Patch 26.20 in short: Patch 26.20 pushes Hextech Rocketbelt away from pure escape and toward aggressive engages, while Graves, Fizz and Ambessa lose sustained or burst damage. Kennen, Kindred, Tahm Kench and Lucian gain the most, and Mayhem and Classic get their own updates.
Based on League of Legends Patch 26.20 Notes by Riot Games, published 6 October 2026.
Worlds is the reason this patch matters right now. Riot says Summoner's Rift will see its competitive showcase on this build, so the adjustments land exactly as teams scrimmage and ladder players prepare for the season's biggest event. The notes describe the patch as a last chance to tune before the event, and that framing tells you where the changes are aimed. Some champions are being pulled down, others are being lifted off the edge of viability, and one item is being asked to do a different job.
The biggest shifts: Rocketbelt, Graves and Fizz
Hextech Rocketbelt is the most important item change in this patch. Ability Haste drops from 20 to 10, while Active Damage rises from 100 (+10% AP) to 135 (+15% AP). Riot says the item was used more as an escape than as an engage tool, so the reduced haste makes it harder to spam, and the larger active hit rewards committing to a fight. We expect AP bruisers who rely on it for all-ins to feel the most noticeable change. Neeko gets some compensation, with her Tangle-Barbs base damage moving from 70 / 105 / 140 / 175 / 210 (+65% AP) to 80 / 115 / 150 / 185 / 220 (+65% AP). Read this as a sign that the notes expect Neeko to take a small hit from the item shift.
Graves takes the heaviest nerf among the big carries. His base attack damage falls from 54.1 to 50, attack damage per level from 3.1 to 2.5, and attack speed per level from 2.9% to 2.5%. His ultimate Collateral Damage cone changes from 140 / 250 / 360 + 120% bonus AD to 140 / 230 / 320 + 100% bonus AD, while the projectile damage stays the same. Riot's stated goal is to keep his burst and tanky ADC identity while cutting sustained damage. Basic and critical attack animations also get sped up, which is the one feel-good change in an otherwise firm patch.
Fizz is hit in his high-AP builds. Urchin Strike's ability power ratio falls from 60% to 40%, and Seastone Trident's active ratio falls from 35% to 20%. The notes frame this as trimming guaranteed burst from Deathfire Grasp and a 75% AP ratio Lich Bane, which suggests the mid-lane assassin will still be strong but less certain to delete targets in one combo. Fizz's fighter builds are described as the part Riot wants to protect.
Pro staples pulled back: Ambessa, Yunara, Cassiopeia and Ashe
Ambessa's passive, Drakehound's Step, moves from 5 - 30 (+25% bonus AD) to 5 - 25 (+20% bonus AD). Riot explicitly says her late-game output has been too reliable across brackets, especially in pro play. For ordinary players this is a modest trim, but it should make the late-game Ambessa less of a guaranteed closer. Ashe's attack damage per level drops from 3.5 to 3, which Riot ties to her role as the highest utility marksman. Expect her to be less of a damage spike in long fights rather than a changed early game.
Yunara's Cultivation of Spirit is cut in both its passive and active on-hit damage, from 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 (+20% AP) to 3 / 8 / 13 / 18 / 23 (+20% AP). Her Arc of Judgement also loses the ability to stack with other slows. Riot calls her the leading candidate for a hyperscaling champion who does little early, and these changes target that pattern. Cassiopeia gets a second early-resource reduction, with base health going from 630 to 610 and base mana from 480 to 450. Riot says she still dominates early laning, so this is a push to make her work harder for early advantage.
Buffs for the quieter corners: Kennen, Kindred, Tahm Kench and Lucian
Kennen's Lightning Rush gains bonus attack speed, moving from 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80% to 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90%. His Electrical Surge passive also changes from 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80% total AD to 25 / 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 + 100% bonus AD. Riot says AD Kennen needed the most help, so the scaling move toward bonus AD is aimed at that build. We expect the bigger payoff to show up in attack-heavy Kennen rather than his ability-based builds.
Kindred gets a stronger Wolf's Frenzy against monsters, rising from 150% to 165%. Mounting Dread's slow lasts longer, from 1s to 1.5s, but it loses the ability to target small monsters. Riot is careful to say this should not make Kindred overwhelming in early invades, which reads as a deliberate limit on the monster-hunting side. Tahm Kench's Tongue Lash heals more, from 10 / 13.75 / 17.5 / 21.25 / 25 to 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50, as compensation for losing ground to recent support item changes. Lucian's attack damage rises from 60 + 2.5/Level to 60 + 2.9/Level, a repair for bot lane after his previous adjustment.
Mid-size and small tuning: Swain, Vayne, Mordekaiser, Smolder and items
Swain gets a moderate mid-lane buff. His base magic resistance rises from 31 to 34 and base armor drops from 25 to 23. Vision of Empire's damage moves from 70 / 105 / 140 / 175 / 210 (+60%) to 70 / 115 / 160 / 205 / 250 (+60%), and its cooldown shortens from 22 / 21 / 20 / 19 / 18s to 20 / 19 / 18 / 17 / 16s. Vayne's health per 5 seconds moves from 4 + .5/Level to 5.5 +.4/Level and her Tumble mana cost becomes a flat 30 at every rank, down from 46 / 42 / 38 / 34 / 30. Mordekaiser's Obliterate scaling goes from +5/lvl to +7/lvl at levels 10-20, and his Realm of Death cooldown falls from 140 / 120 / 100s to 120 / 110 / 100s.
Smolder's Super Scorcher and Flap Flap Flap bonuses rise, and his Mmooommmm! self-heal climbs from 100 / 135 / 170 (+50% bonus AD) (+75% AP) to 100 / 175 / 250 (+75% bonus AD) (+75% AP). Riot wants crit builds closer in power to bruiser builds. On items, Spirit Visage's health per 5 moves from 4 to 20, Force of Nature's from 20 to 40, and Warmog's Armor's from 10 to 30. Experimental Hexplate's ranged mod drops from 70% to 50% of value, and Runaan's Hurricane's attack damage per bolt falls from 65% to 60%.
Who benefits
- Kennen, especially AD builds: Lightning Rush's bonus attack speed rises from 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80% to 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90%, and Electrical Surge gains a flat 25 / 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 plus 100% bonus AD. Riot says this is aimed squarely at AD Kennen.
- Kindred in early jungle pathing: Wolf's Frenzy against monsters goes from 150% to 165%, and Mounting Dread's slow lasts from 1s to 1.5s. Riot says the buffs are kept away from early invades, so the gain is meant to be measured rather than explosive.
- Tahm Kench as a tank support: Tongue Lash base healing climbs from 10 / 13.75 / 17.5 / 21.25 / 25 to 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50. Riot links this directly to his low health regen and his health-scaling abilities, which lost value from recent support item changes.
- Lucian in bot lane: Attack damage moves from 60 + 2.5/Level to 60 + 2.9/Level. The notes say it repairs the power lost when the previous mid and bot adjustment landed as a nerf for bot lane.
Who loses
- Graves: Base attack damage drops from 54.1 to 50, and his Collateral Damage cone falls from 360 to 320 at its top rank while its bonus AD ratio drops from 120% to 100%. Riot wants his sustained damage reduced, so expect fewer long fights he wins by attrition.
- Fizz in high-AP builds: Urchin Strike's ability power ratio drops from 60% to 40%, and Seastone Trident's active ratio drops from 35% to 20%. The notes target the reliable burst that he gets from his AP ratios.
- Ambessa in late game: Drakehound's Step moves from 5 - 30 (+25% bonus AD) to 5 - 25 (+20% bonus AD). Riot says her late output has been too reliable for high-mastery players, so expect fewer snowballed late fights.
- Yunara as a slow-stacking hyperscaler: On-hit damage in Cultivation of Spirit falls from 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 (+20% AP) to 3 / 8 / 13 / 18 / 23 (+20% AP), and Arc of Judgement no longer stacks with other slows. Riot's goal is to stop her becoming the dominant meta pick.
What to do about it
- Re-check your Rocketbelt build path before ranked games.: Ability Haste falls from 20 to 10 while Active Damage rises from 100 (+10% AP) to 135 (+15% AP). We expect it to fit better into all-ins than as a long escape, so plan your engage timing around it.
- Pick Kennen in AD builds if your team wants a fast splitpusher.: Lightning Rush now starts at 50% bonus attack speed and reaches 90% at top rank, while Electrical Surge scales with bonus AD. This is the most visible buff in the patch for that build.
- Downgrade Graves and Fizz picks if your team lacks a tank or a teamfight plan.: Graves loses sustained damage and Fizz loses reliable AP burst. Without a stable frontline, these champions may not close fights as cleanly as before.
- Test Kindred and Tahm Kench in lower-stakes games first.: Their buffs are sizeable but Riot says Kindred should not become overwhelming in early invades. Watch how the Mounting Dread change and monster targeting play out before committing.
- Review Spirit Visage, Force of Nature and Warmog's Armor on tanky builds.: Their health per 5 seconds rises from 4 to 20, 20 to 40, and 10 to 30. Tanks that once relied on other sustain may now find these items more worth buying.
Key numbers at a glance
| What | Change | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Hextech Rocketbelt Ability Haste | from 20 to 10 | Less haste means fewer repeat escapes and a stronger push toward committed engages. |
| Hextech Rocketbelt Active Damage | from 100 (+10% AP) to 135 (+15% AP) | Each active hit does more, which favours AP bruisers who go in for all-ins. |
| Graves base attack damage | from 54.1 to 50 | His early and sustained physical damage is lower across every fight. |
| Graves Collateral Damage cone | from 140 / 250 / 360 + 120% bonus AD to 140 / 230 / 320 + 100% bonus AD | The ultimate hits less hard at higher ranks, especially at high bonus AD. |
| Fizz Urchin Strike ability power ratio | from 60% to 40% | Less guaranteed burst from Fizz's high-AP builds. |
| Ambessa Drakehound's Step | from 5 - 30 (+25% bonus AD) to 5 - 25 (+20% bonus AD) | Her late-game scaling is trimmed. |
| Kennen Lightning Rush bonus attack speed | from 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80% to 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90% | Kennen attacks faster at every rank. |
| Tahm Kench Tongue Lash base healing | from 10 / 13.75 / 17.5 / 21.25 / 25 to 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 | He heals considerably more in every rank. |
| Kindred Wolf's Frenzy monster mod | from 150% to 165% | More damage against monsters, with early invades kept in check by the notes. |
| Yunara Cultivation of Spirit on-hit damage | from 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 (+20% AP) to 3 / 8 / 13 / 18 / 23 (+20% AP) | Her early and mid on-hit damage is lower. |
| Spirit Visage health per 5 | from 4 to 20 | Sustain on tanky builds is much higher. |
| Vayne Tumble mana cost | from 46 / 42 / 38 / 34 / 30 to 30 | Tumble costs the same at every rank, which should ease early bot-lane trading. |
What we are unsure about
- The notes do not say how these changes will move win rates, pick rates or pro results, so we cannot tell how much each champion will shift until the data comes in.
- The Ranked 5s note in the source is cut off after the queue window change, so the full reason and any other details are not known here.
- Riot calls several changes compensation or a test, and we cannot say whether any of them will be kept after Worlds.
How this article was made
This is an original analysis of the official notes, written with AI assistance and checked automatically: every number in it appears in the official text, and copy overlap with it is capped. We do not play-test patches ourselves. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will correct it. How we work: editorial policy.
Frequently asked questions
Should I still build Hextech Rocketbelt as an escape item?
The notes say Riot wants it used more as an engage tool, with Ability Haste cut from 20 to 10 and Active Damage raised from 100 (+10% AP) to 135 (+15% AP). We expect it to fit better into committed fights, though this is our reading rather than a confirmed effect.
Is Graves still a strong pick after this patch?
Riot says he is arguably the game's strongest champion and that his sustained damage is being reduced. His base attack damage drops from 54.1 to 50 and his cone ultimate scales lower. We expect him to remain strong in burst fights, but his long-fight damage is less certain.
Do the Mayhem and Classic changes matter for ranked players?
Mayhem and Classic are separate modes, so their changes do not affect Summoner's Rift ranked play directly. The Mayhem Bard Meep recharge moves from 8s to 5s and Triggered Inferno's cooldown from 15s to 5s, which matters only in that mode. Classic adds new old champions such as Aatrox, Caitlyn, Irelia, Karma and Quinn.
