Aurora release

Aurora is the latest champion to join the League of Legends roster in patch 14.14. She is a mid-range mage designed for the mid lane, known for her ability to move swiftly and dodge attacks on the battlefield.

Balance changes

Patch 14.14 will include a series of balance changes affecting several existing champions. This time, a particular focus is on AP champions such as Nidalee, Aurelion Sol, Lillia, and Rumble. Additionally, other champions like Hecarim and Milio are also scheduled to receive some tweaks.

League of Legends Patch 14.14 early notes

Champions

Aurelion Sol

Base Stats

• Base AD increased: 55 >>> 58
• Attack range increased: 550 >>> 575

Q: Breath of Light

• Now consumers mana immediately instead of after 1 second

W: Astral Flight

• Cast range increased: 1200 flat >>> 1500-1900
• Stardust ratio reduced: 750% >>> 650%

E: Singularity

• Mana cost reduced: 80-100 >>> 80 flat
• Pets are no longer reduced to zero speed

R: Falling Star/ The Skies Descend

• Base damage increased: 150-350 >>> 200-450
• R AP ratio increased: 65% >>> 75%
• R2 shockwarve damage reduced: 100% of R1 >>> 85% of R1

Aurora

• You can read more about her kit here

Hecarim

Base Stats

• Health growth increased: 99 >>> 106

W: Spirit of Dread

• Healing increased: 20% >>> 25%
• Duration reduced: 5 seconds >>> 4 seconds
• Cooldown reduced: 16-14 seconds >>> 14 flat

E: Devastating Charge

• Cooldown changed: 18 seconds flat >>> 20-16 seconds

Lillia

Passive: Dream Laden Bough

• Healing on subsequent targets reduced: 33% >>> 15%

E: Swirlseed

• Base damage reduced: 70-170 >>> 60-160
• AP ratio reduced: 60% >>> 50%

Milio

Passive: Fired Up!

• AD ratio reduced: 15% flat >>> 7-15% (1/6/9)
• Base damage reduced: 15-50 >>> 10-50

Q: Ultra Mega Fire Kick

• Range increased: 1000 >>> 1200
• Cooldown reduced: 12 seconds >>> 10 seconds

W: Cozy Campfire

• Recast range increased: 700 >>> 3000

E: Warm Hugs

• Base shield reduced: 60-180 >>> 45-165
• AP ratio increased: 30% >>> 45%
• Recharge timer increased: 17-13 seconds >>> 17 seconds flat

Nidalee

W: Pounce

• Damage reduced: 60-210 >>> 55-190
• Now has a 50% bonus AD ratio

E: Swipe

• Base damage reduced: 80-260 >>> 60-225
• Bonus AD ratio increased: 40% >>> 70%
• AP ratio reduced: 45% >>> 40%

Rumble

Q: Flamespitter

• Base damage reduced: 125-185 >>> 80-180
• Minion damage increased: 55-75% >>> 71-75%

League of Legends Patch 14.14 is set to go live on July 17, 2024. This patch promises to bring significant updates, making it an exciting time for both new and veteran players to explore the game.

Tryndamere is dominating in the mid lane in high-tier rank

Recently, one of these champions has become very powerful in the mid lane among high-level players. This champion is Tryndamere. Tryndamere is not new to the mid lane because he has been picked there occasionally in the past.

However, in the last few months, he has not been seen much in either the mid or top lane because he wasn’t strong enough. But in Patch 14.10, he is dominating in the higher ranks. Right now, Tryndamere has a 55.57% win rate in Diamond+ ranks, according to the League stats site U.GG.

A win rate this high gives Tryndamere a big advantage over champions like Rumble, Akshan, or Cassiopeia, who have win rates just over 53%. With a win rate this high, Tryndamere is doing much better than these champions, at least for now. His excellent performance is not just by chance because Diamond+ players have chosen him in 3000+ in Patch 14.10 as of now.

Mid laners should know how to play against Tryndamere, luckily for them. This is not the first time the champion has been seen in the mid lane, as he has been a flexible pick there for many years. Even professional players like Faker have picked Tryndamere mid in the past to overpower their enemies early in the game.

However, Tryndamere’s strong performance in the high ranks might not last long because one of his main items, Infinity Edge, is expected to be nerfed in Patch 14.11. The exact changes to this item are still unknown. We will find out more next week when the update is released on May 30.

The League of Legends community has long been puzzled by one aspect of the game’s ranked system: how it handles new players dipping their toes into ranked matches for the first time.

Many have criticized the system for often placing new players in higher skill tiers than they actually belong after their initial placement matches. However, a recent update in Patch 14.8 aims to address this issue, promising a more accurate placement for newcomers on the ranked ladder.

According to Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, League’s lead gameplay designer, who shared the update on social media, the changes in this patch are designed to ensure that all players, regardless of their prior gaming experience, are seeded more accurately into the ladder.

Previously, players who played in modes like ARAM and Bot matches weren’t being correctly placed, but these adjustments seek to rectify that.

Internally, Riot aims to position the average player around Silver IV upon completing their first set of placement matches. However, this rank may vary based on the player’s experience in normal games. This means that new players will now find themselves matched against opponents more aligned with their skill level, rather than being thrust into matches with more seasoned players. So, if you were hoping to skyrocket to high Gold after acing your placement games, you might need to adjust your expectations.

Moreover, these changes could impact smurf accounts, making their climb through the ranks longer and more challenging. Leung-Harrison notes that due to limitations in adjusting visual ranks easily, new players will initially experience negative LP gains as they transition to more appropriate skill brackets. These LP gains may seem imbalanced at first, with losses resulting in greater LP deductions than wins, but the system aims to balance out over time.

This adjustment is just one of many steps Riot is taking to refine the climbing experience. Earlier adjustments, such as making demotions more impactful and reducing starting LP at a new rank, hint at a trend towards making climbing more challenging.

It’s likely that Riot will continue to tweak the ranked system throughout the remainder of the 2024 season, aiming to create a more balanced and rewarding experience for all players.

Throughout the years, Riot Games has consistently raised the bar with the release of legendary skins for League of Legends, with major skin launches often featuring Legendary or higher-tier options.

Within the Heavenscale skin line, Lee Sin will occupy the Legendary tier, and it will boast not only the base Legendary version but also an additional Prestige Edition. This effectively translates to two Legendary skins within this particular line.

In the base Heavenscale Lee Sin skin, his hands take on the appearance of golden claws, complementing a striking red robe with multiple jade accessories. Notably, a large black ribbon conceals his eyes, and all of his abilities are accompanied by a resplendent gold-colored effect.

The Prestige Edition of Heavenscale Lee Sin introduces distinct visual elements, featuring purple claws and an overall purple hue to his abilities. Lee Sin dons a regal purple robe with a white ribbon covering his eyes, and his accessories are enhanced with an orange hue.

Despite the uniqueness of the Prestige Edition, it has faced criticism for its perceived similarities to the original skin, especially when compared to other Prestige variants such as Jhin’s Dark Cosmic Erasure.

Acknowledging the critiques and seeking to enhance the distinctiveness of the cosmetic, Riot Games has announced plans to introduce captivating elements to his skin Notably, the Prestige Edition will receive unique effects to further distinguish it within the League of Legends cosmetic landscape.

Specifically, according to SkinSpotlights, upon Lee Sin defeating the elemental dragon, a captivating dragon-killing mark will be left in the cave, accompanied by the release of a majestic dragon into the air.

To address the criticism and justify the pricing associated with the variant Mythology, Riot Games is making concerted efforts to invest in both design and effects. These innovative additions represent Riot Games’ proactive approach to enriching the player experience and ensuring that fans find added value in their skin purchases.

Players are frustrated with Riot Games for not implementing a straightforward skin preview system, which would enable potential buyers to make informed decisions about their purchases.

The recent release of the Dark Erasure Jhin cosmetic has reignited this discussion, with the LoL community advocating for improvements in various aspects of skins and their associated features.

LoL players demand an in-game skin preview

The absence of an in-game preview feature was a topic of conversation on a Reddit thread on September 23.

The original poster expressed confusion as to why Riot hasn’t already introduced such a simple addition to the in-game shop. This issue is particularly significant for champions with complex mechanics, as alterations in VFX or SFX can significantly impact the feel of playing a champion.

Other users also weighed in on the matter. While the original poster was genuinely puzzled by Riot’s stance, some speculated on why the feature hasn’t been implemented.

“Because most skins are ugly if you look at them up close. That’s why. And in that case, less people would buy.”

“I presume the reason is that they don’t want you to think about it, they want you to impulse buy skins.”

One user suggested that cosmetics might not look as good up close, and previews could potentially reduce sales. Another theory proposed that Riot is emphasizing elements like splash art and backstory to entice impulse purchases of these cosmetics.

Whether Riot decides to implement this feature ultimately rests with them, but given the immense popularity of skins and their universe in League of Legends, there is certainly potential for such an addition to be considered in the future.

The new Arena game mode in League of Legends is an entirely new mode even for old players. However, with the addition of a new mode, additional balance issues are bound to develop. Riot has gathered data from Arena players on the League PBE to inform all of the changes that are being implemented.

League of Legends Arena Game Mode Changes

Items & Class Balance

• Ranged Champion Stat Bonuses:
  • AS: 15% >>> 20%
  • Haste: 15>>> 20
  • MS: 15>>> 20
• Mages Battle/DoT mages are overperforming. others are struggling slightly.
  • Sorc Shoes: 22 Mpen >>> 20
  • Void Staff: 45% MPen >>> 40%
  • Liandry’s: 80 AP >>> 70 AP
  • Demonic Embrace: 1.3% ranged burn >>> 1%
  • Compensation buffs aimed at for Artillery Mages and AP assassins
    • Crown of the Shattered Queen: 90 AP >>> 100
    • Lich Bane: 15 Haste >>> 20, 8% MS >>> 10% MS
    • Hextech Rocketbelt: 250 HP >>> 400 HP
    • Night Harvester: 300 HP >>> 400 HP
• Enchanters: Moonstone has strong use cases, other mythics are lacking.
  • Echoes of Helia/Shurelya’s Reverie: +100 Health and +10 Ability Haste
• Marksmen: Bork/Rageblade users are strong. crits struggling to keep up in comparison.
  • Blade of the Ruined King: 12%/9% current health damage on-hit >>> 11%/8%
  • Rageblade: 50% AS >>> 40%
  • Galeforce/Infinity Edge/Navori Quickblades: +5 AD
• Starter ltems: Guardian’s Dirk is intended to be a very strong item for it’s users, but the current passive is so strong it’s overshadowing other items and giving Ult resets too freely.
  • Guardian’s Dirk: 50% increased plant effects >>> 25%
  • Guardian’s Blade: 250 HP >>> 300
  • Guardian’s Hammer: 25 AD >>> 30, 9% Lifesteal >>> 10%
• Evenshroud: 20 Ability Haste >>> 10

Augment Tuning

• Circle of Death (will be in on Tuesday’s deploy):
  • Now procs off regen (previously this was special cased for only Mundo)
  • Heal to damage conversion: 50% >>> 40%
• Nerfs
  • Scoped Weapons: 250/150 Range >>> 200/100 Range
  • Shrink Ray: 20% Damage Reduction >>> 15%
  • Warmup Routine: 30% bonus damage over 10s >>> 24% over 12s
  • Willing Sacrifice: Current Health drained and converted to shield: 40% >>> 30%
  • Thread the Needle: 30% pen >>> 25%
  • Fallen Aegis.
    • Shield Duration: 15s >>> 12s
    • Shield Amount: 75-500 (based on level >>> 50-350)
• Buffs
  • Frost Wraith: Root every 8s >>> 7s
  • Deft: 40% AS >>> 50%
  • Typhoon: 20% damage >>> 30%
  • Back to Basics:
    • 25% bonuses >>> 35%
    • 50 Haste >>> 60 Haste
  • Thief’s Gloves
    • 20% bonus stats and item damage >>> 30%
  • Evocation: 40% healing >>> 60%
  • Dive Bomber 20% max HP damage >>>25%

Champion Tuning

• Nerfs
  • Taric
    • Q
      • Base heal 25 >>> 20
      • Heal AP Ratio 0.15 >>> 0.1
      • Heal HP Ratio 0.1 >>> 0.075
    • E
      • Has -30 ability haste
  • Annie (will be in on Tuesday’s deploy)
    • +5% damage taken
    • -5% damage dealt
  • Heimerdinger
    • Q
      • Base Damage: 7-23 >>> 6-18
      • Base Damage Beam: 40-120 >>> 30-90
    • RQ
      • Base Damage: 80-120 >>> 70-100
      • Base Damage Beam: 100-180 >>> 90-160
  • Kayn
    • 30 passive stacks per round >>> 25
    • R damage
      • Slayer Max HP Base Damage: 15% >>> 10%
      • Slayer Max HP Damage per 100 AD: 13% >>> 8%
  • Shaco
    • W fear duration: 0.5-1.55 >>> 0.5-1s
  • Syndra: 15 stacks per round >>> 10 stacks per round
  • Teemo
    • R
      • Slow: 30/40/50% >>> 20/30/40%
      • Total Damage: 200/325/450 (+55% AP) >>> 150/250/350 (+45% AP)
• Buffs
  • Nunu Q
    • Base Heal 65-185 >>> 85-285
    • Heal is no longer reduced against champions
    • Champion Base Damage: 60-220 >>> 100-340
  • Yorick Q: now spawns a grave in a random area within 600 range every 6 seconds

Several champions were either boosted or nerfed in PBE notes, with roles being targeted for revisions rather than individual champions. Prior to the launch, all ranged champions will have increased attack speed, haste, and movement speed.

Certain mage-centric items, including the Void Staff, Sorcerer Shoes, and Liandry’s Torment, are being nerfed, with magic pen being a priority.

HP bonuses for items like Hextech Rocketbelt and Night Harvester have been boosted. Both Echoes of Helia and Shurelya’s Reverie are being boosted for Enchanters in order to fight fairly with Moonstone Renewer, which, according to Riot, has been a go-to choice for the role in Arena.

In addition, 13 augments will see obvious balance adjustments in the forthcoming PBE update, with six being nerfed and seven being buffed. Augments are an important component of the LoL Arena experience, and Riot is working hard to ensure that they are balanced before the game mode’s formal release.

Players should anticipate further balancing tweaks to hit the PBE before then. LoL’s Arena mode will be available on July 20th, in conjunction with the game’s summer event, Soul Fighter.

There has been much hilarity surrounding the beloved lightning imbued sword. Statikk Shiv had been banned from pro play after a bug was introduced in Patch 13.10 that enabled it to damage friendly minions. That has led to many interesting pauses:

• KT Aiming purchasing it while banned
• DK ShowMaker purchasing it while not banned
• GEN Doran not purchasing it while not banned

Aiming bought the item and had to resell it for 900 gold because he forgot it was banned in their series vs GenG, getting his coach fined 2 million KRW and suspended for 3 weeks. DWG had to pause when the enemy team realizes ShowMaker bought the item and wasn’t sure it was allowed.

However, in Doran’s case, his Statikk Shiv was not working not because of a bug. It wasn’t proccing because he simply didn’t buy the item. Classic Doran moment!

GenG won the series anyways and further extend their impressive 7-0 streak in LCK Summer. Other Korean teams after seeing this: We lost to this guy??!

Eefje ‘Sjokz’ Depoortere along with Laure and Quickshot had been taking turns to host LEC matches. With Laure moving to LCK this Summer season there will be a huge shortage and shuffle of talents. European fans hope that Machine or Medic could step in to give Quickshot a hand. Sjokz’s statement:

Hello everyone,

As some of you may know, I’ve struggled a lot with my mental health in 2023. I have been working at breakneck speed for a very long time now, but in the aftermath of the tragedies in my family, I tried to get lost in work, and that’s proven unsustainable. I feel it’s necessary to take a break to spend time on myself and with my loved ones. I’ve experienced a burnout in the past and I am recognizing similar warning signs my body is sending me again.

It’s with a heavy heart that I’m taking the Summer split of the LEC off. As you can imagine, this was not an easy decision to make. As a freelancer, taking any time off at all is anxiety inducing and deciding to step back from the league I love, that I’ve worked with for nearly a decade is especially difficult, but it’s the right decision. Riot, in particular producer John and talent manager Nicole, have been very understanding and empowering in supporting my decision of putting my health first, as have my managers Kate and Yoni at Loaded.

I hope to come back energized for the second half of the year. There will be exciting CS events, the first ever LEC season finals with its finale in Montpellier and after that Worlds in Korea. I hope to be part of those events, as the best version of myself.

See you soon 🙂

Eefje

It’s extremely important to focus on mental even if you have to take a temporary break. In a scene as competitive as League of Legends’ talent, simple 40 hour work week was never gonna cut it, and LoL’s finest talents had been working overtime for their positions and to ensure the best content reaches us audience.

We wish Sjokz a speedy recovery and hope she could come back for the Finals and Worlds. If not that’s also fine, health is more important!

Check out latest LoL 13.11 Patch notes

Patch 13.9 is on its way, and while the list of buffs and nerfs is short, numerous changes are on the way, including the Neeko and Kayle Mini-Rework. In addition, the first set of Inkshadow Skins will be released, as well as an MSI 2023 Event. The patch preview was provided on the LoL Dev Team Twitter account. The message stated that Patch 13.10 will be the largest patch since the beginning of the season. So there’s that to look forward to.

League of Legends Patch 13.9 early notes

Champion buffs

• Aatrox
• Amumu
• Swain
• Trundle
• Volibear

Champion nerfs

• Jinx
• Sion

Champion adjustments

• Bel’Veth
• Taliyah
• Kayle
• Neeko

Kayle

Base Stats

• Attack speed ratio reduced from .667 to .658

Passive – Divine Ascent

• Wave base damage changed from 15 – 35 based on E rank to 26 – 40 (lvl 11 – 18)
• Wave AP ratio reduced from 25% to 20%

Q – Radiant Blast

• Slow reduced from 26% – 50% to 25% – 45%

R – Divine Judgment

• Base damage reduced from 200 – 500 to 200 – 400
• AP ratio reduced from 80% to 70%
• Bonus AD ratio reduced from 100% to 90%
• Invulnerable duration changed from 2 – 3 seconds to 2.5 flat
• Damage range increased from 500 flat to 675 – 775
• Cast time reduced from 1.5 to .5

Neeko

Passive – Inherent Glamour

• [New]: When Neeko is near a non-epic monster, minion, trap, ward, or plan for two seconds, she stores their Sho’ma. Neeko can click on her bar to become that unit. Clicking on Neeko’s face with return her back to normal. A little “x” will be there to clear the bar to allow another disguise to fill up the bar. Only one unit can be stored at a time.
• [New]: Disguise no longer breaks on taking damage. Only breaks when the disguised self dies or when Neeko is crowd controlled.
• [Adjusted]: Neeko no longer gets more Attack Speed or Movement Speed from disguised target if their stats are higher than hers.
• Cooldown is fixed to 6 seconds.

Q – Blooming Burst

• Secondary/Tertiary Pop Damage: 40/65/90/115/140 + 20% AP >>> 35/60/85/110/135 + 25% AP.
• [New]: Explosions now deal 30/40/50/60/70 bonus damage to monsters.

W – Shapesplitter

• After casting, Neeko can reactivate to send the clone to a new location.
• Clone now plays animations and sounds from abilites, Joke, Taunt, Recall, Laugh, and survives until that duration.
• [New]: Empowered Attack deal 50 bonus damage to monsters.

E – Tangle Barbs

• Damage: 80/115/150/185/220 + 60% AP >>> 70/105/140/175/210 + 65% AP.

R – Pop Blossom

• After channel, Neeko jumps into the air, suspending all nearby enemies.
• After 0.6 seconds, Neeko crashes down to the ground with all the suspended enemies, dealing damage and stunning them for 1.25 seconds.
• No longer shields
• Damage: 200/425/650 (+130% AP) >>> 150/350/550 (+100% AP).
• Cooldown: 90 seconds >>> 120/105/90 seconds.

System buffs

• Lich Bane

Skins

Inkshadow (see here for the full details)

According to Riot’s patch schedule, the next update for patch 13.9 will be released on Wednesday, May 3.

With its newest upcoming skin line, Riot Games is taking League of Legends players deep into the world of fairytales and dreams. The skin line will feature a number of champions, including the most recent champion to be introduced to League, Milio.

The “Faerie Court” skin line will be introduced in League Patch 13.6 along with skins for Karma, Milio, Seraphine, Ezreal, Fiora, Kalista, Katarina, and a Prestige version of Katarina.

All of these skins feature the champions engaging with different elements of the natural world, especially the swarms of insects with pinky aura that inhabit the area.

The primary distinguishing characteristics of the skin line are the butterfly wings and vibrant hues, which also include fresh, eye-catching effects for each champion’s special abilities. These brand-new Faerie Court skins feature serene visual effects along with odd sound effects and images.

Milio‘s first skin also changes the way the gentle flame look in-game, which adopts a pink and purple color scheme that also alters the appearance of Milio’s flame. Faerie Court Milio can surround his friends in the calming beams of pinkish-orange rather than a fiery yellowish-orange.

Unlike the silver in the normal form of the skin, Prestige Edition Faerie Court Katarina has purple and gold accents on her accessories and skills. In her recall, the champion transforms into a butterfly with stained-glass wings after going through a full transformation inside a crystal cocoon.

On March 22, when League is set to launch Patch 13.6, the new Faerie Court skins will be available on the live servers. With the introduction of a new skin line, these skins will probably be linked to an in-game event so players should expect that, too.