League of Legends is just about to undergo another cataclysmic shift as Riot Games battles to bring spiralling item power under control. This rework patch, which is being referred to as the “Champion Emphasis” update, will act as the start of Season 15’s preseason run and is expected to totally change the balance of power between items and champions.
Here’s everything you’ll need to know about the whopping League overhaul.
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LoL item changes ‘for champion emphasis’
Riot is nerfing every endgame item in League by “five to 15 percent” with a simple aim: Slowing down combat speed, dampening the big impact snowballing has on the game state, and returning unique champions a greater slice of the power budget.
In a lengthy /dev blog, Riot’s devs explained: “We want more time for players to play out their champion’s gameplay fantasy and to put more emphasis on champs than items.”
To do this, Legendaries items and their components as well as regular item picks are all being targeted through sweeping nerfs. This pendulum toward items being weaker is being effected to counteract just how skilled players have become in 2024; even lower Elo players farm better, win objectives quicker, and therefore buy items faster. This gold surplus has led to champ picks mattering less than how much you have to spend and Riot really doesn’t like that gameplay state or where it could eventually lead: “We don’t see anyone load into game and get excited to play Infinity Edge… they want to play Jinx or Yasuo.”
Here’s how the League devs will hit every class through its key items.
Ability power changes
Burst mages who build ability power are losing a whole lot of the ability haste they previously had access to in a quest to bring down spell spam, while “keeping high ability power and magic penetration.” Other mages will still keep some haste, but overall there should be some slight buffs here with other classes losing magic resistance (outside tanks).
Fighter changes
These changes are all focused around splitting skirmishers (below), divers, and juggernauts. The balance here is that divers and juggernauts are keeping their beef health while skirmishers are becoming somewhat weaker—around 20 percent, Riot predicts, compared to juggernauts keeping as much as 50 percent of their usual defensive powers. The League devs are also anticipating a splash effect for skirmishers through this overhaul; because other classes are losing move speed (and skirmishers aren’t) they should be quite a bit faster after 14.19.
Attack damage assassin changes
Assassins will have less access to ability haste and item actives to “make them rely more on their individual spell casts and finding that first correct target.”
Tank changes
Tanks are now more focused on resistances over health, which should mean they can survive through lengthy teamfights and frontline better. This change is designed to backpedal on how quickly some characters have been dying in recent years.
Enchanter changes
Most of the enchanter changes are designed to “simplify” itemization for the class. There should be more support options for these characters now, which should be an overall buff for any enchanter supports that are already boosted stat-wise. On top of better utility, Riot is also trying to squeeze out some of the power-crept move speed and ability power the class had slowly collected.
AD carry changes
AD carry characters have got away the most unscathed, with damage still the focal point of any ADC champ’s core build. Level scaling has been knocked down a little.
When is this Champion Emphasis update going live?
This huge League update, which Riot has compared to the iconic Durability Update which dropped in mid-Season 12, will arrive in League Patch 14.19. That next update is scheduled to go live on Wednesday, Sept. 25 after two weeks of testing.
Dot Esports imagines this sweeping Emphasis update will then be followed by more than a few cleanup changes in ensuing patches through to the end of League‘s 2024 season.
Which LoL items are being changed?
In case it wasn’t clear yet, every single Legendary item in League is being changed. There’ll also be several other items touched through the 14.19 changes but Riot’s main focus is on bringing down the power levels of the game’s central items.
That means the late September update should have as many as 119 item changes, which should come close to the biggest changelist in any League patch in the last half-decade.
Here are all the items impacted by the Emphasis update and their changes.
- Abyssal Mask
- Ather Wisp
- Amplifying Tome
- Archangel’s Staff
- Ardent Censer
- Axiom Arc
- B.F. Sword
- Bami’s Cinder
- Bandleglass Mirror
- Banshee’s Veil
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Black Cleaver
- Blackfire Torch
- Blade of the Ruined King
- Blasting Wand
- Bramble Vest
- Catalyst of Aeons
- Caulfield’s Warhammer
- Chain Vest
- Chempunk Chainsword
- Cosmic Drive
- Cryptbloom
- Dagger
- Dawncore
- Dead Man’s Plate
- Death’s Dance
- Doran’s Ring
- Echoes of Helia
- Eclipse
- Edge of Night
- Essence Reaver
- Experimental Hexplate
- Faerie Charm
- Force of Nature
- Frozen Heart
- Giant’s Belt
- Glacial Buckler
- Guinsoo’s Rageblade
- Heartbound Axe
- Heartsteel
- Hexdrinker
- Hextech Rocketbelt
- Hollow Radiance
- Horizon Focus
- Hubris
- Hullbreaker
- Iceborn Gauntlet
- Immortal Shieldbow
- Imperial Mandate
- Infinity Edge
- Ionian Boots of Lucidity
- Jak’Sho, The Protean
- Kaenic Rookern
- Kindlegem
- Knight’s Vow
- Kraken Slayer
- Liandry’s Torment
- Lich Bane
- Locket of the Iron Solari
- Lord Dominik’s Regards
- Lost Chapter
- Luden’s Companion
- Malignance
- Manamune
- Maw of Malmortius
- Mercury Treads
- Mercurial Scimitar
- Mikael’s Blessing
- Moonstone Renewer
- Morellonomicon
- Mortal Reminder
- Muramana
- Nashor’s Tooth
- Navori Flickerblade
- Needlessly Large Rod
- Negatron Cloak
- Noonquiver
- Oblivion Orb
- Opportunity
- Overlord’s Bloodmail
- Phage
- Phantom Dancer
- Pickaxe
- Plated Steelcaps
- Profane Hydra
- Rabadon’s Deathcap
- Rapid Firecannon
- Ravenous Hydra
- Rectrix
- Recurve Bow
- Redemption
- Riftmaker
- Rod of Ages
- Ruby Crystal
- Runaan’s Hurricane
- Rylai’s Crystal Scepter
Sapphire Crystal
- Cost reduced from 350 gold to 300.
- Mana increased from 250 to 300.
Scout’s Slingshot
- Total cost reduced from 800 gold to 600, combine cost reduced from 200 gold to 100.
Seeker’s Armguard
- Ability power reduced from 45 to 40.
Seraph’s Embrace
- Ability power reduced from 80 to 70.
- Lifeline base shield reduced from 250 to 200.
Serylda’s Grudge
- New Recipe: Caulfield’s Warhammer plus Last Whisper plus 500 gold (total cost 3,000 gold).
- Ability haste increased from 15 to 20.
- Lethality reduced from 15 to 0.
- Armor penetration increased from zero percent to 30 percent.
- Removed: Rancor: Gain 25 percent (Plus 0.11 percent per one Lethality) armor penetration.
Shadowflame
- Combine cost increased from 850 gold to 900, total cost unchanged.
- Ability power reduced from 115 to 110.
- Cinderbloom damage over time and pet critical damage reduced from 125 percent to 120 percent.
Shattered Armguard
- Now includes Seeker’s Armguard’s components in the build section of the shop instead of having no components.
Shurelya’s Battlesong
- Combine cost increased from 350 gold to 400, total cost unchanged.
- Movement speed reduced from five percent to four.
Spear of Shojin
- New Recipe: Pickaxe plus Tunneler plus Ruby Crystal plus 675 gold (total cost 3,100 gold).
- Health increased from 300 to 450.
- Attack damage reduced from 55 to 45.
- Ability haste reduced from 20 to zero.
- Dragonforce basic ability haste increased from 15 to 25.
Spectre’s Cowl
- Magic resistance increased from 25 to 35.
Spirit Visage
- Total cost reduced from 2,900 gold to 2,700, combine cost reduced from 850 gold to 650.
- Health reduced from 450 to 400.
- Magic resistance reduced from 60 to 50.
Staff of Flowing Water
- Total cost reduced from 2,300 gold to 2,250, combine cost increased from 600 gold to 800.
- Ability power reduced from 40 to 35.
- Heal and shield power increased from eight percent to 10 percent.
- Rapids ability power increased from 30 to 45.
- Removed: Rapids no longer grants 10 percent bonus movement speed.
Statikk Shiv
- Combine cost increased from 325 gold to 650, total cost unchanged.
- Attack damage reduced from 55 to 50.
- Attack speed reduced from 45 percent to 40.
- Movement speed reduced from five percent to four.
Sterak’s Gage
- Bonus attack damage reduced from 50 percent base attack damage to 45.
- Lifeline health ratio reduced from 80 percent bonus health to 60.
Stormsurge
- Combine cost reduced from 950 gold to 900, total cost unchanged.
- Movement speed reduced from five percent to four percent.
- Stormraider bonus movement speed reduced from 35 percent to 25 percent.
- Stormraider bonus movement speed duration reduced from two seconds to 1.5 seconds.
- Squall base damage increased from 140 to 150.
- Squall AP ratio reduced from 20 percent ability power to 15.
Stridebreaker
- Combine cost increased from 700 gold to 750, total cost unchanged.
- Attack damage reduced from 50 to 40.
- Attack speed reduced from 30 percent to 25 percent.
- Removed: Temper: Dealing physical damage grants you 20 bonus move speed for two seconds.
Sundered Sky
- New Recipe: Tunneler plus Caulfield’s Warhammer plus Ruby Crystal plus 500 gold ( total cost 3,100 gold).
- Health reduced from 450 to 400.
- Attack damage reduced from 45 to 40.
- Ability haste reduced from 15 to 10.
- Lightshield Strike heal attack damage ratio reduced from (Melee 120 percent/Ranged 60 percent) base attack damage to (Melee 100 percent/Ranged 50 percent) base attack damage.
Sunfire Aegis
- Immolate base damage per second increased from 15 to 20.
- Immolate health ratio per second reduced from 1.75 percent bonus health to one percent bonus health.
- Immolate minion damage increased from 125 percent to 150.
- New effect: Immolate now deals 150 percent damage to monsters.
- Removed: Damaging enemy champions or epic monsters with Immolate no longer grants a stack for five seconds that increases subsequent Immolate damage by 10 percent, stacking up to six times for a 60 percent increase.
Terminus
- Combine cost increased from 1,000 gold to 1,100, total cost unchanged.
- Attack damage reduced from 35 to 30.
The Brutalizer
- No longer builds into Serylda’s Grudge.
The Collector
- Total cost increased from 3,200 gold to 3,400, combine cost increased from 300 gold to 500.
- Lethality reduced from 12 to 10.
Thornmail
- New Recipe: Bramble Vest plus Chain Vest plus Ruby Crystal plus 450 gold (total cost 2,450 gold).
- Health reduced from 350 to 150.
- Armor increased from 70 to 80.
- Thorns base damage increased from 10 to 15.
- Thorns armor ratio reduced from 25 percent bonus armor to 15 percent bonus armor.
Titanic Hydra
- New Recipe: Tiamat plus Tunneler plus Giant’s Belt plus 50 gold (total cost 3,300 gold).
- Health increased from 550 to 600.
- Attack damage reduced from 50 to 40.
- Cleave on-hit damage reduced from (Melee 1.5 percent/Ranged 0.75 percent) maximum health to (Melee one percent/Ranged 0.5 percent) maximum health.
Total Biscuit of Everlasting Will
- Removed: No longer restores eight percent missing mana over five seconds.
- Health restoration increased from eight percent missing health over five seconds to 12 percent.
- Now matches restoration for manaless champions.
Trailblazer
- Total cost reduced from 2,500 gold to 2,400, combine cost reduced from 900 gold to 800.
- Health increased from 200 to 250.
- Movement speed reduced from five percent to four.
Trinity Force
- Combine cost increased from 33 gold to 133, total cost unchanged.
- Health increased from 300 to 333.
- Attack damage reduced from 45 to 36.
- Attack speed reduced from 33 percent to 30.
- Ability haste reduced from 20 to 15.
Tunneler
- Now builds into Spear of Shojin.
Umbral Glaive
- Combine cost increased from 500 gold to 550, total cost unchanged.
- Ability haste reduced from 15 to 10.
Unending Despair
- Health reduced from 400 to 350.
- Armor increased from 55 to 60.
Verdant Barrier
- Magic resistance reduced from 30 to 25.
Voltaic Cyclosword
- Total cost increased from 2,900 gold to 3,000, combine cost increased from 863 gold to 963.
Warden’s Mail
- Rock Solid damage base reduction increased from five to 15.
- Rock Solid damage reduction no longer scales with 3.5 per 1,000 maximum health, capped at a 20 percent reduction.
Warmog’s Armor
- Movement speed reduced from five percent to four.
- Warmog’s Heart bonus movement speed reduced from five percent to four.
Winged Moonplate
- Health increased from 150 to 200.
- Movement speed reduced from five percent to four.
- Now builds into Hullbreaker.
Wit’s End
- Combine cost increased from 500 gold to 550, total cost unchanged.
- Attack speed reduced from 55 percent to 50 percent.
- Magic resistance reduced from 50 to 45.
- Fray damage changed from 40-80 (based on level) to 45 at all levels.
Youmuu’s Ghostblade
- New Recipe: Serrated Dirk plus Rectrix plus Pickaxe plus 150 gold (total cost 2,800 gold).
- Haunt bonus movement speed reduced from (Melee 40 percent / Ranged 20 percent) to 20 percent.
Yun Tal Wildarrows
- New Recipe: B.F. Sword plus Noonquiver plus 600 gold (total cost 3,200 gold).
- Serrated Edge damage changed from 35 percent attack damage to 70.
Zeal
- Total cost increased from 1,100 gold to 1,200.
- Combine cost increased from 200 gold to 350.
- Movement speed reduced from five percent to four percent.
Zeke’s Convergence
- Frostfire Tempest damage per tick reduced from 12.5 to 7.5, max damage reduced from 250 to 150.
Zhonya’s Hourglass
- Combine cost increased from 400 to 450.
- Ability power reduced from 120 to 105.
We’ll update this lengthy League list if any other impact items are confirmed.
