Hey, is this thing on? *taps mic* Anyone still alive after the chonk of last patch?
So here we are, the preseason aftermath! We bring to you a series of changes that are overwhelmingly heavy on items as we feel out the changes in the new ecosystem. Long story short: AP Mythics are strong across the board, while other items needed a bit more power to fulfill their role. So come along for the ride as we drive down the overperforming and rev up the underwhelming. You know the drill.
More out of the ordinary are two new Behavioral Systems updates to mitigate the blow of disconnected players or AFKs, and a little glitzy glammy for two Void buddies!
And one more thing, we also want to encourage you to revisit the 10.23 patch notes after reading through this one, as we had a LOT of updates and bugfixes since the patch first went live. So if you feel like that really crazy bug that a developer said would be fixed is missing here, it's probably documented over there.
Take this portal if you're looking for TFT's patch notes!
W damage over time decreased.
The new items and systems have pushed Amumu from strong to overwhelming. We’re pulling back some of his damage over time, which has particularly benefited from the item update.
Passive bonus movement speed to bonus damage conversion decreased. E bonus movement speed decreased later and bugfixed.
The new items give Hecarim a bit too much extra pep in his… gallop? So we’re pulling the reins on his Devastating Charge as well as the AD he gains from running fast.
Passive bonus attack speed reduced.
We’re partially walking back the change to Kayle’s passive from patch 10.23 to lower her whacking stacking.
Passive melee blade bonus damage ratio decreased; dash range against immobilized enemies decreased.
With more items that grant both lifesteal and crit at her disposal, Samira poses a menacing threat in lane, even when being actively zoned out. We’re nerfing her all-in potential so that she has to think twice before charging in, gun (and blade) blazing.
Q bonus AD increased; bonus AD per 1% missing health increased.
Tryndamere is critting less often and for less damage, so we’re amping up his damage.
Q Blight detonation cooldown reduction removed; damage from Blight effects detonated with Q are now increased by the amount of time Varus charges it for, up to 50%; Q now shows crit text when fully charged. W bonus damage reduced; detonating a Blight stack on enemy champions and Epic Monsters now reduces all basic cooldowns by 12% of the max cooldown per stack. R now snaps Varus to face the target direction on start of cast; missile speed reduced.
As a consistent high-priority pick in Pro play, Varus’ tuning has often left players feeling unsatisfied. To bring him back with vengeance, we’re shifting power away from elements that are typically strong in Pro play—such as reliable CC and lane bullying—and back into Varus’ unique playstyle of charged arrows and spellweaving.
Passive crit doubling now takes place after Rageblade's on-hit calculations.
Yasuo's doubled crit chance was so powerful with Rageblade, the only correct choice was to build it first in every situation. This change addresses that excessive synergy. For full transparency: Given the interactions (like this one) we've run into so far, we're currently targeting next patch for a change that'll cause Rageblade to remove crit chance from users rather than just prevent crits. If you were wondering whether you'd have to learn the Rageblade playstyle to keep playing Yasuo in preseason, the answer is no.
Passive crit doubling now takes place after Rageblade's on-hit calculations.
Same context applies here as Yasuo above!
We’re opening jungle sustain back up for AoE casters who have been struggling with the recent changes. This comes with a small knock to the number overall, since most junglers are equipped with some form of AoE that will benefit.
The AoE allowance only applies specifically to Emberknife and Hailblade.
Tear users have taken a hit from both the new item system and the new Tear stacking. We’re increasing the rate Tear stacks to lessen its weakness. Items building from Tear have had their mana values adjusted as a result.
Midlaners hold a significant amount of power across all levels of play. We think pulling a small amount of power out of this lane during early and mid-game will keep things in check, while also nerfing heavy roamers. Of note, these changes went out in patch 10.23, but were missed in the documentation—so if you’ve been counting, you’re not crazy.
As we wrap up the year, we've also wrapped up the Early Surrender and LP Consolation projects we mentioned in September, which are now ready for feedback! We've implemented the following:
For more details, read this article!
We’re continuing to iterate on the Item Shop based on the feedback you’ve given us. As a part of that work, we're also updating over 60 icons to improve silhouette read, differentiate colors, reduce noise, and improve rendering quality. We hear and agree with the feedback that many of these icons are too difficult to identify quickly and are working towards cleaner, clearer icons. Thanks again for all your feedback!
We’ve got another VFX update for you in this patch! It’s time for everyone’s favourite Void bug to skitter into the spotlight: Kha’Zix! And continuing down our Void friends, we’ve got some ear candy (SFX changes) for the Void’s eye…
Once again, our goals for these sorts of smaller updates is to improve the overall gameplay clarity of VFX and SFX whilst bringing them up to modern League of Legends standards. This means that our efforts are primarily aimed at abilities which do not clearly communicate their hitbox.
The following skins will be released in this patch.
The following chromas will be released this patch: