Here are the LoL Patch 14.9 patch notes

With the 2024 Mid-Season Invitational metagame totally locked in, Riot Games is now unleashing the balance change floodgates in League of Legends Patch 14.9 with a hefty 29 planned buffs, nerfs, and adjustments.

Riot has been hard at work prepping the League landscape for MSI 2024⁠—which just recently took shape team-wise—with changes mainly focused around pro play and the competitive metagame. With the shackles off, balance boss Riot Phroxzon and his squad can turn their attention solely to the Rift’s other issues.

These 14.9 changes include a long-awaited hitbox update led by Phreak, a fourth-straight balance checklist for Skarner, and a well-calculated strategy to “pull power out of the champions” who have been shining brightest in season 14.

Here’s everything about League’s Patch 14.9 update.

When will League Patch 14.9 go live?

League Patch 14.9 will be hitting the live servers on Wednesday, May 1, according to the official Riot Games schedule. Everything except the new League skins will be added during the downtime patching.

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 14.9?

Changes galore as MSI plans slide into rearview mirror

League Patch 14.9 includes nearly 30 changes across two dozen chosen champions and six items, including Janna, Bel’Veth, Seraphine, Master Yi, and Pyke. 

In particular, Riot’s balance team is targeting Draven because he’s “pretty frustrating” and will be tapping down several clear meta powerhouses like Akshan and Twitch. Any champion currently recording a win rate over 50 percent that has a “known high mastery” is on the chopping block.

Fourth time finally the charm for Skarner?

Riot just keeps whacking the reworked brackern with nerfs, though the devs have a decent enough reason: As League players continue to figure out his new ability kit and item builds, his win rate keeps spiking. These Patch 14.9 nerfs mark the fourth straight time Skarner has been changed since his rework.

New Empyrean skins to celebrate MSI

Riot is going back to the well for this year’s MSI-themed skins, with six champions set to get new Empyrean cosmetics. The skin line was originated by Lil Nas X with his custom-made Prestige Empyrean K’Sante and was paired with the pop star’s “Fire to the Fuse” performance at the 2022 World Championship.

This time, Nocturne, Varus, Brand, Malzahar, Akali, and Kayle are getting the celestial upgrades, and Kayle players get a little extra gravy with a Prestige skin too.

Here are all the new Empyrean skins coming in this patch:

• Empyrean Akali (1,350 RP)
• Empyrean Brand (1,350 RP)
• Empyrean Kayle (1,350 RP)
• Prestige Empyrean Kayle (2,000 MSI Tokens)
• Empyrean Malzahar (1,350 RP)
• Empyrean Nocturne (1,350 RP)
• Empyrean Varus (1,820 RP)

These skins will go live during the Patch 14.9 cycle.

‘Training wheel champions’ are getting buffed

We all know that some champions are more challenging to master and are more mechanistically intense than others. But according to Riot Phroxzon, the easy-to-master champions are “weak.” So, in Patch 14.9, Seraphine, Amumu, and Malzahar, champions who fit into this “training wheel champion” category, are being buffed. 

The buffs these champions will receive in Patch 14.9 aren’t too extensive, but they should be enough to tip the scales more in their favor. 

Champions to receive hitboxes in line with their size

Champion hitboxes are sometimes a mystery for League players, and even the Riot devs feel like they “have been pretty inconsistent for a long time.” 

Although it might take some time to get used to (in a good way), the devs will introduce more consistent hitboxes based on a champion’s size. For example, a Yordle will get a tiny, Yordle-sized hitbox, and Warwick will get a much larger one. The bonus is that it will also make clicking on champions much more straightforward, making them easier to select and attack.  

League Patch 14.9 patch notes

Here are the official notes for League Patch 14.9.

Champions

Ahri

• W damage reduced by five.
• R cooldown increased from 130-80 to 130 to 100.

Akshan

• Q movement speed changed from 20-40 percent to 20 percent flat.
• Q non-champion damage decreased from 40-90 percent to 40-80 percent.
• Minimum R damage increased from 20-30 plus 10 percent total attack damage to 25-45 plus 15 percent total attack damage.
• Maximum R damage increased from 80-120 plus 40 percent total attack damage to 75-135 plus 45 percent total attack damage.

Amumu

• Base attack damage increased by four.
• Base armor increased by three.

Aurelion Sol

• E ability power ratio decreased from 100 percent to 80 percent.

Bel’Veth

• Passive attack speed decreased from 0.28-1 percent from level 1-13 to 0.28-1 percent from level 1-17.
• Q damage decreased from 10-30 plus 110 percent total attack damage to 10-30 plus 100 percent total attack damage.
• Q monster modifier changed from 140 percent total damage to plus 45-85 flat damage.

Blitzcrank

• Passive shield duration decreased from 10 seconds to four seconds.
• W movement speed reduced from 70-90 percent decaying to 60-80 percent decaying.

Evelynn

• W slow decreased from 65 percent to 45 percent.
• R ability power ratio decreased from 75 percent to 65 percent.

Janna

• W damage changed from 55-195 plus 30 percent bonus movement speed and 60 percent ability power to 55-175 plus 30 percent bonus movement speed plus 50 percent ability power.
• E shield increased from 80-220 to 80-240.

Jinx

• R cooldown increased from 70-40 to 85-45.

Karma

• Q slow increased from 35 percent to 40 percent.
• R+E AoE shield increased from 90 to 100 percent.
• R+E AoE bonus haste increased from 12 percent to 15 percent.

Kassadin

• E ability power ratio decreased from 80 percent to 70 percent.

Malzahar

• Q mana cost changed from 80 flat to 60-80.
• E cooldown decreased from 15-7 to 11-7.

Master Yi

• E damage reduced by 10.

Nilah

• Q active damage total attack damage reduced by 10 percent at max rank with 10 percent less critical strike chance.
• Q active attack speed increased from 10-50 percent by level to 10-60 percent by level.

Olaf

• Q damage reduced by five.
• Q monster modifier increased by 5-25.
• R passive resists decreased from 10-30 to 10-20.

Pyke

• W cost increased from 50-65.
• W cooldown increased by two.

Sejuani

• Passive resists increased from 10 plus 50 percent bonus to 10 plus 75 percent bonus.
• W damage adjusted from 30-210 plus eight percent max health to 10-130 plus 12 percent max health.

Seraphine

• Q ability power ratio increased from 50 percent to 60 percent.

Skarner

• Mana regeneration growth increased from 0.6 to 0.75.
• Q damage decreased from 10-70 to 10-50.
• W slow 20-40 percent to 20 percent flat.
• W shield decreased from nine percent max health to eight percent max health.

Taliyah

• Q mana increased by 10.
• Q bonus monster damage ability power ratio reduced from 10 percent to five percent.

Twitch

• Health decreased from 682 plus 100 to 630 plus 104.
• R bonus attack damage reduced from 40-70 to 30-60.
• W slow ability power ratio decreased from six percent ability power to five percent ability power.

Urgot

• Armor growth reduced from 5.45 to five.

Items

Death’s Dance

• Attack damage increased from 55 to 60.
• Heal on kill increased from 50 percent bonus attack damage to 75 percent bonus attack damage.
• Build path now requires a Pickaxe.

Eclipse

• Melee max health damage decreased from eight percent to six percent.

Hexdrinker

• Magic resist decreased from 35 to 30.
• New build path requires second Long Sword.

Maw of Malmortius

• Extra 15 Haste added.
• Attack damage increased from 65 to 70.
• Magic resist decreased from 50 to 40.
• Price increased by 300 gold.
• Lifeline effect changed from 12 percent life steal to 10 percent omnivamp.
• Lifeline shield 2.5 seconds to three seconds.

Sundered Sky

• Cooldown increased from six seconds to eight seconds.
• Heal based on base attack damage decreased from 140 percent base attack damage to 120 base attack damage.

Sterak’s Gage

• Price increased from 3000 to 3200.
• Lifeline cooldown increased from 60 seconds to 90 seconds.

Runes

• No changes in this update.

General

In this patch, every champion is getting an update to its selection radius, which is when a player’s game registers that they’re hovering over the target champion for any auto-attacks or point-and-click abilities. There is no effect on any ranges, skill shots, or anything else besides detecting and selecting champions for an attack, heal, shield, or other selective buff.

Champion selection radius changes

• Alistar: 145 ⇒ 140
• Aurelion Sol: 165 ⇒ 150
• Azir: 88 ⇒ 120
• Bard: 88 ⇒ 130
• Blitzcrank: 165 ⇒ 140
• Brand: 65 ⇒ 120
• Braum: 100 ⇒ 130
• Briar: 111 ⇒ 120
• Darius: 125 ⇒ 120
• Diana: 75 ⇒ 120
• Gangplank: 85 ⇒ 120
• Garen: 75 ⇒ 120
• Gragas: 155 ⇒ 140
• Jayce: 75 ⇒ 120
• K’Sante: 102 ⇒ 140
• Leona: 75 ⇒ 120
• Lissandra: 88 ⇒ 120
• Malzahar: 88 ⇒ 120
• Malzahar: 88 ⇒ 120
• Mega Gnar: 180 ⇒ 140
• Naafiri: 111 ⇒ 120
• Neeko: 90 ⇒ 120
• Nilah: 75 ⇒ 120
• Poppy: 95 ⇒ 100
• Rengar: 70 ⇒ 120
• Rumble: 165 ⇒ 140
• Veigar: 93 ⇒ 100
• Vel’Koz: 88 ⇒ 120
• Viktor: 160 ⇒ 120
• Warwick: 111 ⇒ 120
• Xerath: 88 ⇒ 120
• Yasuo: 75 ⇒ 120
• Yone: 75 ⇒ 120
• Yuumi: 120 ⇒ 100
• Zac: 90 ⇒ 140
• Zoe: 120 ⇒ 100

Additionally, Riot has changed the gameplay collision radius for some champions so they’re much more accurate to their size when it comes to getting hit by abilities and other gameplay aspects. Pathfinding, on the other hand, affects how close units can be while standing and moving, which should also reflect their size in-game.

Gameplay and pathfinding collision radius changes

• Aurelion Sol: 65 ⇒ 80
• Briar: 55 ⇒ 65
• Darius: 80 ⇒ 65
• K’Sante: 65 ⇒ 80.
  • Pathfinding radius: 35 ⇒ 50
• Lulu: 65 ⇒ 55
• Milio: 65 ⇒ 55
  • Pathfinding radius: 35 ⇒ 30
• Naafiri: 55 ⇒ 65
• Vex: 65 ⇒ 55.
  • Pathfinding radius: 35 ⇒ 30
• Warwick: 55 ⇒ 65
• Yuumi: 65 ⇒ 55.
  • Pathfinding radius: 35 ⇒ 30
• Zoe: 65 ⇒ 55.
  • Pathfinding radius: 35 ⇒ 30

Bug fixes

• Fixed bug that caused buying and selling / refunding the jungle item immediately to give reduced XP from lane minions for the rest of the game.
• Fixed bug that caused Master Yi’s double strike to consume Hail of Blades stacks.
• Fixed bug that caused Graves’ auto attacks to not utilize Sundered Sky.
• Fixed bug that caused Aatrox’s W chains to deal damage after the target had left the applicable zone.
• Fixed bug that caused Kled’s W to not apply spell effects on the fourth hit.
• Fixed bug that caused Yone to gain a charge on his Q if the target had dodged the spell.
• Fixed bug that caused Gwen W to not factor in AP from conversions or adaptive force when calculating the armor and magic resistance buff.
• Fixed bug that caused Sylas to not gain a charge of Essence Rush on takedown when he had stolen Ahri’s ultimate.
• Fixed bug that caused Rengar to lose the reduced cooldown from Navori Quickblades after exiting his empowered state.
• Fixed bug that caused Knight’s Vow’s VFX to be visible to the enemy team. Fixed a bug that caused Skarner to be able to refresh his Q buff duration by hitting wards or plants.
• Fixed bug that caused Skarner to be able to take Hexgates while using his Impale.
• Fixed bug that caused Nocturne’s Passive VFX to persist if the passive came off of cooldown while he was Polymorphed by Lulu.
• Fixed bug that caused Illaoi’s E to make Briar’s R to last indefinitely.
• Fixed bug that caused Neeko recasting W to move her clone to count as a spell cast towards abilities such as Kassadin’s E stacks.
• Fixed bug that caused Sylas hijacking Taliyah’s R, mid-cast, to give Sylas only the recast option of the ability.
• Fixed bug that caused Skarner’s Impale to make him briefly invisible inside of bushes.
• Fixed bug that caused Skarner’s E to sometimes make both Skarner and enemies being moved through a bush to briefly disappear.
• Fixed bug that caused Skarner’s E to not proc Fiora’s W, meaning she couldn’t stun enemies after parrying.
• Fixed bug that caused Skarner’s E to be unable to stun an enemy if the wall he moved them into was too thin.
• Fixed bug that caused Skarner’s E to stop if the targeted champion was hit by CC while having a spellshield.
• Fixed bug that caused Skarner’s E to cause unnatural camera movement if grabbing an enemy from the other side of a wall.
• Fixed bug that caused Smolder’s ultimate ability icon to show as available after casting it.
• Fixed bug that caused Lux’s E and Xerath’s W to fail to detect enemies when cast into certain walls.
• Fixed bug that caused several issues with Sandscourage Skarner’s SFX.
• Fixed bug that caused Skarner’s exit wall SFX to play later than intended.
• Fixed bug that caused Mikael’s Blessing to not Cleanse Renata’s R from allied champions.
• Worldbreaker Malzahar’s Nether Grasp (R) VFX now fires from his mouth as intended.
• Arclight Brand’s Blaze (P) VFX no longer renders over impassable terrain.
• Apocalyptic / Vandal / Arclight / Eternal Dragon Brand’s Blaze (P) no longer causes red pixel VFX to appear when enemies are affected while Players hover cursor over.

Skins

Empyrean Akali

Empyrean Brand

Empyrean Kayle

Prestige Empyrean Kayle

Empyrean Malzahar

Empyrean Nocturne

Empyrean Varus

This article is being updated through the League patch cycle.

Update April 26, 1:15am CT: Added champion mastery buff and hitbox updates.