Riot Games has released the full Patch Notes for League of Legends (LoL) Patch 26.13 with a lot of champion buffs and nerfs.
This is a particularly large and important update as it is the patch that LoL MSI 2026 will be played on.
And LoL Patch 26.13 will also add new LoL champion Locke into the game as the only new character coming out this year.
The new update is bringing a total of eight champion nerfs, another nine buffs, and is a new controversial last-hitting indicator.
New Minion Last-Hitting Indicator
Riot is enabling Last Hit Indicators for both Normal Draft and, more controversially, Ranked Summoner’s Rift Games.
This was already a feature in both Swiftplay and Co-op vs AI, and Riot says it has helped new players improve at last-hitting.
Riot says it would rather players focus on skill expression in other parts of the game and believes it won’t degrade skill expression in lane, citing positioning, harassing your opponent, considering where both junglers are, and understanding power spikes.
Riot also claims they found that experienced players were disabling it, finding it more distracting than helpful, but believe it should be available for those who want it.
LoL Patch 26.13 Champion Nerfs
Bard
Bard has been a meta staple for most of this season and Riot is making sure that tank Bard doesn’t hit as hard without investing in AP.
- Passive – Traveler’s Call
- Damage Per Meep: 35 (+10 per 5 Chimes) (+40% AP) ⇒ 30 (+6 per 5 Chimes) (+40% AP)
Brand
Brand has become a bit too strong bot, so Riot is nerfing his early passive detonation damage while compensating by helping his mana costs for more skilled players.
- Base Stats
- Base Mana Regeneration: 9 ⇒ 11
- Passive – Blaze
- Passive Detonation Damage: 8 – 12% (Levels 1 – 17) (+2% per 100 AP) ⇒ 6 – 12% (Levels 1 – 18, scaling above 18) (+2% per 100 AP)
- E – Conflagration
- Mana Cost: 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90 ⇒ 90
Cassiopeia

More nerfs are coming for Cassiopeia. Riot wants to preserve some of her unique strengths, like her rewarding laning and slippery speed, but she should have a less gigantic health bar for when opponents actually lock her down!
- Base Stats
- Health per level: 104 ⇒ 98
K’Sante
K’Sante has heavily benefitted from Doran’s Helm, so Riot is lightly nerfing his early reliability while still rewarding successful all-ins.
- E – Footwork
- Shield: (80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240) (+15% bonus health) ⇒ (70 / 112.5 / 155 / 197.5 / 240) (+13.5% bonus health)
Rek’Sai
Rek’Sai’s combination of dueling power and mobility has made her too successful at high ranks, so Riot is reducing her early-to-mid burst windows while preserving her unique map movement and longer fight pattern.
- E – Furious Bite / Tunnel
- Physical Damage: 80 / 108 / 136 / 164 / 192 (64% bonus AD) ⇒ 70 / 95 / 120 / 145 / 170 (60% bonus AD)
- Bonus True Damage: 125% ⇒ 120%
Rumble
Rumble has been an extremely reliable blind-pick top laner for a long time, so Riot is lowering some of his early staying power and base damage.
- Q – Flamespitter
- Damage: 60 / 85 / 110 / 135 / 160 (100% AP) ⇒ 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 (105% AP)
Senna

Riot is nerfing Senna’s farming and synergy with Statikk Shiv while tuning her DPS around her having access to more souls.
- Passive – Absolution
- Soul Drop Chance (Senna Kill): 10% ⇒ 5%
- Soul Drop Chance (Ally Kill): 28% ⇒ 32%
- Crit Damage: -10% (180% / 27% with IE) ⇒ -15% (170% / 25.5% with IE)
- Q – Piercing Darkness
- Cooldown Refund: On Hit ⇒ On Attack
Sion
Sion has been strong in both solo queue and pro play for some time, so Riot is weakening his reliable early lane power and resource access while letting him remain a satisfying tank.
- Q – Decimating Smash
- Min Damage: 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 / 120 ⇒ 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 / 90
- W – Soul Furnace
- Mana: 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 ⇒ 75 / 80 / 85 / 90 / 95
LoL Patch 26.13 Champion Buffs
Aphelios

After his nerfs earlier in the year, Aphelios has fallen in priority and win rate. Riot is pulling back on some of those earlier nerfs to highlight each gun’s unique strengths.
- Calibrum
- Passive Mark Damage: 15 (10% bonus AD) ⇒ 15 (15% bonus AD)
- Severum
- Q – Onslaught Damage: 19 / 24.25 / 29.5 / 34.75 / 40% Total AD Dmg per attack ⇒ 20 / 25.25 / 30.5 / 35.75 / 41% Total AD Dmg per attack
- Infernum
- Q – Duskwave Damage: 20 – 110 (Level 1 – 18) (10 – 16% bonus AD) ⇒ 20 – 110 (Level 1 – 18) (15 – 21% bonus AD)
- Crescendum
- Q – Sentry Damage: 35 – 125 (Level 1 – 18) (30 – 48% bonus AD) ⇒ 35 – 125 (Level 1 – 18) (34 – 52% bonus AD)
Draven
Multiple Draven players will be at MSI and will be happy with these buffs that encourage a heavier-AD build rather than crit, on-hit, and caster builds
- E – Stand Aside
- Cooldown: 18 / 17 / 16 / 15 / 14s ⇒ 16 / 15 / 14 / 13 / 12s
- R – Whirling Death
- Damage Reduction on Enemy Hit: -8% multiplicatively, down to 40% (at 11 hits) ⇒ -5%, down to a minimum of 50% (at 14 hits)
Kai’Sa
Kai’Sa has struggled to get through lane and find her big Killer Instinct moments, so Riot is buffing her retreating W pattern early and her later-game backline dive threat.
- W – Void Seeker
- Cooldown: 22 / 20 / 18 / 16 / 14 ⇒ 20 / 18.5 / 17 / 15.5 / 14
- R – Killer Instinct
- Shield: 70 / 90 / 110 (+90 / 135 / 180% AD) (+120% AP) ⇒ 100 / 150 / 200 (+90 / 135 / 180% AD) (+120% AP)
LeBlanc

Riot wants to better reward LeBlanc players for landing some of her less guaranteed damage, rather than giving her more gank or lane support—both of which she does really well already.
- R – Mimic
- RQ1 / RE1 Damage: 70 / 140 / 210 ⇒ 70 / 150 / 230
- Mark / Root Damage: 140 / 280 / 420 ⇒ 140 / 300 / 460
- RW Damage: 150 / 300 / 450 ⇒ 150 / 315 / 480
Olaf
Riot is giving Olaf a bit more power in the jungle to entice him back into his original role.
- Q – Undertow
- Monster Bonus Physical Damage: 20 / 35 / 50 / 65 / 80 ⇒ 20 / 45 / 70 / 95 / 120
Poppy
Riot wants more diversity in the jungle and thinks Poppy is a good tankier counter option into a lot of the fighter junglers in the current meta.
- Q – Hammer Shock
- Monster Damage Cap: 50 / 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 ⇒ 75 / 105 / 135 / 165 / 195
Qiyana

Riot also thinks assassin junglers are underrepresented, so is trying to make Qiyana viable in the role without hurting her mid lane.
- Q – Edge of Ixtal
- Monster Damage: 155% ⇒ 175%
Vex
Riot feels that Vex is having less of an impact in her games than she should, so is giving her a quality of life buff that should make her reset pattern feel smoother for more pop-off plays.
- E – Looming Darkness
- R – Shadow Surge
- Reset Time Window: 6s ⇒ 8s
Zaahen
Zaahen is already seeing more play and Riot is giving him more room to fish for his early trade patterns and engage in mid-game skirmishes without raising his scaling ceiling.
- W – Dreaded Return
- Cooldown: 16 / 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 ⇒ 14 / 13.5 / 13 / 12.5 / 12
LoL Patch 26.13 System Changes
Doran’s Helm
Riot admits to overshooting with the 26.11 Doran’s Helm buff, so is tapping it back down while keeping the base health high and targeting the users it’s overperforming on like Senna.
- Armor and Magic Resistance: 10 ⇒ 8
- Health: 140 ⇒ 150
Imperial Mandate
Imperial Mandate is in a bad place after nerfs and Riot says the build path has been too awkward for many of its likely users, especially supports.
- Build Path: Blasting Wand (850g) + Bandleglass Mirror (900g) + 650g ⇒ Amp Tome (400g) + Bandleglass Mirror (900g) + Amp Tome (400g) + 700g
- Ability Power: 65 ⇒ 60
- Unique – Control: 15 AH For Immobilizing Abilities ⇒ 20 AH For Immobilizing Abilities
- Unique – Command: 6% Vulnerable ⇒ 7% Vulnerable
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