League of Legends patch 26.17 nerfs Vayne and Nasus to ease top-lane pressure, improves scaling for Irelia, Qiyana, Yasuo, and Yone, weakens Graves, Nocturne, Thresh, and Xerath, buffs Stormrazor, nerfs Sundered Sky again, and delivers another major League Classic update.
The modern Summoner's Rift balance list is relatively focused, but the complete update is not small. League Classic receives a large champion pass, faster progression, free Rune Pages, Champion Select swapping, the first Council vote, item changes, visual restoration work, and dozens of fixes. ARAM: Mayhem and Arena also receive dedicated balance updates.
What matters most in League of Legends patch 26.17
League of Legends patch 26.17 went live on August 26, 2026, one day after Riot published the full patch notes. Instead of another broad system overhaul, Riot is following up on patch 26.16 by improving the late-game paths of several melee carries and trimming champions that have become too reliable in top, jungle, mid, and support.
| Patch area | Main change | Practical impact |
|---|---|---|
| Champion buffs | Aurelion Sol, Cho'Gath, Irelia, LeBlanc, Qiyana, Trundle, Yasuo, and Yone | Several underperforming picks and scaling carries get more room to succeed. |
| Champion nerfs | Graves, Nasus, Nocturne, Thresh, Vayne, and Xerath | Strong jungle, top, mid, and support options become easier to punish. |
| Top lane | Nasus loses sustain while Vayne pays more mana for early Tumble and deals less early Silver Bolts damage | Both changes target frustrating or overly reliable top-lane patterns. |
| Melee carries | Irelia, Qiyana, Yasuo, and Yone gain offensive scaling | These champions depend slightly less on snowballing an early lead. |
| Jungle | Graves loses Q scaling and Nocturne loses durability | Two strong junglers gain clearer early weaknesses. |
| Items | Stormrazor gains Attack Speed while Sundered Sky loses Health and AD | Stormrazor gets another opportunity to compete while Sundered Sky is nerfed for a second straight patch. |
| League Classic | Champion balance, items, progression, Rune Pages, swapping, Council voting, art, and bugfixes | Classic is effectively a second major update inside patch 26.17. |
| ARAM: Mayhem | Ultra Hydra and Upgrade Death's Dance arrive alongside ADC Augment tuning | Fighters gain more sustain-focused options while several ranged Augments are toned down. |
| Arena | Champion, item, and Augment balance | Arena moves toward balance passes on odd-numbered League patches. |
| Cosmetics | Heartsong Seraphine, Ocean Song Soraka, and Ocean Song Jinx | Three new skins and their chromas arrive with the patch. |
Riot's official League of Legends patch 26.17 notes contain the source values for every change. The written champion section lists eight buffs and six nerfs, with no live Hecarim balance adjustment.
For continuing coverage, browse RiftDaily's League of Legends patch notes, follow breaking League of Legends news, check smaller League updates, and use our League of Legends leaks coverage to separate prerelease testing from changes that reach live servers.
What League of Legends patch 26.17 changes for the meta
The clearest theme in League of Legends patch 26.17 is scaling over forced snowballing. Riot specifically identifies Irelia, Qiyana, Yasuo, and Yone as melee AD carries that have relied too heavily on getting ahead instead of having a dependable late-game path.
Those buffs are paired with targeted nerfs to several established solo queue performers. Graves gets less value from high-AD Q scaling, Nocturne becomes more fragile before Paranoia takes over the map, Xerath loses some lane safety and poke damage, and Thresh gives up damage without losing the utility that defines his kit.
Top lane receives an especially deliberate correction. Nasus loses passive lifesteal after benefiting from his revised stacking pattern, while Vayne's early Tumble mana cost and Silver Bolts damage are hit much harder than her late-game values. Riot says the Vayne changes are designed to affect top more than bot.
For information beyond individual League patches, visit Riot Games.
Champion changes in League of Legends patch 26.17
League of Legends patch 26.17 changes 14 champions on modern Summoner's Rift. The biggest practical stories are Vayne's top-lane nerf, improved critical strike scaling for Yasuo and Yone, stronger AD scaling for Irelia, Qiyana's mid-focused adjustment, and direct nerfs to several high-performing jungle and mid picks.
| Champion | Direction | Main change | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aurelion Sol | Buff | Lower Q mana drain and shorter W cooldown | More freedom to use Breath of Light and Astral Flight, especially later in the game. |
| Cho'Gath | Buff | Vorpal Spikes gains 10 base damage per attack | Stronger early trades when Cho'Gath can remain in auto-attack range. |
| Graves | Nerf | Both parts of Q lose bonus AD scaling | High-AD builds lose burst and Graves gets less reward from snowballing. |
| Irelia | Buff | Q AD ratio rises, with extra AP scaling on W and R | Standard AD Irelia scales better while experimental AP builds gain extra support. |
| LeBlanc | Buff | Attack Speed ratio normalized and Distortion gains AP scaling | AP assassination builds gain damage while her Attack Speed behavior becomes more conventional. |
| Nasus | Nerf | Soul Eater lifesteal reduced | Top Nasus has less lane sustain after benefiting from the previous stacking adjustment. |
| Nocturne | Nerf | Base Health and Armor reduced | Opponents get a better opportunity to punish him before Paranoia comes online. |
| Qiyana | Buff / adjustment | Q champion damage increases while its monster modifier falls | Mid Qiyana benefits more than jungle Qiyana, which loses some clear amplification. |
| Thresh | Nerf | Flay loses base damage and AP scaling | Thresh keeps his core utility but contributes less direct damage. |
| Trundle | Buff | Frozen Domain Attack Speed scales up to 110% | Later W ranks provide substantially more sustained damage. |
| Vayne | Nerf | Early Q costs more mana and Silver Bolts deals less early damage | The changes hit top Vayne particularly hard while preserving more of her late-game output. |
| Xerath | Nerf | Lower base Health and Q damage | His lane becomes easier to punish without changing his long-range poke identity. |
| Yasuo | Buff | Critical strike damage penalty reduced | Crit builds scale better and become more attractive compared with non-crit openings. |
| Yone | Buff | Critical strike damage penalty reduced | Yone gets a stronger late-game payoff from critical strike itemization. |
Aurelion Sol
Aurelion Sol came out behind after the previous mage adjustments, so League of Legends patch 26.17 gives him more freedom to use Breath of Light and Astral Flight. The W change becomes increasingly meaningful as the ability gains ranks.
Q - Breath of Light
- Mana cost per second: 35 / 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 ⇒ 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50.
W - Astral Flight
- Cooldown: 22 / 20.5 / 19 / 17.5 / 16 seconds ⇒ 22 / 20 / 18 / 16 / 14 seconds.
Cho'Gath
Cho'Gath lost some early aggression through previous Hail of Blades and Hextech Rocketbelt nerfs. League of Legends patch 26.17 gives part of that pressure back when he can stay close enough to land repeated Vorpal Spikes attacks.
E - Vorpal Spikes
- Base damage for each of three attacks: 20 / 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 ⇒ 30 / 50 / 70 / 90 / 110. The 30% AP ratio and Feast-based target maximum-Health scaling are unchanged.
Graves
Graves has accumulated several indirect advantages across recent patches. League of Legends patch 26.17 reduces how efficiently high-AD builds turn those advantages into End of the Line burst without lowering the ability's base damage.
Q - End of the Line
- Initial damage: 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 (+65% bonus AD) ⇒ 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 (+55% bonus AD).
- Return damage: 80 / 125 / 170 / 215 / 260 (+55 / 70 / 85 / 100 / 115% bonus AD) ⇒ 80 / 125 / 170 / 215 / 260 (+45 / 60 / 75 / 90 / 105% bonus AD).
Irelia
Irelia is one of the biggest scaling winners in League of Legends patch 26.17. Bladesurge gains 10 percentage points of AD scaling, while W and R receive AP ratio buffs intended mainly to support unusual ARAM and Arena builds rather than standard AP Irelia on Summoner's Rift.
Q - Bladesurge
- Damage: 5 / 25 / 45 / 65 / 85 (+70% AD) ⇒ 5 / 25 / 45 / 65 / 85 (+80% AD).
W - Defiant Dance
- Damage reduction AP ratio: 7% per 100 AP ⇒ 8% per 100 AP. The value remains halved against magic damage, with the separate Arena modifier retained.
R - Vanguard's Edge
- AP ratio: 70% ⇒ 100%. Arena already used the 100% value.
LeBlanc
LeBlanc's unusual Attack Speed ratio was tied to an older Statikk Shiv environment that no longer exists. League of Legends patch 26.17 restores a more typical ratio, lowers her Attack Speed growth to compensate, and gives Distortion stronger AP scaling.
- Attack Speed ratio: 0.4 ⇒ 0.625.
- Attack Speed growth: 2.35% ⇒ 1.5%.
W - Distortion
- W damage: 75 / 115 / 155 / 195 / 235 (+80% AP) ⇒ 75 / 115 / 155 / 195 / 235 (+90% AP).
- RW - Mimic: Distortion damage: 150 / 315 / 480 (+80% AP) ⇒ 150 / 315 / 480 (+90% AP).
Nasus
Nasus benefited from the previous shift to his Siphoning Strike stacking pattern. Instead of immediately undoing that change, League of Legends patch 26.17 attacks one of his top-lane strengths by reducing the lifesteal that lets him repeatedly recover through pressure.
Passive - Soul Eater
- Lifesteal: 12 / 18 / 24% ⇒ 10 / 15 / 20%.
Nocturne
Nocturne has remained strong across skill levels. League of Legends patch 26.17 leaves the payoff from Paranoia untouched but adds more risk before he reaches that power spike by lowering his basic defensive stats.
- Armor: 38 ⇒ 36.
- Health: 655 ⇒ 640.
Qiyana
Qiyana's change should not be read as a simple jungle buff. League of Legends patch 26.17 makes Elemental Wrath stronger against champions but reduces its monster modifier, deliberately giving mid Qiyana more help than jungle Qiyana.
Q - Elemental Wrath
- Damage: 70 / 100 / 130 / 160 / 190 (+85% bonus AD) ⇒ 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 / 200 (+90% bonus AD).
- Monster damage modifier: 175% ⇒ 160%.
Thresh
Thresh has combined a strong win rate with rising popularity. Riot avoids changing his defining hook, lantern, and crowd-control utility and instead removes damage from Flay.
E - Flay
- Active damage: 75 / 120 / 165 / 210 / 255 (+70% AP) ⇒ 65 / 110 / 155 / 200 / 245 (+60% AP).
Trundle
Trundle already brings reliable utility through Pillar of Ice and Subjugate. League of Legends patch 26.17 improves his personal damage output by steepening Frozen Domain's Attack Speed scaling.
W - Frozen Domain
- Attack Speed: 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 / 90% ⇒ 30 / 50 / 70 / 90 / 110%.
Vayne
Vayne receives one of the most important LoL patch 26.17 adjustments. Riot says she may eventually need broader work to improve bot-lane Vayne, but this patch prioritizes limiting top lane. Early Tumble becomes much more expensive and Silver Bolts loses a large amount of early damage, while base-stat compensation protects more of her traditional ADC identity.
- Health: 550 + 103 per level ⇒ 580 + 98 per level.
- Health regeneration: 3.5 + 0.55 per level ⇒ 4 + 0.5 per level.
- Attack Speed ratio and growth: 0.658 + 3.3% per level ⇒ 0.67 + 2.8% per level.
Q - Tumble
- Mana cost: 30 ⇒ 46 / 42 / 38 / 34 / 30.
W - Silver Bolts
- True damage: 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10% target maximum Health ⇒ 4 / 5.5 / 7 / 8.5 / 10%.
- Minimum damage: 50 / 65 / 80 / 95 / 110 ⇒ 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100.
Xerath
Xerath emerged as one of the stronger mid laners after the previous mage changes. League of Legends patch 26.17 uses a light touch, reducing his starting Health and removing five damage from every rank of Arcanopulse.
- Health: 596 ⇒ 575.
Q - Arcanopulse
- Damage: 75 / 115 / 155 / 195 / 235 (+90% AP) ⇒ 70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 (+90% AP).
Yasuo
Yasuo's League of Legends patch 26.17 buff directly targets scaling. Riot wants early critical strike builds to be more attractive relative to options such as Blade of the Ruined King, so his passive removes less damage from critical strikes.
Passive - Way of the Wanderer
- Critical strike damage reduction: -10% ⇒ -5%.
Yone
Yone receives the same critical strike adjustment as Yasuo. The buff does not radically change his opening levels, but completed crit builds preserve more damage and provide a stronger late-game payoff.
Passive - Way of the Hunter
- Critical strike damage reduction: -10% ⇒ -5%.
Item changes in League of Legends patch 26.17
Only two standard Summoner's Rift items receive direct balance changes in League of Legends patch 26.17. Stormrazor gets another straightforward buff, while Sundered Sky is nerfed for the second patch in a row.
| Item | Direction | Before | Patch 26.17 | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stormrazor | Buff | 20% Attack Speed | 25% Attack Speed | The extra Attack Speed improves baseline efficiency and gives marksmen another reason to consider it against competing options. |
| Sundered Sky | Nerf | 450 Health, 45 Attack Damage | 400 Health, 40 Attack Damage | Fighters lose both durability and damage after the item's healing was already reduced in patch 26.16. |
Stormrazor
- Attack Speed: 20% ⇒ 25%.
Stormrazor has struggled to establish a consistent place in builds. League of Legends patch 26.17 gives it a simple five percentage-point Attack Speed increase without changing the rest of the item.
Sundered Sky
- Health: 450 ⇒ 400.
- Attack Damage: 45 ⇒ 40.
Sundered Sky was already hit through its healing in patch 26.16, but Riot says that nerf landed below target. League of Legends patch 26.17 therefore removes another 50 Health and five Attack Damage.
Biggest winners and losers from League of Legends patch 26.17
The most useful way to interpret League of Legends patch 26.17 is to separate scaling improvements from early-game pressure reductions. Yasuo, Yone, and Irelia get more value from offensive items, while Vayne, Nasus, Graves, and Nocturne give opponents more opportunities to punish them.
| Champion or item | Direction | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Irelia | Winner | Bladesurge gains 10 percentage points of AD scaling, improving the payoff from standard offensive builds. |
| Yasuo | Winner | The lower crit penalty strengthens critical strike itemization and late-game scaling. |
| Yone | Winner | He receives the same critical strike improvement as Yasuo. |
| Trundle | Winner | Frozen Domain reaches 110% Attack Speed at rank five instead of 90%. |
| Stormrazor users | Winner | The item gains five percentage points of Attack Speed with no compensation nerf. |
| Top Vayne | Loser | Rank-one Tumble costs 46 mana and early Silver Bolts damage falls substantially. |
| Nasus top | Loser | Lower passive lifesteal reduces his ability to sustain through lane pressure. |
| Graves | Loser | High-AD builds lose scaling on both parts of End of the Line. |
| Nocturne | Loser | Lower Health and Armor create more risk before Paranoia unlocks his strongest map pressure. |
| Sundered Sky | Loser | A second consecutive nerf removes another 50 Health and five AD. |
How to play League of Legends patch 26.17
League of Legends patch 26.17 is more about reevaluating matchups and build priorities than relearning Summoner's Rift. The larger bot-lane and jungle system changes happened in 26.16, while this update responds to the champions and items that emerged from that environment.
- Respect crit Yasuo and Yone scaling. Their early lanes are not suddenly transformed, but completed critical strike builds retain more damage.
- Pressure Vayne's mana in top lane. Rank-one Tumble costs 46 mana instead of 30, so repeated repositioning and short trades become much more expensive.
- Do not treat Qiyana as a pure jungle buff. Her Q hits champions harder, but the monster modifier falls from 175% to 160%.
- Reconsider automatic Sundered Sky purchases. The item lost healing in 26.16 and another 50 Health plus five AD in League of Legends patch 26.17.
- Test Stormrazor where Attack Speed was the missing piece. The buff is simple, but whether the item earns a slot still depends on each champion's alternatives.
- Attack Nocturne earlier. Losing 15 Health and two Armor matters most before he can consistently dictate fights with Paranoia.
League Classic changes in League of Legends patch 26.17
League Classic receives one of the largest parts of League of Legends patch 26.17. Every player gets two additional Rune Pages, Influence Point gains more than double, Classic XP doubles, many runes become cheaper, Champion Select gains swapping, the first Council vote opens, Summoner's Rift receives visual restoration work, and a large group of champions is rebalanced.
League Classic champion balance changes
| Champion | League Classic patch 26.17 changes |
|---|---|
| Ahri | Base Health Regen 6.1 ⇒ 4.5, Health Regen growth 0.6 ⇒ 0.45, Health 460 ⇒ 440, Spirit Rush cooldown 110 / 95 / 80 ⇒ 120 / 100 / 80 seconds. |
| Annie | Pyromania stun 1.5 ⇒ 1.75 seconds. Disintegrate becomes 90 / 130 / 170 / 210 / 250 + 75% AP. Incinerate becomes 85 / 135 / 185 / 235 / 285 + 80% AP. Molten Shield bugs are fixed, and Tibbers' burn correctly gains AP scaling. |
| Ashe | Volley becomes 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 + 100% total AD and range increases from 1200 to 1300. |
| Blitzcrank | Mana Barrier uses 50% current mana instead of maximum mana. Rocket Grab range 1080 ⇒ 1050 and mana cost 120 ⇒ 140. Power Fist cooldown and stun bugs are fixed. Static Field active damage becomes 150 / 275 / 400 and cooldown rises from 30 to 40 seconds. |
| Dr. Mundo | Health 522 ⇒ 560, Health growth 89 ⇒ 90, Level 1 Attack Speed 0.625 ⇒ 0.658. |
| Evelynn | Shadow Walk maximum mana regeneration 1% ⇒ 0.8%. Hate Spike becomes 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 and its decaying missile speed changes from 3000-800 to 2000-800. Dark Frenzy gains a 40 mana cost and cooldown rises from 15 to 20 seconds. |
| Ezreal | Mystic Shot total AD ratio 120% ⇒ 110% and cast range 1200 ⇒ 1100. Trueshot Barrage AP ratio 70% ⇒ 100%. |
| Garen | Attack Damage 55.5 ⇒ 60, Armor growth 2.7 ⇒ 3, Courage bonus Armor and MR increase 20% ⇒ 30%, Judgment total AD scaling per second rises by 10 percentage points at every rank. |
| Gragas | Barrel Roll cooldown rises by one second at every rank and base damage falls by 10. Drunken Rage cooldown 25 ⇒ 30 seconds. Explosive Cask cooldown 100 / 90 / 80 ⇒ 130 / 115 / 100 seconds. |
| Heimerdinger | Hextech Micro-Rockets now displays its actual missile range. A bug causing R-empowered turrets to deal double damage is fixed. |
| Jax | Leap Strike changes from physical to magic damage. Grandmaster's Might is renamed Relentless Assault and now applies spell effects as a single-target spell. |
| Kayle | Righteous Fury cooldown 22 / 21 / 20 / 19 / 18 ⇒ 20 / 19 / 18 / 17 / 16 seconds, allowing permanent ranged uptime with enough cooldown reduction. |
| Lux | Attack Speed growth 1.36% ⇒ 3% and ratio 0.625 ⇒ 0.658, with Level 1 Attack Speed unchanged. Prismatic Barrier shields at cast start. Lucent Singularity radius 310 ⇒ 350 and can detonate during R. Lux can use summoner spells and items while casting Final Spark, and R no longer enters cooldown if she dies during the cast. |
| Miss Fortune | Move Speed 325 ⇒ 335. Double Up gains 10 base damage at every rank and a bounce bug is fixed. Make It Rain gains damage, a one-second slow duration, and rank-scaling mana cost. Bullet Time gains bonus AD and AP scaling, with bugs affecting its eight waves fixed. |
| Sivir | Fleet of Foot can no longer trigger from attacking minions. Ricochet bounce radius 450 ⇒ 500 and damage falloff 25% ⇒ 22%. |
| Tristana | Attack Speed growth 4% ⇒ 3%, Mana growth 32 ⇒ 40, Rapid Fire mana cost 50 ⇒ 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90. |
| Tryndamere | Base Health Regen 10 ⇒ 7.5, Regen growth 0.9 ⇒ 0.75, maximum Battle Fury crit chance 50% ⇒ 30%, maximum crit is reached at 5% Health instead of 0%, and Undying Rage cooldown rises to 130 / 115 / 100 seconds. |
| Twitch | Base and Level 1 Attack Speed 0.679 ⇒ 0.658, Health 470 ⇒ 455. |
Classic item changes
Innervating Locket receives a major buff. Its combine cost falls from 750 to 350 gold, reducing total cost from 2650 to 2250. Health rises from 430 to 500, it gains 10% cooldown reduction, and Innervation restores 60 Health and 25 Mana instead of 50 and 20. Separate Lockets can still stack across multiple players.
Wriggle's Lantern and Feral Flare move from Attack Damage toward Attack Speed. Their build path changes from Madred's Razors plus Vampiric Scepter to Madred's Razors plus Recurve Bow, with the 2000-gold total unchanged. They lose 25 Attack Damage and gain 30% Attack Speed.
Rune Pages, IP, XP, and progression
- Rune Pages: every player receives two additional Rune Pages for free.
- Influence Points: IP earned per game more than doubles.
- Classic XP: XP earned per game doubles.
- Party bonus bugfix: solo-queued players no longer incorrectly receive party XP or IP bonuses.
- Quintessence cost: 1250 ⇒ 1000 IP.
- Minor Rune cost: 650 ⇒ 500 IP.
- Quintessence of Health Regeneration: +1.5 ⇒ +3 Health Regen per 5 seconds.
Champion swapping and the first Council vote
League Classic Champion Select now supports champion and role swapping. Champion swaps are enabled during the Loadout phase, players can send and accept swap requests while keeping their lanes, and champion pick-order swapping is also supported.
The inaugural Council vote also goes live in League of Legends patch 26.17. Players can view and vote on multiple active topics inside the client and later see the results. Playing more League Classic can increase the voting power a player earns.
Modern Ranked loading-screen borders are removed from League Classic. Riot also updates foliage, decals, map details, walls, ground elements, mesh normals, spawn lighting, and the purple diamond torches to move Summoner's Rift closer to its original presentation.
Full League Classic bugfix list
- Exhaust no longer reduces true damage.
- Iceborn Gauntlet, Kayle's Reckoning, and Shaco's Two-Shiv Poison no longer incorrectly ignore Master Yi's Highlander slow resistance or Morgana's Black Shield.
- Abilities that previously failed to trigger Call for Help now correctly provoke minion aggro.
- Moving a stacked Tear item over another Tear item no longer copies its stack count.
- Vayne's Condemn no longer grants eight Tear stacks instead of four.
- Placing Red Trinket, Sight Ward, or Vision Ward no longer cancels Recall.
- Statikk Shiv no longer triggers before a ranged projectile lands.
- Sivir's Spell Shield correctly blocks Leona's Zenith Blade.
- The client no longer displays an empty content area after the XP Results screen in affected cases.
- Nidalee's Bushwhack/Pounce tooltip now correctly displays trap duration, Cougar Form values, spacing, and text colors.
- Lulu's Faerie Companion glow no longer disappears after reconnecting.
- Amumu's Despair visual and sound effects no longer break after reconnecting.
- Leona's Zenith Blade missile hitbox is corrected.
- Akali's AD and AP particles are correctly aligned on her hands for Classic skins.
- Akali's Q mark correctly displays its healing visual effect while her passive is active.
- Anivia's Q tooltip now displays its slow duration.
- Kassadin's passive tooltip correctly describes the Attack Speed gained from mitigated damage.
- Lee Sin's Q tooltip clarifies its monster damage cap.
- Leona's Q tooltip displays the correct stun duration.
- Soraka's W tooltip displays the correct Armor buff duration.
- Multiple hardcoded tooltip and ability values now reference the correct game data.
- Fiddlesticks' Dark Wind no longer interrupts his attack animation every time it bounces.
- Amumu's Bandage Toss correctly scales with cooldown reduction.
- Strength of Spirit no longer incorrectly requires three points in Expanded Mind.
- Energy Regeneration Seal text now specifies that its value is measured per five seconds.
- Multiple Classic Home Page text-box issues are fixed.
- Portrait sorting problems in the Classic Store are fixed.
ARAM: Mayhem changes in League of Legends patch 26.17
ARAM: Mayhem continues its fighter-focused work in League of Legends patch 26.17. Ultra Hydra and Upgrade Death's Dance create new sustain-oriented options, while several strong ADC Augments are reduced or made easier to read during crowded fights.
| Augment | Patch 26.17 change |
|---|---|
| Critical Missile | Missile amount changes from four possible tiers of 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 to three tiers of 1 / 2 / 3 based on critical strike chance. |
| Double Tap | Tier changes from Gold to Prismatic. |
| Tripleshot | Additional shots now prioritize enemies near the main target. |
| Ultra Hydra | New. Gain a Tiamat when completing a Hydra item. Obtain Ravenous Hydra, Profane Hydra, and Titanic Hydra to complete the quest and receive Ultra Hydra. |
| Upgrade Death's Dance | New. Gain 250 Gold. 40% melee / 15% ranged of incoming damage is dealt over three seconds, and scoring a takedown instantly heals for 125% bonus AD. |
| Upgrade Infinity Edge | The bonus Critical Strike Chance component is removed. |
| Upgrade Ravenous | Cleave can trigger on minions and Ravenous Hydra lifesteal rises from 18% to 20%. |
ARAM: Mayhem bugfixes
- Squishy Slappy Grab no longer triggers immediately after Sion dies instead of refreshing after 35 seconds.
- Stuck in Here With Me no longer incorrectly triggers after Mordekaiser's ultimate ends.
- Echo Cast clones no longer cast spells in the wrong direction after reconnecting.
- Archmage no longer puts ammo spells on cooldown when casting other spells.
- Teammates' burn and damage-over-time effects no longer incorrectly grant Gold after Blood Money Burn triggers.
- High Roller now triggers correctly on affected champions.
Arena changes in League of Legends patch 26.17
Arena moves back to an alternating balance schedule in League of Legends patch 26.17. Riot's plan is to target odd-numbered League patches for Arena balance updates, giving players more time to explore builds before newly discovered strategies are adjusted.
| Arena champion | Patch 26.17 changes |
|---|---|
| Ambessa | Lacerate cooldown 13 / 12 / 11 / 10 / 9 ⇒ 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 seconds. Public Execution Armor Penetration 10 / 20 / 30% ⇒ 7.5 / 15 / 22.5%, bonus AD ratio 80% ⇒ 70%. |
| Garen | Perseverance out-of-combat timer 8 ⇒ 4 seconds. Courage resistance per stack 0.2 ⇒ 0.5 and maximum resistance 30 ⇒ 60. |
| Gragas | Happy Hour cooldown 12 / 10.5 / 9 / 7.5 / 6 ⇒ 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 seconds. |
| K'Sante | Path Maker cooldown 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 / 10 ⇒ 12 / 11 / 10 / 9 / 8 seconds. Footwork bonus Health ratio 13.5% ⇒ 15%. |
| Kled | Remount cooldown 12 ⇒ 5 seconds. |
| LeBlanc | Mimic cooldown 45 / 35 / 25 ⇒ 30 / 20 / 10 seconds. |
| Renata Glasc | Riot's published notes list Hostile Takeover cooldown as 100 / 90 / 80 ⇒ 15 / 130 / 110 seconds while removing the Arena modifier. The first new value is unusual, so the live tooltip is worth checking before relying on the rank-one number. |
| Renekton | Ruthless Predator cooldown 18 / 16 / 14 / 12 / 10 ⇒ 16 / 14 / 12 / 10 / 8 seconds, with the Arena modifier removed. |
| Senna | Piercing Darkness bonus AD ratio 60% ⇒ 75%. |
| Tahm Kench | Abyssal Dive cooldown 21 / 20 / 19 / 18 / 17 ⇒ 16 / 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 seconds. Thick Skin out-of-combat timer 3 ⇒ 2 seconds. |
| Teemo | Blinding Dart damage 70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 ⇒ 80 / 125 / 170 / 215 / 260, with the Arena modifier removed. |
| Vel'Koz | Life Form Disintegration Ray cooldown 80 / 70 / 60 ⇒ 100 / 90 / 80 seconds, with the Arena modifier removed. |
| Zaahen | The Darkin Glaive bonus AD ratio 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50% ⇒ 10 / 17.5 / 25 / 32.5 / 40%. |
| Zilean | Chronoshift cooldown 120 / 90 / 60 ⇒ 150 / 120 / 90 seconds. |
Arena item and Augment changes
| Item or Augment | Change |
|---|---|
| Ardent Censer | Heal and Shield Power 12% ⇒ 10%, with its Arena modifier removed. |
| Lord Dominik's Regards | Attack Damage 30 ⇒ 45. |
| Mortal Reminder | Attack Damage 30 ⇒ 40. |
| Redemption | Heal and Shield Power 12% ⇒ 10%, with its Arena modifier removed. |
| Serylda's Grudge | Slow threshold 50% ⇒ 60%, Armor Penetration 40% ⇒ 45%. |
| Spectral Cutlass | A bug granting twice the intended Lethality is fixed. |
| Staff of Flowing Water | Heal and Shield Power 14% ⇒ 10%, with its Arena modifier removed. |
| Sword of Blossoming Dawn | AP ratio 7% ⇒ 10%. |
| Serve Beyond Death | Duration 3 / 6 ⇒ 4 / 8 seconds. |
Updated macOS requirements and bugfixes
League of Legends patch 26.17 updates the minimum and recommended specifications for macOS. Players dealing with compatibility, installation, account, or client issues can use the official League of Legends Support resources.
- A controller preset is added for spectator camera movement when ReplayAPI is enabled.
- Jayce's EQ damage now displays correctly as enhanced damage.
- Diana's E dash speed no longer becomes slower than intended in affected cases.
- Akali's Shuriken Flip can no longer travel across the map and enable unintended long-distance dashes.
- Swiftmarch's tooltip now displays the correct Slow Resist value.
- Vladimir's passive correctly converts AP provided by runes.
- Blind Pick Custom Games no longer very rarely lock junglers out of their starting items.
Heartsong Seraphine and Ocean Song skins in patch 26.17
The cosmetic release for League of Legends patch 26.17 includes Heartsong Seraphine, Ocean Song Soraka, and Ocean Song Jinx. All three also receive chromas. Official trailers, skin previews, and League videos are available through the League of Legends YouTube channel.
New patch 26.17 skins
Heartsong Seraphine and Ocean Song chromas
Frequently asked questions about League of Legends patch 26.17
When did League of Legends patch 26.17 release?
League of Legends patch 26.17 released on August 26, 2026. Riot published the complete patch notes on August 25, one day before the patch and its new cosmetics arrived.
Which champions were buffed in League of Legends patch 26.17?
Aurelion Sol, Cho'Gath, Irelia, LeBlanc, Qiyana, Trundle, Yasuo, and Yone receive buffs in the final written League of Legends patch 26.17 notes. Qiyana also gets a lower monster damage modifier, making her adjustment more favorable to champion combat than jungle clearing.
Which champions were nerfed in LoL patch 26.17?
Graves, Nasus, Nocturne, Thresh, Vayne, and Xerath receive direct nerfs in LoL patch 26.17.
Is Vayne nerfed in League of Legends patch 26.17?
Yes. Early Tumble costs considerably more mana, Silver Bolts deals less early percent-health and minimum damage, and Vayne's Attack Speed growth is lower. Riot compensates with higher starting Health, regeneration, and Attack Speed ratio, with the stated goal of affecting top Vayne more than bot Vayne.
Are Yasuo and Yone buffed in patch 26.17?
Yes. Yasuo and Yone both have their passive critical strike damage penalty reduced from 10% to 5%, improving the payoff from critical strike builds and their scaling into later fights.
Is Qiyana better in mid or jungle after patch 26.17?
The changes favor mid Qiyana more clearly. Elemental Wrath gains base damage and bonus AD scaling against champions, but its monster damage modifier falls from 175% to 160%, limiting how much of the buff translates into jungle clearing.
Is Sundered Sky nerfed again?
Yes. After its healing was reduced in patch 26.16, Sundered Sky loses another 50 Health and five Attack Damage in League of Legends patch 26.17, moving from 450 to 400 Health and 45 to 40 AD.
What are the biggest League Classic changes in patch 26.17?
Every player gets two free Rune Pages, Influence Point gains more than double, Classic XP doubles, several rune prices fall, Champion Select gains swapping, the Council voting system launches, Summoner's Rift receives visual restoration work, and a large group of champions receives balance or bugfix changes.
What to watch as the patch 26.17 meta settles
League of Legends patch 26.17 is primarily a correction and scaling update for modern Summoner's Rift. Vayne and Nasus give top laners more breathing room, Graves and Nocturne become easier to punish, Xerath loses a little lane security, and Thresh gives up damage without losing the utility that defines him.
The most interesting upside belongs to the melee carries. Irelia gains stronger AD scaling, Qiyana gets more champion damage, and Yasuo and Yone retain more of their critical strike damage. Stormrazor deserves another test, while the second consecutive Sundered Sky nerf gives fighters another reason to compare alternatives instead of defaulting to the same item.
League Classic remains almost a second patch by itself, with progression, champion balance, itemization, Champion Select, Council voting, and map presentation all changing together. Keep up with future changes through RiftDaily's League of Legends patch notes, follow the latest League of Legends news, check follow-up League updates, and track prerelease changes through our League of Legends leaks coverage before the next live update.
