League of Legends Lead Gameplay Designer Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison posted a preview of LoL patch 26.02 on X.
For this patch, there’s a mix of ranked fixes, ongoing vision discussions, and gameplay updates that will impact Summoner’s Rift across all levels of play.
On the gameplay side, Riot has been monitoring game pace and snowballing while vision wise, they acknowledge that Faelights remains a hot topic.
LoL patch 26.02 also delivers a slate of champion buffs and nerfs alongside system adjustments, from jungle tweaks to item updates.
Game time and the state of snowballing in LoL patch 26.02
- Snowballing is unchanged or lower than last season
- Average game length is slightly longer
- Less downtime makes games feel faster
- Baron spawns earlier but is less game-ending
- No pacing changes planned for now
Internal data shows snowballing has not increased compared to last season, and in average-level play, it is actually slightly lower, Riot Phroxzon shared. This trend is consistent across all regions.
At the same time, average game length has increased slightly in every region—especially when accounting for the fact that games now start earlier than before.
So why do games feel faster to many players?
First, downtime has been reduced. More frequent minion spawns and Homeguard movement mean there is almost always something happening on the map, creating a constant sense of action.
Second, progress feels more impactful. Dealing noticeable damage to towers and triggering Crystalline Overgrowth provides clear visual and gameplay feedback. Even if games aren’t ending much earlier, these moments make it feel like teams are advancing more quickly—both for the team pushing and for the team defending.
Third, Baron Nashor is taken down earlier, now spawning at 20 minutes. While Baron buffs are weaker than before—granting +150 gold instead of +300—players often associate the first Baron take with a game-ending push. That association still influences perception, even though games are now less likely to end immediately after the first Baron.
For now, Riot does not plan to make changes to snowballing or overall game length, but will continue monitoring how the season develops.
Balancing Summoner’s Rift pacing remains a challenge, Riot Phroxzon reflected. Some players prefer a slower, methodical “classical chess” style of League, while others enjoy a faster, more aggressive “blitz chess” experience.
This is why the team has no intention of pushing the game to extreme “bullet chess” speeds, but acknowledges the need to serve a global and younger audience that values faster pacing and reduced downtime.
At the same time, they wans to avoid alienating long-time players who enjoy deeper strategy and longer games. Riot Phroxzon assures that they will continue fine-tuning the balance between speed and strategy throughout the season.
Vision and Faelights update
- No vision changes in Patch 26.02
- Possible adjustments being discussed for Patch 26.03
- No major changes planned before pro play
Vision has been a major point of discussion among players, particularly around Faelights and their impact on map awareness. The game devs have been closely following community feedback but has decided not to make any vision-related changes in Patch 26.02.
However, the team is actively discussing potential adjustments for Patch 26.03, with a specific focus on how current vision tools affect early jungle ganks.
Beyond that, Riot Phroxzon says they’re not planning any major vision changes until professional play begins, allowing more time to assess how the current system performs across different levels of play.
State of Ranked play in LoL patch 26.02
- Champion Mastery grading issues are being fixed
- Aegis of Valor bug has been resolved
- Bonus LP planned for affected OCE and China players
- South Korea and Japan ranked remedies are in progress
- Dodge rates are down across all ranks
The latest ranked updates have largely rolled out without major issues, though a few edge cases are still being addressed. An issue causing Champion Mastery grades to appear higher than intended in certain situations is currently being resolved, while a rare bug affecting Aegis of Valor has already been fixed.
For players affected by compromised ranked placements earlier in the season, Riot is implementing regional remedies. Players in OCE and China will receive bonus LP for games played during the affected period, while additional solutions are being prepared for players in Korea and Japan who began their ranked climb during that time.
Beyond fixes, Riot Phroxzon reports positive trends in ranked behavior. Dodge rates have decreased across all MMR brackets, and early tests of lobby terminations for disruptive behavior have been successful, with plans to expand the system to more regions.
Overall, the team is satisfied with how the ranked changes have performed so far.
LoL patch 26.02 notes
LoL patch 26.02 champion buffs
- Aatrox
- Ashe
- Draven (Micropatch bugfix)
- Master Yi
- Taliyah (Jg)
- Trundle
- Varus
- Viego
LoL patch 26.02 champion nerfs
- Gwen (jungle)
- Jayce (jungle)
- Lillia
- Malphite
- Nunu
- Sivir
- Smolder
- Zed (jungle)
LoL patch 26.02 system buffs
| LOL PATCH 26.02 SYSTEM BUFFS | NOTES |
| Fiendhunter Bolts | AS 40% → 45% Guaranteed crit damage multiplier 75% → 80% Bonus true damage on crit roll 10% → 15% |
| Hexoptics 44 | AD 50 → 55 Distance for max damage 700 → 600 |
LoL patch 26.02 system nerfs
- Bandlepipes: Cost 2000 → 2300
