League of Legends patch 26.4 is officially live, and it’s a meaty one. Riot is wrapping up Season 1 2026 with a larger-than-average balance sweep — targeting jungle outliers, reviving forgotten champions, and dropping a wave of Lunar Revel cosmetics. Here’s everything you need to know.
Table of Contents
LoL Key Champion Changes at a Glance
| Champion | Change | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Annie | Q base damage buffed (up to 260 at max rank) | Returns to mid/support viability |
| Ambessa | Monster damage nerfed (150 → 125) | Jungle balance tweak |
| Gwen | Q damage reduced per snip | Knocked down from dominance |
| Zac | Health/armor growth slashed | Big nerf to tanky jungle |
| Swain | Ultimate cooldown increased (80 → 100s) | Cooldown creep punished |
| Xayah | AD growth buffed (3.7 → 4.2), crit penalty removed | ADC love — huge for ranked |
| Ryze | Ult teleport prediction behavior removed | More predictable for enemies |
| Brand | Base damage and AD ratios boosted | Support/mid Brand incoming |
What’s Hot This LoL Patch
Annie is back. After quietly fading from the meta, Riot has breathed new life into the Dark Child with meaningful damage increases and a flat 10-second cooldown on her Q. Whether you play her mid or support, this is the buff she needed.
ADC players, rejoice. Xayah is getting a serious glow-up — her attack speed can now reach the 3.0 cap, and the negative crit modifier has been completely removed. If you’ve been waiting to dust off your Xayah main account, now’s the time. Check out our best ADC tier list for Season 16 to see where she lands.
Jungle meta shakeup continues. Riot is reigning in Ambessa, Zac, and Swain in the jungle while bumping up underperforming off-meta junglers. The philosophy? If a champion has a primary role elsewhere, they shouldn’t dominate the jungle.
New Skins — Lunar Revel & Winter Sports
The Petals of Spring skin line drops February 19 featuring Camille, Jayce, Katarina, Lillia, and Yasuo. Limited-time Winter Sports skins (Vancouver Amumu, Whistler Village Twitch, etc.) are available only until February 26 — don’t sleep on them.
For a full breakdown of upcoming cosmetics, visit our LoL skins guide on Technosports.
❓ FAQs
Q: When does LoL Patch 26.4 go live?
Patch 26.4 went live on February 19, 2026, bringing balance changes, new skins, and Lunar Revel content to all servers.
Q: Which champions got the biggest buffs in Patch 26.4?
Annie and Xayah received the most impactful buffs — Annie in the mid/support role, and Xayah as a late-game ADC powerhouse.
