The League of Legends Patch 26.22 is scheduled for November 4, 2026, bringing changes to Mel's abilities and several champion balance adjustments. The preview includes buffs for Viktor and nerfs targeting Locke, Thresh, and Yasuo. The numbers currently available are preliminary and may change before the update goes live.
The date is listed on Riot Games' official League of Legends patch schedule. The balance figures below come from the Patch 26.22 preview published by Dot Esports.
When does LoL Patch 26.22 release?
LoL Patch 26.22 is scheduled to launch on November 4, 2026, according to Riot Games' official update calendar. The schedule may change, and the date follows Pacific Time. It does not independently confirm the exact release time for other regional servers.
Image: Riot Games
Mel gets changes to her defensive ability
Riot plans to release Mel's gameplay update in Patch 26.22. The main change is the removal of her W ability's projectile reflection mechanic. The ability will still destroy incoming enemy projectiles, but it will no longer reflect the same effects back at opponents.
According to Riot's official explanation of Mel's update, the new W will release a wave that destroys projectiles, grants a shield, and increases the movement speed of nearby allies. The ability will also deal a small amount of damage when responding to attacks.
The developer intends to shift some of Mel's early-game power toward her performance as the match progresses. Her Q will receive a flat cooldown reduction when it hits at least one enemy champion. Meanwhile, her E's root duration will be shorter against nearby targets and longer against enemies farther away.
Viktor buffs and nerfs for Locke, Thresh, and Yasuo
According to the preview published by Dot Esports, Viktor is set to receive two buffs:
- Health growth per level increases from 100 to 105.
- The ability power ratio on the initial damage of his R increases from 50% to 60%.
- The ability's base damage remains at 100/175/250.
Locke will receive a reduction to his Q's bonus damage per stack, dropping from 18/26/34/42/50 to 15/22/29/36/43. His W duration will also decrease from six to five seconds.
Other planned nerfs include:
- Thresh: Base attack damage decreases from 56 to 54, while R's base damage drops from 250–550 to 200–500.
- Yasuo: Q's total attack damage ratio decreases from 105% to 100%, with base damage remaining at 20–120.
More champions and items are getting balance changes
The list of planned buffs also includes Aurelion Sol, Corki, Kayle, Maokai, Naafiri, Rumble, Shen, Smolder, and Zaahen. Kayle will receive shorter cooldowns on Q and R, while Shen will deal more Q damage to monsters at the ability's early ranks.
Item changes are also included. Overlord's Bloodmail will gain attack damage, increasing from 30 to 40. However, the maximum total attack damage bonus from its Retribution effect, based on missing health, will decrease from 12% to 10%. Doran's Bow will lose one point of attack damage, going from eight to seven.
These figures come from the preliminary patch preview and should be checked against Riot's final patch notes before the update goes live.
Which of these changes will have the biggest impact on your main champions? Let us know in the comments.
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