Riot Games is ringing in the new year with a series of balance changes coming to League of Legends’ roster of champions. The game’s first major balance update of the year, Patch 13.1, will also serve as the first patch of the new season. Riot revealed the full details of the balancing in a patch preview earlier today.
Among those balance changes coming with the first patch of the season are nerfs to seven champions across Summoner’s Rift, with a strong focus on top laners.
Four of the seven champions being nerfed in Patch 13.1 are primarily top laners with Aatrox, Dr. Mundo, Fiora, and K’Sante all set to be hit with the nerf bat. A fifth top laner, Mordekaiser, was also set to be nerfed in the patch, but his scheduled changes were pulled, Riot announced.
Read: League Patch 13.1 patch notes: all buffs, nerfs, and changes
K’Sante will be receiving the heaviest nerfs among champions in Patch 13.1. The damage he puts out via his passive, Dauntless Instinct, as well as the max-health damage he deals with Path Maker (W) are both being reduced significantly. The champion’s base movement speed is also being reduced in the patch.
Aatrox’s damage from Deathbringer Stance (P), as well as the healing he receives from World Ender (R), are both being decreased, while Fiora’s damage throughput via her passive, Duelist’s Dance, is also taking a hit. Dr. Mundo, the final top lane champion to see nerfs in the upcoming patch, will have his power decreased when Riot takes a chunk out of his base HP, reducing it from 653 to 613.
Beyond the top lane, Rammus’ base stats, including his health, AD, and base armor, are all being chipped. The damage of Yuumi’s Prowling Projectile (Q) is also taking a serious dive since its late-game output is being nerfed. Zeri, like Yuumi, is also having her Q nerfed, specifically by having its late-game damage reduced.
These champion nerfs, as well as buffs to six champions and changes to six more items, will go live when Patch 13.1 is released on Jan. 10, according to the game’s official patch schedule.
