League of Legends Patch 26.12 is here, and Riot is using this update to fine-tune the game after the start of Season 2 Act 2. Riot is keeping MSI in mind, which means several changes are aimed at opening up more champion diversity before the next major competitive patch.
The biggest highlight of this LoL Patch 26.12 includes nerfs to AP Xin Zhao, Lee Sin, Nocturne, Orianna, Ryze, and Varus, while champions like Aatrox, Gwen, Hwei, Jax, Sylas, Syndra, Tristana, and Yuumi are getting some much-needed buffs. Riot has also updated ARAM Mayhem, made changes to Arena 3×6, and added more visibility to Honor and penalty information.
LoL Patch 26.12 Release Date and Patch Highlights
League of Legends Patch 26.12 was officially detailed by Riot on June 9, 2026. The update brings a healthy mix of champion balance, system adjustments, mode-specific changes, bug fixes, and new skins.
Prestige Sinful Shores LeBlanc, Sinful Shores Brand, and Sinful Shores Hwei will be available from June 10, 2026. Riot is also expanding Normal Draft availability in ME, OC, and SG, moving those regions from limited windowed availability to 24/7 access.
Champion Buffs in LoL Patch 26.12
Aatrox is getting a direct damage buff to The Darkin Blade. His Q sweet spot bonus damage has been increased from 70 to 75, giving Aatrox players a stronger reward when they land the ability properly.
Gwen is also receiving early game help after falling behind in recent patches. Her Q base damage per snip now scales from 10 to 26 instead of 10 to 24, while her E bonus attack speed has been increased at earlier ranks. This should make Gwen feel smoother before she reaches her late game power spikes.
Hwei receives one of the larger mage buffs in Patch 26.12. His QQ AP ratio has been increased, his QW AP scaling is stronger, his QE slow has gone up from 30 percent to 35 percent, and his E cooldown is lower across all ranks. Riot says the goal is to give him back power after previous slow interaction changes hurt him more than expected.
Jax is getting more help against durable champions. Leap Strike now costs 50 mana instead of 65, while Counter Strike’s max health damage has been increased from 3.5 percent minimum and 7 percent maximum to 4 percent minimum and 8 percent maximum.
Sylas is also being pushed back up, especially in scaling. Chain Lash now deals more damage and has a stronger AP ratio, while Kingslayer’s healing AP ratio has been increased from 20 percent to 30 percent. Syndra gets a cleaner buff too, with more base health and higher Q damage.
Tristana receives a scaling buff with her AD growth increased from 2.9 to 3.4. Her Q mana cost is also being lowered, which could make mid lane Tristana more playable again without fully bringing back the old marksman mid meta.
Yuumi gets compensation buffs after Moonstone Renewer changes hit her harder than most enchanters. Her passive heal AP ratio is going from 25 percent to 30 percent, while Zoomies now has a 40 percent AP shield ratio instead of 30 percent.
Champion Nerfs in LoL Patch 26.12
Lee Sin is being toned down after recent changes made him too strong. His AD growth has been lowered from 3.7 to 3.4, while both Sonic Wave and Resonating Strike are getting reduced base damage and bonus AD scaling.
Nocturne is also taking a hit. Riot likes his identity as a champion who can create unfair fights with Paranoia, but his farming and dueling have been too strong. Duskbringer’s damage is being lowered at later ranks, which should slightly slow down his jungle pressure.
Orianna is one of the big pro-focused nerfs in this patch. Her base health is dropping from 585 to 565, and Clockwork Windup’s damage increase per stack is going from 20 percent to 15 percent. Command: Shockwave is also being adjusted, with lower base damage but higher AP scaling. This means Orianna should be less oppressive early while still having strong late-game threat.
Ryze is getting a simple but meaningful early game nerf. His base health is being reduced from 645 to 620, and his base AD is dropping from 58 to 55. Riot wants to reduce his laning power while keeping his scaling identity intact.
Varus is being adjusted because of his high priority in both ADC and the top lane. His passive now gives more AD and AP from attack speed after kills, but his non-champion attack speed bonus is reduced. Piercing Arrow’s bonus AD ratio is being lowered, and Blighted Quiver’s early on-hit damage is also reduced. Overall, this is a nerf to oppressive lethality setups while giving on-hit builds some room to scale.
Xin Zhao receives another nerf aimed mainly at AP Xin Zhao mid. His passive healing now has lower early max health and AP scaling, while Wind Becomes Lightning and Audacious Charge cost more mana. This should make it harder for AP Xin Zhao to sustain through the lane for free.
System Changes in LoL Patch 26.12
Teleport is also changing in this update. The Enhanced Teleport shield is being changed from 30 percent max health for 30 seconds to 35 percent max health for 10 seconds.
Riot is also adding Honor and active penalty information to the social panel. Players will now be able to see their current Honor standing, restrictions, and what they need to do to restore their standing more clearly.
ARAM Mayhem Changes in LoL Patch 26.12
ARAM Mayhem is getting a major refresh in Patch 26.12. Riot is adding Ability Augments and Quest Augments, while removing the Trait System for this season. Ability Augments directly upgrade champion abilities, while Quest Augments now have clearer progress tracking and can evolve through multiple tiers.
Several old Augments have been removed, while new Silver, Gold, and Prismatic Augments have been added. Riot is also giving fighters and tanks more attention with combat-focused Prismatic Augments designed to help them survive longer and create bigger fight moments.
Arena 3×6 Changes in LoL Patch 26.12
Arena 3×6 is also receiving balance updates. Riot says the mode is in a good overall state, but AD assassins have been struggling, so some changes are aimed at giving them more room to succeed.
Akali, Nocturne, Pyke, Quinn, and Talon are among the champions receiving Arena-specific buffs. Brand, Karthus, and Lillia are being nerfed in the mode. Several Arena items are also changing, including Banshee’s Veil, Eclipse, Edge of Night, Iceborn Gauntlet, Profane Hydra, Serylda’s Grudge, Trinity Force, Voltaic Cyclosword, and more.
One of the more interesting Arena item changes is that Guardian Angel no longer shares a lockout with Zhonya’s Hourglass or Wooglet’s Witchcap, meaning players can now pair Guardian Angel with a Stasis item.
Bug Fixes and Quality of Life Changes
Patch 26.12 also includes several bug fixes. Riot fixed an issue where the Helping Hand buff from certain starting items was not removed when sold or undone. Another fix addresses a bug where dying before Smite upgraded at 45 seconds could leave Smite stuck at one charge.
Rift Herald also received a bug fix, as it was sometimes dealing magic damage to turrets instead of true damage, depending on the rider’s stats. Riot also fixed an Imperial Mandate interaction where certain abilities that swapped into crowd control spells could incorrectly gain Ability Haste.
LOL Patch 26.12 At A Glance
| Category | Champion/System/Mode | Change Type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patch Highlight | Sinful Shores Skins | New Content | Prestige Sinful Shores LeBlanc, Sinful Shores Brand, and Sinful Shores Hwei release on June 10, 2026. |
| Queue Update | Normal Draft | Availability Update | Normal Draft is now available 24/7 in ME, OC, and SG instead of limited windows. |
| Ranked Update | Apex Duo Restrictions | Monitoring | Riot is keeping Apex duo restrictions active in some regions while monitoring match quality. |
| Social Update | Honor in Social Panel | New Feature | Players can now see Honor standing, active penalties, restrictions, and redemption progress in the social panel. |
| Champion | Aatrox | Buff | Q sweet spot bonus damage increased from 70 to 75. |
| Champion | Gwen | Buff | Q base damage per snip increased from 10/13.5/17/20.5/24 to 10/14/18/22/26. |
| Champion | Gwen | Buff | E bonus attack speed increased from 20/35/50/65/80% to 30/42.5/55/67.5/80%. |
| Champion | Hwei | Buff | QQ AP ratio increased from 70% to 80%. |
| Champion | Hwei | Buff | QW AP ratio increased from 25% to 30%, with higher empowered AP scaling. |
| Champion | Hwei | Buff | QE slow increased from 30% to 35%. |
| Champion | Hwei | Buff | E cooldown reduced from 13/12.5/12/11.5/11s to 12/11.5/11/10.5/10s. |
| Champion | Jax | Buff | Q mana cost reduced from 65 to 50. |
| Champion | Jax | Buff | E target max health damage increased from 3.5% minimum and 7% maximum to 4% minimum and 8% maximum. |
| Champion | Lee Sin | Nerf | AD growth reduced from 3.7 to 3.4. |
| Champion | Lee Sin | Nerf | Q1 damage reduced from 65/95/125/155/185 plus 95% bonus AD to 60/90/120/150/180 plus 90% bonus AD. |
| Champion | Lee Sin | Nerf | Q2 damage reduced from 65/95/125/155/185 plus 95% bonus AD to 60/90/120/150/180 plus 90% bonus AD. |
| Champion | Nocturne | Nerf | Q damage reduced from 65/110/155/200/245 to 65/105/145/185/225. |
| Champion | Orianna | Nerf/Adjustment | Base health reduced from 585 to 565. |
| Champion | Orianna | Nerf | Passive damage increase per stack reduced from 20% to 15%. |
| Champion | Orianna | Adjustment | R damage changed from 250/400/550 plus 95% AP to 225/350/475 plus 110% AP. |
| Champion | Ryze | Nerf | Base health reduced from 645 to 620. |
| Champion | Ryze | Nerf | Base AD reduced from 58 to 55. |
| Champion | Sylas | Buff | Q initial damage increased from 40/60/80/100/120 plus 40% AP to 40/65/90/115/140 plus 45% AP. |
| Champion | Sylas | Buff | W healing AP ratio increased from 20% AP to 30% AP. |
| Champion | Syndra | Buff | Base health increased from 563 to 583. |
| Champion | Syndra | Buff | Q damage increased from 80 to 220 plus 65% AP to 90 to 230 plus 70% AP. |
| Champion | Tristana | Buff | AD growth increased from 2.9 to 3.4. |
| Champion | Tristana | Buff | Q mana cost reduced from 30/35/40/45/50 to 15/20/25/30/35. |
| Champion | Varus | Adjustment/Nerf | Passive non champion kill AD/AP increased from 10% to 11% of total attack speed. |
| Champion | Varus | Adjustment/Buff | Passive champion kill AD/AP increased from 25% to 33% of total attack speed. |
| Champion | Varus | Nerf | Passive non champion kill attack speed reduced from 50% to 30%. |
| Champion | Varus | Nerf | Q bonus AD ratio reduced from 100 to 150% bonus AD to 80 to 120% bonus AD. |
| Champion | Varus | Nerf | W on hit damage reduced from 8/17/26/35/44 to 4/13/22/31/40. |
| Champion | Xin Zhao | Nerf | Passive healing reduced from 3/4/5% max HP plus 45/55/80% AP to 2/3.5/5% max HP plus 40/50/70% AP. |
| Champion | Xin Zhao | Nerf | W mana cost changed from 60/55/50/45/40 to 60 at all ranks. |
| Champion | Xin Zhao | Nerf | E mana cost increased from 50 to 60. |
| Champion | Yuumi | Buff | Passive heal AP ratio increased from 25% to 30%. |
| Champion | Yuumi | Buff | E shield AP ratio increased from 30% to 40%. |
| System | Teleport | Adjustment | Enhanced Teleport shield changed from 30% max health for 30 seconds to 35% max health for 10 seconds. |
| ARAM Mayhem | Ability Augments | New Feature | Ability Augments now directly upgrade champion abilities. |
| ARAM Mayhem | Quest Augments | Update | Quest Augments can now evolve through multiple tiers with clearer UI tracking. |
| ARAM Mayhem | Trait System | Removed | The Trait System has been removed for this season. |
| ARAM Mayhem | Augments | Pool Update | Several older Augments removed, while new Silver, Gold, and Prismatic Augments have been added. |
| ARAM Mayhem | Blade Waltz | Adjustment | Now attempts to re-target the initial target for the final attack. |
| ARAM Mayhem | Draw Your Sword | Adjustment | Stats now scale more heavily based on attack range. |
| ARAM Mayhem | Spin Me Right Round | Buff | Grants 400 minimum attack range for champions below that value. |
| Arena | Akali | Buff | R AP ratio increased from 30% to 40%, and R cooldown reduced from 120/90/60 to 90/75/60. |
| Arena | Brand | Nerf | Q stun duration reduced from 1.75s to 1.5s, and W cooldown increased from 10 to 8s to 12 to 10s. |
| Arena | Karthus | Nerf | Q base damage reduced from 60 to 140 to 40 to 116, and AP ratio reduced from 45% to 35%. |
| Arena | Lillia | Nerf | Q movement speed per stack reduced from 3 to 7% to 2 to 6%. |
| Arena | Nocturne | Buff | Passive cooldown reduced from 12s to 9s, and W cooldown reduced from 20 to 12s to 18 to 10s. |
| Arena | Pyke | Buff | W cooldown reduced from 14 to 10s to 12 to 8s. |
| Arena | Quinn | Buff/Adjustment | W attack speed changed from 30 to 70% to 28 to 80%, and W cooldown reduced from 20 to 10s to 14 to 10s. |
| Arena | Talon | Buff | E per wall cooldown reduced from 26 to 6s to 16 to 0s. |
| Arena Item | Banshee’s Veil | Buff | Cooldown reduced from 40s to 20s. |
| Arena Item | Eclipse | Buff | Melee shield increased from 250 to 300, and ranged shield increased from 125 to 150. |
| Arena Item | Edge of Night | Buff | Cooldown reduced from 20s to 10s. |
| Arena Item | Iceborn Gauntlet | Buff | Slow increased from 25% to 30%, AoE radius increased from 300 to 400, and Ability Haste increased from 10 to 15. |
| Arena Item | Guardian Angel/Stasis Items | Buff | Guardian Angel no longer shares a lockout with Zhonya’s Hourglass or Wooglet’s Witchcap. |
| Arena Item | Profane Hydra | Buff | Cleave melee ratio increased from 40% to 60%, and ranged ratio increased from 20% to 30%. |
| Arena Item | Serylda’s Grudge | Buff | AD increased from 40 to 50, Ability Haste increased from 10 to 15, and slow increased from 30% to 50%. |
| Arena Item | Trinity Force | Buff | Health increased from 333 to 375, and AD increased from 35 to 40. |
| Arena Item | Voltaic Cyclosword | Buff | AD increased from 55 to 60, and Lethality increased from 18 to 20. |
| Arena System | Petricite Grove | Map Change | Center-left blast cone removed, and bombs are now untargetable while rolling. |
| Arena System | Revives | Buff | In a 1v3 last player standing situation, allies revive slightly faster. |
| Arena System | Vote Phase | QoL | Vote check time reduced from 7s to 5s. |
| Arena Guests | Vayne | New Effect | Swindler’s Orb grants 40% shield reaving on all damage done. |
| Arena Guests | Kindred | Buff | Wolf bonus HP increased from 10% to 15%. |
| Arena Guests | Evelynn | Buff | Health increased from 50 to 75. |
| Arena Guests | Yone | Buff | Hunter round win gold increased from 250 to 500. |
| Arena Guests | Swain | Adjustment | Removed from round 2. |
| Arena Guests | Nilah | Adjustment | Removed from round 8. |
| Bug Fix | Starting Items | Fixed | Helping Hand buff no longer remains after selling or undoing certain starting items. |
| Bug Fix | Smite | Fixed | Dying before Smite upgraded at 45 seconds no longer keeps Smite stuck at one charge. |
| Bug Fix | Rift Herald | Fixed | Rift Herald now properly deals true damage to turrets instead of sometimes dealing magic damage. |
| Bug Fix | Imperial Mandate | Fixed | Certain swapped CC spells no longer incorrectly gain Ability Haste from Imperial Mandate’s Control passive. |
| Bug Fix | Practice Tool | Fixed | WASD input keybinds now save properly in the Options Menu. |
| Bug Fix | Elise | Fixed | Elise’s human form death animation no longer plays when she dies in Spider Form. |
| Bug Fix | Neeko | Fixed | Fixed several cases where Neeko failed to play the proper homeguard run animation while disguised as Wukong with various skins. |
New Skins in LoL Patch 26.12
Patch 26.12 also brings new Sinful Shores skins. Prestige Sinful Shores LeBlanc, Sinful Shores Brand, and Sinful Shores Hwei are all scheduled to become available on June 10, 2026.
League of Legends Patch 26.12 feels like a bridge patch between the early Season 2 Act 2 meta and the upcoming MSI focused balance window. Riot is clearly targeting some of the strongest pro and high elo picks, especially Orianna, Varus, Lee Sin, Nocturne, Ryze, and AP Xin Zhao.
At the same time, this patch gives struggling champions like Gwen, Hwei, Sylas, Syndra, Tristana, and Yuumi some breathing room. With ARAM Mayhem getting a major refresh and Arena 3×6 receiving another round of tuning, Patch 26.12 has more going on than a typical balance update.
