With the January cyber attack well in the rear-view mirror, the League of Legends update cycle is finally back on track, and next up is League Patch 13.4. This time, Riot is looking to really take a bite out of the developing Season 13 meta.
Now that the Riot balance team is back on schedule—following accidentally breaking the entire patch system last week—the developers’ eyes are turning to balance plans, including ranged vs. melee supports in the bottom lane, locking in optimal jungle paths, and healing.
According to League dev boss Matt “Phroxon” Leung-Harrison, who unveiled his 13.4 plans on Twitter on Feb. 13, the Riot team wanted to get “lots of changes for champions” into this patch to make up for the rocky last few weeks. One focus there is snowballing—several champions are enjoying a little too much power if they win early, and Riot wants to curb that in February.
On top of the League gameplay changes, the design teams have been hard at work brewing up more Astronaut cosmetics and chromas.
Here’s everything you need to know about League Patch 13.4.
All changes in League of Legends Patch 13.4
21 League champs hit with buffs and nerfs
The last few weeks may have been a bit all over the shop as the League team dealt with the fallout from the cyber attack, but no one can accuse them of keeping it slow once the problems were all resolved.
This time, in Patch 13.4, the Riot balance squad is hitting nearly two dozen champions, ranging from Veigar, Cho’Gath, and Viego (all getting buffed) to Riven, Samira, Jax, and Amumu. There’s a healthy split too, with nine nerfs and eleven buffs planned for the February change list.
Thresh stands out for special treatment this cycle too, with Riot wanting to shuffle around how Chain Warden players pick his abilities each game.
Read: League devs targeting ranged support meta with 13.4 changes
Riot wants better melee vs. ranged support balance
The long Riot gaze has descended on bot lane this week, though after several rounds of balancing changes for AD carries, it’s actually the other half of the duo that is getting tweaked in late February.
Per Leung-Harrison, the League team wants to figure out a healthier way to have both ranged and melee characters coexisting in the supporting role.
To try and bring parity in the southern lane, essential support items like Relic Shield, Steel Shoulderguards, Spellthief’s Edge, Spectral Sickle, and Targon’s Buckler are all getting several changes. These are mostly themed around mana, tribute charge times, and how powerful the item stats are in the early game.
Read: Melee supports get helping hand as Riot looks to balance role
New round of Astronaut skins land in League
Five new League skins are crash-landing on the Rift this patch, with Fizz, Ivern, Kennen, Singed, and Xerath each acquiring a new version of the Astronaut cosmetics. These out-of-this-world upgrades will all set players back 1,350 RP if they want to unlock them.
Here are the new skins:
- Astronaut Fizz (1,350 RP)
- Astronaut Ivern (1,350 RP)
- Astronaut Kennen (1,350 RP)
- Astronaut Singed (1,350 RP)
- Astronaut Xerath (1,350 RP)
These Astronaut skins are set to go live during the League Patch 13.4 cycle.
Here are all the patch notes for League’s Feb. 23 update, which is now live on servers.
League Patch 13.4 patch notes
Champions
Ahri
- Base health increased from 570 to 590.
- Base armor increased from 18 to 21.
- R cooldown reduced from 140-90 to 130-80.
Alistair
- Passive heal increased from 6 percent to 7.
- Q ability power ratio increased from 70 percent to 80.
- W ability power ratio increased from 90 percent to 100.
Amumu
- Health growth reduced from 100 to 94.
- Armor growth reduced from 4.2 to four.
- W damage reduced from 6-14 (plus 1-2 percent max health) to 6-14 (plus 1-1.6 percent max health).
Anivia
- Health growth reduced from 96 to 92.
- Armor growth reduced from 5.2 to 4.9.
Annie
- Base health reduced from 594 to 560.
- E ability’s shield retaliation magic damage reduced from 30-90 (plus 40 percent AP) to 25-65 (plus 40 percent AP).
- R cooldown increased from 120-80 seconds to 130-100 seconds.
Aphelios
- Passive attack speed increased from 7.5-45 percent to 9-54 percent.
Aurelion Sol
- New effect added to Q: Canceling this ability within 0.25 seconds of casting it will lock the ability for 1 seconds.
Azir
- Mana changed from 480-837 to 380-992.
- W recharge increased from 9-6 to 10-6.
- E damage increased from 60-180 plus 0.4 to 60-220 plus 0.55.
- R damage increased from 175-475 plus 0.6 to 200-600 plus 0.75.
Cho’Gath
- Q mana cost reduced from 60 to 50, damage increased from 80-300 to 80-320.
- Armor growth increased from 4.7 to five.
- W mana cost reduced from 70-110 to 70-90.
Elise
- mQ base damage reduced from 70-210 to 60-180.
- mR Spiderling base damage changed from 10-25 to 8-26.
Gragas
- Q no longer reveals caster if enemies were in target radius on cast.
Jarvan IV
- W cooldown increased from eight seconds to nine, flat shield base attack damage scaling reduced from 80 percent to 70.
Jax
- Health increased from 685 plus 99 to 665 plus 100.
- E minimum damage ability power scaling reduced from 100 percent to 70, max total damage increased from 110-350 (plus 100 percent ability power plus four percent of target’s health) to 110-350 (plus 140 percent ability power plus eight percent of target’s total health).
- R passive base damage reduced from 80-160 to 60-160, active base armor reduced from 25-65 to 15-65 (active base magic resist always 60 percent of armor).
Kennen
- Removed from patch for “further investigation.”
Malphite
- W cooldown reduced from 12-10 to 10-8, attack armor ratio increased from 10 percent to 15, cone armor ratio increased from 15 percent to 20.
Maokai
- Q damage increased from 70-270 (plus 2-3 percent max health) to 70-270 (plus 2-4 percent max health).
- E cooldown increased from 10 to 14, damage reduced from 55-155 to 50-150, ability power ratio on E reduced from 0.35 (plus four percent slow per 100 ability power) to 0.25 (plus one percent slow per 100 ability power), health ratio increased 0.9 percent slow per 100 health to one percent slow per 100 health.
Orianna
- Base armor increased from 17 to 20.
- W mana costs reduced from 70-90 to 60-80.
Riven
- Passive damage changed from 30-60 percent total attack damage (at levels 1-18) to 30-60 percent total attack damage (now linear 1-18, plus 1.75 percent per level).
- Passive now deals damage to towers (50 percent effectiveness).
- Passive stacks now show under HP bar (Riven only).
Samira
- Passive haste per stack changed from 3.5 percent flat to 1/2/3/4 percent at levels one, six, 11, and 16 respectively. Max haste changed from 21 percent flat to six, 12, 18, and 24 percent.
- R lifesteal effectiveness reduced from 66.6 percent to 50.
Senna
- Attack speed ratio increased from 0.3 to 0.4.
- R base damage increased from 250-500 (plus 100 percent base attack damage, plus 70 percent ability power) to 250-550 (plus 115 percent base attack damage, plus 70 percent ability power), cooldown reduced from 160-120 seconds to 140-100.
Thresh
- Q damage increased from 100-280 (plus 80 percent ability power) to 100-300 (plus 90 percent ability power), cooldown reduced from 19-11 seconds to 19-9 seconds.
- W base shield reduced from 50-150 to 50-130, cooldown changed from 22-16 seconds to 21-17 seconds.
- E damage increased from 75-215 (plus 60 percent ability power) to 75-235 (plus 70 percent ability power).
Udyr
- Health growth reduced from 98 to 92.
- Base armor reduced from 34 to 31.
- Q on-hit ratio reduced from 30 percent base attack damage to 25 percent.
- R slow reduced from 25-40 percent to 20-35 percent.
Veigar
- Q missile range increased from 950 to 1,050, cast indicator increased from 900 to 1,000.
- W cast range increased from 900 to 950.
Viego
- Passive damage can now crit.
- R ratio increased from 3 percent missing health per 100 bonus attack damage to 5 percent missing health per 100 bonus attack damage.
Items
Bandleglass Mirror
- Item tier changed to Mythic from Epic.
Demonic Embrace
- New effect: Azakana Gaze’s damage is now capped at 40 damage per second against monsters.
Doran’s Shield
- Base regeneration reduced from four health per five seconds to four health per five seconds.
Relic Shield
- Health regeneration increased from 25 percent to 50.
Frostfang
- Mana regeneration reduced from 75 percent to 50.
- Tribute recharge timer increased from 10 to 12 seconds.
Harrowing Crescent
- Tribute recharge timer increased to 12 seconds from 10.
Relic Shield
- Base health regeneration increased from 25 percent to 50.
Runesteel Spaulders
- Health regeneration increased from 50 to 75 percent.
Shard of True Ice
- Mana regen reduced from 115 to 100 percent.
Slightly Magical Boots
- Sellback value reduced from 210 gold to 90.
Spellthief’s Edge
- Mana regeneration reduced from 50 percent to 25.
- Tribute recharge timer increased from 10 seconds to 12 seconds.
Spectral Sickle
- Tribute recharge timer increased from 10 to 12 seconds.
Steel Shoulderguards
- Health regeneration increased from 25 percent to 50.
Targon’s Buckler
- Health regeneration increased from 50 to 75 percent.
Runes
Magical Footwear
- Will now only sell for 30 percent of value of boots at 90 gold.
Grasp of the Undying
- Removed from patch.
Treasure Hunter
- Base gold reduced from 70 plus 20 to 50 plus 20.
- Total gold reduced from 550 to 450.
Triumph
- Removed from patch.
Systems
Jungle sustain/clear speed
- Base kill heal increased from 25 to 30.
- Base Gromp health reduced from 2,200 to 2,050.
- Rift Herald no longer has a soft reset state.
- Companion ability power ratio reduced from 15 percent to 12.
General
- Several fixes to missing buff icons.
- New character preloaded: “FireBuddyTeaserMinion.”
- “Global Wall Push” (used by player-created terrain) now has a tooltip: “Knocked Aside: This unit is being knocked aside. Weeee!”
- Experience for champion kills has been reduced at levels 3-8.
ARAM
- Snowball can now be cast while rooted (just to fire the missile, the follow-up Dash cannot).
Skins
Astronaut Fizz
Astronaut Ivern
Astronaut Kennen
Astronaut Singed
Astronaut Xerath
Update Feb. 22, 3pm CT: League patch 13.4 released.
Update Feb. 19 11:54pm CT: Added details on all new League skins.
Update Feb. 14 11:05pm CT: Added all item changes coming in League Patch 13.4.
Update Feb. 14 10:57pm CT: Updated League patch notes with detailed change list from Riot Phroxzon as posted on Twitter on Tuesday, Feb. 14.
Update Feb. 14 12:17am CT: Added several League PBE leaks.