League of Legends patch 26.16 gives ADCs more early magic resistance, makes heavy support roaming more costly, improves jungle pet scaling for AP and tank champions, reshapes fighter items, and delivers the first major balance update for League Classic.
The biggest changes are connected. Riot wants traditional marksmen to survive mage pressure more comfortably, supports to spend more meaningful time in bot lane, and junglers to have viable options beyond AD fighters and Sundered Sky. Azir, Gwen, and Kennen also receive direct buffs, while Bel'Veth loses some late-game scaling.
What matters most in League of Legends patch 26.16
If you only want the changes most likely to affect your next games, League of Legends patch 26.16 is primarily a bot lane, jungle, and fighter-item patch.
| Patch area | Main change | Practical impact |
|---|---|---|
| ADC durability | Most affected marksmen move to 33 base magic resistance | Mage bot lanes have less early damage leverage. |
| Support roaming | Minion gold and XP penalty outside bot lane becomes 33% until level 5 | Supports pay more for abandoning lane during the opening levels. |
| Jungle pets | AP, armor, MR, and bonus-health scaling are increased | AP and tank junglers gain relative strength. |
| Champions | Azir, Gwen, and Kennen buffed, Bel'Veth scaling nerfed | Several struggling picks improve while one major scaler is trimmed. |
| Fighter items | Sundered Sky healing nerfed while several alternatives are buffed | AD fighters have more reasons to diversify their builds. |
| Runes | Fleet Footwork buffed, Hail of Blades shifted away from early melee power | Sustain improves while front-loaded early aggression is reduced. |
| League Classic | Akali, Kennen, and Shen added with a large balance pass | The first Classic update is one of the largest parts of patch 26.16. |
| Modes | ARAM: Mayhem and Arena receive extensive tuning | The patch is much larger than its Summoner's Rift champion list suggests. |
| Skins | Faerie Court Bel'Veth, Gwen, and Lulu | All three skins arrive with chroma sets. |
Riot's official League of Legends patch 26.16 notes describe a meta where supports have been roaming extremely early, mages have become increasingly prominent in bot lane, and AD fighter junglers have crowded out other classes.
For continuing coverage, RiftDaily's League of Legends patch notes archive tracks every live update, while League of Legends news and League updates cover the wider game.
Patch timing and overall direction
Riot published the League of Legends patch 26.16 notes on August 11, 2026, with the patch and its Faerie Court skins scheduled for August 12.
The direction is more important than any one number. Riot Games is not removing roaming supports, mage bot carries, or AD fighter junglers. Instead, the update increases the tradeoffs attached to the most dominant versions of those strategies while strengthening alternatives.
Bot lane system changes define League of Legends patch 26.16
ADCs get more early magic resistance
Most affected marksmen now begin with 33 magic resistance instead of 30. Their per-level growth is slightly lower, so League of Legends patch 26.16 deliberately puts more durability into the early game rather than simply making ADCs tankier at every stage.
| Magic resistance | Before | Patch 26.16 |
|---|---|---|
| Most affected ADCs | 30 + 1.3 per level | 33 + 1.1 per level |
| Tristana | 28 + 1.3 per level | 33 + 1.1 per level |
The affected champions are Akshan, Aphelios, Ashe, Caitlyn, Corki, Draven, Ezreal, Graves, Jhin, Jinx, Kai'Sa, Kalista, Kindred, Kog'Maw, Lucian, Miss Fortune, Quinn, Samira, Senna, Sivir, Smolder, Twitch, Varus, Vayne, Xayah, Yunara, and Zeri. Tristana receives the same new resistance profile from an even lower starting point.
Support Role Quest punishes extended early roams
The Support Role Quest is also changing. Riot still wants roaming to exist, but supports who spend much of the opening phase acting like a second jungler now give up more progression.
| Support quest rule | Before | Patch 26.16 |
|---|---|---|
| Champion or turret stack consumption | 22 melee / 20 ranged and 24 melee / 22 ranged | 18 and 21 |
| Creep score stack consumption | 15 and 20 | 18 and 21 |
| Minion gold and XP penalty outside bot lane | -25% until level 3 | -33% until level 5 |
Jungle pets scale better for AP and tank champions
- Damage per attack: remains 20-150 based on level.
- Bonus AD scaling: remains 10%.
- AP scaling: 12% ⇒ 16%.
- Bonus armor scaling: 20% ⇒ 25%.
- Bonus magic resistance scaling: 20% ⇒ 25%.
- Bonus health scaling: 3% ⇒ 4%.
Champion changes in League of Legends patch 26.16
Seven Summoner's Rift champions receive direct balance changes. Azir, Gwen, and Kennen are straightforward buffs. Bel'Veth is a scaling nerf, while Camille, Nasus, and Poppy are adjusted to shift power between roles or build styles.
| Champion | Direction | Main change |
|---|---|---|
| Azir | Buff | Higher Q base damage |
| Bel'Veth | Nerf | Less health growth and weaker late True Form attack speed |
| Camille | Adjustment | Weaker early passive shield, lower cooldowns, stronger W |
| Gwen | Buff | More passive healing against champions |
| Kennen | Buff | More damage and durability during R |
| Nasus | Adjustment | More normal Q stacks, fewer premium-target stacks |
| Poppy | Adjustment | Less AD fighter power, stronger tank scaling |
Azir
Azir gets a simple laning buff. Conquering Sands gains 15 base damage at every rank, while its AP scaling remains unchanged.
Q - Conquering Sands
- Damage: 60 / 80 / 100 / 120 / 140 (+35 / 40 / 45 / 50 / 55% AP) ⇒ 75 / 95 / 115 / 135 / 155 (+35 / 40 / 45 / 50 / 55% AP).
Bel'Veth
Bel'Veth's early game is already vulnerable, so League of Legends patch 26.16 mostly trims the scaling end of her power curve. She loses health growth and some True Form attack speed at later ultimate ranks.
Base stats
- Health growth: 110 ⇒ 105.
R - Endless Banquet
- True Form total attack speed: 5 / 15 / 25% ⇒ 6 / 13 / 20%.
- True Form Remora indicator: Bel'Veth's resource bar now turns purple when True Form can spawn Remora.
Camille
Camille is one of the patch's most role-specific changes. Her early passive shield is substantially weaker, directly targeting support Camille, while lower cooldowns, more mana, and a stronger W are intended to preserve or improve her top-lane trading.
Base stats
- Mana: 339 ⇒ 375.
Passive - Adaptive Defenses
- Shield: 20% maximum health ⇒ 10 / 15 / 20 / 25% maximum health at levels 1 / 7 / 13 / 19.
- Cooldown: 18 / 14 / 10 / 6 seconds at levels 1 / 7 / 13 / 19 ⇒ 14 / 11 / 8 seconds at levels 1 / 7 / 13.
W - Tactical Sweep
- Cooldown: 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 seconds ⇒ 12 / 11.5 / 11 / 10.5 / 10 seconds.
- Outer cone bonus damage: 6 / 6.5 / 7 / 7.5 / 8% target maximum health ⇒ 7 / 7.5 / 8 / 8.5 / 9%.
- Bonus AD scaling: remains 2.5% target maximum health per 100 bonus attack damage.
Gwen
Gwen gets back a significant amount of passive sustain. The change is especially valuable in extended melee matchups where A Thousand Cuts can trigger repeatedly.
Passive - A Thousand Cuts
- Healing on champions: 50% post-mitigation damage ⇒ 67%.
- Healing cap: 10-25 based on level ⇒ 12-40.
- AP contribution: 6.5% AP ⇒ 7% AP.
Kennen
Kennen gets more reward for finding the flank his kit is built around. Slicing Maelstrom provides more resistances and more damage, especially at later ranks.
R - Slicing Maelstrom
- Bonus resistances: 20 / 40 / 60 ⇒ 25 / 50 / 75.
- Damage: 40 / 75 / 110 (+22.5% AP) ⇒ 40 / 80 / 120 (+25% AP).
- Maximum damage: 300 / 562.5 / 825 (+168.75% AP) ⇒ 300 / 600 / 900 (+187.5% AP).
Nasus
Nasus has become a notable jungle pick, while top lane has fallen behind. League of Legends patch 26.16 makes regular Siphoning Strike last hits worth more and premium targets worth slightly less.
Q - Siphoning Strike
- Regular stacks: 3 ⇒ 4.
- Champion, large minion, and monster stacks: 12 ⇒ 10.
Poppy
Poppy is being pulled away from an early-game AD fighter pattern and pushed toward tank scaling. She loses base attack damage and bonus AD scaling but gains more mana, regeneration, resistances, and bonus-health interaction.
Base stats
- Attack damage: 60 ⇒ 56.
- Health regeneration: 8 ⇒ 9.
- Mana: 280 + 40 per level ⇒ 300 + 45 per level.
Q - Hammer Shock
- Damage: 30 / 55 / 80 / 105 / 130 (+100% bonus AD) (+9% target maximum health), twice ⇒ 30 / 55 / 80 / 105 / 130 (+75% bonus AD) (+7 / 7.5 / 8 / 8.5 / 9% target maximum health), twice.
- Monster maximum-health damage cap: 75 / 105 / 135 / 165 / 195 ⇒ 85 / 120 / 155 / 190 / 225.
- Slow: 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40% ⇒ 20 / 23 / 26 / 29 / 32%, plus 8% per 1,000 bonus health.
W - Steadfast Presence
- Total armor and magic resistance: 12% ⇒ 16%, still doubled below 40% maximum health.
Item changes in League of Legends patch 26.16
The item pass in League of Legends patch 26.16 is built around one clear goal: Sundered Sky should not crowd out the rest of the AD fighter ecosystem. Several alternatives gain offensive power, while marksman attack-speed items also improve.
Berserker's Greaves
- Attack speed: 25% ⇒ 30%.
- Tier-three attack speed: 40% ⇒ 45%.
Black Cleaver
- Attack damage: 40 ⇒ 45.
- Fervor movement speed: 20 for 2 seconds ⇒ 20 melee / 10 ranged for 2 seconds.
Eclipse
- Damage: 6% melee / 4% ranged target maximum health ⇒ 8% melee / 5% ranged.
- Melee shield: 160 + 40% bonus AD ⇒ 150 + 40% bonus AD.
- Ranged shield: 80 + 20% bonus AD ⇒ 75 + 20% bonus AD.
Runaan's Hurricane
- Movement speed: 4% ⇒ 5%.
- Wind's Fury bolt damage: 55% attack damage ⇒ 65% attack damage.
Sterak's Gage
- Bonus attack damage: 45% of base attack damage ⇒ 50%.
Sundered Sky
- Recipe: Tunneler + Caulfield's Warhammer + Ruby Crystal + 500 gold ⇒ Tunneler + Caulfield's Warhammer + 900 gold.
- Healing: 100% melee / 50% ranged base AD + 6% missing health ⇒ 90% melee / 45% ranged base AD + 4% missing health.
- Health: 400 ⇒ 450.
Sunfire Cape
- Damage: 20 + 1% bonus health ⇒ 20 + 1.5% bonus health.
- Minion modifier: 160% ⇒ 150%.
- Monster modifier: 200% ⇒ 180%.
- Recipe cost: 600 ⇒ 700 gold.
Chainlaced Crushers
- Magic resistance: 30 ⇒ 25.
Spellslinger's Shoes
- Magic penetration: 18 + 8% ⇒ 20 + 8%.
Tiamat
- Attack damage: 20 ⇒ 25.
Rune changes in League of Legends patch 26.16
Fleet Footwork
- Healing: 10-130 ⇒ 15-160.
- Bonus AD ratio: unchanged at 10% melee / 6% ranged.
- AP ratio: unchanged at 5% melee / 3% ranged.
Hail of Blades
- Attack speed: 120% melee / 60% ranged ⇒ 90% melee / 60% ranged.
- Bonus true damage: 4-20 (+8% bonus AD) (+6% AP) ⇒ 2-20 (+12% bonus AD) (+10% AP).
League Classic gets its first patch update
League of Legends patch 26.16 is especially large for League Classic. Akali, Kennen, and Shen arrive in their older forms, 18 existing champions are rebalanced, new runes are added, gold generation changes, early Homeguards disappear, jungle scaling is corrected, and turrets become tougher.
Classic Akali
- Passive - Twin Disciplines: reaching 20 AP grants bonus on-hit damage based on total AD, while reaching 10 bonus AD grants Spell Vamp.
- Q - Mark of the Assassin: throws a kama that damages and marks a target. Attacking the marked enemy deals extra damage and refunds energy.
- W - Twilight Shroud: creates a smoke area that grants invisibility and bonus resistances while slowing enemies inside.
- E - Crescent Slash: damages nearby enemies at a significant energy cost.
- R - Shadow Dance: dashes to an enemy and deals damage, with up to three stored charges.
Classic Kennen
- Passive - Mark of the Storm: abilities apply marks. Three marks stun the target and refund energy.
- Q - Thundering Shuriken: throws a shuriken that damages and marks the first enemy hit.
- W - Electrical Surge: periodically empowers an attack to apply a mark, while the active damages nearby marked enemies.
- E - Lightning Rush: turns Kennen into a ball of lightning with extra movement speed and resistances.
- R - Slicing Maelstrom: surrounds Kennen with a storm that repeatedly damages and marks enemy champions.
Classic Shen
- Passive - Ki Strike: periodically empowers Shen's next attack and restores energy.
- Q - Vorpal Blade: damages and marks a target, allowing Shen and allies to heal when attacking it.
- W - Feint: grants a shield and helps refresh Ki Strike faster.
- E - Shadow Dash: dashes through champions, damaging and taunting them while restoring energy.
- R - Stand United: shields an ally anywhere on the map before teleporting Shen to them.
Classic champion balance changes
| Champion | League Classic patch 26.16 changes |
|---|---|
| Alistar | Triumphant Roar allied healing effectiveness rises from 50% to 75%. |
| Amumu | Cursed Touch MR shred becomes 15 / 25 / 35 and lasts 4 seconds. Bandage Toss damage becomes 80 / 140 / 200 / 260 / 320. |
| Blitzcrank | Rocket Grab damage becomes 60 / 120 / 180 / 240 / 300 and cooldown rises to 22 / 21 / 20 / 19 / 18 seconds. Overdrive cooldown rises to 20 seconds. Static Field active damage falls to 200 / 300 / 400. |
| Dr. Mundo | Burning Agony damage rises to 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 per second and tenacity rises to 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 35%. Sadism restores 40 / 55 / 70% health. |
| Garen | Base health regeneration rises to 9.0, Perseverance regeneration rises to 0.5% maximum health per second, and Demacian Justice cooldown becomes 140 / 110 / 80. |
| Heimerdinger | Turret base attack damage falls to 28 / 36 / 44 / 52 / 60, Micro-Rockets damage falls to 70 / 120 / 170 / 220 / 270, and grenade cooldown rises to 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 / 10. |
| Janna | Attack damage becomes 49 + 3 per level. Monsoon mana cost rises to 200 / 275 / 350. |
| Jarvan IV | Armor growth falls from 3.6 to 3, Golden Aegis shielding per nearby champion becomes 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40, and Demacian Standard mana cost scales from 55 to 75. |
| Katarina | Death Lotus maximum damage falls to 400 / 575 / 750 + 375% bonus AD + 250% AP. |
| Lux | Movement speed rises from 330 to 340. Final Spark cooldown becomes 80 / 60 / 40 and its AP ratio rises from 75% to 85%. |
| Miss Fortune | Impure Shots damage per stack becomes 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 / 14, maximum stacks fall to 4, and maximum bonus damage becomes 24 / 32 / 40 / 48 / 56. Bullet Time's bonus AD ratio rises to 40% per wave. |
| Nasus | Soul Eater lifesteal becomes 10 / 15 / 20%. Wither mana cost rises from 80 to 100. |
| Skarner | Energize works on structures again. Crystal Slash slow becomes 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 / 45%, Crystalline Exoskeleton cooldown falls to 14 seconds, and Fracture missile width rises to 120. |
| Soraka | Astral Blessing armor becomes 25 / 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 and lasts 5 seconds. |
| Tryndamere | Bloodlust cooldown becomes 14 / 12.5 / 11 / 9.5 / 8, bonus AD per Fury falls from 5 to 3, maximum bonus AD falls from 40 to 24, and Spinning Slash cooldown rises to 9 seconds. |
| Twitch | Attack damage falls from 52 to 50, Venom Cask projectile speed falls to 1300, Expunge mana cost becomes 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90, and Spray and Pray missile speed falls to 4000. |
| Veigar | Baleful Strike mana cost falls to 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 and its AP ratio rises to 65%. |
| Warwick | Base attack speed falls from .679 to .644. |
Classic rune and system changes
Default placeholder rune power rises from 66% to 80% of the equivalent full rune, while Scaling Armor Seals increase from 0.15 to 0.17 armor per level. Classic also gains new AP, energy, mana regeneration, health regeneration, and energy-focused runes.
- Start of ambient gold generation: 65 seconds ⇒ 90 seconds.
- Melee minion base gold: 20 ⇒ 19.
- Ranged minion base gold: 15 ⇒ 14.
- Homeguard activation: 0 minutes ⇒ 15 minutes.
- Non-epic jungle monster maximum-health scaling: 250% ⇒ 315%.
- Outer turret health: 3,000 ⇒ 3,500.
- Inner turret health: 3,250 ⇒ 3,750.
- Inhibitor turret health: 3,500 ⇒ 4,000.
- Nexus turret health: 2,600 ⇒ 2,750.
- Champion damage to turrets: 100% total AD + 40% AP ⇒ 100% total AD + 20% AP.
Classic skins and cosmetics
Miss Fortune and the three new-old ninja champions receive updated base Classic appearances. Eligible skin owners can also select additional Classic looks as chromas.
- Classic Akali (Stinger)
- Classic Miss Fortune (Waterloo)
- Classic Shen (Yellowjacket)
ARAM: Mayhem changes in League of Legends patch 26.16
ARAM: Mayhem focuses on fighters and sustained frontline combat. Two new Gold Augments upgrade Sundered Sky and Ravenous Hydra, while several existing Augments are reworked or retuned.
| Change | Patch 26.16 value |
|---|---|
| Locke damage dealt | 105% |
| Locke damage taken | 95% |
| Locke tenacity | 20 |
| Skilled Sniper / Quest Bang Bang range | 600 |
| Soul Eater second Augment health | 300 |
| Nightstalking movement speed | 40% |
| Shark Bait missing-health damage | 30% |
| Nature is Healing | 40-300 + 15% missing health, 20-second cooldown |
| Upgrade Sundered Sky | 5-second target cooldown, 9% missing-health healing |
| Upgrade Ravenous Hydra | Spells apply Cleave with no cooldown, 18% lifesteal |
Arena changes in League of Legends patch 26.16
Arena receives a broad champion balance pass, primarily lifting struggling champions while reducing some of the strongest performers. Bravery Arena also returns on a predictable weekly schedule, with Bravery and Crowd Favorites available every Wednesday.
| Champion | Arena changes |
|---|---|
| Aurelion Sol | Q burst health ratio falls and E cooldown rises to 12 seconds. |
| Bel'Veth | Passive attack speed per stack falls, and R bonus health is reduced. |
| Gnar | Tired duration becomes zero, with buffs to W, E, and R. |
| LeBlanc | Passive cooldown falls, Q becomes stronger, and E cooldown improves. |
| Poppy | Q maximum-health damage and W durability improve. |
| Rek'Sai | Healing, Q, burrow movement speed, and tunnel availability all improve. |
| Shaco | Q bonus AD ratio rises to 85%, E rises to 100%. |
| Volibear | Q, W, and E receive substantial offensive and defensive buffs. |
| Warwick | Q and E cooldowns are reduced. |
Bugfixes and quality-of-life changes
- Base Locke Q missile cast sounds are quieter.
- Viego with the Bot Lane Role Quest can no longer steal a possessed target's boots.
- Upgrading Hexdrinker into Maw of Malmortius now correctly handles the item's cooldown.
- Killing a ward no longer displays debug text to spectators.
- Locke R artifact refunds now use total cooldown rather than current cooldown.
- Taunt and Berserk effects can no longer be ignored in certain situations while using WASD controls.
- Support players' Control Wards are no longer consumed when trying to place them while dead.
- Ambessa omnivamp no longer applies to turrets when driving Rift Herald into them.
- Mordekaiser R no longer improperly grants Ability Haste.
- Bel'Veth's resource bar now updates correctly when she reaches 80 stacks while already in True Form.
- Locke R execution is no longer considered a spell cast.
- Viktor R lightning VFX no longer stretches across the screen in affected situations.
Players still experiencing account, client, installation, or connection problems can use the official League of Legends Support resources.
Faerie Court skins and chromas in League of Legends patch 26.16
Faerie Court Bel'Veth, Faerie Court Gwen, and Faerie Court Lulu are the new standard League cosmetics released with League of Legends patch 26.16. All three also receive chroma collections.
New Faerie Court skins
Faerie Court Bel'Veth and Gwen chromas
Faerie Court Lulu chromas
Biggest winners and losers from League of Legends patch 26.16
| Champion or group | Direction | Why patch 26.16 matters |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional ADCs | Winner | Higher starting MR, stronger Berserker's Greaves, and better Runaan's Hurricane support conventional marksman play. |
| Gwen | Winner | Her champion-combat healing receives a substantial increase. |
| Kennen | Winner | Slicing Maelstrom becomes both safer and more damaging. |
| AP and tank junglers | Winner | Jungle pets scale better with AP, armor, MR, and bonus health. |
| Melee Black Cleaver users | Winner | Five more AD while retaining the full melee movement-speed effect. |
| Early roaming supports | Loser | The out-of-bot-lane penalty is stronger and lasts through level 5. |
| Support Camille | Loser | Her level 1 passive shield falls from 20% to 10% maximum health. |
| Sundered Sky users | Loser | Both the base-AD and missing-health portions of the heal are reduced. |
| AD fighter Poppy | Loser | Lower base AD and bonus AD scaling weaken damage-first builds. |
| Late-game Bel'Veth | Loser | Lower health growth and weaker later True Form attack speed reduce her scaling ceiling. |
Frequently asked questions about League of Legends patch 26.16
When did League of Legends patch 26.16 release?
League of Legends patch 26.16 released on August 12, 2026. Riot published the full patch notes on August 11, and the Faerie Court Bel'Veth, Gwen, and Lulu skins were also scheduled for August 12.
What is the biggest change in League of Legends patch 26.16?
The broadest change is the bot lane systems pass. Most affected ADCs gain more starting magic resistance, while support quest penalties make extended roaming before level 5 more expensive.
Which champions were buffed in LoL patch 26.16?
Azir, Gwen, and Kennen receive the clearest direct buffs. Azir gains Q damage, Gwen heals more from her passive against champions, and Kennen gets more damage and resistances during Slicing Maelstrom.
Which champions were nerfed in League of Legends patch 26.16?
Bel'Veth receives the clearest conventional nerf, with lower health growth and weaker later True Form attack speed. Support Camille also loses early durability, while AD-oriented Poppy builds lose base damage and scaling.
What changed for ADC magic resistance?
Most affected marksmen move from 30 base magic resistance with 1.3 growth per level to 33 base MR with 1.1 growth. Tristana moves from 28 base MR to the same new 33 + 1.1 profile.
How did patch 26.16 nerf support roaming?
The Support Role Quest's minion gold and experience penalty outside bot lane increases from 25% through level 3 to 33% through level 5.
Is Sundered Sky nerfed in patch 26.16?
Yes. Sundered Sky gains 50 health, but its heal falls from 100% melee / 50% ranged base AD plus 6% missing health to 90% melee / 45% ranged base AD plus 4% missing health.
What skins released in League of Legends patch 26.16?
Faerie Court Bel'Veth, Faerie Court Gwen, and Faerie Court Lulu released with patch 26.16. Riot also included chroma sets for all three cosmetics.
What to watch as the patch 26.16 meta settles
League of Legends patch 26.16 is a systems patch disguised as a fairly short Summoner's Rift champion list. The biggest question is whether bot lane becomes less warped around mage pressure and level 1-4 support roaming, and whether AP and tank junglers can take meaningful space back from AD fighters.
Sundered Sky's weaker healing should also make fighter itemization more interesting. Black Cleaver, Eclipse, and Sterak's Gage all have stronger reasons to appear in builds, while Berserker's Greaves and Runaan's Hurricane give traditional ADCs additional help.
For the next balance shifts, keep RiftDaily's League of Legends patch notes bookmarked, follow the latest League of Legends news, and check League updates as players settle on the strongest champions, items, and strategies after 26.16.
