League of Legends Patch 26.21 - Caitlyn Nerf & More Changes

Riot Games calls League of Legends Patch 26.21 a pretty chunky patch, published on October 20, 2026 while Worlds is underway. Rammus, Sion and Nunu & Willump get changes, champions who have been on top of the game are trimmed, and Azir, Orianna and Ryze are left with some breathing room.

Gluttonous Greaves and Hubris are nerfed because they overperform on ranged characters, and Dawncore is buffed. We will go over every change in Patch 26.21, from the Summoner's Rift champion and item updates to ARAM: Mayhem, Classic and Arena.

League of Legends Patch 26.21 Highlights

• Replay download limits: replay downloads are limited to 10 per hour starting during this patch.
• Marksmen: Caitlyn and Jinx are nerfed, and Hubris and Gluttonous Greaves are toned down for ranged users.
• Junglers: Lee Sin, Nidalee and Wukong are nerfed, while Taliyah and Xin Zhao are buffed.
• ARAM: Mayhem: the "Journey to Stardom" release adds Headliners, new augments and missions.
• Classic: Mordekaiser, Yorick, Hecarim and Lucian join the mode, and all of Kassadin's nerfs are reverted.
• New skins: Prestige True Damage Know My Name Ekko, Akali, Qiyana, Senna and Yasuo are available October 21, 2026.

Mid-Patch Update (October 22, 2026)

Riot's Varus work added a bug that stopped his Q dealing reduced damage to subsequent targets. It is fixed, with a compensating buff.

• Passive Bonus AD and AP on Kill/Takedown: (1.1 per 10% AS) ⇒ 1.4 per 10% AS
• Q Minimum Damage: 50 - 230 ⇒ 50 - 250

Replay Download Limits

Starting during Patch 26.21, replay downloads are limited to 10 per hour. You can still download your own replays, as well as replays from your friends and other players.

Riot says the change prevents large-scale abuse by bad actors using vibecoded apps to scrape thousands of replays. A time-based limit still lets creators make content, and Riot will keep monitoring how many replays are downloaded.

Patch 26.21 Champion Changes

Azir

• Mana Growth: 40/Level ⇒ 50/Level

Caitlyn

Caitlyn has had a very high pick and ban rate for months, and Riot feels her late-game scaling is too strong. Some power moves from her full build headshots into her early game Q damage.

• Passive - Headshot Damage: 60 - 100% AD (+1% AD per 1% Crit Chance) (+1% AD per 1% Bonus Crit Damage) ⇒ 60 - 80% AD (+0.8% AD per 1% Crit Chance) (+0.8% AD per 1% Bonus Crit Damage)
• Q - Piltover Peacemaker Base Damage: 50 / 90 / 130 / 170 / 210 ⇒ 50 / 95 / 140 / 185 / 230

Darius

• Q - Decimate Cooldown: 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5s ⇒ 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 4s

Jinx

• Attack Damage: 59 + 3.25/Level ⇒ 59 + 3/Level
• Health: 630 + 105/Level ⇒ 610 + 105/Level

Lee Sin

Lee Sin has stayed very popular since his Safeguard cooldown changed with allies, and it is a bit too much power.

• W - Safeguard Cooldown: 7s ⇒ 8s
• E - Tempest Bugfix: it no longer reveals invisible enemies if they stealth after being hit by Tempest.
• R - Dragon's Rage Kick Damage: 175 / 400 / 625 (+200% bonus AD) ⇒ 150 / 350 / 550 (+200% bonus AD)
• R - Dragon's Rage Collision Damage: 175 / 400 / 625 (+200% bonus AD) (+12 / 15 / 18% Kicked Champion's Health) ⇒ 150 / 350 / 550 (+200% bonus AD) (+12 / 15 / 18% Kicked Champion's Health)

Locke

• Q - Ritual Nails Unused Charge Refund: 20 - 35% mana and cooldown refund ⇒ 10 - 40% mana and cooldown refund
• Mana Growth: 70 ⇒ 60
• W - Soul Ignition Mana Cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 ⇒ 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80
• W - Grey Health Store Based on Current Health: 40 - 200 (both level based) ⇒ 20 - 200
• W - Current Health Store: 150 - 450 (both level based) ⇒ 100 - 500 (+60% AP)
• E - Ashen Pursuit Blink Damage: 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 (+40% AP) ⇒ 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 (+50% AP)

Miss Fortune

• E - Make It Rain Damage: 70 / 100 / 130 / 160 / 190 (+120% AP) ⇒ 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 / 210 (+120% AP)
• R - Bullet Time Critical Strike Damage: 130% (+0.3% per 1% Bonus Crit Damage) ⇒ 145% (+0.45% per 1% Bonus Crit Damage)

Nidalee

• W - Pounce Damage: 55 / 88.75 / 122.5 / 156.25 / 190 (+50% bonus AD) (+30% AP) ⇒ 50 / 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 (+50% bonus AD) (+30% AP)
• E - Primal Surge Attack Speed: 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 / 70% ⇒ 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 60%

Nunu & Willump

• R - Absolute Zero Maximum Damage: 625 / 925 / 1275 (+300% AP) ⇒ 750 / 1100 / 1450 (+300% AP)

Orianna

• Q - Command: Attack Damage: +55% AP ⇒ +60% AP
• W - Command: Dissonance Damage: +80% AP ⇒ +85% AP

Qiyana

Riot is partially reverting the buff from 26.17, since Q damage was more impactful than expected.

• Q - Elemental Wrath / Edge of Ixtal Damage: 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 / 200 (+90% bonus AD) ⇒ 70 / 100 / 130 / 160 / 190 (+90% bonus AD)

Rammus

• W - Defensive Ball Curl Bonus Armor: 27 / 32 / 37 / 42 / 47 (+30 - 60% Armor) ⇒ 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 (+30 - 50% Armor)
• W - Defensive Ball Curl Bonus Magic Resistance: 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 (+30 - 60% Magic Resistance) ⇒ 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 (+30 - 50% Magic Resistance)

Ryze

• Q - Overload Flux Bonus Damage: 15% / 40% / 65% / 90% ⇒ 10% / 40% / 70% / 100% increased damage
• Q - Overload Bonus Move Speed: 28% / 32% / 36% / 40% / 44% ⇒ 30% / 35% / 40% / 45% / 50%
• W - Rune Prison Damage: 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+60% AP) (+3% bonus mana) ⇒ 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+70% AP) (+3% bonus mana)

Sion

• Health: 655 + 87/Level ⇒ 655 + 95/Level
• R - Unstoppable Onslaught Damage Increase over the First 3s of Channeling: +0 - 166.67% Base Damage, 0 - 100% Ratio Damage ⇒ +0 - 200%
• Bugfix: the tooltip now displays the correct minimum and maximum bonus AD ratios (40-120%). It showed an incorrect 60%-120% and was never changed in patch 25.16 beyond the tooltip.

Taliyah

• E - Unraveled Earth Damage: 60 / 105 / 150 / 195 / 240 (+60% AP) ⇒ 70 / 115 / 160 / 205 / 250 (+70% AP)
• E - Detonation Damage: 25 / 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 (+30% AP) ⇒ 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 / 90 (+30% AP)

Taric

Taric's spells used to fizzle if his bound ally became untargetable. Riot is partially reverting that, but Dazzle still will not cast from Vanished allies.

• Q - Starlight's Touch: casts when allies are untargetable now successfully fire.
• E - Dazzle: casts when allies are untargetable now successfully fire, and the tooltip now says "Dazzle will not cast from Vanished allies".
• R - Cosmic Radiance: casts when allies are untargetable now successfully fire.

Tristana

• Q - Rapid Fire Attack Speed: 60 / 75 / 90 / 105 / 120% ⇒ 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 / 120%

Twisted Fate

• R - Destiny Reveal: it now reveals untargetable units.

Varus

Riot is mainly looking to snipe top lane Varus, who tends to max W unlike the more common Q max in bot.

• Q - Piercing Arrow Damage Calculation: Max Damage scaling, 53.33 - 240 (+80% bonus AD) to 80 - 360 (+120% bonus AD) ⇒ Min Damage scaling, 50 - 230 (+80% bonus AD) to 85 - 391 (+136% bonus AD)
• Q - Damage Increase over Channel Time: up to 50% ⇒ up to 70%
• W - Blighted Quiver On-Hit Damage: 4 / 13 / 22 / 31 / 40 (+15% bonus AD) (+25% AP) ⇒ 4 / 10 / 16 / 22 / 28 (+20% bonus AD) (+30% AP)
• W - Per Stack Damage: 3 - 5% (+1.3% per 100 AP) Target Maximum Health ⇒ 2.5 - 4.5% (+1.4% per 100 AP) Target Maximum Health
• W - Active Missing Health Damage: 6 - 14%, increased by up to 50% based on Q Channel ⇒ 6 - 10%, increased by up to 70% based on Q Channel
• W - Basic Ability Cooldown Refund: 13% per stack, increased by up to 50% based on Q Channel ⇒ 11%, increased by up to 70% based on Q Channel

Vel'Koz

• Passive - Organic Deconstruction Damage: 35 - 180 (+60% AP) ⇒ 35 - 205 (+65% AP)

Viktor

• Move Speed: 335 ⇒ 330
• Q - Siphon Power Shield: 40 - 140 (based on level) (+25% AP) ⇒ 30 - 130 (+20% AP)

Wukong

• Health Regeneration: 3.5 + 0.65/Level ⇒ 5.5 + 0.65/Level
• Passive - Stone Skin Armor per Stack: 6 - 10 (based on Champion Level) ⇒ 4.5 - 10 (based on Champion Level)

Xin Zhao

• Q - Three Talon Strike Damage per Strike: 15 / 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 (+40% bonus AD) ⇒ 15 / 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 (+45% bonus AD)
• E - Audacious Charge Attack Speed Scaling: 1% per 5% bonus Attack Speed from permanent sources ⇒ 1% per 4%

Yone

• Q - Mortal Steel Damage: 25 / 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 (+110% AD) ⇒ 25 / 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 (+105% AD)

Zyra

• W - Rampant Growth Seed Ammo Cooldown: 18 / 16 / 14 / 12 / 10s ⇒ 16 / 14.5 / 13 / 11.5 / 10s

Patch 26.21 Item Changes

Bastion Breaker

• Lethality: 22 ⇒ 18
• Shaped Charge Damage: 50 Melee + 1.5/Lethality / 25 Ranged + 0.75/Lethality ⇒ 40 Melee + 1.5/Lethality / 20 Ranged + 0.75/Lethality
• Sabotage Duration: 90s ⇒ Infinite, which is how long you have to use the bonus damage against objectives.

Dawncore

• Ability Power per 100% Base Mana Regeneration: 10 ⇒ 15

Gluttonous Greaves

• Total Cost: 1000g ⇒ 1100g

Hubris

• Base Bonus Attack Damage: 12 ⇒ 15 Melee / 10 Ranged
• Bonus Attack Damage per Stack: 3 ⇒ 3 Melee / 2 Ranged

Patch 26.21 ARAM: Mayhem Changes

The "Journey to Stardom" release gives every Mayhem game a Headliner performance that twists the rules. The Butcher's Bridge and Koeshin's Crossing maps are unavailable in Mayhem queues this patch and return next patch.

• K/DA: collect 4 K/DA Cards to earn an extra Augment.
• HEARTSTEEL: augments can come with unique modifiers making them extra strong.
• True Damage: takedowns and destroying towers can drop Anvils for your team.
• Pentakill: increase the power of one of your abilities at the start of the game and at level 18.
• Disco: dance under the disco ball to earn Gold for everyone.
• Cafe Cuties: health relics are especially powerful.
• Bees: collect the honey pots and avoid the bees that fly across the map.
• Command Line: reroll one of your augments to be a higher tier in every selection.

There is also a new progression experience. Completing missions from K/DA, Pentakill and other bands unlocks Augments, emotes, orange essence and more, and moves you up Superstar Ranks that unlock new bands and missions.

New augments include Silver Blue Barrier, Fruitify, Ultimate Recursion, BEES!!!, Get Jinxed, Totentanz and Upgrade: Stormsurge, among others. The removed augments are Combusting Interest, Crit 'n Cast, Critical Missile, Dimension Shift, DropBear, Dropkick, Fan the Hammer, Hide on Bush, High Roller, Our Healing, Poro Stampede, Spiritual Purification and Ult Bot.

Patch 26.21 Classic Changes

Classic rotates out in January, but four more champions arrive now, with more dropping in 26.22 and 26.23.

New Classic Champions

• Mordekaiser: back with his kit from 2010-2015. All his abilities cost health, but damaging enemies generates a shield.
• Yorick: back to his original version from 2011-2016, summoning ghouls with every ability he casts.
• Hecarim: released in 2012, he goes fast, dives in, and has strong sustained damage.
• Lucian: from the back half of 2013, with 550 attack range.

Classic Balance Changes

• Aatrox: Blood Well cooldown 225s ⇒ 225 / 200 / 175 / 150s (Levels 1 / 6 / 11 / 16).
• Irelia: Base Health 546 ⇒ 515, Health Regeneration 8.15 ⇒ 6.5, and Ionian Fervor now stacks multiplicatively with Tenacity items instead of additively.
• Karma: Heavenly Wave damage 70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 / 270 ⇒ 85 / 125 / 165 / 205 / 245 / 285, and Spirit Bond move speed 10 / 12 / 14 / 16 / 18 / 20% ⇒ 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20%.
• Kassadin: all of his nerfs are reverted. Null Sphere base damage is 60 / 105 / 150 / 195 / 240 ⇒ 80 / 130 / 180 / 230 / 280 and Riftwalk AP ratio is 70% ⇒ 80%.
• Atma's Impaler: Critical Strike Chance 15% ⇒ 18% and Maximum Health to Bonus Attack Damage Conversion 1.5% ⇒ 2%.

Patch 26.21 Arena Changes

Arena gets a larger set of changes to lower the power of the strongest augments, raise the weakest and bring champion outliers closer to the center.

• Ezreal: Trueshot Barrage cooldown 50 / 40 / 30s ⇒ 40 / 30 / 20s and bonus AD ratio 100% ⇒ 150%.
• Gangplank: Remove Scurvy cooldown 22 / 20 / 18 / 16 / 14s ⇒ 18 / 16 / 14 / 12 / 10s and Cannon Barrage cooldown 130 / 110 / 90s ⇒ 100 / 80 / 60s.
• Nidalee: Bushwhack trap cooldown 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 / 10s ⇒ 8s.
• Yuumi: You and Me! Heal and Shield Power 10 - 25% ⇒ 4 - 8%.
• Elise: Skittering Frenzy spiderlings 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 ⇒ 4 / 6 / 8 / 10.
• Items: Galeforce maximum dash range 600 ⇒ 900, and Turbo Chemtank restores 20% Maximum Health instead of 4%.
• Augments: Trueshot Prodigy, Nesting Doll (Maximum Revives 1 / 2 / 3 ⇒ 0 / 1 / 2), Rite of the Forge God, Spin to Win and others are adjusted.

Other Changes and Bug Fixes

• Mythic Shop: during Patch 26.22, each player will start to see offerings unique to them. In 26.21, the rotation timings of the Bi-weekly, Weekly and Daily sections are better aligned.
• System requirements: a patch launcher improvement uses a library that requires SSE 4.2, which raises the AMD minimum spec by one version.
• Fixed a bug where Summoner Teleport's channel VFX was visible for enemies when cast in brush.
• Fixed a bug where Titanic Hydra's cooldown timer would not be displayed after use.
• Fixed a bug where Hail of Blades does not trigger on auto resets if the first attack was cancelled.
• Fixed a bug where Nidalee's Q spear damage could go through spell shields at max range.
• Updated SFX to use the base skin's ult SFX for Briar, Kled and Sion when playing against them.

And that covers all of the changes in League of Legends Patch 26.21. You can read the official notes on the leagueoflegends.com website. To compare with an earlier patch, see our LoL 25.15 patch notes and the LoL Patch 25.16 preview.

Watch: Lane Domination: Lux and Caitlyn

From the course Lux - The Lady of Luminosity · 7:33