League of Legends Patch 26.1 Notes: Turret Overhaul and Epic Monster Buffs Lead Demacia Theme
Toronto, January 8, 2026 – Riot Games has released Patch 26.1 for League of Legends, ushering in Season 1 of 2026 with a Demacia-themed update. The patch introduces significant changes to turret mechanics, epic monsters, and role-specific quests, while balancing champions and items to enhance gameplay. Key highlights include permanent turret plates, increased monster durability, and new rewards for objective play, aiming to reduce snowballing and promote strategic team fights.
Turret and Objective Updates
Turret mechanics have been revamped to encourage incremental pushes rather than all-or-nothing sieges. Turret plates are now permanent, dropping at 14 minutes with values decreasing over time, and outer turrets gain bonus attack damage if they survive longer. Nearby players receive 300 gold for the first turret destroyed, and resistances scale differently to favour melee champions. Epic monsters like Baron Nashor and Rift Herald have increased health but reduced gold rewards, with stronger buffs for comebacks. The Elder Dragon and Atakhan are removed, simplifying the objective landscape.
Role Quests and Jungle Changes
New role quests reward players for lane-specific actions, such as killing minions, champions, and objectives, without affecting Swiftplay or rotating modes. Junglers benefit from enhanced pet DPS, more powerful Smite, and increased mid-late gold and experience from scuttlers and quests. Rift Herald’s “Eye” mechanic is now solo-able with a cooldown, and its rewards shift towards killer-focused gold.
Champion and Item Adjustments
Several champions received buffs and nerfs to address balance issues. Lucian’s abilities saw damage reductions, while Graves and Quinn had crit scaling changes. New items fill gaps in builds, and the ranked system improves auto-fill experiences. Base crit damage returns to 200% for all champions.
Key Facts / Stats
| Category | Key Change | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Turret Plates | Permanent plates with decreasing value (starting at 120 gold, reducing by 10 gold per minute) | Encourages partial turret damage and rewards incremental pushes |
| Baron Nashor | Reduced gold reward, increased health, empowered shred ability | Stronger as a game-ender, more lethal fights around it |
| Role Quests | New quests for top, mid, bot, jungle, and support roles | Balances role agency, discourages lane swaps |
| Champion Crit Damage | Base crit damage back to 200% for all champions | Equalizes crit potential across roles |
| Rift Herald | Solo-able “Eye” mechanic, reduced local gold | Easier for junglers to claim, rewards the killer more |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main theme of Patch 26.1?
The patch introduces a Demacia theme for Season 1 2026, with visual updates to Summoner’s Rift and new skins for champions like Morgana and Taliyah.
How do the new turret plates work?
Turret plates are now permanent and drop at 14 minutes, providing gold rewards that decrease over time. They incentivize smaller pushes and partial damage.
Are there any new game modes?
No new modes, but role quests enhance standard Summoner’s Rift play. Swiftplay retains its existing quest system.
What changes affect junglers?
Junglers get better pet DPS, stronger Smite, and increased gold/experience from scuttlers and quests, making epic monster kills more rewarding.
When does Patch 26.1 go live?
The patch is scheduled for January 8, 2026, Pacific Time.