Dragon lovers are going to gush over League of Legends Patch 14.3, with a new dragon champion, Aurelion Sol changes, and a bundle of eye-catching Year of the Dragon skins all coming in the February update.
On top of all the fiery dragon excitement, the Riot Games developers are also teeing up a raft of changes, including nearly a dozen item buffs and nerfs, a stack of champion tweaks, and just enough meta-shaking changes to mean season 14 could be in for another refresh once this patch hits the live servers.
Here’s everything about League’s Patch 14.3 update.
When will League Patch 14.3 go live?
This February update will hit the live servers on Wednesday, Feb. 7. Once Riot has the patch locked in, staging begins in Oceania at 10am AEDT and then rolls out onto major League servers throughout the day.
Here are all the key patching times:
- 3pm CT (NA)
- 5am GMT (EU West)
- 3am CET (EU North East)
- 8am KR (Korea)
Here’s a countdown to the NA League release.
Expect several hours of server downtime once patching begins. Matchmaking will be disabled across all League queues three hours before the update is set live.
What’s in League Patch 14.3?
Smolder (and his mom)’s fiery entrance
League’s new little dragon arrived just before this update, complete with his fiery charm. This marks the 167th character Riot has released since 2009 and the first to be released in the 2024 League season.
Smolder is interesting because he is almost a dual character. While he adventures around Summoner’s Rift, many of his abilities also involve his mother, a much larger and more terrifying beast. This is best shown in his “MMOOOMMMM!” ultimate, where she scorches enemies and heals her son.
You can expect to see Smolder played mostly in the bot lane—where he is designed to slot in—but he could just as easily move north to the mid lane eventually.
Update Jan. 31 10:17am CT: Smolder was released early in Patch 14.2.
Items still top-billed in buffs and nerfs
Riot is continuing to look at a bucketload of items after the season 14 overhaul, with as many as 24 items on the docket. These changing items range from Youmuu’s Ghostblade and Seraph’s Embrace to Essence Reaver, Kaenic Rookern, and Rod of Ages.
Ranked tweaks are on their way, but not necessarily this patch
The developers are still looking into ranked system tweaks. They realized there have been some initial placement bugs where visual ranks are often seeded too high, producing negative LP gains for players. They’re taking a close look at tier boundary demotions and LP gains in higher ranks as well. But these changes are coming in “future patches,” so they’re not a guarantee for 14.3.
Another swing at Aurelion Sol
While a little dragon hits the Rift, the game’s original iconic cosmic dragon Aurelion Sol is getting changes designed to push him out of his hyper-scaling comfort zone and toward “proactive play and early game agency.” His Q, W, and E are all being impacted, especially how he can optimize stacks on his Singularity.
Ultra Rapid Fire goes live
To help with the festivities, Riot is bringing back League‘s popular Ultra Rapid Fire game mode in Patch 14.3. The mode will be live on all servers on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 11am CT for EUW, EUN, RU, and TR, while all other regions will be getting the mode at 2pm CT.
Riot celebrates Year of the Dragon with new skins
No League season-opening would be complete without a few celebration skins, and Riot hasn’t disappointed this time around. In Patch 14.3, players will be able to get their hands on several new Heavenscale cosmetics designed to represent the Year of the Dragon and all things Chinese mythology.
Popular characters like Ezreal, Kai’Sa, Lee Sin, and Diana have been picked for the honors this time around, with Ezreal and Lee Sin even getting special variants; the pair will get Prestige and “Divine” tweaks, respectively.
Here are all the Heavenscale skins coming in this patch:
- Heavenscale Smolder (1,350 RP)
- Heavenscale Diana (1,350 RP)
- Heavenscale Ezreal (1,350 RP)
- Prestige Heavenscale Ezreal (2,000 Event Tokens)
- Heavenscale Janna (1,350 RP)
- Heavenscale Kai’Sa (1,350 RP)
- Heavenscale Lee Sin (1,820 RP)
- Divine Heavenscale Lee Sin (Via Special Distribution)
- Heavenscale Master Yi (1,350 RP)
These skins will go live during the Patch 14.3 cycle.
Here are the official League notes for the Feb. 7 update.
League Patch 14.3 patch notes
Champions
Aurelion Sol
- Q cost reduced from 45-65 to 30-50, stacks per champion burst increased from one to three.
- W cost reduced from 80-100 to 50-70, cooldown reduced from 22-16 to 15-11 seconds, damage amp (Q) increased from 14-20 percent to 18-26 percent.
- E stacks per small minions/monsters unchanged, per large minion/monsters reduced from three to two, per champion/epic monsters reduced from five to two.
Azir
- Health regeneration reduced from 7.0 plus 0.75 to 5.0 plus 0.6.
Brand
- Passive damage over time monster amp reduced from x2.2 to x2.0. Cap per tick remains unchanged at 80.
- Q base damage reduced from 80-200 to 70-190.
Corki
- W cooldown reduced from 20-16 to 20-12 seconds, cost reduced from 100 to 80, ability power scaling increased from 40 to 60 percent.
- Package hold time reduced from 60 to 45 seconds, out-of-combat speed with package reduced f from 40 to 30 percent, cooldown reduced from five minutes to four.
- Package damage now:
- Base: 30-85 lerp 7-18.
- Base attack damage scaling 100 percent.
- Ability power scaling 60 percent.
Ezreal
- Q damage AD ratios reduced from 135 percent to 130 percent.
- R damage reduced from 350-700 to 325-675.
Illaoi
- P/Q base damage reduced from 10-180 lerp to 9-162 lerp, total attack damage scaling reduced from 120 to 115 percent, ability power and Q scaling unchanged.
Karma
- RQ explosion damage reduced from 35-350 (plus 70 percent ability power) to 40-310 (plus 50 percent ability power).
Lillia
- Passive damage of time target total health ability power scaling total over three seconds reduced from 1.5 to 1.25 percent.
- Q damage ability power scaling reduced from 90 to 70 percent.
Maokai
- Base mana regeneration reduced from 7.2 to six.
- Passive healing base breakpoints (4-34) now removed, total health scaling breakpoints increased from 4-12 to 4-13.25 percent.
- Q cooldown reduced from 8-5 to 7-5 seconds, cost reduced from 60 to 40.
- E cooldown changed from 14 seconds to 16-12 seconds, cost changed from 45-85 to 60-80.
- R cooldown changed from 120-100 to 130-90 seconds.
Nidalee
- Magic resistance growth increased from 1.3 to 1.45.
- E heal increased from 35-195 (plus 27.5 percent ability power) to 50-150 (plus 35 percent ability power), attack speed increased from 20-60 percent to 30-70 percent.
Pyke
- Base armor increased from 45 to 47.
- Q damage AD ratios increased from 60 percent bonus AD to 75 percent bonus AD.
- Q cost reduced from 74-90 to 70-90.
- W speed increased from 40 percent plus 150 percent lethality to 45 percent plus 200 percent lethality.
- E base damage increased from 105-265 to 100-300.
Rengar
- Base health reduced from 620 to 590.
- Q bonus damage total attack damage scaling reduced from 0-20 to 0-15 percent.
- Q empowered bonus damage total attack damage scaling reduced from 40 to 30 percent.
Shaco
- Base mana regeneration growth decreased from 0.45 to 0.35.
- W mana cost changed from 70 flat to 70-50.
- W bonus damage to monsters increased from 10-50 to 20-80.
- E mana cost increased from 65 to 75.
Shyvana
- Q empowered attack bonus damage increased from 100 percent AD plus 35 percent AP to 100 percent AD plus 50 percent AP.
- W bonus movement speed AP ratio decreased from 0.8 percent AP to 0.12 percent AP.
Taliyah
- Q damage increased from 50-130 to 60-132.
- E cooldown changed from 16-14 seconds to 14 seconds at all ranks.
Trundle
- Base health reduced from 686 to 650.
- Q base damage reduced from 20-100 to 10-90.
Wukong
- Q bonus range increased from 75-175 to 135-175.
- Q bonus physical damage increased from plus 45 percent bonus AD to 55 percent bonus AD.
- E cooldown decreased from 10-8 seconds to 10-7 seconds.
Yorick
- Passive summon leash range decreased from 2000 to 1600.
- Q heal now heals plus 4-8 percent of missing health, with effect halved vs. non-champion targets.
- Q mana cost decreased from 25 to 20.
- E cast time decreased from 0.33 seconds to 0.25 seconds.
- R bonus damage when attacking Maiden’s target changed from 3-9 percent maximum health with a 100-300 damage cap vs. monsters and two second cooldown to 2-3 percent maximum health with a flat 100 damage cap vs. monsters with no cooldown.
Zeri
- Base attack damage increased from 53 to 56.
- R cooldown reduced from 100-70 to 80-70.
Ziggs
- Armor increased from 18 (plus 4.5) to 21 (plus 4.7).
- W cooldown reduced from 24-12 to 20-12 seconds.
Zyra
- Mana regeneration increased from 13 (plus 0.4) to seven (plus 0.8).
- Q cost reduced from 70 to 55.
- W small unit on-kill cooldown refund increased from 20 to 35 percent, large unit cooldown refund unchanged (still 100 percent).
Items
Archangel’s Staff
- Cost reduced from 3,000 to 2,900.
Collector
- Attack damage reduced from 60 to 55.
Echoes of Helia
- Damage per shard decreased from 55 to 45.
- Heal per shard increased from 20 to 40.
Essence Reaver
- Attack damage increased from 55 to 60.
Guinsoo’s Rageblade
- Item recipe changed to Amplifying Tome + Recurve Bow + Pickaxe + 1025 gold.
- Attack damage increased from 30 to 35.
- Ability power increased from 30 to 35.
Hextech Alternator
- Revved damage changed from 50-125 to 65 at all levels.
Hextech Rocketbelt
- Supersonic damage decreased from 125 plus 15 percent AP to 100 plus 10 percent AP.
Kaenic Rookern
- Shield total health scaling reduced from 20 to 18 percent, out of combat cooldown increased from 12 to 15 seconds.
Kraken Slayer
- Bring it Down damage changed from 35-85 plus 65 percent total AD and 60 percent AP to 140-310.
Lich Bane
- Spellblade damage decreased from 100 percent base AD to 75 percent base AD.
Luden’s Companion
- Cost reduced from 3,000 to 2,900.
- Ability power increased from 90 to 95.
- Damage per stack changed from 40 (plus eight percent ability power) to 45 (plus four percent ability power).
Malignance
- Cost reduced from 2,800 to 2,700.
- Damage per second reduced from 60 (plus six percent ability power) to 60 (plus five percent ability power).
- Magic resist shred changed from 6-12 to 10 at all levels.
Profane Hydra
- Passive cleave damage increased from 40 percent AD for melee and 20 percent AD for ranged to 50 percent AD for melee and 25 percent AD for ranged.
- Active heretical cleave damage against targets below 50 percent max health decreased from 150 percent total AD to 130 percent total AD.
Rod of Ages
- Innate health increased from 350 to 400.
- Innate mana increased from 300 to 400.
Seraph’s Embrace
- Coming soon…
Statikk Shiv
- Cost reduced from 3,000 to 2,700.
- Damage to champions changed from 100-180 to 90 flat.
Stormrazor
- Bolt damage changed from 90 plus 25 percent total AD to 100 flat.
- Bolt bonus movement speed increase from one second to 1.5 seconds.
Stormsurge
- Ability power increased from 90 to 95.
- Squall damage changed from 100-200 plus 20 percent AP to 140 flat plus 20 percent AP.
Sundered Sky
- Attack damage decreased from 55 to 45.
- Health increased from 300 to 450.
Stridebreaker
- New recipe: Tiamat, Page, Dagger, 700 gold, total cost increased from 3,000 to 3,300.
- Health increased from 400 to 450.
- Attack damage reduced from 55 to 50.
- Cooldown reduced from 20 to 15 seconds.
- Active now deals 80 percent total attack damage to enemies (still applies slow), passive now deals (40 percent melee/20 percent ranged) total attack damage to nearby enemies (still grants speed on dealing physical damage).
Titanic Hydra
- Health increased from 500 to 550.
- Active titanic crescent damage to primary target decreased from six percent max health for melee and three percent max health for ranged to four percent max health for melee and two percent max health for ranged.
Youmuu’s Ghostblade
- Out of combat bonus movement speed changed from 40 flat to 40 for melee and 20 for ranged.
- Active bonus movement speed changed from 20 percent flat to 20 percent for melee and 15 percent for ranged.
Systems
Rift Herald changes
- Rift Herald now has very high manoeuvrability, is easier to turn, and after every two seconds, it will slowly become less manoeuvrable as speed increases.
- Crashing into a wall while controlling the Rift Herald will now deal 20 percent damage to that of crashing into an enemy tower.
Skins
Heavenscale Smolder
Heavenscale Diana
Heavenscale Ezreal
Prestige Heavenscale Ezreal
Heavenscale Janna
Heavenscale Kai’Sa
Heavenscale Lee Sin
Divine Heavenscale Lee Sin
Heavenscale Master Yi
This article is being updated through the League patch cycle.
