With the highly anticipated Worlds 2024 set to begin on September 25, Riot Games is making crucial adjustments to the League of Legends meta. Patch 14.17, scheduled for release on August 28, is the first step in fine-tuning the game ahead of the biggest esports event of the year.
LoL Worlds 2024
Worlds 2024, returning to Europe, will bring together the best League of Legends teams from around the globe. To ensure a balanced and competitive environment, Riot is focusing on tweaking champions, runes, and game systems in preparation for the tournament.
This patch is a significant part of those preparations, laying the groundwork for the final meta that will dominate the Worlds stage.
Champion Buffs: Strengthening the Meta
To shake up the meta and bring diversity to champion picks, Riot is buffing several champions that have been underperforming or fallen out of favor:
- Caitlyn: Aiming to bring her back as a top-tier ADC with enhanced damage and utility.
- Graves: Buffs to make him a more viable pick in both jungle and solo lanes.
- Kindred: Increased damage and survivability to improve jungle impact.
- Ryze: Adjustments to make his late-game scaling more consistent.
- Varus: Improvements to his poke and engage potential.
Champion Nerfs: Balancing Overpowered Picks
Conversely, Riot is also targeting champions that have been overperforming or disrupting the balance of the game:
- Aurora: Recent bugs and overpowering abilities have led to significant nerfs.
- Brand, Ezreal, Ashe: Adjustments to their damage output to reduce their dominance in mid and late-game fights.
- Katarina, Kennen, LeBlanc: Nerfs to address their burst potential and lane control.
- Lillia, Pyke: Tweaks to reduce their impact in skirmishes and team fights.
- Rumble, Senna (AP), Seraphine, Sylas: General balance changes to align them better with the current meta.
System Changes: Adjusting Runes and Supports
Riot is also making important changes to runes and the support role, with a specific focus on adjusting the ADC rune impact and refining the balance between melee and ranged supports:
- Rune Nerfs:
- Lifesteal: Reduced effectiveness to lower sustain in fights.
- Last Stand: Adjustments to limit its overpowering effects in clutch moments.
- Fleet Footwork: Toned down to balance out sustain-heavy ADCs.
- Support Adjustments:
- Melee vs. Ranged: Riot is targeting the dominance of melee supports by enhancing ranged support viability, aiming for a more diverse support meta heading into Worlds.
The Road to Worlds 2024
As Riot Games continues to fine-tune League of Legends in preparation for Worlds 2024, Patch 14.17 is just the beginning. With further updates expected before the tournament kicks off, players and teams will need to adapt quickly to the evolving meta.
The upcoming changes promise to bring a fresh dynamic to the competition, ensuring that the best strategies and champions rise to the top on the global stage.