LoL Patch 26.4 Preview: Lux and Samira Buffs, Jinx Nerfs
League of Legends Patch 26.4 appears to be a “fine-tune” update rather than a sweeping overhaul. Riot says overall balance is in a solid place, but match pacing has sped up noticeably, and early feedback suggests Top and Bot feel stronger while Jungle/Mid/Support are closer to neutral or slightly down.
In this guide, everything in the LoL Patch 26.4 preview is broken down in one place—who’s getting buffed or nerfed, which champions are being adjusted, what’s happening with Hexoptics, and why Riot is walking back part of the Challenger queue-time experiment.
League of Legends Patch 26.4 Champion Changes
Below is a quick overview of the champions, items, and systems currently targeted for LoL Patch 26.4:
| Category | Targets |
|---|---|
| Champion Buffs | Annie, Brand (Jungle), Camille, Darius (Jungle), Fizz (Jungle), Graves, Hwei, Illaoi, Lux, Maokai, Samira, Teemo (Jungle), Udyr, Xayah |
| Champion Nerfs | Ambessa (Jungle), Aphelios, Braum, Gwen, Jinx, Kassadin, Kayle, Kennen, Naafiri, Qiyana, Rengar, Rumble, Swain (Bot), Syndra, Twitch, Zac |
| Champion Adjustments | Ryze, Senna |
| System Adjustments | Hexoptics C44 |
What is a LoL Patch Preview?
About a week before a League of Legends patch goes live, Riot’s League team usually shares an early look at what’s on the slate—highlighting the champions, items, and system changes the next update aims to ship. It’s not always final, but it’s typically close enough to help players and teams prepare.
Champion changes
There isn’t one giant theme for League of Legends Patch 26.4 champion tuning. The stated intent is to pull back a few outliers—especially champs that benefited too much from recent system changes—while also giving a boost to some “unconventional” junglers that have fallen behind.
Systems: Hexoptics C44 adjustments
The item Hexoptics C44 hasn’t found a wide audience, so 26.4 is aiming to make its damage amplification easier to access across more champions, plus a few additional tuning tweaks. Riot wants the item to be less niche, meaning more marksmen (and possibly more builds) can buy it without perfect conditions.
Challenger+ Ranked: Queue Time Change (partial rollback)
Riot increased Challenger queue times to improve match quality, and they say match quality did improve “factually”—but players didn’t feel it was worth the longer waits.
With LoL 26.4, Riot is rolling that change back about halfway. The goal is to keep some of the match-quality gains without making the ladder feel slower or more frustrating.
What Riot is trying to do in LoL 26.4
The core takeaway is that things are “mostly in a good spot,” so 26.4 is about trimming sharp edges rather than reinventing the meta. Riot’s early surveys on roles also point to Top and Bot feeling better, while Jungle/Mid/Support are neutral or slightly down.
Patch 26.4 release date
LoL Patch 26.4 (also referred to as Patch 16.4) is scheduled for February 19, 2026 (Thursday, PT) on Riot’s official patch schedule. Patch dates can still shift, but given the extensive PBE testing, updates almost always arrive around the same time.
FAQs
When does LoL Patch 26.4 release?
It’s scheduled for February 19, 2026 (PT) on Riot’s official patch schedule.
What’s the main item change in 26.4?
Hexoptics C44—Riot is adjusting it to make its passive more usable across a wider pool, plus other tuning.
Why are there so many jungle-tagged buffs this patch?
Riot says some unconventional junglers are performing worse compared to conventional picks, so they’re giving them a bump while they keep monitoring larger jungle ecosystem changes.
Is Patch 26.05 expected to be bigger than 26.4?
The notes suggest First Stand is coming on 26.05 and Riot is planning “a lot of changes,” so it’s reasonable to expect a more thematic patch soon.
