Prepare to hear “he just clicked on me!” a lot more now
Riot Games lead gameplay designer Matthew "Riot Phroxzon" Leung-Harrison revealed the League of Legends patch 14.9 preview. It includes buffs to lower-mastery champions to provide new players with better "training wheels."
"Easy champions" like Karma and Kennen are receiving the buffs this time around. There are also a ton of nerfs for champions that feel too strong. For other champions, they will be easier to click on after some quality-of-life adjustments.
The League of Legends patch 14.9 update is scheduled to go live on May 1st, 2024. Note that the changes below may not all ship in the update.
Champion buffs in LoL patch 14.9 preview
Riot is not satisfied that some low-mastery champions sit at 51% win rate. "This is actually pretty critically weak when their mastery curve is only something like 3%," says Riot Phroxzon.
Amumu
- Base AD increased 53 >>> 57
- Base Armor increased 30 >>> 33
Karma
- Q - Inner Flame slow increased 35% >>> 40%
- R-E Defiance buffs:
- Ally champion shield effectiveness ratio increased 90% >>> 100%
- Ally champion bonus Move Speed effectiveness ratio increased 30% >>> 37.5% (12% >>> 15% bonus Move Speed)
Since LoL patch 14.9 will not be played in any professional games, Karma is being touched again. This intends to balance Karma between mid-lane and support roles.
Kennen
- E - Lightning Rush now has a range indicator on hover
- R - Slicing Maelstrom can now cast while moving and has a new animation
A feel-good QoL change for Kennen which removes the slight hiccup he gets from casting his ultimate.
Malzahar
- Q - Call of the Void mana cost reduced 80 flat >>> 60/65/70/75/80
- E - Malefic Visions cooldown reduced 15/13/11/9/7 >>> 11/10/9/8/7 seconds
Part of the training wheels buffs.
Sejuani
- P-Frost Armor - Fury of the North - Frost Armor bonus Armor and Magic Resistance ratios increased 50% >>> 75%
- W - Winter's Wrath adjustments:
- First hit damage adjusted 10/15/20/25/30 (+20% AP) (+2% max HP) >>> 5/15/25/35/45 (+20% AP) (+4% max HP)
- Second hit damage adjusted 20/60/100/140/180 (+60% AP) (+6% max HP) >>> 5/25/45/65/85 (+60% AP) (+8% max HP)
Sejuani is getting some power in matchups versus tanky enemies.
Seraphine
- Q - High Note minimum AP ratio increased 50% >>> 60% (80% >>> 96% maximum)
Also part of the training wheels buffs.
Champion nerfs in LoL patch 14.9 preview
Ahri
- W - Fox-Fire base damage reduced 50/75/100/125/150 >>> 45/70/95/120/145
- R - Spirit Rush cooldown increased 130/105/80 >>> 130/115/100 seconds
She's getting punished for being too strong with Malignance.
Aurelion Sol
- E - Singularity damage AP ratio reduced 5% >>> 4% per tick (20% >>> 16% per second, 100% >>> 80% total)
Blitzcrank
- P - Mana Barrier duration reduced 10 >>> 4 seconds
- W - Overdrive bonus Move Speed reduced 70/75/80/85/90% >>> 60/65/70/75/80%
Evelynn
- W - Allure slow reduced 65% >>> 45%
- R - Last Caress AP ratio reduced 75% >>> 65% (180% >>> 156% to targets below 30% HP)
Jinx
- R - Super Mega Death Rocket! cooldown adjusted 70/60/50 >>> 85/65/45 seconds
Kassadin
- E - Force Pulse AP ratio reduced 80% >>> 70%
Kassadin previously had a nerf to his Ultimate slated, but Riot pivoted off this. "[We pivoted] to ensure that he is still required to R on top of people to be effective and put himself in danger," says Riot Phroxzon.
Master Yi
- E - Wuju Style damage reduced 30/35/40/45/50 >>> 20/25/30/35/40
Olaf
- Q - Undertow adjustments:
- Base damage reduced 65/115/165/215/265 >>> 60/110/160/210/260
- Bonus monster damage increased 5/15/25/35/45 >>> 10/25/40/55/70
- [R-P] Ragnarok bonus Armor and Magic Resistance reduced 10/20/30 >>> 10/15/20
Pyke
- W - Ghostwater Dive nerfs:
- Cooldown increased 12/11/10/9/8 >>> 14/13/12/11/10 seconds
- Mana cost increased 50 >>> 65
Skarner
- Mana regeneration per level increased 0.6 >>> 0.75
- Q1/Q2 - Shattered Earth/Upheaval base damage reduced 10/25/40/55/70 >>> 10/20/30/40/50
- W - Seismic Bastion nerfs:
- Slow reduced 20/25/30/35/40% >>> 20% flat
- Shield max HP ratio reduced 9% >>> 8%
Nerfs both his top-lane and jungle performance, specifically his level 9 spike. W gets nerfed to discourage players from maxing it first.
Taliyah
- Q - Threaded Volley nerfs:
- Bonus monster magic damage AP ratio reduced 10% >>> 5%
- Mana cost increased 55/60/65/70/75 >>> 65/70/75/80/85
Twitch
- Base HP reduced 682 >>> 630
- HP per level increased 100 >>> 104
- W - Venom Cask slow AP ratio reduced 6% >>> 5% per 100 AP
- R - Spray and Pray bonus AD reduced 40/55/70 >>> 30/45/60
Urgot
- Armor per level reduced 5.45 >>> 5
Champion adjustments in LoL patch 14.9 preview
Akshan
- Q - Avengerang nerfs:
- Non-champion damage ratio reduced 40/52.5/65/77.5/90% >>>> 40/50/60/70/80%
- Bonus Move Speed reduced 20/25/30/35/40% >>> 20%
- R - Comeuppance adjustments:
- Target's missing HP damage increase reduced 0-300% >>> 0-200% (based on 0-100% target's missing HP)
- Damage per shot increased 20/25/30 (+10% tAD) >>> 25/35/45 (+15% tAD) (80/100/120 (+40% tAD) >>> 75/105/135 (+45% tAD) max damage per shot)
Bel'Veth
- P - Death in Lavender - Lavender Attack Speed per stack reduced 0.28-1% (based on levels 1-13) >>> 0.28-1% (based on levels 1-17)
- Q - Void Surge nerfs:
- Damage tAD ratio reduced 110% >>> 100%
- Monster damage ratio removed 140% >>> 0%
- Bonus monster damage added 0 >>> 45/55/65/75/85 (buff until 136 tAD)
Janna
- W - Zephyr damage reduced 55/90/125/160/195 (+30% bonus Move Speed) (+60% AP) >>> 55/85/115/145/175 (+30% bonus Move Speed) (+50% AP)
- E - Eye of the Storm base shield increased 80/115/150/185/220 >>> 80/120/160/200/240
Nilah
- Q - Formless Blade adjustments:
- Damage reduced 5/10/15/20/25 (+90/97.5/105/112.5/120% tAD) * (100% (+1.2% Critical Strike Chance)) >>> 5/10/15/20/25 (+90/95/100/105/110% tAD) * (100% (+1% Critical Strike Chance))
- Attack Speed increased 10-50% (based on levels 1-18) >>> 10-60% (based on levels 1-18)
QoL changes
Gameplay Radii (Actual Hitbox)
- Aurelion Sol increased 65 >>> 80
- Briar increased 55 >>> 65
- Darius reduced 80 >>> 65
- K'Sante increased 65 >>> 80
- Naafiri increased 55 >>> 65
- Warwick increased 55 >>> 65
- Yuumi reduced 65 >>> 55
Selection Radii ("Clickbox")
- Azir increased 88.8889 >>> 120
- Alistar reduced 145 >>> 140
- Aurelion Sol reduced 165 >>> 150
- Bard increased 88.8889 >>> 130
- Blitzcrank reduced 165 >>> 140
- Brand increased 88.8889 >>> 120
- Braum increased 100 >>> 130
- Briar increased 111.1111 >>> 120
- Darius reduced 125 >>> 120
- Diana increased 75 >>> 120
- Gangplank increased 85 >>> 120
- Garen increased 75 >>> 120
- Gragas reduced 155 >>> 140
- Jayce increased 75 >>> 120
- K'Sante increased 102.7778 >>> 140
- Leona increased 75 >>> 120
- Lissandra increased 88.8889 >>> 120
- Malzahar increased 88.8889 >>> 120
- Naafiri increased 111.1111 >>> 120
- Neeko increased 90 >>> 120
- Nilah increased 75 >>> 120
- Poppy increased 95 >>> 100
- Rengar increased 70 >>> 120
- Rumble reduced 165 >>> 140
- Veigar increased 93 >>> 100
- Vel'Koz increased 88.8889 >>> 120
- Viktor reduced 160 >>> 120
- Warwick increased 111.1111 >>> 120
- Xerath increased 88.8889 >>> 120
- Yasuo increased 75 >>> 120
- Yone increased 75 >>> 120
- Yuumi reduced 120 >>> 100
- Zac increased 90 >>> 140
Pathing Radii (Minion Block)
- K'Sante increased 35 >>> 50
- Yuumi reduced 35 >>> 30
Item changes in LoL patch 14.9 preview
Item buffs
Death's Dance
- AD increased 55 >>> 60
- Defy heal bAD ratio increased 50% >>> 75%
- Build path changed Steel Sigil + Caufield's Warhammer + 1000 gold >>> Steel Sigil + Caufield's Warhammer + Pickaxe + 125 gold
Item nerfs
Eclipse
- Ever Rising Moon target's max HP ratio reduced 8/4% >>> 6/4% (melee/ranged)
Sterak's Gage
- Lifeline cooldown increased 60 >>> 90 seconds
- Cost increased 3000 >>> 3200
Sundered Sky
- Lightshield Strike nerfs:
- Heal base AD ratio reduced 140% >>> 120%
- Cooldown increased 6 >>> 8 seconds
Item adjustments
Hexdrinker
- Magic Resistance reduced 35 >>> 30
- Build path changed Long Sword + Null-Magic Mantle + 500 gold >>> Long Sword + Null-Magic Mantle + Long Sword + 150 gold
Maw of Malmortius
- AD increased 65 >>> 70
- Magic Resistance reduced 50 >>> 40
- Ability Haste added 0 >>> 15
- Lifeline adjustments:
- Shield duration increased 2.5 >>> 3 seconds
- Lifesteal removed 12% >>> 0%
- Omnivamp added 0% >>> 10%
- Cost increased 2800 >>> 3100 gold
- Build path changed Pickaxe + Hexdrinker + Long Sword + 275 gold >>> Hexdrinker + Caulfield's Warhammer + 700 gold
The League of Legends patch 14.9 update is scheduled to go live on May 1st, 2024.