This is a quick summary of the League of Legends patch 26.21 notes. The patch went live on October 21, 2026 (Pacific Time), and a mid patch update on October 22 adjusted Varus again. In three lines: Worlds meta picks like Caitlyn, Jinx and Lee Sin were toned down while Azir, Orianna and Sion got stronger; replay downloads now have a limit of 10 per hour, though you can still grab your own, your friends' and other players' replays; and ARAM Mayhem gets band themed rules while League Classic adds four champions. The replay change is different from the private replays plan announced in 26.20, and we cover that story in the 26.21 replay change explained. The next patch is 26.22 on November 4, and on that day every 26.21 .rofl file stops playing. For everything about recording the game, see the League of Legends page.
The 3 changes that matter most for your play style
If you mostly play ranked solo queue, check the nerfs first. Caitlyn's Headshot scaling has a lower ceiling, Jinx loses AD per level and some base health, and Lee Sin's W takes longer to come back while his ultimate hits softer. There are no ranked specific changes listed this patch. If you build items by hand, look at the higher price of Gluttonous Greaves, Hubris now having separate melee and ranged values, and Bastion Breaker trading lethality for a Sabotage effect that no longer runs out. If you play ARAM or event modes, the biggest news is the Mayhem band rules with new augments and the four old kit champions added to League Classic. Whatever you play, think about replays: downloads are now limited per hour, and 26.21 replays will not open after the next patch.
League of Legends patch 26.21 key changes
| Area | What changed | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| Replay downloads | Limit of 10 downloads per hour; your own, friends' and other players' replays all stay available | Players who review games, coaches, creators |
| Champion nerfs | Caitlyn Headshot ceiling lowered (early Q base damage up), Jinx AD per level 3.25 to 3, Lee Sin W cooldown 7s to 8s | Bot lane and jungle mains |
| More nerfs | Rammus W resists, Viktor move speed 335 to 330, Yone Q, Nidalee W and E, Qiyana Q | One trick players of those champions |
| Champion buffs | Azir mana per level 40 to 50, Sion health per level 87 to 95, Darius Q rank 5 cooldown 5s to 4s and more | Mid mages and top bruisers |
| Varus | Q and W rebalanced, then an October 22 update fixed a Q bug and raised passive and Q minimum damage | Top and bot Varus players |
| Items | Gluttonous Greaves 1000g to 1100g, Hubris split for melee and ranged, Bastion Breaker lethality 22 to 18 | Players who adapt builds |
| ARAM Mayhem | Band Headliner rule each game, many new augments with 13 removed, new Superstar Rank missions | ARAM and Mayhem players |
| League Classic and Arena | Mordekaiser, Yorick, Hecarim and Lucian added with old kits; Arena weakens top augments and lifts weak ones | Event mode players |
| Systems | Patch launcher needs SSE 4.2, raising the AMD minimum spec one step; Mythic Shop rotation timing aligned | Players on older PCs |
What to check after patch 26.21
- See whether your main champion is on the nerf list (Caitlyn, Jinx, Lee Sin, Yone and others)
- Review builds that use Gluttonous Greaves, Hubris or Bastion Breaker
- With only 10 replay downloads per hour, grab the important matches first; the League of Legends replay guide covers saving and watching them
- Clear out replays from 26.20 and earlier, since they no longer play
- Put the next patch, 26.22 on November 4 (PT), in your calendar
Save your matches as video before replays expire
- 1Install DORDOR is a free Windows app. Once it is installed, launching League of Legends starts an automatic recording of the whole match. The full setup is in our guide to recording League of Legends.
- 2Play as usualThere is nothing to press during the game. Kills and highlights are also cut into automatic clips for League of Legends.
- 3Play back older replaysFor matches already finished, open the .rofl replay in the client. DOR's per mode recording settings include Replay and Spectate, both on by default, so the playback is saved as mp4. Do this before 26.22 arrives.
- 4Edit and shareIn DOR Studio, trim or merge clips, switch to 9:16, 16:9 or 1:1, add text and BGM, then export an mp4 or share a dor.gg link.
Keep your League matches no matter the patch with DOR
DOR is a free Windows app: launch a supported game and it records the whole match automatically. League of Legends, VALORANT, PUBG, Overwatch, Fortnite, CS2 and FC Online also get automatic kill and highlight clips. For League of Legends, DOR's per mode recording settings include Replay and Spectate, on by default, so playing a .rofl replay in the client is recorded to mp4 before the patch makes it unplayable. If you queued with friends, a party clip combines everyone's view of the same match into one video, and big moments can be stored the way our pentakill clip guide shows.
