Riot to nerf Immortal Shieldbow, other lifesteal items, runes in League Patch 12.6 preview

Riot Games revealed a few of the changes coming to League of Legends in Patch 12.6 earlier today. And when it comes to items and runes, some of the game’s most powerful options in the lifesteal department are set to be hit with some heavy nerfs.

In the near future, Riot is looking to make it harder for players to keep themselves healed up through lifesteal—and that effort is beginning with a flurry of nerfs in Patch 12.6.

The most prominent lifesteal item to be nerfed in Patch 12.6 will be Immortal Shieldbow, which is seeing its lifesteal bonus reduced from 10 percent to eight percent in the coming patch. To compensate, the item will give more max HP via its Mythic passive and will also have its shield bonus increased by 50 health in the later stages of the game. The Ornn-enhanced version of Shieldbow, Bloodward, is also having its lifesteal bonus reduced from 12 percent to 10 percent. 

Alongside Immortal Shieldbow, other lifesteal-focused items such as Blade of the Ruined King and Vampiric Scepter will see their lifesteal bonuses reduced from 10 percent to eight percent in Patch 12.6. 

Furthermore, the healing-centric runes Fleet Footwork and Legend: Bloodline are being nerfed to reduce the amount of sustain that they give to champions both during the laning phase and the later portions of the game. All of these changes will come in tandem with adjustments to other champions in League, including Tryndamere, Hecarim, and Rengar. 

League Patch 12.6 is scheduled to release on the live servers on March 30, according to the game’s official patch schedule.