Updated on May 8, 2026 at 1:11am: Added detailed patch notes by Riot Phroxzon.
League of Legends Lead Gameplay Designer Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison posted a preview of the LoL patch 26.10 notes on X on May 5, 2026, followed by a detailed breakdown the day after.
There’s been no shortage of chaos spilling out of LoL patch 26.09—arguably the kind players secretly live for, Riot Phroxzon observed.
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Social feeds have been flooded with off-meta experiments and head-scratching takes, from AP Statikk Shiv Xin Zhao builds making the rounds to bold claims that a 36% win rate AP Ezreal is somehow “secretly broken.”
At the same time, the community’s been deep in theorycraft mode, trying to pin down exactly who Deathfire Touch really works best on, while others continue pushing alternative builds to their limits. Not all of them are landing, though—some of these experiments look more like fun ideas than viable strategies, at least for now, wrote Riot Phroxzon.
LoL patch 26.10 notes
LoL patch 26.10 champion buffs
| LOL PATCH 26.10 CHAMPION BUFFS | STATS |
| Ambessa | Q1/Q2 percent target max HP damage: 2-6% → 4-6% Q1/Q2 bonus monster damage: 125 → 75 R healing from abilities: 10-15% → 15-20% R healing effectiveness vs monsters: 40% → 25% |
| Galio | Q mana cost: 70-90 → 60-80 E damage: 90-250 (+90% AP) → 100-240 (+100% AP) R damage scales with 100% bonus magic resistance |
| Wukong | W Clone Damage: 30-50 → 40-60 W Clone Duration: 3.25 → 4 E AS: 35-55 → 40-60 |
| Zeri | Q base damage: 21-33 → 22-38 Excess AS to AD conversion: 50% → 60% Bugfix: Attacks during R extend duration by 1.5s → 2.5s |
The recent changes to Ambessa’s ultimate ended up being a more significant nerf than intended, even though the developers still believe the direction is healthier for the champion in the long run.
With a clearer read on her current power level, LoL patch 26.10 is giving some of that strength back. Riot is intentionally avoiding buffs to Ambessa’s mobility, instead choosing to increase the overall effectiveness and output of her individual ability casts.
LoL patch 26.10 champion nerfs
| LOL PATCH 26.10 CHAMPION NERFS | STATS |
| Anivia | Base Armor: 21 → 19 Armor growth: 4.5 → 4.1 |
| Ashe | Q AD Ratio: 110-140% → 110-130% |
| Naafiri | P Monster Mod: 155% → 145% W Mana Cost: 60 → 85/80/75/70/65 |
| Shyvana | HP Per level: 100 → 95 W Cooldown: 13-9 → 13-10 |
| Zed | E damage: 70-170 (+80% bonus AD) → 70-160 (+70% bonus AD) P percent target max HP damage: 6/8/10% → 5/7.5/10% |
Zed and Naafiri
The current strength of Zed and Naafiri alongside the upcoming Cyclosword nerfs was assessed. According to the developers, both champions naturally benefit more from the item because they are AD assassins with reliable poke patterns, making Cyclosword’s new passive especially effective on them.
It’s akin to giving them a new AD Sheen item, where certain champions would always end up using it better than others. Because of that, the team is being careful not to overreact with heavy direct nerfs to either champion.
That said, Riot still believes both Zed and Naafiri are currently too strong when paired with Cyclosword, so Patch 26.10 will include small nerfs for both.
LoL patch 26.10 champion adjustments
| LOL PATCH 26.10 CHAMPION ADJUSTMENTS | STATS |
| Lee Sin | W Shield: 70/115/160/205/250 → 60/105/150/195/240 12s when used on non-champions and 6 when used on champions → 7s at all points Lee Sin gets his shield when jumping to a minion or ward. (The minion/ward will not receive a shield) E +100% AD → +90% AD R Body still sent flying when killed |
| Quinn | P now deals +50 damage to monsters Q now deals 50% increased damage to monsters R mana cost: 100 / 50 / 0 → 50 / 25 / 0 |
LoL Patch 26.10 includes a set of modernization updates for Lee Sin aimed at making the champion feel smoother and more fluid without significantly increasing his overall power level.
Riot says some of Lee Sin’s older mechanics — particularly penalties tied to ward hops and other mobility interactions added more than a decade ago — no longer make much sense in the modern version of League of Legends.
The developers also noted that Lee Sin has been in the game long enough that many dedicated players are already pushing the limits of his mastery curve, so the goal is partly to raise his skill ceiling further rather than simply buffing him outright.
They will be closely monitoring how these changes affect lane Lee Sin in particular once the patch goes live.
System buffs
| LOL PATCH 26.10 SYSTEM BUFFS | STATS |
| Lichbane | AP ratio: 40% AP → 45% AP 4% movespeed → 6% movespeed |
| Stormraider’s Surge | Movespeed Duration: 3s >>> 4s Movespeed Amount: [40% Melee || 30% Ranged] >>> [48% Melee || 36% Ranged] |
| Doran’s Bow | AD: 6 → 8 |
| Doran’s Helm | Health: 110 → 130 |
Lichbane
“Lich Bane changes are aimed at providing more differentiation to Dusk and Dawn on the Movespeed and Burst Damage aspect, however we don’t think we can go much higher than these values,” Riot Phroxzon wrote.
Doran’s Bow
According to Riot Phroxzon, Doran’s Bow has quietly become one of the most gold-efficient starting items in the game at its current tuning, though the tradeoff is that players who opt into it are far more vulnerable to early ganks and all-in engagements.
The developers appear comfortable with that risk-versus-reward dynamic for now, but still felt the item needed a slight push.
Doran’s Helm
Doran’s Helm is also receiving a small boost, largely because the game devs believe that the item has become too heavily associated with K’Sante.
The goal with the buff is to broaden its appeal and open it up to a wider pool of champions instead of functioning as a niche pickup for a single tank.
System nerfs
| LOL PATCH 26.10 SYSTEM NERFS | STATS |
| Deathfire Touch | Damage Per Second: 4 – 12 (Levels 1 – 18) (+7% bonus AD) (+2.5% AP) >>> 3 – 12 (Levels 1 – 18) (+7% bonus AD) (+2.5% AP) |
| Gluttonous Greaves | Total Cost: 950g >>> 1000g Slay – Omnivamp Per Stack: 1% (up to 6 stacks for 6%) >>> 0.6% (up to 10 stacks for 6%) |
System changes are shaping up to be the real talking point this patch. Deathfire Touch and Gluttonous Greaves, in particular, have dominated early discussion.
Deathfire Touch
Deathfire has come in a little hot—especially in lane—but it’s also found a genuinely receptive audience, finally giving certain champions a keystone that feels like it fits. After the micropatch adjustments, its power is closer to where it should be, with only minor tuning expected, Riot Phroxzon wrote.
Gluttonous Greaves
Gluttonous Greaves, on the other hand, have quickly carved out a new niche among fighters and AD assassins who’ve long lacked a strong offensive boot option outside of Lucidity.
The problem is they’re doing a bit too much right now, both in mid lane and beyond—especially once upgraded—so nerfs are on the table.
Stormraider’s Surge
Elsewhere, Stormraider’s hasn’t quite hit the mark and is due for a light bump. The ongoing Dusk and Dawn changes continue to focus on separating it more clearly from Lich Bane—which itself may see a small boost to reinforce that distinction.
Looking towards LoL patch 26.11
A bigger systemic adjustment is already planned for LoL patch 26.11, specifically targeting the interaction between Black Cleaver and Deathfire Touch.
The current combo has proven strong enough that the developers intend to add an internal cooldown to prevent the stacking synergy from getting out of control.
The change was considered too risky to ship in 26.10, opting instead to delay it for further testing.
In the same vein, Cyclosword is currently performing a little too well. A nerf is on the way, though the developers do not believe the item will fall out of the meta entirely after the changes.
