League of Legends Patch 26.4 continues Riot Games’ tuning process ahead of First Stand. While the previous patch focused heavily on systemic adjustments, this one leans harder into champion balance and gameplay clarity—cleaning up a few unintuitive mechanics.
Compared to Patch 26.3’s broader system tuning, Patch 26.4 is more focused on details. Riot is targeting specific overperformers, lifting up weaker picks with small buffs, and cleaning up a few frustrating mechanics. The meta still seems to lean heavily toward scaling carries and high-damage mid laners, but Patch 26.4 adjustments aim to give more space for classic control mages and utility picks.
Outside of champion balance, Riot is also introducing a new detection system aimed at extreme, sustained ping spamming. “Normal ping usage, whether it’s strategic, playful, or celebratory, is not intended to be affected,” said Riot.
However, players who repeatedly use pings in a clearly disruptive way may face temporary restrictions on their use. “We’ll be monitoring the system closely and iterating as needed to ensure that only players consistently using pings in a clearly disruptive way are penalized,” Riot concluded.
Annie Gets Her Spark Back
Annie has “disappeared” from the meta in recent months, according to Riot, and Patch 26.4 aims to bring her back into relevance—both as a classic mid lane and support pick.
Her Q is receiving a bit more damage at higher levels, giving her more reliable burst as the game progresses. Meanwhile, her E—her shield—now sits at a flat 10-second cooldown, seemingly improving her consistency in trades and teamfights throughout the game.
These changes restore some of Annie’s early and mid-game threat while also strengthening her utility as support. If burst, classic mages like her begin resurfacing in the mid lane meta, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Annie become a staple pick during First Stand.
Ryze’s Realm Warp Gets Fixed
A few weeks ago, in an LEC Game between Los Ratones and Karmine Corp Bue, LR’s jungler Veljko “Velja” Čamdžić was a victim of an unfortunate mechanic of Ryze’s ult.
Basically, the player clicked just outside the edge of Realm Warp while standing inside the portal, which caused the spell’s predictive logic to leave him behind instead of transporting him with the rest of his team—turning what should have been a coordinated escape into a costly misplay.
With Patch 26.04, Riot is removing that predictive behavior entirely. Ryze’s Realm Warp will no longer refuse to transport champions who are near the edge of the portal and pathing outward—if you’re inside the circle when the cast completes, you’re going wherever the Rune Mage desires.
The change makes the ability far more intuitive and reliable, especially in high-pressure competitive moments where a single misread interaction can decide a fight.
Smite, Ignite, and Omnivamp
Patch 26.4 also tightens up how Omnivamp interacts with Summoner Spells, in particular Smite and Ignite which will no longer trigger the healing statistic.
Omnivamp is a stat that heals you for a percentage of the damage you deal—whether it’s physical, magic, or true damage—after all resistances are applied. But this change removes the niche healing interaction with the Summoner’s Spells, keeping combat less frustrating to understand.
“We like to make rules consistent when we can, as it helps players understand our beloved complex game that little bit more,” explained Riot. “We’ve generally maintained that summoner spells do not interact with other systems such as applying spell effects or lifesteal style effects.”
First Stand is just around the corner, and Patch 26.4—which goes live February 19—is setting the stage for the first LoL Esport international event of the year.