League of Legends Patch 12.22: Full notes and updates

After months of achingly looking at the PBE and waiting for the return of Rod of Ages, the 2023 League of Legends preseason is finally here.

Similar to other preseasons, Riot Games is revamping outdated items no one is buying, bringing back dragons we all hated, and helping new junglers and their pets find their way in the jungle. Other than that, the preseason patch is tweaking gold and experience for solo laners. And lastly, Riot is finally addressing persistent issues like AFKing and target inting.

With all these changes, Riot aims to generally improve the quality of games and leave room for counterplay. Besides, the jungle, which is highly unfriendly toward aspiring junglers, has been unforgiving when trying to learn the basics. So with all these new changes, you can stop yelling at your screen, pick up jungling today, and conquer Summoner’s Rift just the way you imagined it.

Without further ado, let’s jump into the patch notes and see what awaits us on Nov. 16 in League of Legends when Patch 12.22 finally drops.

Preseason changes

The return of Chemtech Drake and Rift

Chemtech Drake

• Chemtech Drake: When the Chemtech Drake is below half health it gains 33 percent damage resistance and deals 50 percent more damage. This drake will deal 100 percent total AD +  four percent of its target’s health as physical damage with each attack.
• Chemtech Buff: When your team kills a Chemtech Drake they will gain a stacking buff that grants five percent Tenacity and five percent Healing and Shielding power.
• Chemtech Soul: Upon receiving the Chemtech Soul, players will receive a buff that gives them 10 percent damage resistance and 10 percent more damage while below 50 percent health.

Chemtech Rift

• Stim Fruits: Honeyfruits will upgrade into Stim Fruits and provide the usual heal plus a bonus shield in addition to no longer slowing champions that consume it
• Blast Cones: Blast Cones will now blast units within their range twice as far when they explode
• Firelight Bloom: Scryer’s Bloom will upgrade into Firelight’s Bloom which will reveal a small area around the plant when broken in addition to the usual cone in the opposite direction it was broken from. Allies tagged will also gain movement speed towards that direction for a short duration, and enemy wards revealed will be taken to one health.

Jungle changes

Jungle camp changes

Blue Sentinel

• Health: 1850 > 2300
• Attack Damage: 78 > 66
• New-On-Hit Damage: Blue Sentinel now deals five percent of its target’s current health 

Gromp

• Health: 1650 > 2200
• Attack Damage: 74 > 70
• Attack Range: 200 > 175
• New-On-Hit Damage: Gromp now deals five percent of its target’s current health on hit
• Removed-Parting Gift: Gromp will no longer heal the champion that killed it upon dying

Krugs

• Ancient Krug Health: 1050 > 1350
• Ancient Krug Attack Damage: 74 > 57
• New-On-Hit Damage: Ancient Krug now deals three percent of its target’s current health on hit
• Krug Health: 500 > 650
• Ancient Krug and Krugs Death Animation/Smaller Krug Spawn Time: 1.3 seconds > one second
• Removed-Keeping It Together: Ancient Krug no longer spawns two Krugs when killed and instead spawns four mini Krugs
• New-1=2: Ancient Krug is now counted as two CS (Note: The Krugs camp as a whole will still be counted as four CS)

Murk Wolves

• Greater Murk Wolf Health: 1200 > 1600
• Greater Murk Wolf Attack Damage: 35 > 30
• New– On-Hit Damage: Greater Murk Wolf now deals three percent of its target’s current health on hit
• Murk Wolves Health: 480 > 630

Raptors

• Crimson Raptor Health: 800 > 1100
• Crimson Raptor Attack Damage: 20 > 17
• New-On-Hit Damage: Crimson Raptor now deals three percent of its target’s current health on hit
• Raptor Health: 425 > 500
• Raptor Attack Damage: 10 > seven

Red Brambleback

• Attack Damage: 78 > 66
• Health: 1850 > 2300
• New- On-Hit Damage: Red Brambleback now deals five percent of its target’s current health on hit

Rift Herald

• Experience Given to Champs within 600 units: 200 > 300
• First Spawned Rift Herald Charge: 2000 > 1500

Rift Scuttler

• Spawn Time: 3:15 > 3:30
• Health at level one: 1050 > 1550
• Removed See Ya Shield: Rift Scuttler no longer has a shield

Camp mechanic changes

• New- Marked for Death: When a large monster dies, all small monsters in their camp will be marked for death. After 10 consecutive seconds of not being in combat with a champion, monsters that have been marked for death will die.
• New- Own-Side Clearing Strength: Junglers now deal 20 percent more damage from non-true damage sources to monsters on their own side of the jungle. This increased damage will not apply when invading and dealing damage to the enemy’s camps.
• New- Parting Gifts: All large monsters will now heal 27 HP+ three for each level (increased by up to 2.25x based on missing health) health and restore 15 mana + two for each level (increased by up to 2.25x based on missing mana) mana upon takedown if you have a jungle companion. This heal/mana restoration will take the form of a projectile that will be fired toward the champion that last hit the monster after a 0.3-second delay.

Camp gold and experience changes

• Lane Minion Experience: Junglers will only gain 75 percent experience from lane minions before their first pet evolution unless the jungler is behind the average game level
• Large Monster Gold: All large monster gold given to non-junglers has been reduced by 15 gold
• Large Monster Experience for Non-Junglers: All large monster experience given to non-junglers has been reduced by 15 experience except for the Ancient Krug which has been reduced by 12 experience
• Large Monster Experience for Junglers: All large monsters now give an additional 15 experience if you have a jungle companion

Jungle companions

• Jungle items are replaced with Jungle companions: Mosstomper, Scorchclaw, or Gustwalker in egg form at the beginning of the game
• They’ll grow and evolve as you progress in the game by getting stacks from monster and champion takedowns

Companion attacks

• Companions will deal 20 (+four percent base HP) (+15 percent AP) (+10 percent AD) and will attack at a rate of one attack per second. After their owner has stopped attacking, they will attack two more times and then stop.
• Companions will heal their owner for 70 percent of the above number every time they attack.
• Damaging a camp from a distance will cause companions to leap attack toward the camp, dealing the same amount of damage.

Companion mana regeneration

• Companions will provide their owners with an increase to mana regeneration equal to eight percent missing mana + eight percent missing mana (for each next level it’s increased for 1.3*0.1) while in the jungle.

Companion progression

• Jungle companions will evolve twice throughout the game by acquiring treats via the following methods:
• One treat per large monster/champion takedown
• One bonus treat is stored every 60 seconds before reaching the companion’s final evolution form
• One bonus treat is stored every 90 seconds after reaching the companion’s final evolution form
• When a large monster is killed with bonus treats available, players will receive two treats and 50 bonus gold. One bonus treat stack will also be removed.

Companion evolutions

 As jungle companions evolve, they will receive the following bonuses at each evolution:

First evolution

• Smite damage will be increased to 900 true damage against monsters
• Smite is now castable on enemy champions, dealing 80-160 (based on level) true damage and slowing the target by 20 percent for two seconds
• The jungle item will remain in your inventory
• Companion will visually evolve
• Smite’s icon will upgrade

Final evolution

• Smite damage will be increased to 1200 against monsters and will do 50 percent of its damage as AoE damage against nearby monsters
• Players will become empowered and receive buffs depending on their chosen companion
• The jungle item will be removed from your inventory
• Companion will visually evolve
• Smite’s icon will upgrade

Mosstomper

• Mosstomper’s Courage: Gain a 75-330 (based on level) health shield after killing a monster camp or after 10 seconds out of combat. This shield will remain indefinitely. Players will gain 20 percent Tenacity and slow resist while the shield is present and for three seconds after it has been broken.
• Protection Buff: Take 30 percent reduced damage from monsters while at least two allies are within 1300 units.

Scorchclaw

• Scorchclaw’s Slash: Scorchclaw will accumulate Ember stacks at a rate of three stacks per 0.5 seconds or 100 stacks upon killing a large monster. At 100 Ember stacks, your next instance of damage against an enemy champion will slow all enemies in a 250 unit radius by 30 percent (decaying over two seconds) and deal burn damage equal to five percent of the target’s maximum health in true damage over four seconds to the primary target.
• Protection Buff: Take 30 percent reduced damage from monsters while at least two allies are within 1300 units

Gustwalker

• Gustwalker’s Gait: Gain 45 percent bonus move speed when entering a brush that decays over two seconds after leaving the brush. This is increased to 60 percent for two seconds after killing a large monster.
• Protection Buff: Take 30 percent reduced damage from monsters while at least two allies are within 1300 units

Leashing range updates and indicators

• New- Soft Resets: After losing all patience, instead of fully resetting, the monster will ‘soft reset’ for six seconds. While soft resetting, the monster will path toward its camp center, regenerate six percent of its max health per second, and will ignore attackers outside of its leash range. Attacking a monster while the attacker is within its leash range will end the soft reset and restore some patience. After these six seconds have passed without the monster being attacked, the monster will ‘hard reset’ and ignore all attackers, rapidly heal, and return to its original position.
• New- Soft vs Hard Reset Speed: Monsters will move more slowly while soft resetting, and faster once they hard reset
• New- Patience is Key: Monsters will not lose patience for 1.5 seconds after being attacked by a champion within the leash radius
• New- Patience Regeneration: Camps will now being to regenerate lost patience after two seconds of being back within their leash range
• Small Monster Patience: Small Monsters will match the patience of their respective large monster as long as it is alive and within 700 range
• Blue Sentinel: 1000 > 650
• Gromp: 700 > 450
• Krugs: 900 > 650
• Murk Wolves: 800 > 650
• Raptors: 800 > 650
• Red Brambleback: 1000 > 650
• Rift Herald: 1200 > 1100

Recommended pathing

• We’re adding first clear pathing recommendations. These recommendations will be shown on your minimap and above camps visually, indicating the recommended order of your first clear. These first clear paths were determined by gathering data from high-skilled junglers on their high-mastery champs across the globe. Pathing recommendations are based on win percentage and will be updated each patch.

New communication tools

Expanded tactical wheel

• Returning Pings: Retreat (formerly Danger), On My Way, Assist Me, Enemy Missing
• New Pings: Push, All-In, Hold, Bait

Vision wheel

• New- ping wheel focused on vision– Vision Cleared, Enemy Vision, Need Vision
• Extra Feature: The Need Vision ping will leave a small persistent indicator for a minute, or until a ward is placed nearby. You may only have one of these indicators active at any given time. Pinging again will replace your previous one.

Other pings

• Returning Pings: Caution

Objective planning

• “We’re introducing a new voting function that will appear when objectives are pinged that works similarly to a surrender vote. Now all players can vote and indicate whether or not they’d like to take or contest that objective. The jungler’s vote will be counted as two votes and a total of four votes for or against will be considered aligned.”

Vision system updates

Allied ward tracking

• “We’re introducing new ward visuals on the minimap that will indicate when wards are close to expiring. Allied ward minimap icons will now change appearance when they reach a third of their remaining duration.”

Enemy ward timers

• “Now, if you use a vision ping near an enemy ward that you’ve seen within the last 10 seconds—or just attack it—a perfectly accurate ward timer that is always visible to all teammates will appear until the ward is removed or expires.”

Ability recommendations

Suggested ability level ups

• “We are adding in-game ability level-up recommendations. These visual indicators will appear once you level up and highlight which ability is typically leveled by players at each level.”

Top lane-oriented updates

Lane gold and experience changes

• Mid Lane Gold Changes: All minions spawned in the mid lane will now be worth one less gold before 14 minutes when last hit (previously, only cannon minions were worth less gold, but were worth 10 less gold)
• Minion Experience: Minions now grant 2.15 percent more experience to solo champions. Minion experience when shared between multiple champions is unchanged.

New and updated items

Jak’Sho, the Protean

• Gold Cost: 3000
• Health: 400
• Armor: 30
• Magic Resist: 30
• Ability Haste: 20
• Build Path: Aegis of the Legion + Kindlegem + Ruby Crystal
• Passive– Voidborn Resilience: For each second in champion combat, gain a stack granting two armor and MR, up to eight max. At max stacks become empowered, instantly draining enemies around you for three percent of your max health (reduced to 30 percent against minions and monsters) and increasing your resists by 10 percent until end of combat.
• Mythic Passive: Grants all other Legendary items five armor and five magic resistance

The Unspoken Parasite

• This is the Ornn upgraded version of Jak’Sho, the Protean.
• Health: 550
• Armor: 40
• Magic Resist: 40
• Ability Haste: 25
• Passive – Voidborn Resilience: Passive is identical to base version

Radiant Virtue

• Gold Cost: 3000
• Health: 400
• Armor: 30
• Magic Resist: 30
• Ability Haste: 20
• Build Path: Aegis of the Legion + Kindlegem + Ruby Crystal
• Passive – Guiding Light: Upon casting your ultimate you Transcend, increasing your max health by 10 percent for nine seconds. While Transcended, you and allies within 1200 range of you gain 15 non-ultimate ability haste and heal for one percent of your max health every three seconds, increased by up to 100 percent based on that champion’s missing health. 60 second cooldown.
• Mythic Passive: Grants all other Legendary items 100 health

Primordial Dawn

• This is the Ornn upgraded version of Radiant Virtue.
• Health: 550
• Armor: 40
• Magic Resist: 40
• Ability Haste: 25
• Passive – Guiding Light: Passive is identical to base version

Heartsteel

• Gold Cost: 3200
• Health: 800
• Health Regen: 200 percent
• Ability Haste: 20
• Build Path: Kindlegem + Crystalline Bracer + Giant’s Belt
• Passive – Colossal Consumption: Charge up a powerful attack against a champion over three seconds while within 700 range of them. The charged attack deals 125 + six percent of your max health as bonus physical damage, and grants you 10 percent of that amount as permanent max health. 30 second cooldown per target.
• Mythic Passive: Grants all other Legendary items one percent bonus health and six percent champion size

Leviathan

• This is the Ornn upgraded version of Heartsteel.
• Health: 1050
• Health Regen: 300 percent
• Ability Haste: 25
• Passive – Colossal Consumption: Passive is identical to base version

Iceborn Gauntlet (formerly Frostfire Gauntlet)

• Gold Cost: 2800 > 3000
• Health: 450 > 400
• Armor: 25 > 50
• Magic Resist: 25 > 0
• Ability Haste: 20 (unchanged)
• Build Path: Bami’s Cinder + Null-Magic Mantle + Cloth Armor > Sheen + Kindlegem + Chain Vest
• Passive – Spellblade: After using an ability, your next attack is enhanced with an additional 100 percent base AD physical damage and creates a frost field for 2.5 seconds. Enemies that move across the field are slowed by 15 percent +.004 percent bonus health (halved for ranged users). Your primary target is crippled, applying a 100 percent stronger slow on them and reducing their damage by 10 percent against you for 2.5 seconds. 1.5 second cooldown.
• Mythic Passive: Grants all other Legendary items 50 health, 5 percent Tenacity, and five percent slow resist

Frozen Fist

• This is the Ornn upgraded version of Iceborn Gauntlet
• Health: 550
• Armor: 70
• Ability Haste: 25
• Passive – Spellblade: Passive is identical to base version

Rod of Ages

• Gold Cost: 3200
• Ability Power: 60
• Health: 300
• Mana: 400
• Build Path: Catalyst of Aeons + Blasting Wand + Amplifying Tome
• Passive: This item gains 20 health, 20 mana, and four ability power every minute, up to 10 times, for a maximum of 200 health, 200 mana, and 40 ability power. Upon reaching max stacks, gain a level and all effects of Eternity are increased by 50 percent. (Note: this will not increase the level cap of 18)
• Unique Passive- Eternity: Restore mana equal to 8 percent of premitigation damage taken from champions, and health equal to 20 percent of mana spent, up to 15 health per cast. Toggled abilities can only heal for up to 15 per second. For every 250 health or mana restored this way, gain 25 percent decaying move speed for two seconds.
• Mythic Passive: Grants all other Legendary items five Ability Haste

Infinite Convergence

• This is the Ornn upgraded version of Rod of Ages.
• Ability Power: 80
• Health: 450
• Mana: 550
• Passive/Unique Passive – Eternity: Passives are identical to base version

Catalyst of Aeons

• Gold Cost: 1100
• Health: 225
• Mana: 300
• Build Path: Ruby Crystal + Sapphire Crystal
• Unique Passive – Eternity: Restore mana equal to eight percent of premitigation damage taken from champions, and health equal to 20 percent of mana spent, up to 15 health per cast. Toggled abilities can only heal for up to 15 per second.

Abyssal Mask

• Gold Cost: 2700 > 3000
• Health: 450 > 500
• Mana: 0 > 300
• Magic Resist: 35 > 40
• Ability Haste: 10 (unchanged)
• Build Path: Kindlegem + Spectre’s Cowl > Catalyst of Aeons + Spectre’s Cowl
• New-  Passive – Eternity: Restore mana equal to eight percent of premitigation damage taken from champions, and health equal to 20 percent of mana spent, up to 15 health per cast. Toggled abilities can only heal for up to 15 per second.
• Passive – Unmake: Curse nearby enemy champions, reducing their magic resist by five + 1.2 percent bonus health (max 25). For each Cursed enemy, gain nine magic resist.

Randuin’s Omen

• Gold Cost: 2700 > 3000
• Health: 250 > 400
• Armor: 90 > 60
• Ability Haste: 10 > 0
• Build Path: Warden’s Mail + Cloth Armor + Ruby Crystal > Warden’s Mail + Giant’s Belt
• New- Active – Humility: Briefly slow nearby enemies by 55 percent for two seconds (60 second cooldown)
• New-  Passive– Critical Resistance: Critical strikes deal 20 percent less damage to you
• Passive – Rock Solid: Reduce incoming damage from attacks by up to five  +0.35 percent, capped at 40 percent of attack’s damage

Sunfire Aegis

• Item Tier: Mythic > Legendary
• Gold Cost: 3200 > 2800
• Health: 450 > 400
• Armor: 35 > 50
• Magic Resistance: 35 > 0
• Ability Haste: 20 > 0
• Build Path: Bami’s Cinder + Aegis of the Legion > Bami’s Cinder + Chain Vest
• Removed-Unique Passive – Flametouch: Flametouch has been removed
• Passive – Immolate: Immolate damage is no longer increased by 150 percent against monsters

Turbo Chemtank

• Item Tier: Mythic > Legendary
• Gold Cost: 3200 > 2800
• Health: 450 > 500
• Magic Resist: 25 > 50
• Armor: 25 > 0
• Ability Haste: 20 > 10
• Build Path: Bami’s Cinder + Cloth Armor + Null Magic Mantle > Kindlegem + Negatron Cloak + Ruby Crystal
• Removed Passive – Refuel

Aegis of the Legion

• Gold Cost: 1400 > 1200

Ravenous Hydra

• Attack Damage: 70 > 65
• Unique Passive – Cleave: 60-12 percent total AD (based on distance) > 60 percent of total AD for melee champions and 30 percent of total AD for ranged champions to all enemies around them
• New- Unique Passive -Carnivorous: Gain 0.6 AD and 0.1 percent Omnivamp on minion kills, increased to twice that amount for champions, large/epic monsters, and siege minions. Stacks up to 24 AD and four percent Omnivamp. Lose half of these stacks on death.

Tiamat

• Updating Cleave’s damage to be more in line with the new Ravenous Hydra.
• Unique Passive – Cleave: 60-12 percent total AD (based on distance) > 50 percent of total AD for melee champions and 25 percent of total AD for ranged champions to all enemies around them

Spear of Shojin

• Gold Cost: 3400
• Attack Damage: 65
• Health: 300
• Ability Haste: 20
• Unique Passive – Dragonforce: Non-ultimate spells gain an extra (+eight percent base AD) Ability Haste for melee champions (+six percent base AD) Ability Haste for ranged champions, reduced to (+ four percent base AD) Ability Haste for melee champions (+ three percent base AD) Ability Haste for ranged] for spells with immobilizing effects
• Unique Passive – Exigency: Gain up to (15 percent melee, 10 percent ranged) move speed, based on your  percent missing health (maxed out while below 33 percent health)
• Build Path: B.F. Sword + Kindlegem + Caulfield’s Warhammer

Champions

Cho’Gath

R – Feast

• Damage to Non-Champions: 1000 (+50 percent AP) (+10 percent Bonus HP) > 1200 (+50 percent AP) (+10 percent Bonus HP)

Lillia

Base stats

• Attacks: Ranged > Melee
• Base Health: 625 > 605
• Health Growth: 104 > 105

Passive – Dream-Laden Bough

• Healing vs Champions: 10.5-124.5 (based on level)(+18 percent AP) (Note: linear scaling) > six-120 (based on level) (+18 percent AP) (Note: now uses stat growth multiplier)

Nunu & Willump

Q – Consume

• True Damage to Non-Champions: 340/500/660/820/980 > 400/600/800/100/1200

Rakan

Base stats

• Attacks: Ranged > Melee

Summoner spells

Smite

• Smite Damage: 450 (Base)/900 (Challenging/Chilling Smite) > 600/900/1200 (0/20/40 companion stacks)
• Updated- New Smites New Names: Smite/Challenging Smite/Chilling Smite > Smite/Unleashed Smite/Primal Smite

Turret adjustments

Turret plating

• Gold Given per Plate: 160 > 175
• Armor and MR per Turret Plate: 35 > 40

ARAM balance adjustments

Champion buffs

• Akali: +20 percent Tenacity, +20 percent Energy Regeneration
• Ekko: +20 percent Tenacity
• Elise: +20 percent Tenacity
• Evelynn: +20 percent Tenacity
• Fizz: +20 percent Tenacity
• Kassadin: +20 percent Tenacity
• Katarina: +20 percent Tenacity
• Kayn: +20 percent Tenacity
• Kennen: +20 percent Energy Regeneration
• Kha’Zix: +20 percent Tenacity
• Le’Blanc: +20 percent Tenacity
• Lee Sin: +20 percent Energy Regeneration
• Pyke: +20 percent Tenacity
• Qiyana: +20 percent Tenacity
• Rek’Sai: +20 percent Tenacity
• Rengar: +20 percent Tenacity
• Talon: +20 percent Tenacity
• Zed: +20 percent Tenacity, +20 percent Energy Regeneration

Champion nerfs

• Ashe: -20 Ability Haste

Champion base stat cleanup

• Base AD, Base HP, Base Mana, Base MR, Mana Growth: Rounded to the nearest one
• AD Growth, Base Mana Regeneration, Mana Regeneration Growth: Rounded to the nearest 0.05
• Attack Speed Growth: Rounded to the nearest 0.005

Competitive

AFK surrender time updates

• No More Dead Zone: Teams have the option to call a unanimous early surrender vote if an AFK player is detected on their team between 10:00 and 15:00 > 3:30 and 15:00

Champ select anonymity

• Allies are Friends: In Ranked Solo/Duo champion select, all summoner names that aren’t yours or your duo partner’s will be replaced by Ally one through five.

Game remake updates

• Fountain Check: Before three minutes, if a player is in the fountain for 90 continuous seconds, their team is able to initiate a remake. At 45 seconds, a player will receive a chat message telling them they need to leave the fountain. At 70 seconds, they will receive a pop-up message telling them they need to leave the fountain.

Season 2022 rewards

End-of-season ranked rewards will be distributed to all players by Dec. 14.