Grace unique effect no longer double dips in Heal/Shield Power and Grievous Wounds
Summon: Aery
- Shield value: 30–100, levels 1–18 (+10% bonus AD) (+5% AP) → 20–100, levels 1–18 (+10% bonus AD) (+5% AP)
System adjustments
Grubs
- Structural DoT damage: 3/9/12 melee and 1.5/4.5/6 ranged → 4/12/16 melee and 2/6/8 ranged
- Summoned grub HP: 60% melee minions → 100% melee minions
Hexplate
- Passive ult bonus, ranged: 50% AS and 20% MS for 8 seconds → 35% AS and 14% MS for 8 seconds
- Melee unchanged
Imperial Mandate
- Reworked. Now builds from Blasting Wand + Kindle Gem + 700g, total 2400g
- Grants 65 AP, 15 AH, 150 base mana regen
- Unique – Control: Grants immobilizing abilities an additional 15 AH
- Unique – Command: When you immobilize an enemy champion, apply 6% Vulnerable for 4s. Vulnerable means they take % increased damage.
Deathfire Touch
- Now deals magic damage
Statikk Shiv
- Stats: 40 AD → 45 AD
