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An image of Mythic Battle Admiral Miss Fortune from League of Legends.
Image via Riot Games

LoL Patch 14.15 is nerfing defensive boots because they were ‘too good’ for too long

The boots have been a core item in every match and build.

League of Legends Patch 14.15 is looking to be one of this season’s biggest, and the more we hear about it, the bigger it seems to get. Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, League’s lead gameplay designer, has announced big changes coming to the game’s core item—boots.

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Particularly, the developers are seeking to nerf defensive boots options since they have been too impactful in games, especially on the mid and top lanes where two champions went head to head. “For a long time, defensive boots have been too good in high levels of play,” Phroxzon wrote on X (formerly Twitter) today, July 23. He explained how these items were “very strong for their cost, ” resulting in matchups where neither champion could die due to their effectiveness in lane.

Boots have been a core part of League of Legends since day one. Image via Riot Games

“We want to reduce the potency of all boots” Phroxzon added, and said how Riot wishes to “make magic resistance components weaker” since Mercury Treads have been “disproportionately strong” compared to other boots options. This will also result in some magic resistance items receiving a buff where necessary to compensate for the change. League of Legends hasn’t had a restructuring of its boots like this for a long while, partly because these items were the only ones purchased in every match, elo, and matchup.

Boots boosted defensive stats substantially in one-on-one situations, especially when defending against a magic damage or high crowd control champion. In such cases, Mercury Treads were an absolute must-have item and took priority over actual defensive items tailor-made for wrecking mages like the Hexdrinker.

Patch 14.15 aims to be one of the most substantial soft reworks of League‘s systems, from the base game to the Arena, with nearly no stone left unturned. It is geared to launch in a little over a week on July 31.


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Author
Image of Andrej Barovic
Andrej Barovic
Strategic Content Writer, English Major. Been in writing for 3 years. Focused mostly on the world of gaming as a whole, with particular interest in RPGs, MOBAs, FPS, and Grand Strategies. Favorite titles include Counter-Strike, The Witcher 3, Bloodborne, Sekrio, and Kenshi. Cormac McCarthy apologetic.