Between a void monster whose changes didn’t land too well and a jungler’s edgy ego failing to meet the expectations of his other edgy side, there are a ton of problems that need to be addressed in League of Legends—and with Patch 14.5, they finally are.
Riot Phroxzon, the lead gameplay designer for League, returned last night with a more detailed look into what players can expect in Patch 14.5, including a breakdown of some of the incoming buffs with the reasoning behind them. These buffs, as well as nerfs and other adjustments, are now available for testing on the PBE and are expected to then be released on the live servers on March 6.
The development team is notably taking a step back with the massive Rek’Sai changes that stirred major controversy over the past week among casual and professional players alike. Many felt that the adjustments to her damage reduced her potential to be a strong, mobile jungler, ultimately echoed by Phroxzon, who said some of the changes “aren’t quite hitting the mark.” Therefore, the buffs to Rek’Sai include giving her damage back on her E with better ratios for early jungle clears, as well as an ample amount of damage returned to her ultimate.
Compared to other ADCs—and the omnipresent hybrid damage of AD Twisted Fate—Sivir and Kog’Maw are hoping to make some impact on the evolving bot lane meta with much-needed help. While Sivir’s changes are subtle to only her base armor, Kog’Maw has been granted quicker passive movement, better E slow, and even more AD-focused ultimate damage.
Veigar and Vex’s buffs aim to help their innate damage dealt following the changes to and removal of several items that were must-buys for the champions. Meanwhile, Kayn’s Rhaast form, Jarvan IV, and Wukong are receiving a bit more durability attached to their abilities, aiming to make them more viable options in the jungle.
In an attempt to once more tackle general durability for tanks, both Heartsteel and Sunfire Aegis return to the buff list, complete with defensive and offensive assists for both. Changes are also incoming to Stormsurge rather cautiously following the item’s dominance at the start of the 2024 season, though they won’t be impacting its damage—just the bonus movement speed it gives champions. Similarly, Hextech Rocketbelt will provide 10 more AP, though at the cost of a price increase to 2,600 gold.
Riot is also looking to make Dream Maker and Celestial Opposition, two new support items players can choose from after completing the starting item quest, more valuable at different points of the game rather than have all supports opt for the same items each game. Dream Maker, while nerfed early, will now be a great scaling item for enchanters with better shielding and damage late, while Celestial Opposition now slows more and for a longer duration.
As this is a patch preview, it’s possible that the changes listed will be adjusted further during their life cycle on the PBE before their release on the live servers. Patch 14.5 is expected to hit League officially on March 6.
