Riot Games has rolled out League of Legends Patch 25.S1.3, an update packed with key balance changes affecting over 15 champions.
The update, released on February 4, 2025, introduces significant modifications to attack speed limits, revamps the Chemtech Dragon Soul, and fine-tunes various champion abilities to maintain gameplay balance. Let’s dive into the details of this patch and how it will impact the meta.
Major Changes in Patch 25.S1.3
Champion Buffs
Several champions have received buffs aimed at enhancing their viability in different roles. Notable improvements include:
- Evelynn: Increased damage on her E ability, improving her assassination potential.
- Jax: Higher mana regeneration and increased base health scaling, making him more durable in extended fights.
- Nasus: Boosted lifesteal on his passive, allowing for better sustain.
- Swain: Enhanced passive health stacking and increased AP scaling on his E ability, reinforcing his late-game impact.
- Thresh: More base armor and an improved damage ratio on his Q, giving him more lane presence and utility.
Champion Nerfs
To ensure balance, Riot has also implemented nerfs to some of the more dominant champions:
- Cassiopeia: Lowered AP scaling on her Q and W abilities, slightly reducing her burst damage.
- Miss Fortune: Reduced base armor and overall durability, making her more vulnerable in lane.
- Skarner: Lowered armor per level and reduced stun duration on his E, impacting his crowd-control potential.
- Wukong: Increased cooldown on his W and reduced attack speed scaling on his E, slowing down his engage potential.
System Adjustments
Beyond champion changes, Riot has introduced adjustments to fundamental gameplay mechanics:
Increased Attack Speed Cap
- Previously capped at 2.5, the maximum attack speed has now been raised to 3.0, providing champions reliant on attack speed with greater scaling potential in late-game scenarios.
Chemtech Dragon Soul Rework
- Instead of 11% bonus damage and damage reduction, the Chemtech Soul now grants 13% bonus damage and damage reduction, making it a more attractive objective.
Rune Modifications
- Electrocute: Increased base damage, making it more potent in early-game trades.
- Dark Harvest: Higher base damage and increased soul scaling, benefiting assassins and poke champions.
- Hail of Blades: Melee attack speed increased from 110% to 140%, while its cooldown is reduced from 12 to 10 seconds (no changes for ranged champions).
Item and Objective Balances
- Bloodsong: Melee bonus damage reduced from 10% to 8%, and its duration decreased from 6 to 4 seconds.
- Cloud Dragon Soul: Movement speed buff reduced from 20% to 15%, making it less dominant.
- Bounty System Adjustments: The criteria for bounty activations have been lowered by 60%, while bounty disappearance time has been sped up by 50%.
Impact on the Meta
These changes are expected to shake up the current meta significantly. The attack speed cap increase will benefit hyper-carry champions, while the Chemtech Soul rework could lead to more aggressive dragon fights.
Additionally, with buffs to utility champions like Thresh and Swain, we may see a shift in bot lane dynamics. Conversely, nerfs to high-impact champions such as Cassiopeia and Miss Fortune will likely affect their dominance in ranked play.
Conclusion
League of Legends Patch 25.S1.3 delivers a well-rounded set of changes aimed at refining gameplay balance. With champion adjustments, systemic tweaks, and a stronger emphasis on attack speed scaling, the competitive landscape is set to evolve.
Players should adapt their strategies accordingly as they navigate this fresh update in Summoner’s Rift. Stay tuned for further insights and updates as Riot Games continues to fine-tune the League of Legends experience!