Riot previews Patch 26.22 with Mel overhaul and Doran 's item adjustments

Riot previews Patch 26.22 with Mel overhaul and Doran 's item adjustments

Riot Games has outlined its plans for League of Legends Patch 26.22, including Mel’s midscope update, champion balance changes and adjustments to the choice between Doran ’s Bow and Doran ’s Blade .

The update is scheduled for November 4 ON Riot’s Pacific Time Patch calendar. The announced changes remain a preview ahead of release.

Mel loses projectile reflection

The largest structural change concerns Mel’s Rebuttal. The updated ability will Destroy incoming projectiles Rather than Reflect the original spells back at opponents.

Its New effect will also ShielD nearby allies and grant movement Speed , retaining a defensive Role while removing interactions Such as returning an Enemy Ultimate against its own team.

Riot’s accompanying design explanation describes a broader Shift away from early lane strength towards scaling and repeated spell rotations. Planned changes include moving some early durability into defensive growth, redistributing Q Damage across subsequent hits, and making E’s root duration depend ON distance.

Mel’s Q will also receive a cooldown refund when it hits an Enemy champion, supporting additional rotations during fights.

Champion and item balance changes accompany the update

The preview identifies buffs for champions including Corki, Maokai, Rumble, Shen, Smolder and Viktor. Locke, Thresh and Yasuo are listed for nerfs, while Aurora and Renekton join Mel among the adjustment targets.

Overlord’s Bloodmail is also scheduled for a BUFF . Riot is revisiting Doran ’s Bow Relative to Doran ’s Blade after identifying the bow as too strong, particularly at higher levels of play.

Worlds continues ON Patch 26.20

These changes concern the live game’s upcoming update. Worlds 2026 remains ON its designated Patch 26.20, so the preview does not alter the balance version used for the remaining tournament matches.