Patch 26.02 Changes Unveiled - League of Legends Update

Key Takeaways

• Bandlepipes cost rises 300 gold (2,000 → 2,300) to match Locket of the Iron Solari — melee supports now face a genuine choice at first back.
• Ashe AD growth buff pairs with current ADC itemisation; expect her to move up in the bot-lane tier list after this patch.
• Taliyah jungle gains on both Q and E monster damage — the strongest buff of 26.02 for the jungle role.
• Zed jungle takes the hardest nerf: passive monster damage drops from 180% to 120%, meaningfully slowing his clear speed.
• Lillia jungle sustain is cut — passive heal AP ratio falls from 15% to 9%. Adjust recall timing on the first full clear.
• Smolder armour growth falls from 4.7 to 4.0, softening his late-game durability in the post-item-rework meta.

With those changes outlined, the full picture of 26.02 breaks down across items, buffs, and nerfs.

Overview: Patch 26.02

Patch 26.02 shipped on Thursday, January 22, 2026, adjusting a handful of ADC items and spreading targeted buffs and nerfs across the roster. The headline move is a cost increase on Bandlepipes, pulling the melee-support staple back into line with Locket of the Iron Solari. On the champion side, Ashe, Master Yi, Taliyah, and Varus receive buffs, while Gwen and Jayce are trimmed.

Item Adjustments

1. Bandlepipes (nerfed): Cost increased from 2,000 to 2,300 gold. This brings Bandlepipes in line with Locket of the Iron Solari. Melee supports who leaned on Bandlepipes as the cheaper first-back option now face a tighter gold decision between the two tank-support mythics.

The Bandlepipes change is the only significant item adjustment in this patch. ADC item stat updates are present but minor — the patch focuses budget on champion-level tuning.

Champion Buffs

• Aatrox: Passive bonus damage scales better at lower levels; Q monster bonus damage increases. The changes improve jungle clear consistency but fall short of making Aatrox a meta pick in either solo-queue or competitive.
• Ashe: AD growth receives a modest buff. The improvement pairs well with current ADC itemisation and may push her back toward the higher end of the ADC tier list, particularly in poke-oriented bot lane compositions.
• Master Yi: Minor armor growth increase. Q on-hit modifier also improves, strengthening his already-fast clear and making his Alpha Strike more reliable as a duelling tool.
• Taliyah (Jungle): Q and E monster damage both increase. These targeted adjustments make her a more consistent jungle pick at higher skill levels, rewarding players who invest in her unique projectile-spread mechanics.
• Varus: Q max base damage and W on-hit damage both increase. The W on-hit change is primarily relevant in his top-lane Lethality variant; bot-lane Varus sees a smaller relative gain.
• Viego: Attack speed growth and crit ratios improve, addressing his sustained underperformance below 48% win rate. The changes target his early-game duelling window before he can stack possessions.

Aatrox and Taliyah are the two buffs most likely to show a measurable win-rate climb — both received targeted jungle improvements that address known underperformance data.

Champion Nerfs

• Gwen: Passive monster cap and AP ratios both reduced. She remains a viable split-push threat in coordinated play but loses some of the jungle flex potential she held through the Season 16 opener.
• Jayce (Jungle): Q bonus monster damage decreases. This comes despite Jayce jungle sitting below 49% win rate in previous patches — Riot's motivation appears to be reducing his presence as a flex-priority pick in coordinated queues rather than win-rate balancing.
• Lillia: Passive monster heal AP ratio drops from 15% to 9%, and Q damage AP ratio falls from 35% to 30%. Lillia jungle's early sustain was enabling her to out-pace clear timers that most other AP junglers couldn't match; the heal reduction directly targets that advantage.
• Smolder: Armor growth reduced from 4.7 to 4.0. The change reflects Smolder's overperformance with high-crit ADC itemisation following the Season 16 item rework; reduced defense at full build softens his later-game durability.
• Zed (Jungle): Passive monster damage drops from 180% to 120%. This directly impacts his clear speed and is the patch's sharpest single nerf. Zed jungle was enabled by the jungle item changes earlier in the season; this brings his clear back in line with other AD assassin junglers.

Several other champions saw minor statistical adjustments not covered above. Check the official League of Legends patch notes for the complete numeric breakdown.

Summary Table

The overall texture of 26.02 is conservative — a single significant item change plus roster tuning that stops short of meta upheaval. Expect a modest uptick in Ashe and Taliyah pick rate, and a continued decline in Zed jungle as the clear-speed nerf ripples through ranked results.

Meta Implications

The Bandlepipes cost change is the patch's biggest meta lever. Melee supports who opened with Bandlepipes as a cheaper-than-Locket option now face a 300-gold penalty on first back, pushing the choice closer to a true toss-up. Tanks and engage supports that previously defaulted to Bandlepipes may shift back toward Locket of the Iron Solari depending on matchup.

On the jungle front, Zed's 60-point passive damage reduction is substantial. Early-season Zed jungle exploited his fast clear to match or beat meta junglers to the first scuttle crab; the nerf adds roughly half a camp to his clear time on the opener, dropping him below the spike point that made him viable.

✏️ Tip for Ashe players: The AD growth buff has the largest impact from levels 9–14. Time your aggressive trades in that window before the enemy ADC completes their second major item.

📌 Lillia note: The passive heal nerf hits AP-ratio Lillia the hardest in early camps. If you run Lillia jungle, account for the tighter health floor on your first full clear and plan your recall timing around the reduced sustain.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Patch 26.02 go live?

Patch 26.02 deployed on Thursday, January 22, 2026 across all live servers.

Is Bandlepipes still worth buying after the price increase?

Bandlepipes remains a viable melee-support mythic — it now costs the same 2,300 gold as Locket of the Iron Solari. Matchup determines the pick: Bandlepipes' Fanfare attack-speed passive favors aggressive melee supports in skirmish lanes; Locket's shield aura favors teamfight-heavy compositions. Neither is strictly better at equal cost.

Which junglers benefit most from 26.02 buffs?

Taliyah gains the most meaningful jungle buff in this patch, with both Q and E monster damage increasing. Master Yi's armor growth and Q on-hit improvements also strengthen his clear, making him a more reliable pick in games where he can avoid early counter-jungling pressure.

Why was Jayce jungle nerfed despite a sub-49% win rate?

Riot targets champion presence as well as win rate in competitive tuning. Jayce jungle's flex-pick value in organised five-man play inflated his priority without being reflected in solo-queue statistics. The Q monster-damage reduction reduces that flex ceiling without changing his top-lane performance.

Is Viego worth climbing with after his buff?

Viego's attack speed growth and crit ratio improvements address his underperformance in the sub-Diamond brackets where full-build windows rarely arrive. His scaling improves, but his early-game remains mechanical-heavy. Players who already own Viego's mechanics will benefit more than those picking him up for the first time on the back of the buffs.

Does the Zed jungle nerf affect his solo lane play?

No. The 26.02 nerf specifically targets Zed's passive monster damage (180% → 120%), which only affects his damage against jungle camps. His solo-lane kit — Q poke, shadow combos, R assassination — is completely unaffected.