Patch 13.14 Overview

Patch 13.14 Notes

Welcome to the exciting summer event of League of Legends: Soul Fighter! Riot Games has been tirelessly working to bring you a plethora of fresh content including a new game mode, an in-client metagame, and a unique line of fighters adorning the novel Soul Fighter skinline.

Look out for Naafiri, the latest champion from Riot, aiming to establish her reign as the dominant force on the Rift. This patch also signifies the commencement of Ranked Split 2. Be sure to go through the Mid-Season Ranked Reset details provided further in the article. It provides information on the kick-off times and the numerous changes coming to the ranked gameplay, such as the introduction of the Emerald tier.

Riot has also included a regular update in this patch. This week, they are subtly increasing the carry potential in the top lane, diminishing the power of early jungle ganks, and slightly reducing bot lane mobility. Riot has also incorporated some helpful QoL modifications for Zyra, Xerath, and Lissandra, some assassin tuning, and an additional set of ARAM balance tweaks.

Mid-Season Ranked Reset

Ranked Rewards

With the release of patch 13.14, Riot Games will begin distributing Season 2023 Split 1 Rewards. All rewards should be distributed by the end of patch 13.15, on August 14th.

Ranked End and Start Dates

The first-ever mid-season ranked reset is here. Riot is committed to ensuring accurate dates and times for the gaming community to plan accordingly. Here are the critical deadlines:

• July 18, 2023, at around 3:00 AM Local Time: Ranked queues will reopen. However, ranked games will not count towards either Split 1 or Split 2 rewards. During this period, your Split 1 rank will still be valid. Use this time to relax or begin preparations for Split 2.
• July 19-21, 2023 (Time Varies): Your rank will reset and Split 2 will commence! Consult the following table to find your region's specific Split 2 start time:

Ranked Changes in Split 2

In case you missed it, Split 2 will introduce several significant alterations to the ranked climb experience:

• The promotional series between divisions has been removed
• The number of placement games needed has been cut down from 10 to 5
• Riot Games has added the Emerald tier, a new rank that fits between Platinum and Diamond

To read more about this, check out this article.

Master+ Duo Queue Restrictions

The restriction on duos in Ranked Solo/Duo with an MMR of Masters or above will be disabled until patch 13.15. However, duo restrictions based on visible rank will still be in place, preventing a player who reaches Master or above from duoing.

Soul Fighter

New Game Mode: Arena

The wait is over! The new 2v2v2v2 game mode is launching this patch, and Riot Games is thrilled for everyone to try it out. In the new Arena game mode, four teams of two players each battle one another in rotating combat rounds. After each round, they gain strength with unique Augments until only one team remains. The combat takes place on four diverse battlefields varying in size, terrain density, and theme. Champions from the Soul Fighter universe occasionally make cameo appearances, providing help or hindrance.

If you think you have what it takes to be the top Gladiator on the leaderboard, it's time to prove yourself in the Arena!

Tournament of Souls

Tournament of Souls is an in-client combo-battler with a focus on style-rating. As Samira, you earn Reputation by playing League games. This enables you to face new opponents and unlock new abilities for Samira, facilitating further progress in the tournament. The goal is to emerge as the champion by defeating all ten opponents. You can claim rewards after each victory and take on new challenges after unlocking the Story and Expert difficulty levels.

Champion Update Notes

In an effort to balance the game, Riot Games has rolled out updates to several champions. These updates will impact a variety of factors, such as damage, strength, and overall gameplay.

Aatrox

Aatrox hasn't been performing optimally since last year, demonstrated by a low win rate among most players and a distinct absence from Pro play. Riot aims to restore Aatrox's power without relying on sustainability alone. This update will increase his AD ratios and wave clear power to enhance his carrying capacity in the late game.

• Q - The Darkin Blade: 
  • First Cast Damage has been changed from 10/30/50/70/90 (+60/65/70/75/80% AD) to 10/25/40/55/70 (+60/70/80/90/100% AD) (Note: This will be a buff at 0/100/100/100/100 AD. The 2nd cast of Q will still deal 25% more than base damage and the 3rd cast will still deal 50% more.)
  • Minion Damage Modifier has been updated from 55% to 55/60/65/70% (levels 1/6/11/16)

Diana

Since her previous adjustments, Diana's been underperforming. Riot Games aims to improve Diana's ability to translate leads into wins by enhancing her higher damage builds and early jungle health/laning power.

• W - Pale Cascade: 
  • Shield Strength: Changed from 40/55/70/85/100 (+25% AP) (+9% bonus health) to 45/60/75/90/105 (+30% AP) (+9% bonus health)
  • Magic Damage per Orb: Altered from 18/30/42/54/66 (+15% AP) to 18/30/42/54/66 (+18% AP)
• E - Lunar Rush: 
  • Magic Damage: Increased from 50/70/90/110/130 (+50%) to 50/70/90/110/130 (+60%)

Hecarim

Currently performing a bit too well in solo queue, Hecarim's tendency to build high damage while leaning on his inherent durability is a concern. Riot Games is reducing his W resistances to tone down his robustness when he doesn't directly invest in more durability stats.

• W - Spirit of Dread: 
  • Bonus Armor and Magic Resist: Reduced from 15/20/25/30/35 to 5/10/15/20/25

Jax

Jax has been a reliable top laner in both Pro and solo queue. Riot Games has decided to increase his E cooldown and R mana cost due to upcoming Shojin buffs and to limit the frequency of his impactful abilities.

• E - Counter Strike: 
  • Cooldown: Changed from 14/12.5/11/9.5/8 seconds to 15/13.5/12/10.5/9 seconds
• R - Grandmaster-At-Arms: 
  • Mana Cost: Increased from 50 to 100

Karthus

Having emerged as a potent force, especially in the bot lane, Karthus' dominance and growing popularity have necessitated a few adjustments. Riot Games aims to maintain his jungle power, while nerfing aspects of his kit that give him an advantage in the lane, such as early non-monster damage and mana refunds.

• Q - Lay Waste: 
  • Magic Damage: Reduced from 45/62.5/80/97.5/115 (+35% AP) to 43/61/79/97/115 (+35% AP)
  • Monster Damage Modifier: Increased from 95% to 100%
• E - Defile: 
  • Mana Restoration on Enemy Takedown: Lowered from 15/25/35/45/55 to 10/20/30/40/50

Kindred

Kindred has proven to be a top-tier jungler in high-skill brackets. Despite previous nerfs, their performance hasn't been sufficiently affected in high MMR games. Riot plans to further reduce Kindred's base damage and Q cooldown, predominantly impacting elite players who typically utilize their Q ability more frequently.

• Base Stats: 
  • Base Health: Increased from 580 to 610
  • Base Armor: Increased from 26 to 29
• Q - Dance of Arrows: 
  • Physical Damage: Lowered from 50/75/100/125/150 (+75% bonus AD) to 40/65/90/115/140 (+75% bonus AD)
  • Cooldown: Increased from 8 seconds to 9 seconds

Lissandra

Riot aims to streamline Lissandra's gameplay with this update, making her Frozen Thralls more responsive and ensuring her Q ability matches player expectations. Additionally, her R healing has been increased to make it a more effective self-casting spell in the late game.

• Passive - Iceborn Subjugation: 
  • Thrall Movement: Changed from thralls stopping at final frames before exploding to thralls continuing to chase their targets until they explode
  • New feature: Thralls will now follow enemies into Brush if they were already being chased down by the Thrall
  • New feature: Thralls are revealed to enemies through Fog of War
• Q - Ice Shard: 
  • Slow Application: Updated from Q slowing the first enemy hit to Q now slowing all enemies hit
  • Ice Shard Missile: Q will cast from position post-cast rather than pre-cast
• R - Frozen Tomb: 
  • Heal Amount: Increased from 90/140/190 (+25% AP) (increased by 0-100% based on missing health) to 100/150/200 (+55% AP) (increased by 0-100% based on missing health) (Note: Maximum heal value will be at 30% or less health now instead of 0% health.)
  • Damage and Slow Application Cadence: Changed from 4 times per second to 16 times per second
  • Dash Interactions: Updated logic slightly around stopping dashes

Milio

While Milio is fairly balanced for most players, there are concerns about his potential to dominate Pro play. Riot Games intends to reduce some of the pro-skilled parts of his kit that significantly scale with coordination and ally skill level, while preserving his distinctive abilities.

• Passive - Fired Up!: 
  • Burn Damage: Reduced from 25-80 (based on level) (+20% AP) to 15-50 (based on level) (+20% AP)
• E - Warm Hugs: 
  • Bonus Movement Speed: Decreased from 15/17.5/20/22.5/25% to 12/14/16/18/20%

Rek'Sai

Continuing adjustments due to her overwhelming early gank power, Rek'Sai is receiving further tweaks. With a focus on preserving her target access, Riot Games is reducing the ease of securing kills with her.

• W - Un-burrow: 
  • Physical Damage: Reduced from 55/70/85/100/115 (+80% bonus AD) to 50/65/80/95/110 (+80% bonus AD)
• E - Furious Bite: 
  • Physical Damage: Lowered from 55/60/65/70/75 (+85% bonus AD) to 5/10/15/20/25 (+70% total AD)

Rell

While the previous patch succeeded in its intended adjustment of Rell's roles, Riot Games found that her strength as a support was not sufficiently nerfed. They aim to achieve a more balanced yet still potent role for Rell through these changes.

• Base Stats: 
  • Base Armor: Decreased from 39 to 36
• Passive - Break the Mold: 
  • Armor and Magic Resist Steal: Decreased from 3% to 2%
  • Minimum Armor and Magic Resist Steal: Lowered from 1.25-3 (based on champion level) to 0.8-2 (based on champion level)
  • Maximum Armor and Magic Resist Steal: Reduced from 15% to 10%

Rengar

In response to Rengar's performance in high-level games and dominance in the top lane, Riot Games is implementing changes aimed at providing more counterplay opportunities against him.

• Base Stats: 
  • Health Regeneration per 5 seconds: Reduced from 7 to 6
• Q - Savagery: 
  • Critical Strike Damage Conversion: Lowered from 95% to 75%

Shaco

Adjustments to items that play key roles in Shaco's full AD assassin builds have resulted in him struggling to finish kills. Riot Games' changes are aimed at addressing this issue and restoring some of his lost power.

• Q - Deceive: 
  • Bonus Physical Damage: Increased from 25/35/45/55/65 (+50% bonus AD) to 25/35/45/55/65 (+60% bonus AD)
  • Backstab Bonus Critical Strike Damage: Raised from 40% to 55%
• R - Hallucinate: 
  • Bugfix: Prowler's Claw's passive will now correctly be applied to Shaco's clone
• Bugfixes: 
  • Not So Fast Dragon: Shaco boxes will no longer instantly die to Hextech Dragon’s lightning AoE
  • Zip Zap No More: Zeri’s Q bullets will now deal the correct amount of damage to Shaco’s boxes

Zyra

As a popular character cherished by many, Riot Games aims to refine Zyra's gameplay to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience. Changes include tweaks to her jungle role, as well as adjustments for ranged AoE users.

• Passive - Garden of Thorns: 
  • Plant Damage from AoE Spells: Reduced from 4 to 3
  • Plant Damage from Ranged Auto Attacks: Increased from 4 to 5
  • Plant Damage to Monsters: Changed from 150% damage to non-Epic monsters to 40-100 bonus magic damage to all monsters (scales with champion level)
• W - Rampant Growth: 
  • Seeds on First Rank-Up: Increased from 1 to 2
• E - Grasping Roots: 
  • Flash Interaction: E no longer locks Zyra out of using Flash during the cast time
• R - Stranglethorns: 
  • Damage Application Cadence: Increased from 4 times per second to 16 times per second
  • Casting Logic: Zyra will now immediately cast her R at its maximum range instead of walking to the position at which her R was cast

Item Adjustments

With the intention of improving the overall gameplay experience and balance, Riot Games has implemented several modifications to the various items in the game. The alterations range from tweaking stats to changing overall functions, providing players with a fresh and improved gaming experience.

Axiom Arc

Riot Games acknowledges that a few lethality items have not been performing as expected. The adjustment to Axiom Arc is aimed at transforming it into an exciting lethality capstone with a strong potential to enable assassins to push games to a close almost solo. They will be testing these changes closely to ensure balance.

• Ultimate Cooldown Refunded: Changed from 20% of total cooldown to 5% (+40% of total Lethality). This will be a buff at Mythic item + Axiom Arc, scaling up to ~40% at full build.

Galeforce

Riot is reducing the impact of Galeforce's active ability to bridge the power gap at higher levels of play, where AD carries are slightly overpowered. With the slight buff to Infinity Edge in this patch, champions like Caitlyn and Jinx can simply sidegrade to another Mythic option.

• Cooldown: Increased from 90 seconds to 120 seconds.

Infinity Edge

Changes to Infinity Edge are being made to increase the satisfaction players get from using the item. While it is roughly power-neutral as a second item, it trends towards providing 3-4% more auto attack DPS in full builds. The adjustment is aimed at making auto attack crits more prominent.

• Attack Damage: Reduced from 70 to 65.
• Critical Strike Damage: Increased from 35% to 45%.

Prowler's Claw

To ensure that Prowler's Claw can serve as a premium damage carry item for lethality assassins, Riot has decided to increase its baseline lethality to match alternative lethality options.

• Lethality: Increased from 15 to 18.

Randuin's Omen

Due to its current unpopularity compared to other items, Randuin's Omen is being modified to increase its attractiveness. The changes are focused on enhancing its unique features rather than adjusting its raw stats.

• Critical Strike Damage Reduction: Increased from 20% to 25%.

Spear of Shojin

Riot aims to make Spear of Shojin a more attractive choice for fighters by reducing its gold cost and increasing its HP offering. This should make the item a more viable option for users like Jax or Hecarim.

• Total Cost: Reduced from 3400 gold to 3300 gold.
• Health: Increased from 300 to 350.

Spirit Visage

The adjustments to Spirit Visage are designed to improve its general viability by increasing the amount of base stats it offers.

• Magic Resistance: Increased from 50 to 60.

Statikk Shiv

Riot is adjusting the balance of Statikk Shiv by decreasing its wave clear while compensating with a buff to its base stats.

• Attack Speed: Increased from 25% to 30%.
• Electroshock Minion Damage: Modified to 250-350 (250 + 10 per level starting at level 9).

Sterak's Gage

With the aim of increasing fighter agency during the later stages of the game, Sterak's Gage is getting a health buff and a cost reduction. This should make it a strong option for fighters involved in large team fights.

• Total Cost: Reduced from 3100 gold to 3000 gold.
• Health: Increased from 400 to 450.

Trinity Force

The modifications to Trinity Force are designed to shift its strengths towards fighters who cannot maintain target access for long. While the changes are relatively light, they aim to balance the item for marksmen while still allowing fighters to deal tons of damage.

• Attack Speed: Reduced from 35% to 33%.
• Attack Damage per Stack: Changed from 4% to 3% + 3%.
• Maximum Threefold Strike Stacks: Reduced from 5 to 3 (Maximum AD decreased from 20% to 18%).

Summoner Spell Adjustments

Ghost

Ghost, having been identified as an incredibly strong Summoner Spell and the preferred choice for bot laners, is being adjusted. Riot aims to balance the power of Ghost and prevent it from contributing too significantly to the snowball effect of the winning team. The duration extension, which benefits ranged champions disproportionately, is being removed, while the base duration is being increased.

• Duration: Increased from 10 seconds to 15 seconds.
• Duration on Takedowns: Removed the feature where Ghost extends its duration by 4-7 seconds upon getting a takedown.

Adjustments to Jungle Buffs

In this patch, Riot Games aims to address the power of early jungle ganks. It is crucial for junglers to pose a threat and maintain their relevance, however, their current effectiveness is considered to have swung too much in their favor. Double buffs often accompany their first ganks, making jungle ganks more successful than desired in the early game. As such, these buffs are being reduced slightly. A late-game compensation to Blue Buff is also being introduced to make it more valuable as a late-game objective, given that only Red Buff tends to matter in the late game currently.

Riot acknowledges that they don't have immediate solutions to directly improve the top lane experience, but they aim to incrementally work towards this. Lowering the success of early game ganks, which often target the top lane, is a step in this direction.

Crest of Cinders

• Burn True Damage: 10-78 (linear scaling based on level) ⇒ 10-75 (remains at 10 damage for levels 1-5, then increases in increments of 5 per level)
• Melee Slow: 10/15/20% (levels 1/6/11) ⇒ 5/10/15/20% (levels 1/6/11/16)
• Ranged Slow: 5/7.5/10% (levels 1/6/11) (Note: Unchanged)

Crest of Insight

• Ability Haste: 10 ⇒ 5/10/15/20 (levels 1/6/11/16)

ARAM Adjustments

This patch will focus on tweaking the performance of champions who are clearly overperforming or underperforming in ARAM. Riot is also aiming to reduce modifiers on a few champions who don't necessarily need a buff or nerf but have room for modifier reductions. Adjustments for champions like Ashe, Vi, and Quinn are aimed at improving their ADC build and testing alternative levers to avoid boosting their damage dealt and damage reduction too much.

Buffs

• Aphelios: 100% Damage Dealt ⇒ 105% Damage Dealt
• Ashe: 85% Damage Dealt ⇒ 90% Damage Dealt
• Vi: 0 Ability Haste ⇒ 10 Ability Haste
• Quinn: 0 Tenacity ⇒ 20% Tenacity

Nerfs

• Ezreal: 100% Damage Dealt ⇒ 95% Damage Dealt
• Nautilus: 108% Damage Taken ⇒ 110% Damage Taken
• Rek'Sai: 85% Damage Taken ⇒ 90% Damage Taken
• Renekton: 105% Damage Dealt ⇒ 100% Damage Dealt
• Ryze: 90% Damage Taken ⇒ 95% Damage Taken
• Sona: 90% Healing Done ⇒ 85% Healing Done, 90% Shielding Done ⇒ 85% Shielding Done

Themed Clash: The Void Cup

The Void Cup Clash is scheduled to begin this weekend. As a humorous aside, there are rumors that if you can assemble 9 void champions, you will have Baron on your team (disclaimer: this is purely a joke. Baron will not be joining any player teams). Registration begins on July 17th at 11:00 AM local time, with the tournament dates set for July 22nd and 23rd, roughly from 4-7 PM local time, depending on the region.

A few reminders about the changes coming to Clash this split:

• Clash tournament cadence has been reduced from twice to once per month (with 2 Clash days per tournament)
• Clash Capsule and Orb rewards will now be distributed based on total wins throughout the tournament and not placement position
• Players will receive double the VP every time they win, while the amount of VP required for each reward will remain the same
• Riot plans to host at least one Non-Summoner’s Rift Clash tournament per year
• The Clash schedule for Split 2 2023 is now live
• VP needed for the Clash-related Challenges has been adjusted accordingly

Conclusion

In conclusion, this article details various adjustments Riot Games is implementing in the new patch. The adjustments cover several areas, including reducing the power of early jungle ganks, modifying various attributes of the Crest of Cinders and Crest of Insight, as well as tweaking the performance of certain champions in ARAM. Additionally, it announces the upcoming Void Cup Clash and reminders about the changes in the Clash tournament structure. These updates are expected to create a more balanced and exciting gaming experience. 

For more context on these changes, you may want to reference the prior patch overview available at https://handleveled.com/blog/patch-1313-overview.