Search games, articles, guides...CtrlK
Sign InGet Started
Patch 26.18 celebrates Caps' induction into the Hall of Legends with a new event pass and brings a series of champion and item changes.
Written by Rafael Silva
Content Creator
See more GAMES.GG guides on Google
Add us as a preferred source and our guides show up first in your results.
LoL Patch 26.19 Breakdown: Every Buff, Nerf, and Meta Shift
Patch 26.19 kicks off Worlds prep with buffs to Aatrox, Aphelios, and more, nerfs to Ryze and Nasus, and key item changes.
LoL Patch 26.17 Breakdown: Every Buff, Nerf, and Meta Shift
Patch 26.17 fine-tunes the League of Legends meta with melee fighter buffs, targeted nerfs, and key item adjustments.
LoL Patch 26.16 Breakdown: Every Buff, Nerf, and Meta Shift
Patch 26.16 looks to shake up the current bot lane meta with changes to ADCs, Support quests, and several champions and items.
Patch 26.18 arrived on September 10, 2026, celebrating Caps' induction into the Hall of Legends with a new event pass and a collection of exclusive rewards. The patch also brings a series of champion and item changes aimed at reshaping the current League of Legends meta.
Patch 26.18 overview - Source: leagueoflegends.com
Patch 26.18 puts Caps' induction into the Hall of Legends at the center of the update, with a 100-level event pass featuring new cosmetics, skins, and Mythic Essence. On the gameplay side, Bard, Nautilus, Seraphine, Syndra, and Zeri are being nerfed after becoming too prominent, while Ekko, Kassadin, Master Yi, Viego, and Zaahen receive buffs to address their recently weaker performances. Cassiopeia is being adjusted following her recent dominance in pro play, and Guinsoo's Rageblade receives a small change to compensate for its recent bugfix.
Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia has become a dominant pro play pick this season despite being weaker among regular players. This patch takes some power out of her early game and shifts more of her damage into AP scaling.
Cassiopeia's win rate was 50.6% in Patch 26.17.
Zaahen
Zaahen has been struggling with an awkward interaction between his Q and passive, leaving him in a weaker position after coming back from his resurrection. Riot is cleaning up that interaction while also giving Zaahen some additional power.
Zaahen's win rate was 51.12% in Patch 26.17.
Ekko
The Dusk & Dawn update earlier this year left Ekko weaker than Riot intended, particularly when it came to his mid lane scaling. This patch gives him more room to recover without pushing his overall strength too far.
Ekko's win rate was 51.64% in Patch 26.17.
Master Yi
The Rageblade bugfix in a previous patch hit Master Yi harder than other users specifically because of his double-strike interactions. To make up for it, Riot is giving him an additional buff.
Master Yi's win rate was 51.03% in Patch 26.17.
Kassadin
Kassadin's early-season strength has faded since his previous nerfs, especially when it came to his late game. This patch addresses that with the following changes.
Kassadin's win rate was 51.03% in Patch 26.17.
Viego
Viego's power has been declining to the point where it's starting to affect his pick rate. Riot is buffing his kit to increase the viability of his regular and bruiser-oriented builds.
Viego's win rate was 49.5% in Patch 26.17.
| Champion | Impact |
|---|---|
| Zaahen | More reliable follow-up after his passive and stronger in extended fights |
| Ekko | Improved trading and farming in mid lane |
| Master Yi | Better scaling into longer games and easier access to targets during his ultimate |
| Kassadin | Stronger early-to-mid game |
| Viego | Greater flexibility between his standard and bruiser builds |
Syndra
The changes made to Syndra pre-MSI successfully brought her back into pro play after several years away but made her an extremely dominant pick in solo queue. This patch scales back that power.
Syndra's win rate was 51.76% in Patch 26.17.
Seraphine
Despite a minor nerf in Patch 26.15, Seraphine's strength in the bot lane has continued to frustrate opponents. This patch increases her Beat Drop (E) cooldown from 11/10.5/10/9.5/9 seconds to a flat 11 seconds at all ranks.
Seraphine's win rate was 51.76% in Patch 26.17.
Nautilus
With Nautilus already occupying one of the strongest positions among supports, Riot is looking to reduce his overall power without changing his core gameplay.
Nautilus' win rate was 51.19% in Patch 26.17.
Zeri
After the Runaan's Hurricane and Yun Tal Wildarrows buffs in Patch 26.16 and 26.15 respectively, Zeri's win rate has been steadily climbing and is now well above her average. This patch reduces her burst and waveclear.
Zeri's win rate was 53.45% in Patch 26.17.
Bard
For a champion with his mobility and long-range abilities, Bard is often more durable than one might expect. Riot is nerfing his defenses, with his base Armor decreasing from 34 + 5 per level to 32 + 4.7 per level.
Bard's win rate was 50.79% in Patch 26.17.
| Champion | Impact |
|---|---|
| Syndra | Greater reliance on mana-focused items, particularly Lost Chapter, with reduced potential for repeated poke |
| Seraphine | Weaker control over bot lane fights and reduced access to easy crowd control |
| Nautilus | Less oppressive laning and weaker trading power |
| Zeri | Lower waveclear and poke, pushing her toward a more passive lane and stronger late-game scaling |
| Bard | More punishable when roaming aggressively or placing deep wards in the enemy jungle |
Guinsoo's Rageblade
To offset the small power loss from the recent bugfix, Guinsoo's Rageblade is getting a quality-of-life adjustment. Seething Strike now keeps its stacks active for 4 seconds instead of 3, making them easier to maintain during combat.
Rise Legend Orianna Splash Art
Caps is the third player inducted into the League of Legends Hall of Legends and the first Western player to receive the honour. The in-game celebration includes a 100-level event pass featuring commemorative skins, 125 Mythic Essence, Orbs, Caps-themed icons and emotes, and other rewards.
The League Classic roster is expanding with five returning champions , Fiora, Galio, Poppy, Shyvana, and Xin Zhao , each bringing an older version of their kit to the mode. This update also brings a smaller set of balance changes, mainly targeting the mode's biggest problem areas while compensating for the impact of recent bugfixes.
ARAM Mayhem is receiving another round of Augment adjustments to improve how the available options fit each champion's playstyle. The patch also fixes unintended interactions involving Ultra Hydra and Ravenous Hydra that caused unusually powerful results.
Finally, Immortalized Legend Tristana, Risen Legend Orianna, and Risen Legend Tristana are arriving with the patch as part of the Hall of Legends pass.
