League of Legends Patch 14.9: Champion Hitbox Rework, Fighter Nerfs
Lead Gameplay Designer for League of Legends Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison just revealed what's coming in LoL patch 14.9.
This update is targeted at the ranked queues and aims to address several issues following the Mid-Season Invitational 2024 patch 14.8 and its impact on the game. Patch 14.9's key changes include adjustments to fighter items, with three receiving nerfs and two receiving a stat boost. Additionally, Riot is standardizing champion hitboxes to improve consistency with their in-game models across all platforms.
Riot Games is finally tackling the issue of power creep in League of Legends, a gradual increase in the strength of characters, items, or abilities, which can render older content obsolete. Their approach prioritizes:
- Champions causing excessive frustration, even if they're not technically complex, like Master Yi.
- Champions with high mastery and win rates exceeding 50%, indicating imbalance.
- Champions teetering on the edge of being overpowered for an extended period of matches, despite being technically balanced.
Draven, for instance, falls into the first category. While not overpowered, his presence in the meta can be extremely frustrating, leading Riot to closely monitor him to reduce player frustration over time.
LoL Patch 14.9 Champion Buffs
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LoL Patch 14.9 Champion Nerfs
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Is Reworked Skarner OP in League of Legends?Skarner is facing another round of nerfs in League of Legends Patch 14.9 due to his strong performance in the jungle, following adjustments made in Patch 14.8's hotfix that ended up boosting him too far.
Riot Phroxzon noted that Skarner's effectiveness is particularly pronounced at level 9, leading to an imbalance between roles. The team aims to balance his viability between jungle and top lane, with a focus on promoting healthy lane dynamics in the latter. |
LoL Patch 14.9 Adjustments
- Akshan
- Bel’Veth
- Janna
- Nilah
LoL Patch 14.9 Item Changes
System buffs
- Death’s Dance
System nerfs
- Eclipse
- Sundered Sky
- Sterak’s Gage
System adjustments
- Hexdrinker
- Maw of Malmortius
Sterak’s Gage, Eclipse, and Sundered Sky have long been too dominant in their respective slots. After the nerf, they should offer more competition against Black Cleaver and Death's Dance for both heavy and light fighters.
These changes aim to reduce Maw of Malmortius's status as a definitive counter to magic damage champions. The adjustments will allocate more defensive power to its shield, offering a more balanced defensive option against magical threats.
Riot Reworks Champion Hitboxes
Riot Games acknowledged the long-standing inconsistency in champion hitboxes, with David “Riot Phreak” Turley coming out to spearhead the changes and make sure the League of Legends community is heard. The goal here is to make champions more consistent to click on for both attacking and selecting, aligning hitboxes with their actual size. For instance, Warwick and Briar will no longer have hitboxes the size of Yordles, and Viktor won't be significantly larger to click on than Leona, as explained by Riot Phroxzon. |
Stay tuned for more League of Legends news and updates.
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