Finally, they released a new update. Just a couple of weeks after the start of the 2026 season, the developers from Riot Games decided that it was time to tighten the screws – update 26.2 will officially land on servers on Thursday, January 22. The League of Legends developers themselves decided to take a hard look at those who are too much of a nightmare of solo-ku and the pro-scene, with both pumped-up foresters and one extremely annoying support item falling under the distribution.
Table of Contents
Nerfs of foresters and Gwen’s winrate in update 26.2
Foresters are not to be envied now. The main impact in this patch was on Gwen, Lilia, Noon, and Willamp, as well as Malfit, Zed, and Jace — a pretty impressive list, really. Special attention should be paid to Gwen and Lilia. These ladies, if you believe the figures from lolalytics, became completely arrogant and broke through the ceiling of 52% win rate — powerful, you can’t say anything. Gwen, she was using the new Sunset and Dawn clothes too effectively, and the current meta of power pharma only added fuel to the fire.
The situation on the map is like this now — the ganges have become more difficult due to the backlights, and the removal of Atahan forced everyone to just vacuum up the forest camps for the sake of experience. It’s logical that Riot doesn’t like it very much.
Zed and Jace’s Damage changes in the new patch
Zed and Jace also received caps, although the assassin had previously accelerated well due to damage buffs on monsters. Jace’s damage from Q will be slightly reduced along the way, but he will still remain a top flex pick due to his versatility. It’s the same story with Malfit — this stone guy is now equally good at the top and in the woods, which makes him too valuable an asset in the draft.
Increased price of Bandlepipes and new support meta
And here’s the most interesting thing — the Bandlepipes support item suddenly went up by as much as 300 gold. The publisher felt that almost every support with control buys it too cheaply — in fact, it was a legal cheat. Now you will have to pay more for dominating the line, which, by the way, can greatly affect the pace of play of some characters. According to the analysis, the meta of jungle and support itself will change quite significantly — let’s see how this will affect the ecosystem of esports in the coming weeks.
Varus and Waist Enhancement in the League of Legends patch
It’s time for some good news. The developers decided to add more wood to the stove and noticeably strengthen the Waist with Varus. The latter, apparently, will become a real thorn in one place for opponents — he has been dealt damage to both Q and W. This, in fact, should instantly raise it in the list of priority peaks, because numbers decide everything.
Talia did not stay away either — now she will bite into the forest monsters with double zeal. Apparently, Riot wants to see it as a flexible tool capable of equally effectively harassing both the foreign Ministry and the jungle.
Viego’s mopping-up speed and Power farming tactics
Fans of Viego and Master Yi, by the way, can also exhale a little — they have improved their cleaning speed. But one thing should be understood — the overall picture in the forest is still tied to “power farming”. Those who can vacuum the map the fastest remain on the horse. It is logical that such point edits will not turn everything upside down, but they will simplify life, that’s for sure.
The impact of the patch on esports and the choice of miders
How will all this affect the pro scene? It’s a complicated question, but in truth, the contours are already visible. Now everything revolves around the central line — the teams are betting on “leith” magicians who are able to annihilate all life in the late game. To allow such a mider to open up, you need to hold the botlane firmly — only then do the support and the forester get freedom of action on the rest of the map.
On the bottom line, by the way, those who can give out crazy DPS after the 30th minute are now ruling the ball. Corky, Aphelios and Unara are the main characters of the current meta, especially considering the new role—playing quests. The only one who stood out from this row was Varus, who took his toll on aggression in the early stages. And now, after the buffs at 26.2, we will see this archer in almost every rink — mark my words.
Update results and meta forecast after edits
Otherwise, there are no radical changes. Yes, Jace and Sivir may lose some ground after the nerfs, but they won’t be eliminated from the pool. This is especially true for the “Fearless Draft” mode, where variation decides the outcome of the series. Meta remains viscous, but Varus, apparently, will be the joker who will dilute this monotonous farm. High-quality, don’t you agree?
