LoL patch 26.21 nerfs Caitlyn and Lee Sin and introduces replay download limits

LoL patch 26.21 nerfs Caitlyn and Lee Sin and introduces replay download limits

Riot Games has published League of Legends patch 26.21, bringing balance changes across Summoner’s Rift alongside a new hourly limit on replay downloads.

Worlds remains on its locked tournament patch, so these adjustments will not change the balance used in the ongoing World Championship.

Caitlyn and Lee Sin lose power

Caitlyn’s Headshot damage is being reduced from 60–100% attack damage to 60–80%, with its critical-strike scaling also lowered. Riot is compensating with higher Piltover Peacemaker damage at ranks two through five, shifting some strength away from her late-game attacks.

Lee Sin’s Safeguard cooldown increases from seven to eight seconds. Dragon’s Rage also loses base damage, falling from 175/400/625 to 150/350/550 for both the initial kick and collision damage.

Tempest will no longer continue revealing an enemy who becomes invisible after being struck.

Jinx receives additional nerfs: her base health drops from 630 to 610, while attack damage growth falls from 3.25 to 3 per level. Azir moves in the opposite direction, gaining 50 mana per level instead of 40.

Replay access receives an hourly cap

Starting during patch 26.21, players will be limited to 10 replay downloads per hour. Downloads will remain available for their own games and those of friends and other players.

Riot says the restriction targets applications scraping thousands of recordings while preserving access for creators. The developer will monitor download activity to assess whether players retain sufficient access.

The wider update also includes changes to Arena, League Classic and ARAM: Mayhem, alongside the True Damage Know My Name skin lineup.