League of Legends Patch 26.18 brings another round of champion balance changes, with Ekko, Kassadin, Master Yi, Viego, and Zaahen receiving buffs. Seraphine, Syndra, and Zeri are being nerfed alongside others, while Cassiopeia gets a broader adjustment that shifts power between her abilities without changing the overall AP ratio.
Rageblade is also receiving a small system buff, with its Seething Strike stacks lasting longer.
Quick Summary
- Cassiopeia gets adjusted, shifting power from base damage into AP scaling.
- Ekko, Kassadin, Master Yi, Viego, and Zaahen are buffed.
- Zeri, Bard, Nautilus, and Seraphine are nerfed, while Rageblade gets a small buff.
When does LoL Patch 26.18 release?
League of Legends follows a bi-weekly patch cadence as usual, and this means that LoL patch 26.18 is scheduled to come out on Sept. 10, 2026, which is a Thursday instead of a typical Wednesday that these patches follow.
Release time zones usually differ somewhat, but you can expect the patch to be released around these times:
- 3 pm CT (NA)
- 5 am GMT (EU West)
- 3 am CET (EU North East)
- 8 am KR (Korea)
What’s in LoL Patch 26.18?
Patch 26.18 has a fairly focused set of changes, with Ekko and Kassadin getting stronger scaling and damage, while Master Yi receives improvements to his durability and ultimate mobility. Viego is also gaining new bonus health scaling on his passive heal, and Zaahen gets more damage on his Q2.
On the nerf side, Zeri is losing some of the AD scaling on her W, while Nautilus, Bard, Seraphine, and Syndra are having some of their base stats reduced. Cassiopeia is the biggest adjustment of the patch, with Riot shifting some of her damage and utility between abilities. In terms of cosmetics, Caps’ Hall of Legends skins will be dropping with an exclusive event to celebrate the Western GOAT.
Champion Buffs
The following champions are receiving buffs in League Patch 26.18:
Ekko
Ekko is receiving buffs aimed primarily at his mid lane performance, with Riot focusing on waveclear, mana, and AP scaling. The changes should help him clear waves and generate the tempo needed for his roaming playstyle.
[Q] Timewinder
- Mana cost reduced from 50-90 to 40-80.
- Return damage AP ratio increased from 60% to 70%.
Kassadin
Kassadin is getting stronger AP scaling on his Q alongside more early damage on his ultimate.
[Q] Null Sphere
AP ratio increased from 70% to 80%.
[R] Riftwalk
Base damage increased from 70/90/110 to 80/95/110.
Master Yi
Master Yi gets more armor growth and additional movement speed from his ultimate, improving his durability and mobility as the game progresses.
Base Stats:
Armor growth increased from 4.5 per level to 5 per level.
[R] Highlander
Movement speed increased from 35-55% to 40-60%.
Viego
Bruiser Viego has fallen behind his squishier builds since the removal of Divine Sunderer and the nerf to Sundered Sky. Riot is adding specific support for the bruiser playstyle without undermining his intended build diversity. Viego’s passive is gaining bonus health scaling, while his AD growth is also being increased.
[Passive] Sovereign’s Domination
New: Healing gains 2% scaling per 500 bonus health.
Base Stats
AD growth increased from 3.5 to 4.
Zaahen
Zaahen is receiving buffs after becoming weaker following his previous nerfs. Riot is also making his Q more consistent after reviving, removing situations where the ability could become desynced and leave players with too little time to use Q2.
[Q] The Darkin Glaive
- Q is now placed on cooldown immediately upon entering Resurrection.
- Q2 damage increased from 25/50/75/100/125 to 30/60/90/120/150.
Champion Nerfs
The following champions are receiving nerfs in League Patch 26.18:
Bard
Bard is losing some of his base armor and armor growth, making him slightly less durable as the game progresses.
Base Stats
Armor reduced from 34 + 5 per level to 32 + 4.7 per level.
Nautilus
Nautilus is losing some base attack damage and Q damage, reducing his overall damage output.
Base Stats
AD reduced from 61 + 3.3 per level to 58 + 3.3 per level.
[Q] Dredge Line
Damage reduced from 85-265 (+90% AP) to 85-245 (+90% AP).
Seraphine
Riot is targeting Seraphine’s E maxing pattern to reduce its value for damage-focused roles. The change should have a minimal impact on support Seraphine, who typically leaves E until last. According to Dot Esports’ Elizbar Ramazashvili, Seraphine once again finds herself on the receiving end of baffling design decisions. Seasons after her mid-scope rework that went against the wishes of her vocal playerbase and catered to those who played her as a support regardless of her viability.
All of this made it so her E max was the most viable skill path, and her AP ratios were hit again this season. Patch 26.18 goes further and nerfs the ability’s cooldowns, as Support Seraphine maxes E last, thus making it the least impacted role. At this point, all of this would be bewildering if it wasn’t a constant pattern with midlane mages who were able to play support in any capacity: Brand, Morgana, Swain, Lux. It’s completely understandable that balancing a popular champion for their most-played role would sell the most skins, but this shouldn’t be done at the expense of the champion’s core identity, release promise, and wishes of the most dedicated mains.
[E] Beat Drop
Cooldown increased from 11-9 seconds to 11 seconds.
Syndra
Syndra’s passive will provide less mana from Splinters, while her W receives a cooldown increase.
[Passive] Splinters of Wrath
Mana increased from 20-255 to 20-199.
[W] Force of Will
Cooldown increased from 12-8 seconds to 13-9 seconds.
Zeri
Zeri’s W is losing some of its total AD scaling, reducing its damage both normally and when fired through terrain.
[W] Ultrashock Laser
- Damage reduced from 30-190 (+120% total AD) to 30-190 (+100% total AD).
- Wall damage reduced from 45-285 (+180% total AD) to 45-285 (+150% total AD).
Champion Adjustments
Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia is struggling with average players while remaining too strong in pro play, so Riot is redistributing her power into AP scaling. This should preserve her strong early-game identity while giving regular players more power through the AP-heavy builds they tend to favor. She is receiving a broader adjustment that redistributes some of her power across her kit. Her passive movement speed is being reduced, while her E gets a higher base AP ratio and lower enhanced AP ratio, keeping the total ratio unchanged.
[Passive] Serpentine Grace
Movement speed bonus reduced from 6-40% to 5-35%.
[E] Twin Fang
- Mana cost increased from 40 to 45.
- Base AP ratio increased from 10% to 20%.
- Enhanced AP ratio reduced from 55% to 45%.
- Total AP ratio remains unchanged at 65%.
- Base damage reduced from 52-120 to 50-118.
[Q] Noxious Blast
Damage changed from 75-215 (+65% AP) to 65-205 (+75% AP).
[R] Petrifying Gaze
Damage changed from 150/250/350 (+50% AP) to 125/225/325 (+75% AP).
System Buffs
Rageblade
Rageblade’s Seething Strike stacks will now remain active for longer, giving users more time to maintain their attack speed buildup.
Seething Strike
Stack duration increased from 3 seconds to 4 seconds.
