League of Legends Patch 26.18: Caps Enters Hall of Legends, Classic Adds Five Champions

The centerpiece of this patch is the induction of Rasmus "Caps" Winther into the Hall of Legends. This honor cements his legacy as one of the most influential figures in the history of competitive League of Legends. The new event pass associated with this induction features 100 levels of rewards, commemorative cosmetics, and an exclusive skin themed around Caps. Collectors will also find a variety of other skins available for purchase, including Risen Legend Tristana, Immortalized Legend Tristana, and Risen Legend Orianna. The reward pool extends to include the Freljord Taliyah, Elderwood LeBlanc, and Empyrean Akali skins, alongside 125 Mythic Essence, 11 Orbs, and a collection of Caps-themed icons and emotes. Notably, the update introduces the "Martin 1" title and an Unkillable Demon Cactus Ward to the in-game store.

In League Classic, Patch 26.18 significantly expands the roster by adding five classic champions: Fiora, Galio, Poppy, Shyvana, and Xin Zhao. These additions bring a new era of gameplay to the mode, featuring unique mechanics such as Fiora's health regeneration on damage and Galio's ability to convert magic resistance into ability power. Poppy brings her signature durability with reduced damage taken beyond 10% health, while Shyvana offers dragon transformation mechanics that enhance her abilities in dragon form. Xin Zhao completes the set with his challenging mechanic that reduces enemy armor.

On Summoner's Rift, Riot has focused on refining champion kits to improve consistency and balance. Bard sees a slight reduction in base armor growth. Cassiopeia receives adjustments to her passive movement speed bonus and significant changes to her Q ability, increasing its ability power ratio while reducing raw damage numbers. Her E ability also sees a shift in ability power ratios to better reflect her scaling potential. Ekko benefits from reduced mana costs on his ultimate and increased return damage scaling. Kassadin gains more AP scaling on his Q and enhanced base damage on his Riftwalk.

Master Yi receives a boost to his armor growth rate and an increase in move speed scaling for his Highlander ability, enhancing his late-game mobility. Nautilus sees a reduction in base attack damage but retains his utility-focused kit. Seraphine has her Beat Drop cooldown standardized across all ranks. Syndra experiences a reduction in her passive splinter mana cap and a longer cooldown on her Force of Will ability. Viego gains increased attack damage growth, and his Sovereign's Domination passive is adjusted to scale heal based on bonus stats more effectively.

New champion Zaahen introduces a unique mechanic where his Q ability goes on cooldown immediately upon being put into Resurrection. His second Q damage is also increased significantly across all ranks. Zeri receives nerfs to her Ultrashock Laser, reducing total damage and wall damage scaling, as well as lowering the critical strike ratio on her ultimate. Several other champions receive minor tweaks: Anivia's Flash Frost missile speed and stun duration are reduced; Gangplank gains more gold on kills and increased active attack damage for Raise Morale; Heimerdinger sees improved base health regeneration and turret damage.

Kayle now gains ability power based on total AD rather than just bonus AD. Malzahar receives a substantial boost to attack speed growth and his Voidling movement speed, while his Call of the Void AP ratio is reduced. A bug fix ensures his Nether Grasp stops dealing damage if the channel is interrupted. Nasus's Siphoning Strike can no longer critically strike, and his Wither slow ramp-up rate is corrected to function as intended. Warwick sees a reduction in base attack speed and adjustments to his passive damage scaling and ultimate damage.

The update also addresses community feedback regarding game length and snowballing through a Council poll analysis. While the majority of players feel current game lengths are about right, there is a notable segment preferring longer games. Riot has responded by reviving three classic items based on player votes: Zz'Rot Portal, Cloak and Dagger, and Moonflair Spellblade. Additionally, modern jungle timers will be added to the minimap, visible always or when the scoreboard is open depending on player preference. Base gates are also being reintroduced as an option.

For ARAM: Mayhem, Patch 26.18 introduces new augment mechanics and exclusions. The Clown College augment is re-enabled, and Spin to Win receives a significant damage increase for R abilities. A new exclusion pool prevents certain augments from being randomly granted, including Transmute Augments and Pandora's Box. Sharp late-game scaling options have been removed, and a new filter excludes champions without AP ratios from specific augments. Several health pools are adjusted, with Bard moving to a very low health pool category.

Extensive bug fixes accompany these changes. In League Classic, Teemo's traps now last the full 10 minutes, and Akali's cast indicators are corrected for accuracy. Skarner's healing and Nidalee's hit ranges are fixed to match their intended values. On Summoner's Rift, Baron Nashor's maximum void corruption stacks are corrected, and Serpent's Fang no longer incorrectly applies omnivamp damage. Various visual issues with Diana's VFX and Viego's sound loops have also been resolved.

Finally, the Systems section notes that Classic Skin Chromas are now unified with their base skins rather than sold separately. Players who previously purchased only a Classic Chroma will receive the associated base skin for free. Baron Rammus is set to enter the vault in Patch 26.20 but can be acquired at a discounted price until then. These changes collectively aim to provide a richer, more balanced, and historically significant experience for all players of League of Legends.