League of Legends Patch 8.5 arrives next week, and although it isn’t nearly as large and impactful as Patch 8.4, it’s nothing to scoff at.
Highlights of the patch include the brand new champion Kai’Sa, a unique marksman that can build AD, attack speed, or AP to evolve her abilities and playstyle. Illaoi is also receiving a skin for the first time since her release in 2015, and Olaf might be getting a buff just large enough to make him not terrible. That’s all on top of the usual balance changes to fix up problematic champions (looking at you, Tristana).
Take a look at everything you can expect from League’s Patch 8.5 on March 7 with our master list of changes pulled straight from the official patch notes.
Kai’Sa
Kai’Sa is an all-or-nothing marksman that was forced to use skin from a creature in the Void to survive her time spent there, resulting in a human-Voidling hybrid. By building AD, attack speed, or AP, her abilities change to support different playstyles. She’ll be most at home as a mid laner or traditional ADC, but she has potential as a jungler.
Abilities
Passive: Second Skin
Caustic Wounds:
“Kai’Sa’s basic attacks mark enemies with Plasma, dealing increasing bonus magic damage. After a few successive attacks, the Plasma ruptures for a burst of damage based on the target’s missing health. Nearby allies’ immobilizing effects add stacks of Plasma.”
Living Weapon:
“Kai’Sa’s symbiote-suit adapts to her chosen attack style, evolving her abilities based on permanent stats gained from shop items and experience level.”
Q: Icathian Rain
“Kai’Sa releases a swarm of missiles evenly distributed among nearby enemies, with additional hits on the same target dealing slightly reduced damage. Nearby allies’ immobilizing effects add stacks of Plasma.”
Living Weapon:
“With enough bonus Attack Damage, Icathian Rain fires significantly more missiles.”
W: Void Seeker
“Kai’Sa fires off a beam of Void energy, revealing the first enemy hit, dealing magic damage, and applying stacks of Plasma.”
Living Weapon:
“With enough bonus Ability Power, Void Seeker deals more damage and partially refunds the cooldown on champion hit.”
E: Supercharger
“Kai’Sa charges up, briefly increasing her movement speed but losing the ability to attack. After charging up, Kai’Sa whips out the big guns to increase her attack speed for a few seconds. Basic attacks reduce Supercharger’s cooldown.”
Living Weapon:
“With enough bonus Attack Speed, Supercharger briefly grants true invisibility while charging up.”
R: Killer Instinct
“Kai’Sa dashes at extremely high speed with long range to a location near an enemy champion marked with Plasma and briefly gains a damage-absorbing shield.”
Skin
Bullet Angel Kai’Sa – 1350 RP
Login Theme
Voice
Items
Banner of Command
- Siege minions’ bonus damage to turrets from both Banner of Command and Baron buff no longer stack.
Shurelya’s Reverie (Returning item, delayed until after 8.5)
- Provides 40 AP.
- Provides 200 health.
- Provides 10 percent CDR.
- Costs 2100 gold.
- Unique passive grants eight percent movement speed boost.
- Unique active: “Grants yourself and nearby allies +40 percent Movement Speed for 3 seconds. (60 second cooldown).”
Locket of the Iron Solari (Delayed until after 8.5)
- Active ability replaced. New active: “After a brief delay, creates a protective field at your location for eight seconds. Allied champions within the field are dealt 35 percent less damage (90 second cooldown).”
Cinderhulk
- Bonus health multiplier decreased.
Warmog’s Armor
- Health threshold to trigger passive significantly raised.
Hextech GLP-800
- Active damage and slow increased.
Champions
Buffs
Jhin
- Passive bonus AD increased.
- W can now root off of ultimate’s damage.
- AD ratio on Bouncing Grenades increased at later levels.
Nocturne
- Paranoia enemy vision effect extended by two seconds, and effect remains active until Nocturne reaches target.
- Passive healing and cooldown refund on-hit increased.
- Duskbringer missile speed increased.
Olaf
- Cooldown lowered and AD ratio increased on Reckless Swing.
- AD provided by Ragnarok increased from 40-100 flat AD to 15-25 flat AD plus 30 percent total AD.
Rengar
- Lockout time between abilities and empowered abilities lowered slightly.
- Ferocity falls off more slowly.
- Savagery base damage increased.
- Savagery AD scaling decreased at lower levels but increased at later levels.
Shyvana
- AD per level increased.
Swain
- Death’s Hand cooldown significantly lowered at early levels.
- Vision of Empire radius increased.
- Nevermove radius increased.
- Champions can no longer block Demon Flare missiles.
Twitch
- Contaminate base damage increased.
Zoe
- Attack range increased by 25 units.
- Paddle Star no longer applies More Sparkles! damage at all, but its base damage and AP scaling are being significantly buffed, and AoE explosion deals 80 percent damage.
- Paddle Star now also gains more base damage from Zoe’s levels.
- Spell Thief spell acquisition range increased by 25 units.
- Spell Thief base damage and AP scaling significantly buffed.
Nerfs
Azir
- Sand soldiers from Conquering Sands base damage lowered 10-30 damage depending on ability rank.
Galio
- Winds of War cooldown and mana cost increased.
Ryze
- Spell Flux damage increased at early levels, but deals half damage upon spreading.
- Realm Warp cooldown increased by 60 seconds.
Skarner
- Fracture stun duration decreased slightly (very slightly).
Volibear
- Majestic Roar knockback duration reduced.
Tweaks
Tristana
- Range lowered.
- Rocket Jump base damage significantly increased.
Runes
Precision/Domination
- AD/AP bonus provided by this rune path have been increased.
Aftershock
- Cooldown raised significantly.
Press the Attack
- Damage amplification increased at early levels.
Conqueror (Delayed until after 8.5)
- New Precision keystone rune
- Assumed temporary icon
- “After 4 seconds in combat, your first attack against an enemy champion grants you 10 – 60 AD, based on level, for 4s and converts 20 percent of your damage to champions to true damage for the duration.”
- Buff refreshes on-hit for melee champions.
Fleet Footwork
- Healing only 30 percent effective on minions.
Skins
Resistance Illaoi – 1350 RP
Miscellaneous
- Hextech Chests will now only drop shards for champions worth 4800 BE or more.
- When getting a ward skin from a Hextech Chest, bonus OE will be included.
- Ultimate and Mythic skin drops from Hextech Chests will no automatically redeem themselves to permanent skins at no cost to you.
- Champion mastery level six cost reduced to 2450 BE, level seven reduced to 2950 BE.
- Turret damage to melee minions increased.
- New emotes:
- Open parties releasing 8.5:
- Cloud Drake buff changed from flat out-of-combat movement speed to “+(2 / 4 / 6) percent Movement Speed, tripled when out of combat.”
- Premade voice chat is not shipping with Patch 8.5.
- Battlecast Cho’Gath, Resistance Illaoi, and Bullet Angel Kai’Sa chromas.
