TFT Mid-Set 8.5 changes are hitting live servers early through Patch 13.5

Riot Games is shipping big changes to Teamfight Tactics before the Mid-Set update that included orb and item distribution changes, along with an odds table for Hero Augment rerolls at Stages 3-2 and 4-2. 

The first half of Monsters’ Attack! Set Eight wraps up in March as Set 8.5 is scheduled to drop into live servers through Patch 13.6. PBE testing for the Mid-Set update will take place two weeks before then, starting around March 8. But the design and balance team has decided to drop a few quality-of-life and system changes early, according to TFT game designer Stephen “Mortdog” Mortimer.  

Two major changes are taking place through Patch 13.5, the final update for Set Eight: Base item distribution/Orb calculations and Hero Augment distribution at Stages 3-2 and 4-2. These changes aren’t the main focus of TFT Set 8.5 and the team wants to drop them early so the kinks are worked out prior to the Mid-Set update.

“These two systems aren’t really main attractions to the Mid-Set (Don’t worry, we still have one I’m very excited about!) and are more of improvements to core systems,” Mortdog said. “Because of that, we want them to go out early and get them in your hands without being distracted by all the changes from Mid-Set.”

Hero Augment TFT Set 8 and 8.5 changes

Since the Hero Augment Reroll change went into effect through Patch 13.3, several TFT Set Eight Hero Augments didn’t have the proper tags, according to Mortdog, and players still felt like the Stage 3-2 and 4-2 Armories weren’t consistently tailored enough.  Patch 13.4 resolved the tag issue while Patch 13.5 will introduce a new Hero Augment distribution table for Armories at Stages 3-2 and 4-2, based on active traits.

• Zero active traits: All three slots are random
• One active trait: Two slots are random
• Two active traits: One slot is random
• Three active traits: Zero slots are random

In addition to the new active trait odds, the team is also addressing cost distribution. Stage 2-1 Hero Augment Armories will remain completely random while three-cost Hero Augments are now less common at Stages 2-1 and 4-2. And starting with TFT Set 8.5, through Patch 13.6, Stages 3-2 and 4-2 Hero Augment Armories “will never be all the same tier,” according to Mortdog. 

Item distribution TFT Set 8 and 8.5 changes

The original loot system that was established through Patch 9.18 is getting a few upgrades in Patch 13.5. An equal number of items will get distributed to players in a lobby starting with the new changes and going forward. The base item distribution will get rolled for each lobby to ensure no one player has less than one or two items from the rest of the lobby. 

These calculations will also carry over into bonus orbs, which can result in a player who has one or two items less than the rest of the lobby making up that ground through bonus orbs. And all players will approximately get the same rewards within a lobby from their bonus orbs. 

The TFT team also added a quality-of-life change to orb distribution, ensuring that all players in a lobby will get a bonus orb at Stage 1-2. This change will allow players to have the option to “purchase your 1-3 shop and make more informed decisions in the intro part of the game,” according to Mortdog. 

All changes that are taking place through Patch 13.5 are live on PBE servers and will continue to remain in effect through the TFT Set 8.5 Mid-Set update.