League of Legends Patch 26.02 Preview: Buffs & Nerfs

Riot Games has now shared an early preview for League of Legends patch 26.02, highlighting a new round of balance updates focused on champions across multiple roles. The information was made public by Lead Gameplay Designer Matt Leung-Harrison, known in the community as RiotPhroxzon, who outlined the direction Riot is taking with this patch.

League of Legends Patch 26.02 Preview

While the recent addition of Role Quests has helped stabilize role performance overall, the developers are still closely watching how the meta behaves. According to Riot, things are mostly in a good state, but some champions are clearly performing above or below expectations. Because of this, patch 26.02 is more about fine adjustments rather than heavy reworks, even if some changes may feel noticeable in-game.

@RiotPhroxzon took it to their official X to share the League of Legends Patch 26.02 Preview with the community. The post was made on 13th January 2026, around 10:30 AM (IST).

League of Legends patch 26.02 preview Champion adjustments

As per the update, champions like Taliyah, Varus, Ashe, Aatrox, and others are receiving buffs. On the other hand, champions such as Lillia, Nunu, Sivir, and Zed are receiving nerfs. Changes like these often ripple through high-level play, especially among pros frequently featured in the Top 10 Best League of Legends Players.

Bug Fixes in League of Legends Patch 26.02

In addition to the nerfs and buffs among the League of Legends champions, there are a lot of bugs fixed in the game. The developers are working on fixing the issue where the Champ Mastery grades are higher than normal in specific situations. The issue where in <1% of gems Aegis of Valor was not proccing in situations is fixed.

Players in OCE and China who played games during the time of Ranked placements will receive bonus LP. Players from the KR and JP regions will also receive a solution for the same issue. In addition to these, there are many changes that the developers have introduced with Ranked and given how smoothly things have been handled, they are looking to roll these out in more regions soon. These incremental balance passes also serve as groundwork ahead of the larger systemic changes expected, as outlined in League of Legends Will Receive A Major Overhaul In 2027.