LoL Patch 26.16 preview: bot lane, ADC and item changes

Riot Games released the first preview of League of Legends Patch 26.16 on Aug. 4, 2026. The update targets the bottom lane meta with champion balance changes, support roaming adjustments, system-level help for ADCs and several item updates.

The preview lists buffs to Kennen, Gwen and Azir and nerfs to Poppy, Camille and Bel’Veth. Camille’s reductions are described as aimed at reducing her early support strength while strengthening her top-lane role. Nasus will be shifted to feel stronger in top lane without major changes to his jungle power.

Support roaming is a focal point. The Support Role Quest will penalize supports who leave bot earlier in the laning phase. Riot also plans tweaks to the Hail of Blades keystone and to champions such as Poppy and Camille to reduce poke-and-roam patterns. The preview did not include exact numbers for these changes.

Marksmen will receive system changes to improve early-game survivability versus mage-heavy bot lanes. Berserker’s Greaves, Fleet Footwork, Runaan’s Hurricane and base magic resist for ADCs are marked for buffs to help traditional marksmen handle lanes with champions like Brand or Swain.

Item adjustments include buffs to Sunfire Aegis, Eclipse, Tiamat, Sterak’s Gage, Jungle Pets and certain upgraded boots. Sundered Sky is set for a power reduction to encourage build diversity. Black Cleaver and the Hail of Blades keystone are also listed for further adjustment, with details to be added later.

Riot wrote that many numeric values and some design choices remain to be finalized and will appear in the full Patch 26.16 notes. The full notes with exact numbers will be published closer to the patch release window.