LoLBuffsLeague of Legends Patch 26.22 is almost here. The preview buffs Viktor, Rumble, Smolder, and more Champions while nerfing Locke. Let’s recap.
The League of Legends Patch 26.22 Preview is here. Image Credits: Riot Games
As Worlds 2026 continues, League of Legends Patch 26.22 is almost here. Riot designer Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison posted the full preview on October 28, 2026, and it already has some pretty significant changes.
Locke takes a clear nerf. Rumble, Smolder, and Viktor all get more power. Seven other champions get buffs, and Mel gets an update. Let’s dive into everything fans can expect, plus the Patch 26.22 release date and time.
We’re seeing a ton of buffs in this patch, mostly to champions with nerfs that overshot or unique build potential. There are three main nerfs, but Locke’s is the most important. Players have complained about his damage dominance for a while, so Riot is toning it down a bit. Meanwhile, we can also expect two item changes: Overlord’s Bloodmain and Doran’s Bow see adjustments.
Notably, Worlds 2026 will not use this patch. The tournament runs on an earlier version.
Locke gets the biggest nerf in the patch. Phroxzon said Riot has been tuning Locke since his release and does not think he is far off from a balanced state. That said, two things in his kit felt too strong.
Locke Q: Riot said Locke gets too much damage, especially early on. The stack bonus damage drops at every rank.
The Q stacks up to three times. At three stacks, the damage rises by 40 percent. Riot says that, with the new changes, this adds up to roughly 30 less damage at max.
Locke W: The movement speed here was too easy to use all game. The W duration now drops from 6 seconds to 5. Riot wants the spell to feel good while it lasts, but cost more to spam while running around the map.
This means Locke will lose some early trading power. He will still be strong, but he has to plan his W more carefully. There are more windows to counter him throughout the match.
Rumble gets a small boost. His ultimate’s damage per second AP ratio rises from 35 percent to 40 percent.
Phroxzon said Rumble has been one of the strongest champions in Pro Play. Now that Pro Play patches are done, Riot is giving him a bit of power in general Competitive. RiotPhroxzon added that he is not overly strong in Elite play either.
What does this mean? Rumble will hit harder in fights and zone control. Rumble players get a bit more kill power overall. Although we’ve seen some rumble gameplay, it’s important to stress again that this buff will not change Worlds, since the event uses an older patch.
Sassy dragon Smolder gets another buff. Riot said the last upgrade to his kit was weaker than intended. This one is a follow-up. Smolder also requires the change since he’s become weaker after the recent adjustments to Deathfire Touch.
The change goes to his W, Achooo!. The explosion base damage rises from 10 to 110 up to 25 to 125. The ratios stay the same at 50 percent bonus AD and 80 percent AP.
The explosion now hits harder at every rank, but the gain is biggest at low ranks. It helps with early trades and lane pressure so Smolder can keep stacking like he does best.
Phroxzon said the nerfs last patch overshot a bit. Viktor gets some power back, but Riot is not undoing his old changes. The team is happy with the power shift that lowered his base movement speed.
The new trade-off works like this: slower movement makes Viktor weak when he walks around the map alone. In return, that pays for his strong laning and good scaling.
Viktor’s Ultimate will now hit even harder, and he becomes stronger in late game. He still has to deal with lower mobility, though.
Yes, the huge Mel changes Riot teased earlier are coming in this Patch. They will completely remove her W reflect ability, instead changing it to absorb projectiles. This is really a full Mel rework, which we covered in the linked article.
| Champion | Change |
|---|---|
| Aurelion Sol | E total magic damage: 50-150 (+60% AP) to 50-170 (+70% AP) over 5s |
| Corki | R damage: 90-250 (+85% bonus AD) to 100-280 (+90% bonus AD). R Big One damage: 180-500 (+170% bonus AD) to 200-560 (+180% bonus AD) |
| Kayle | Q cooldown: 12-8 to 10-8. R cooldown: 160/120/80 to 140/110/80 |
| Maokai | Q target max HP damage: 2-4% to 2.5-4.5% |
| Naafiri | Q heal: 45-105 (+40% bonus AD) to 55-115 (+45% bonus AD). W bonus AD: 20% to 22% |
| Rumble | R damage per second AP ratio: 35% to 40% |
| Shen | Q monster mod: 100/125/150/175/200 to 120/140/160/180/200 |
| Smolder | W explosion damage: 10-110 to 25-125 |
| Viktor | R Conjure AP ratio: 50% to 60%. Health growth: 100 to 105 |
| Zaahen | Q cooldown: 10-6 to 8-6 |
| Locke (nerf) | Q stack bonus damage: 18/26/34/42/50 to 15/22/29/36/43. W duration: 6s to 5s |
| Thresh (nerf) | Base AD: 56 to 54. R damage: 250-550 to 200-500 (+100% AP) |
| Yasuo (nerf) | Q damage: 20-120 (+105% total AD) to 20-120 (+100% total AD) |
| Mel | Mid-scope update |
Shen. Riot said Shen is decently strong in Top lane and Support. His jungle could be a bit stronger. Players have found the playstyle fun, so Riot is throwing it a bone. His Q monster mod goes up at every rank.
Aurelion Sol. A few players max W second. Most max E second even though it is weaker. Riot wants both options to feel strong, so the E gets more damage and a higher AP ratio.
Naafiri. Riot wants to buff Naafiri mid. The Q heal matters more there than in jungle clearing. Riot said she is close to the right power level, so the buff is small.
Patch 26.22 is set for Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Riot lists patch dates in Pacific Time.
The usual NA rollout starts around 3:00 AM PT. Riot does not post exact go-live times. They also depend on your server regions.
| Region | Time Zone | Local Time, November 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific | PST | 3:00 AM |
| Central | CST | 5:00 AM |
| Eastern | EST | 6:00 AM |
| Brazil | BRT | 8:00 AM |
| United Kingdom | GMT (BST has ended) | 11:00 AM |
| Central Europe | CET (CEST has ended) | 12:00 PM |
| Japan and Korea | JST/KST | 8:00 PM |
Riot can delay a patch. It posts an alert on its patch schedule page if the date changes within 48 hours.
Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
His Q stack bonus damage drops at every rank, from 18/26/34/42/50 to 15/22/29/36/43. His W duration falls from 6 to 5 seconds.
Pro Play patches are done, but Riot still wants to improve Rumble’s performance in elite Competitive play.
The last buff was less impactful than intended. He has also been weaker since the adjustments to Deathfire Touch.
No. Riot is keeping both changes from last patch and giving him power through his ultimate and health growth.
Locke, Thresh, and Yasuo.
No. Worlds uses an earlier patch, Patch 26.20.
Ultimately, Patch 26.22 is mostly about small buffs and a few big nerfs. Locke loses early damage and W uptime. Rumble, Smolder, and Viktor gain steady power. These changes are just a preview, so check the final Patch Notes on November 4.
Last updated: October 28, 2026. Details come from Phroxzon’s preview and patch images. Numbers may change before release.
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