Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Dot Esports

Elizbar Ramazashvili

LoL Patch 26.15 notes: Alistar buffed, Locke and Riven nerfed, Bel’Veth reworked

Locke Riven Riot Games League Riot

Riot Games has finally revealed the full extent of the League of Legends Patch 26.15 changes, and the main focus of this update is going to be the quite substantial Bel’Veth rework that’s aimed at making her weaker early so that she fulfills her lategame fantasy better.

In addition to her, Riot is reassessing the strength of Mordekaiser that was overbuffed in 26.14, adjusting Locke, nerfing Riven, and buffing several underperforming items.

Here, we have everything that’s coming with the League patch 26.15.

When does LoL Patch 26.15 release?

League of Legends has a bi-weekly patch cadence, which means that the upcoming patch 26.15 is coming on July 29, 2026, along with the long-awaited League Classic. We have an article that covers everything that’s coming with that game mode here.

Release time zones usually differ somewhat, but you can expect the patch to be released around these times:

3 pm CT (NA)
5 am GMT (EU West)
3 am CET (EU North East)
8 am KR (Korea)

What’s in LoL Patch 26.15?

In patch 26.14, Riot Games somewhat overshot with the Mordekaiser changes that made him a bit too unstoppable in his ultimate, so the balance team is hitting the amount of stats he steals in Death Realm.

Locke, while not as prominent in the very low and very high levels of play, is still terrorizing the middle ranks because he’s not falling off in lategame in the way Riot designed him to. So he’s getting some of his damage, stickiness, and survivability nerfed.

Overall, the patch is aimed more towards small scale tunes along with one huge Bel’Veth update.

Champion buffs

Alistar

Base MS: 330 -> 335

In the current roam-heavy meta, 5 base movement speed is actually huge. This will most likely be reflected more on the high-level and pro play.

Kai’sa

P damage on-hit: 4-24 (+12% AP), +1-6 (+3% AP) per prior stack -> 4-30 (+12% AP), +1-8 (+3% AP) per prior stack

A decent buff for Kai’sa that simply adds damage to her pre-existing attack patterns. Both AD and AP builds will utilize this well.

Maokai

Q Monster Mod: 140 / 150 / 160 / 170 / 180 -> 150 / 160 / 170 / 180 / 190
Damage: +40% AP -> +50% AP

Maokai used to be ever-present in the jungle, but AP junglers aren’t doing very well right now, so every buff helps.

Volibear

Q CD: 14/13/12/11/10 -> 12/11.5/11/10.5/10

Volibear maxes his Q second, so having 2 seconds shaved off the ability’s cooldown before he takes his second point is actually very substantial.

Zac

Armor Growth: 4.7 -> 5.2
E Cooldown: 22-10 -> 21-9

A simple durability buff and a small E cooldown adjustment to an already strong character. This is unlikely to push him over the boundary, but he’s very close to it.

Champion nerfs

Locke

Base HP: 655 -> 620
Q Nail Damage: 50-82 (+20% AP) -> 40-72 (+20% AP)
W MS: 40-60% (+2% per 100 AP) -> 40% (+2% per 100 AP)
W Grey Health Base: 40-160 (+120% AP) -> 40-120 (+120% AP)

Riot Games is generally happy with how Locke landed: an early game menace that sharply falls off late because his attack pattern is too spread out, and he has no percentage scaling. But in the mid ranks, he’s not punished enough late to meaningfully fall off, so he’s disproportionately more powerful. This nerf is intended to address the issue.

Mordekaiser

R Stat Steal: 13% -> 10%
E CD: 18-10 -> 16-8

Last patch overshot Mordekaiser’s power level, so he’s being dialed down on how many stats he steals. There’s also a possible bug with how much health he reduces by ulting.

Naafiri

R Damage: 150 / 225 / 300 (+120% AD) -> 125 / 200 / 275 (+100% Bonus AD)
Per Packmate: 15 / 22.5 / 30 (+12% AD) -> 12.5 / 20 / 27.5 (+10% Bonus AD)

The doggo simply does too much damage with her ultimate. Her packmates also get hit, and this is not just a PvP nerf, her jungle clear gets hit too.

Riven

R AD Bonus: 25% -> 20%
R2 min damage bonus AD ratio: 60% (180% max) -> 55% (165%)

Riven has itemization paths that are way too good and optimal, with some of this season’s items shoring up her weaknesses a little too well. Therefore, she’s hit with quite a sizeable nerf.

Sylas

Q1 Damage: 40-140 (+45% AP) -> 40-120 (+40% AP)

Riot continues to hit Sylas’ ability values without touching his Passive. On the one hand, this is probably the only way to keep him from being an AP assassin and have actually prolonged fights. On the other hand, he’s not beating the allegations of missing all his abilities and still killing his targets.

Champion adjustments

Bel’Veth

Base Stats
Level 1 AS: .85 >>> .67
AS ratio: .85 >>> .67
AD: 60 >> 55
AA Damage mod: 75% >>> 100%
Attack cast time: .25 >> .22
AA total time/animation adjusted to feel better at lower Attack Speeds
Armor: 32 +47 >>> 28 + 5
HP: 610 +105/lvl >>> 580 +110/lvl
Model size reduced by 5%

AS after spell cast: 20-40% for 2 attacks >>> 20% for 3s
AS per stack: .28-11% >>> .1-2% (gains more at later levels)

Speed: 800-1000 >>> 850
Between cast CD: 1 >>> 4-1
Monster mod: 55-95 >>> 70
Minion mod: 60-100% >>> removed
Damage: 0-20 (+100% AD) >>> 12-20 (+105% AD)
AS to AH conversion: .25 >>> .2

Damage: 70-230 (+100% BAD)(+125% AP) >>> 80-320(+150% AP)
Slow duration: 1.25-2.25 (50% slow) >>> 2 (30% slow)
Knockup duration: .75 >>> .6-1s

Damage: 6-10 (+8% AD)(+8% on-hits), increased up to 300% based on missing health >>> 10-18(+12% AD) (+12% on-hits), increased up to 100% based on missing health
Number of strikes: 6 +1 per 33% bonus AS >>> 6 +1 per 40% bonus AS
DR: 35-55% >>> 20-60%
Lifesteal: 20% >>> 20-40%
Lifesteal scaler: 100% >>> [removed]
CD: 20-16 >>> 24-12
Monster mod: 150% >>> 200%

Passive on hit now applies every attack instead of every other attack
Passive no longer removed when swapping targets
Passive true damage: 6-14 (+12% BAD) >>> 2-6 (+3% BAD)
Max stacks on Epic monster: 10 >> 8
Passive now applications on E and Q no longer require Bel’Veth to have attacked the target first
Explosion damage: 150-250(+100% AP)(+25% missing hp) >>> 150-250(150% AP)(+20% missing HP)
Heal/bonus health: 100-200 (+120% BAD)(+90% AP) >>> 100-400(150% BAD)(+150% AP)
AA range bonus: 75 >>> 25/75/125
Total AS: 10/15/20% >>> 5/15/25%
Size: 10% >>>10/15/20%
Unempowered Buff duration: 60 >>> 45/90/infinite @ 0/40/80 stacks
Empowered buff duration: 180 >>> 45/90/infinite @ 0/40/80 stacks
Post cast lockout: .5s >>> .25s

Bel’Veth, League’s resident slappy manta ray, is notorious for her invade- and skirmish-heavy early game while simultaneously scaling well into the lategame, but not reaching her ultimate gameplay fantasy.

These extensive changes make her much weaker early, but truly unlock her by giving her empowered form infinite duration so she remains a threat for much longer and can’t simply be avoided for a set duration.