League of Legends: Major Changes in Patch 26.04 Update

Patch 26.04 Champion and Item Updates

Patch 26.04 from Riot Games introduces changes affecting 32 champions, targeting both overtuned and underutilised characters. Significant nerfs land on Kayle, Kassadin, and Braum, while meaningful buffs go to off-meta junglers and the Hex Optics C44 item. The patch went live on February 19, 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Hex Optics C44's passive range drops from 600 to 500, but the takedown duration window extends from 6 to 8 seconds — broadening its viability across more AD carry champions.
• Annie Q damage rises from 240 to 260 and her E cooldown flattens to 10 seconds at all ranks — a quality-of-life buff that improves consistency in extended trades.
• Brand and Darius receive monster damage amplification increases, making both more viable off-meta jungle picks.
• Kayle Q damage drops hard from 220 to 180 — her early trading power is substantially reduced.
• Kassadin health growth cut from 119 to 113 alongside mana scaling nerfs, targeting his dominant early laning phase.
• Senna Q and W base damage reduced, bonus AD ratio increased — shifts her power toward attack-damage builds and weakens the enchanter variant.

Here is how each change breaks down in practice.

Hex Optics C44 Changes

The Hex Optics C44 is receiving two adjustments designed to broaden its applicability. The passive range for maximum damage amplification decreases from 600 to 500, while the duration of the range increase on takedown extends from 6 to 8 seconds. Because most AD carry champions have a base range exceeding 500, the passive range reduction does not meaningfully reduce the item's effectiveness on the majority of the role — and the longer takedown window creates more flexibility in skirmish timings.

Champion Buffs

Several champions are receiving impactful buffs in 26.04:

1. Annie: Q damage increased from 240 to 260. E cooldown reduced to a flat 10 seconds at all ranks — removes the cooldown scaling penalty at early ranks and strengthens her mid-trade windows.
2. Brand (Jungle): Passive monster damage amplification increases from 265% to 270%, and the non-epic damage cap rises from 40 to 50. Both buffs directly strengthen his jungle clear.
3. Camille: Quality-of-life improvement to E — the attack speed boost no longer requires landing on a target. More reliable in jungle camps and in trades where the grapple partially connects.
4. Darius (Jungle): Passive monster damage amplification scales up from 200% to 250%, a significant increase that accelerates his clear speed and makes the off-role more viable.
5. Graves: E armor and magic resistance per stack increased. Extends the survivability window in extended fights and reduces his vulnerability to poke-heavy compositions.

Key numerical changes for buffed champions:

Brand and Darius receive the largest raw jungle-viability boost of this patch cycle — both are worth evaluating in off-meta jungle compositions after 26.04.

Champion Nerfs

Nerfs target several popular champions in the current meta:

• Kassadin: Health growth reduced from 119 to 113, and mana scaling is lowered. The changes target his dominant early laning phase, where the combination of high health scaling and mana access allowed him to play aggressively before reaching his level 6 power spike.
• Kayle: Q damage reduced significantly from 220 to 180. Her early trading window, already reliant on Q damage to compensate for her pre-transformation weaknesses, takes a meaningful hit. Laning against her becomes more forgiving at all levels below her final transformation.
• Braum: Base damage reduction and cooldown increase on ultimate. His all-in threat and engage windows are longer between cycles.

These adjustments reflect Riot's ongoing effort to keep a balanced and competitive environment without removing strategic depth from any of the affected champions.

Additional Champion Tweaks

1. Twitch: Health growth adjusted from 104 to 98, and armor growth drops from 4.2 to 4. The changes slightly reduce his durability, addressing late-game scaling that outpaced his intended threat curve.
2. Zac: Q maximum base damage lowered: the scaling cap drops from 350–700 to 300–650 at maximum rank. Reduces his burst ceiling in engage situations.
3. Ryze: R no longer predicts movement — it simply teleports you if you are inside the circle. Removes the interaction where predicted movement caused unexpected teleport placements.
4. Senna: Q and W base damage reduced; bonus AD ratio increased. The change pushes value toward AD-focused builds and weakens the enchanter variant that had been over-performing in support matchups.

Together these tweaks complete Riot's 26.04 balancing pass. Players adapting to the new champion landscape can find an overview of the current ranked environment on WowCarry's League of Legends page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the biggest changes in LoL Patch 26.04?

The headline changes are Kayle's Q damage drop from 220 to 180, Kassadin's health growth reduction from 119 to 113, the Hex Optics C44 range adjustment from 600 to 500 (with a longer 8-second takedown window), and Annie's Q buff to 260 damage. Brand and Darius also receive notable jungle amplification increases.

Which champions got buffed in Patch 26.04?

Annie, Brand (Jungle), Camille, Darius (Jungle), and Graves are the primary buff recipients. Brand and Darius receive the most impactful changes for off-meta jungle viability, while Annie's buff is a quality-of-life improvement that strengthens her consistency across all game phases.

Which champions got nerfed in Patch 26.04?

Kayle, Kassadin, and Braum are the primary nerf targets, with secondary adjustments to Twitch, Zac, and Senna. Ryze receives a behaviour change to his R rather than a numeric nerf.

When did League of Legends Patch 26.04 go live?

Patch 26.04 went live on February 19, 2026. The current patch as of this writing is 26.10, released May 12, 2026. For the current patch notes, check the official League of Legends game updates page at leagueoflegends.com.

Is Kayle strong after Patch 26.04?

Her early laning phase weakens considerably with the Q damage drop from 220 to 180. The change makes it harder for her to trade effectively before her transformation thresholds, which were already her main laning vulnerability. Her post-transformation scaling is unchanged, so players who can survive the early game will still find her late-game power intact.

What happened to Kassadin in Patch 26.04?

Kassadin receives health growth nerfs (119 to 113) and mana scaling reductions, targeting the combination of durability and mana access that made his early laning phase more aggressive than Riot intended. His level 6 power spike and ability to scale into late game are unaffected by these specific changes.