League of Legends patch 12.6 is about to be released. Riot has taken a break from making any substantial changes to the game since the previous patch 12.5 came almost a month ago. This new patch includes several nerfs to problematic champions, some enhancements to less popular picks, and major modifications to Life Steal and Omnivamp items and runes. Here are the most significant changes in League of Legends patch 12.6. If you want the full list of changes, click here.
League of Legends patch 12.6 champion nerfs
Hecarim
- Q – Rampage
Base Damage 60/97/134/171/208 (+85% bonus AD) ⇒ 60/90/120/150/180 (+85% bonus AD)
- E – Devastating Charge
Minimum Total Damage 30/50/70/90/110 (+55% bonus AD) ⇒ 30/45/60/75/90 (+55% bonus AD)
Maximum Total Damage 60/100/140/180/220 (+110% bonus AD) ⇒ 60/90/120/150/180 (+110% bonus AD)
Hecarim is still as deadly as ever, with his substantial base damages in tandem with his tanky builds making him a force to be reckoned with in both pro play and solo queue. These significant Q and E damage nerfs should make Hecarim less of a threat.
Tryndamere
- E – Spinning Slash
Cooldown Reduction per Critical Strike 1 second (2 seconds against champions) ⇒75 seconds (1.5 seconds against champions)
- R – Undying Rage
Cooldown 110/100/90 seconds ⇒ 130/110/90 seconds
In the early game, Tryndamere is a strong choice due to his ability to stick to targets and dive towers for kills. These changes are intended to target the aggravating features of his kit. Each critical strike against champions now reduces E’s cooldown by half a second. Tryndamere has a longer period of vulnerability in the early game owing to rank one ultimate increasing 20 seconds in cooldown.
League of Legends patch 12.6 champion buffs
Darius
- R – Noxian Guillotine
Minimum True Damage 100/200/300 (+75% bonus AD) ⇒ 125/250/375 (+75% bonus AD)
Darius, the top lane juggernaut, has struggled to remain relevant in a meta full of highly mobile threats. Darius’ R base damage has been increased, ensuring that when he does manage to get on his target, he can finish the kill. Darius’ R damage is now multiplied by two if he has maximum bleed stacks, giving him a maximum of 50 extra damage in his rotation at rank one.
Jax
- Base Stats
Base Health 593 ⇒ 615
- W – Empower
Magic Damage 40/75/110/145/180 (+60% AP) ⇒ 50/85/120/155/190 (+60% AP)
Jax is a champion that might have trouble against lane opponents, but who scales into his own as he gets a few items. It’s never bad to gain 22 points of health, and this extra 10 damage on Jax’s W will be felt. For both farming and trading, Jax spams his W off cooldown, so this boost will add up fast.
Nidalee
- W – Bushwhack (Human Form)
Mana Cost 40/45/50/55/60 ⇒ 30/35/40/45/50
- E – Primal Surge (Human Form)
Mana Cost 50/60/70/89/90 ⇒ 50/55/60/65/70
Cast Range 600 ⇒ 900 (now matches W – Bushwhack)
- W – Pounce (Cougar Form)
AoE Damage Radius 225 ⇒ 250
Nidalee may already be a powerful pick in skilled hands, but she has a few flaws. One of them is mana, which will benefit from these cuts to her W and E mana costs. The range boost on E and the radius increase on cougar W are nice for convenience, but they won’t make much of a difference in practice.
Rengar
- Passive – Unseen Predator
Rengar’s next leap will grant 1 Ferocity only if he has 0 Ferocity ⇒ upon losing all Ferocity stacks (no matter how much Ferocity he gains before his next leap)
Rengar will be able to leap after 0.35 seconds in brush or camouflage (or Senna’s E – Curse of the Black Mist camouflage) consistently, rather than based on a 0.3-0.45 second timer (Leap range has been slightly increased to offset variability)
Now has a Ferocity resource bar that indicates how much Ferocity he currently has (Stacks generated by leaps will have a different color so you’ll know if you’ll gain Ferocity on your next leap)
All Ferocity Stacks Fall Off After 8 seconds ⇒ 10 seconds out of combat
Bonetooth Necklace Takedown Timer Within 1.5 seconds ⇒ 3 seconds of damaging an enemy champion
- Q – Savagery
Rengar’s Q-empowered basic attack is now always a critical strike. Instead of regular critical strike damage, each 1% critical strike chance increases this empowered attack’s damage by 0.66% (0.99% with Infinity Edge’s Perfection passive)
Q – Savagery now also applies to basic attacks against towers
Q – Savagery no longer applies to basic attacks against plants
- E – Bola Strike
Rengar can now throw his E – Bola Strike instantly (with zero cast time) during leaps
Now grants true sight and normal vision 150 units around the first enemy hit for 2 seconds
- R – Thrill of the Hunt
Now grants not only true sight but also normal vision 100 units around the nearest enemy
Rengar has gone through several iterations of his stack system and abilities in recent patches. The majority of the changes listed above are buffs that should significantly boost Rengar’s power levels. Being able to cast E while leaping should allow Rengar to more consistently lock down targets. Of course, having free AOE vision after hitting E and during his R is fantastic for utility.
League of Legends patch 12.6 item changes
Immortal Shieldbow
Life Steal 10% ⇒ 8% (12% ⇒ 10% for Ornn Masterwork item, Bloodward)
Shield Amount 275-650 (levels 1-18) ⇒ 275-700 (levels 1-18) (same applies to Bloodward)
Mythic Passive Empowers each of your Legendary items with 5 bonus AD and 50 bonus health ⇒ 5 bonus AD and 70 health (same applies to Bloodward)
Overall, the Shieldbow has lost two percent of its Life Steal, but it has seen boosts to its shields and 20 more HP per Legendary item. While the lowering of Life Steal and Omnivamp across the board will affect many Shieldbow users, more shielding and HP will help compensate for it.
Vampiric Scepter
Life Steal 10% ⇒ 8%
The Life Steal of Vamp Scepter has been reduced by two percent, as has the completed Blade of the Ruined King. Nothing else about these items has changed, so an early Vamp Scepter is still a viable purchase in certain situations.
League of Legends patch 12.6 rune changes
Ravenous Hunter
Removed
- NEW – Treasure Hunter
Gain 70 gold when you claim a Bounty Hunter stack. This bounty is increased by 20 gold for each Bounty Hunter stack.
Ravenous Hunter has been removed from League of Legends. During its existence in the game, the Rune was extremely divisive, forcing several champions to take it in order to stay competitive with the sustain meta. It became a rather ineffective choice after many nerfs.
Treasure Hunter, a Rune that focuses on increasing gold production, has supplanted it. While some players may choose the rune to guarantee larger leads in winning matchups, this Rune will most likely fall short of other possibilities in the Domination Tree.
Fleet Footwork
Healing Upon Fully Energized Attack 10-100 (levels 1-18) (+40% bonus AD) (+30% AP) ⇒ 10-100 (levels 1-18) (+30% bonus AD) (+20% AP)
The sustain of Fleet Footwork has been reduced. It will mostly be felt in the mid and late game, reducing the scaling of champions who took the rune to get past their laning phase.
Legend: Bloodline
Life Steal per Legend Stack 0.6% (up to 9% at 15 stacks) ⇒4% (up to 6% at 15 stacks)
NEW – After reaching maximum Legend stacks, your maximum health increases by 100
Bloodline’s Life Steal is now reduced by three percent at maximum stacks. This rune wasn’t overly abused, so Riot provided it with 100 HP upon completion to maintain its competitiveness.
League of Legends patch 12.6 release date
According to the Riot Games’ patch schedule, the patch should be rolled out and ready to play starting Wednesday, March 30, 2022.
These are the most eye-catching changes in League of Legends Patch 12.6. While this patch was mostly devoid of champion adjustments, the modifications to Life Steal and Omnivamp systems will have a major impact on the meta.
