February 15, 2023 The full patch preview has now been added.
The League of Legends patch 13.4 update is just around the corner, and developer Riot Games has shared its plans for the MOBA game’s upcoming version. According to Summoner’s Rift team lead Matt ‘Phroxzon’ Leung-Harrison, players are in for more tweaks to the balance between ranged and support champions in the support role, “optimal jungle pathing”, and much more.
Taking to Twitter to share the changes, Phroxzon says that, in addition to the aforementioned changes, 13.4 will address “early snowballing” and flatten “some healing”. To help rebalance the support role, a buff to the Relic Shield item line and nerf to Spellthief’s currently on the PBE should give an overall boost to melee-focused supports.
Meanwhile, kill and kill comeback experience, as well as the Treasure Hunter rune have all been nerfed. This theoretically should slow down the rate at which players snowball, giving teams more of a chance to wrestle back control of a game. You can see the full change list below.
As with any LoL patch, there is also the usual suite of specific buffs and nerfs to champions. This time around we’re seeing seldom-seen picks like Cho’Gath, Malphite, and Riven get some love. Conversely, staples like Azir, Elise, and Jax are all taking a hit to their power. Kennen was originally due to get a buff this patch, though this has been pushed back.
Once again, Maokai could be one of the biggest losers on the patch. Not only is the Twisted Treant getting nerfed for the second patch in a row, but the jungle clear speed of Demonic Embrace – a core item on the spooky tree – is also taking a hit. So be warned if you’re looking to take him into your LoL ranks games when the patch eventually drops.