Riot Games unveiled the details of patch 26.18 for League of Legends, a mid‑season update that reshapes several key champions and introduces a new Hall of Legends Battle Pass. The most prominent changes are a suite of buffs to the void‑mageddon assassin Kassadin and a series of nerfs to the celestial support Bard, aimed at rebalancing their win rates across all tiers.
Kassadin receives a 10‑percent increase to his base ability power scaling on Riftwalk and a reduction in cooldown on his Null Sphere, making his early‑game burst more reliable against mobile opponents. Riot’s patch notes cite community feedback that Kassadin was underperforming in the current meta, especially after recent balance shifts to other mid‑lane assassins.
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Conversely, Bard’s roaming potential is curtailed: the range of his Magical Journey is reduced by 200 units and the damage of his Cosmic Binding is lowered by 15 percent. These adjustments are intended to curb the champion’s dominance in coordinated play, where his utility often swings team fights.
Beyond champion tweaks, patch 26.18 launches the Hall of Legends Battle Pass, a limited‑time cosmetic and progression system that honors legendary esports figures. G2 Esports mid‑lane star Caps is the inaugural inductee, receiving a signature skin line, exclusive emotes, and a commemorative splash art that will be available to players who purchase the Battle Pass.
The update also includes minor quality‑of‑life changes, such as revised turret plating visuals and a tweak to the jungle monster spawn timer. Riot has made the full patch notes accessible to premium subscribers, with a public summary released on the official League of Legends forums.
