Patch 26.17 arrived on August 26, 2026, with a series of smaller changes aimed at fine-tuning the current balance. It brings buffs to several melee champions, nerfs to some of the stronger picks, and adjustments to a number of items.
What's the Big Picture for Patch 26.17?
Patch 26.17 overview
Patch 26.17 puts extra attention on melee carries such as Irelia, Qiyana, Yasuo, and Yone, who have become heavily reliant on getting ahead early to remain relevant. Alongside these buffs, Aurelion Sol, Cho'Gath, LeBlanc, and Trundle are also receiving buffs, while Graves, Nasus, Nocturne, Thresh, Vayne, and Xerath are the targets of nerfs. On the item side, Stormrazor and Sundered Sky are also being adjusted.
Buffed Champions
Irelia
Irelia has been too dependent on snowballing to remain a threat later in the game, even when she manages to get ahead. This patch focuses on giving her a small boost to her damage output:
- Bladesurge (Q) AD scaling increases from 70% to 80%
- Defiant Dance (W) Damage Reduction AP ratio goes from 7% per 100 AP to 8% per 100 AP
- Vanguard's Edge (R) AP ratio changes from 70% to 100%
Irelia's win rate was 51.67% in Patch 26.16.
Qiyana
Despite being designed primarily as a mid-lane assassin, Qiyana has always found a stronger place in the jungle. While Riot is happy to have her as a jungler, her mid lane performance has fallen behind. This patch gives her some additional power in that role:
- Elemental Wrath (Q) Base Damage increases from 70/100/130/160/190 to 80/110/140/170/200
- Elemental Wrath (Q) bonus AD ratio increases from 85% to 90%
- Elemental Wrath (Q) Monster Damage Modifier decreases from 175% to 160%
Qiyana's win rate was 50.42% in Patch 26.16.
Yone
Yone remains somewhat reliant on snowballing, though less so than Irelia. Riot is decreasing his Way of the Hunter (Passive) Critical Strike Damage Reduction from 10% to 5% to give his crit-focused builds more room to scale and compete against tank items such as Randuin's Omen. Yone's win rate was 52.01% in Patch 26.16.
Yasuo
Just like his brother, Yasuo struggles to be a reliable late-game carry even when ahead. To address this, Way of the Wanderer (Passive) Critical Strike Damage Reduction goes from 10% to 5%. Yasuo's win rate was 50.83% in Patch 26.16.
Aurelion Sol
The mage adjustments in Patch 26.16 left Aurelion Sol weaker than intended. This patch addresses that with the following changes:
- Breath of Light (Q) Mana Cost per Second decreases from 35/40/45/50/55 to 30/35/40/45/50
- Astral Flight (W) Cooldown goes from 22/20.5/19/17.5/16 seconds to 22/20/18/16/14 seconds
Aurelion Sol's win rate was 52.37% in Patch 26.16.
Cho'Gath
Recently, Cho'Gath had become so reliant on Hail of Blades and Hextech Rocketbelt for his early-game power that when those got nerfed, his ability to pressure the lane decreased significantly. To address this, Vorpal Spikes (E) Base Damage increases from 20/40/60/80/100 to 30/50/70/90/110. Cho'Gath's win rate was 52.15% in Patch 26.16.
LeBlanc
The version of Statikk Shiv that previously led to LeBlanc's Attack Speed ratios being nerfed has been completely changed. Riot is now adjusting her stats as follows:
- Black Rose Leader Attack Speed Ratio changes from 0.4 to 0.625
- Attack Speed Growth changes from 2.35% to 1.5%
- Distortion (W) and Mimic: Distortion (R+W) AP ratios both increase from 80% to 90%
LeBlanc's win rate was 52.72% in Patch 26.16.
Trundle
Trundle still offers plenty of utility through his Pillar and ultimate, but his own damage output has been lacking. As a result, Frozen Domain (W) Attack Speed increases from 30/45/60/75/90% to 30/50/70/90/110%. Trundle's win rate was 50.68% in Patch 26.16.
Nerfed Champions
Vayne
Vayne's top lane presence has increased significantly, mainly because of her ability to safely farm and harass melee champions. Riot is targeting her top lane strengths while trying to avoid hurting her bot lane performance:
- Health changes from 550 + 103 per level to 580 + 98 per level
- Health Regeneration changes from 3.5 + 0.55 per level to 4 + 0.5 per level
- Attack Speed Ratio changes from 0.658 + 3.3% per level to 0.67 + 2.8% per level
- Tumble (Q) Mana Cost increases from 30 to 46/42/38/34/30
- Silver Bolts (W) True Damage decreases from 6/7/8/9/10% to 4/5.5/7/8.5/10% of the target's Max Health
- Silver Bolts (W) Minimum Damage decreases from 50/65/80/95/110 to 40/55/70/85/100
Vayne's win rate was 52.43% in Patch 26.16.
Graves
Graves' innate durability already allowed him to focus solely on building offensive items. When he was included in the list of ADCs that received the MR increase in Patch 26.16, he became too difficult to deal with. To fix this:
- End of the Line (Q) Initial Damage bonus AD ratio decreases from 65% to 55%
- End of the Line (Q) Return Damage bonus AD ratio decreases from 55/70/85/100/115% to 45/60/75/90/105%
Graves' win rate was 52.72% in Patch 26.16.
Nasus
Recent buffs to Nasus' stacking mechanic indirectly made his in-lane sustain stronger than intended. His Soul Eater (Passive) Life Steal is going from 12/18/24% to 10/15/20%. Nasus' win rate was 54.71% in Patch 26.16.
Xerath
Despite last patch's mage adjustments, Xerath is still performing better than expected in both mid and bot lanes:
- Health decreases from 596 to 575
- Arcanopulse (Q) damage drops from 75/115/155/195/235 (+90% AP) to 70/110/150/190/230 (+90% AP)
Xerath's win rate was 53.96% in Patch 26.16.
Nocturne
Nocturne's ability to force high-impact plays with his ultimate comes with too little risk, especially given his strength across all skill levels:
- Armor decreases from 38 to 36
- Health decreases from 655 to 640
Nocturne's win rate was 53.44% in Patch 26.16.
Thresh
Thresh's win rate and play rate have continued to rise, putting him in a stronger position than intended. Flay (E) Active damage decreases from 75/120/165/210/255 (+70% AP) to 65/110/155/200/245 (+60% AP). Thresh's win rate was 55.10% in Patch 26.16.
Item Changes
Stormrazor
Stormrazor has struggled to compete with other first-item options for ADCs, leaving it as a less attractive choice despite being designed as an offensive attack-speed item. Increasing its Attack Speed from 20% to 25% gives it a stronger stat profile and makes it a more viable early core pick.
Sundered Sky
Sundered Sky received a significant nerf last patch, but the item is still too strong overall. This patch further reduces its early-game stats , Health from 450 to 400 and Attack Damage from 45 to 40 , to bring it closer in line with other first-item options for bruisers.
What Else Is Happening in Patch 26.17?
Ocean Song Soraka and Ocean Song Jinx Splash Arts
League Classic gets its second patch, adding two additional Rune Pages, increasing Influence Points and Classic XP gains, and reducing the cost of around one third of the runes. Summoner's Rift is also receiving visual updates to its lighting, textures, and decals, while Champion and Role swapping is being added to Champion Select. The first Council vote is also arriving, alongside around 20 balance changes and several dozen bug fixes.
ARAM: Mayhem gets two new fighter Augments, Ultra Hydra and Upgrade Death's Dance, with many other Augments being adjusted. Arena is also receiving several changes to existing Augments and, more importantly, the game mode is returning to an alternating patch schedule planned for odd-numbered League of Legends patches.
The minimum and recommended macOS system requirements are also being updated.
Finally, Heartsong Seraphine, Ocean Song Soraka, and Ocean Song Jinx are arriving with the patch.