LoL Patch 26.22 Reworks Mel, Nerfs Yasuo, and Adds New K/DA Skins

LoL Patch 26.22 brings a major update to Mel, whose W can no longer reflect enemy abilities. The League of Legends update also nerfs Yasuo, Thresh, and Locke, buffs ten champions, and changes two Summoner’s Rift items.

The patch also introduces new K/DA Firestarter skins, adjusts augments in ARAM: Mayhem, adds classic champions to League Classic, and begins moving Teamfight Tactics to a standalone client.

LoL Patch 26.22 Table of Contents (click to expand)

• When Does LoL Patch 26.22 Go Live?
• Champion Changes in LoL Patch 26.22
• Item and System Changes
• What Changes in ARAM: Mayhem?
• New Champions and Balance Changes in League Classic
• TFT Moves to a Standalone Client
• New Skins and Chromas in Patch 26.22

When Does LoL Patch 26.22 Go Live?

The update is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, 2026, according to Riot Games’ official patch schedule. Availability may vary by region and server maintenance window.

Champion Changes in LoL Patch 26.22

Buffs

Aurelion Sol

• E (Singularity): total magic damage over 5 seconds: 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 (+60% AP) → 50 / 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 (+60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80% AP).

Corki

• R (Missile Barrage): damage: 90 / 170 / 250 (+85% bonus AD) → 100 / 190 / 280 (+90% bonus AD).
• R (Missile Barrage), Big One damage: 180 / 340 / 500 (+170% bonus AD) → 200 / 380 / 560 (+180% bonus AD).

Kayle

• Q (Radiant Blast): cooldown: 12 / 11 / 10 / 9 / 8s → 10 / 9.5 / 9 / 8.5 / 8s.
• R (Divine Judgment): cooldown: 160 / 120 / 80s → 140 / 110 / 80s.

Maokai

• Q (Bramble Smash): base damage remains 75 / 120 / 165 / 210 / 255 (+50% AP); bonus damage based on the target’s maximum health: 2 / 2.5 / 3 / 3.5 / 4% → 2.5 / 3 / 3.5 / 4 / 4.5%.

Naafiri

• Q (Darkin Daggers): healing: 45 / 60 / 75 / 90 / 105 (+40% bonus AD) → 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 / 115 (+45% bonus AD).
• W (The Call of the Pack): bonus attack damage: 20% → 22%.

Rumble

• R (The Equalizer): damage per second retains its base values of 120 / 200 / 280; AP ratio: 35% → 40%.
• R (The Equalizer): maximum damage AP ratio: 175% → 200%.

Shen

• Q (Twilight Assault): monster damage modifier: 100 / 125 / 150 / 175 / 200 → 120 / 140 / 160 / 180 / 200.

Smolder

• W (ACHOOO!): explosion damage: 10 / 35 / 60 / 85 / 110 (+50% bonus AD and +80% AP) → 25 / 50 / 75 / 100 / 125, with the same ratios.

Viktor

• Base stats: health growth: 100 → 105 per level.
• R (Arcane Storm): cast damage remains 100 / 175 / 250; AP ratio: 50% → 60%.

Zaahen

• Q (The Darkin Glaive): cooldown: 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6s → 8 / 7.5 / 7 / 6.5 / 6s.

Nerfs

Locke

• Q (Ritual Nails): bonus damage per stack: 18 / 26 / 34 / 42 / 50 → 15 / 22 / 29 / 36 / 43.
• Q (Ritual Nails): maximum stack damage: 75.6 / 109.2 / 142.8 / 176.4 / 210 → 63 / 92.4 / 121.8 / 151.2 / 180.6.
• W (Soul Ignition): duration: 6s → 5s.

Thresh

• Base stats: attack damage: 56 → 54.
• R (The Box): damage: 250 / 400 / 550 (+100% AP) → 200 / 350 / 500 (+100% AP).

Yasuo

• Q (Steel Tempest): base damage remains 20 / 45 / 70 / 95 / 120; total AD ratio: 105% → 100%.

Adjustments

Mel receives the patch’s biggest gameplay update. Her Rebuttal (W) no longer reflects abilities. Instead, it creates an expanding nova that destroys enemy projectiles, shields nearby allies, grants movement speed, and retaliates against destroyed projectiles. The update shifts some of her early-game power toward scaling.

Mel, Base Stats

• Health: 640 (+99 per level) → 590 (+107 per level).
• Mana: 480 (+28 per level) → 455 (+38 per level).
• Armor growth: 5.2 → 5.4.
• Attack damage: 54 (+3.3 per level) → 52 (+3.3 per level).
• Attack speed growth: 2.5% → 2.75%.

Mel, Passive (Searing Brilliance)

• Bonus damage per bolt: 8 to 30 (+4% AP) → 4 to 30 (+4% AP).
• First stack damage against minions: 50% less → 45% less.

Mel, Q (Radiant Volley)

• First-hit damage: 60 / 85 / 110 / 135 / 160 (+55% AP) → 60 (+25% AP).
• Subsequent-hit damage: 5 / 7 / 9 / 11 / 13 (+5% AP) → 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 (+8% AP).
• Total damage: 85 to 277 (+80 to 100% AP) → 85 to 285 (+65 to 97% AP).
• New effect: hitting at least one enemy champion refunds 0.5 to 1s of cooldown, scaling with Mel’s level.
• Mana cost: 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90 → 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80.
• Missile speed: 3,800 → 3,200.

Mel, W (Rebuttal)

• New mechanic: a nova expands to a 400-unit radius over 0.75s, destroying enemy projectiles. Mel and allies in range receive a shield and bonus movement speed, while destroyed projectiles trigger retaliatory damage when the nova ends.
• Retaliation damage: 35 / 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 (+10% AP) on the first hit. Subsequent hits against the same enemy deal 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 (+5% AP), up to 7 retaliations per enemy, for a total of 65 to 205 (+40% AP).
• Shield: 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 / 200 (+70% AP), lasting 2s.
• Movement speed: 10 to 30% based on champion level, lasting 2s.
• Mana cost: 100 / 80 / 60 / 40 / 0.
• Cooldown: 30 / 28.5 / 27 / 25.5 / 24s.

Mel, E (Solar Snare)

• Root duration: fixed 1.5s → 0.8 to 1.6 / 0.85 to 1.75 / 0.9 to 1.9 / 0.95 to 2.05 / 1 to 2.2s, scaling with ability rank and distance traveled.
• Slow: 30% → 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40%.
• Mana cost: 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90 → 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80.

Mel, R (Golden Eclipse)

• Cooldown: 120 / 100 / 80s → 120 / 90 / 60s.

Riot’s patch overview also lists Aurora and Renekton under adjustments. However, the detailed notes only mention bug fixes for those champions, with no additional numerical balance changes.

Item and System Changes

Doran’s Bow

• Attack damage: 8 → 7.

Overlord’s Bloodmail

• Attack damage: 30 → 40.
• Retribution passive, bonus AD based on missing health: 0 to 12% total AD → 0 to 10% total AD.

What Changes in ARAM: Mayhem?

ARAM: Mayhem is receiving another round of augment changes, with lower damage for some offensive options and buffs to defensive tools. Butcher’s Bridge and Koeshin’s Crossing return to the map rotation, and the final page of the Journey to Stardom mission track is now available.

Champion

• Hecarim: bonus Ability Haste in the mode: 10 → 0.

Augments

Armored Impact

• Damage: 50 to 125 (+250% bonus Armor) → 25 to 125 (+220% bonus Armor).

BEES!!!

• Base damage scaling: 75 to 200 (+150% bonus AD and +70% total AP) → 75 to 140 (+150% bonus AD and +70% total AP).
• Hive travel time: 0.75s → 1.1s.

Brass Blast

• Cooldown: 75s → 50s.
• Damage against minions: removed.

Crimson Cobalt

• Mark visual effect: previously visible to all players; now visible only to the augment owner.

One Hit Wonder

• New effect: the affected ability deals increased damage based on Ability Haste but no longer benefits from the cooldown reduction provided by that stat.

Ravenous Bind

• Bonus Health healing ratio: 0.1 → 0.12.
• Base healing: 50 to 200 → 75 to 300.

RISE!

• New effect: killing enemy champions with your ultimate resets its cooldown, up to 3 times.

Squishy Slappy Grab

• Shield per pulled target: 50 to 200 (+50% bonus Armor and +50% bonus Magic Resistance) → 100 to 300 (+70% bonus Armor and +70% bonus Magic Resistance).

Soul Eater

• Health gained per stack: 20 → 30.

Stay Resolute

• Armor and Magic Resistance gained per ability hit: 1 / 2 / 3 at levels 1 / 7 / 11 → 2 / 3 at levels 1 / 11.

Take ’Em Down Down Down

• Damage after five hits: (15 + 5% bonus Attack Speed + 0.15% total Ability Haste)% of the target’s missing health → 17% of missing health.

Titan’s Resolve

• Juggernauting stacks required per Juggernauting level: 10 → 7.

Weapon of Destiny

• Flat Armor Penetration scalar: 35 → 20.
• Flat Magic Penetration scalar: 25 → 15.
• Percentage Armor Penetration scalar: 0.25 → 0.15.
• Percentage Magic Penetration scalar: 0.15 → 0.09.

New Champions and Balance Changes in League Classic

Volibear, Swain, and Elise join League Classic in their older forms. Volibear returns with his chase-focused kit and sustained damage, Swain with his raven transformation and crowd control, and Elise with her ability to switch between human and spider forms.

The mode also brings balance changes to the following champions:

Amumu

• Passive (Cursed Touch): Magic Resistance reduction: 15 / 25 / 35 → 15 / 20 / 25 (levels 1 / 7 / 13).
• Q (Bandage Toss): damage: 80 / 140 / 200 / 260 / 320 → 80 / 130 / 180 / 230 / 280.
• R (Curse of the Sad Mummy): cooldown: 150 / 130 / 110s → 170 / 145 / 120s.

Evelynn

• Q (Hate Spike): base damage: 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 → 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 / 120.

Ezreal

• W (Essence Flux): AP ratio: 60% → 80%.
• W (Essence Flux): healing effectiveness: 50% → 70%.
• E (Arcane Shift): AP ratio: 75% → 80%.

Fiddlesticks

• E (Dark Wind): damage per bounce: 65 / 85 / 105 / 125 / 145 (+45% AP) → 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 (+45% AP).

Gangplank

• Base health regeneration: 5 → 7.
• Health growth: 81 → 89 per level.
• Passive (Grog-Soaked Blade): maximum stacks: 3 → 4.
• Q (Parrrley): mana cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 → 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60.
• R (Cannon Barrage): cooldown: 120 / 115 / 110s → 120 / 110 / 100s.

Janna

• Passive (Tailwind): global bonus movement speed: 3% → 2%.

Nami

• Q (Aqua Prison): damage: 75 / 130 / 185 / 240 / 295 (+65% AP) → 90 / 145 / 200 / 255 / 310 (+100% AP).
• W (Ebb and Flow): damage reduction per bounce: 30% → 15%. Healing reduction remains at 15%.

Olaf

• W (Vicious Strikes): bonus AD: 7 / 14 / 21 / 28 / 35 → 10 / 17 / 24 / 31 / 38.
• E (Reckless Swing): cooldown: 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5s → 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4s.

Rammus

• Base Armor: 28.8 → 25.
• Attack damage growth: 3.5 → 2.75 per level.

The Classic Pass will also award 50% more tokens per match for the remainder of the mode’s run, following an adjustment to its progression rate.

TFT Moves to a Standalone Client

Teamfight Tactics begins its move to a standalone client on November 4. As a result, Patch 26.22 will require a larger-than-usual download. After installing the update, players can opt out of downloading TFT files with future League of Legends patches.

The first batch of Little Legends exclusive to the new TFT client is scheduled for December 1. The full separation of TFT cosmetics, including emotes and icons, is set for December 15. Existing TFT cosmetics will remain usable in the League client.

New Skins and Chromas in Patch 26.22

The patch adds six skins, including five K/DA-themed releases and a Prestige version of Classic Baron Kog’Maw:

• K/DA Firestarter Ahri.
• K/DA Firestarter Evelynn.
• K/DA Firestarter Kai’Sa.
• K/DA Firestarter Ignition Akali.
• K/DA Hitmaker Evelynn.
• Prestige Classic Baron Kog’Maw.

The patch also includes the Music Fan Gragas (FIRESTARTER) and Prestige Classic Baron Kog’Maw (Vivid) chromas. Riot did not specify a single release time for all cosmetics in the patch notes.

---

Follow Strafe Esports for the latest League of Legends news, and check out our X account for more updates and coverage. You can also visit the Strafe YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.

Featured image credit: Riot Games

Read more:

Riot Reveals DJ Sona Ultimate Remix with K/DA, HEARTSTEEL and True Damage Looks

Gen.G vs LYON Preview: Inspired Seeks Revenge in the Quarterfinals of Worlds 2026

Worlds 2026 Pick'Ems: No One Will Win the Seven Ultimate Skins