Patch 10.4 Notes
Hello to everyone except those who aren't my friend.
Before we dive into the patch changes, a quick PSA-- patch 10.4 will not be going live until February 20 due to the holidays!
In this patch, we're breaking top Sona and Soraka since they're grossly overpowered in the lane. Additionally, we're making larger changes to the jungle champion pool and giving some traditionally non-jungler champions better tools to do so if they want. This way, we're diversifying the arguably small champion pool for veteran and new players. And finally, we're making Aphelios a little easier to understand not just for the person playing him, but for his opponents too.
Take this portal if you're looking for TFT's patch notes!
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/avatars/shioshoujo-icon.png)
Mid-Patch Updates
21/2/2020
Tahm Kench
21/2/2020 Tiamat and Ravenous Hydra Bugfix & Immolate Items, Sona, and Soraka Balance Changes
Poppy
Rengar
Sona
Soraka
Immolate
20/2/2020 Viktor Bugfix
Viktor
19/2/2020 Trundle/Bami's Cinder Bugfix
Trundle
Patch Highlights
Champions
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Amumu.png)
Amumu
Q dash speed increased. R cooldown decreased and now stops dashes.
These buffs, plus the Immolate changes (spoiler alert!) in 10.4 should help Amumu as he tries to play with the big boys.
Q - Bandage Toss
R - Curse of the Sad Mummy
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Aphelios.png)
Aphelios
Players can now see both of Aphelios' guns. Calibrum no longer resets basic attack timer after consuming a mark. Crescendum sentries die faster. R range decreased.
Aphelios is the galaxy brain marksman whose kit has a billion things you have to learn, but he's stressing out opponents who can't understand what he's doing and seems to be lacking adequate counter play at higher ranked games. Better clarity will lead to a drop in Aphelios' performance since opponents will more frequently make correct decisions, but we also threw some raw nerfs with a focus on making sure opponents have successful ways to catch him and beat him up.
Weapons of the Faithful
Calibrum, the Sniper Rifle
Crescendum, the Chakram
R - Moonlight Vigil
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/AurelionSol.png)
Aurelion Sol
W active star damage decreased.
Like Sailor Star Maker during the time of Sailor Moon Stars, Aurelion Sol's "Star Gentle Creator" is a little weaker this patch.
W - Celestial Expansion
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Caitlyn.png)
Caitlyn
Bonus AS at level 1 increased.
Sharpening (can you sharpen guns?) Caitlyn's early game harass potential since she's sitting in a pretty weak spot right now.
Base Stats
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Garen.png)
Garen
Increased Q empowered basic attack damage ratio. Increased W resistances after max from enemy kills. W shield increased.
Our goal is to bring back build diversity for Garen, specifically buffing his tankier builds while keeping his damage-oriented builds still viable. To that point, there is a change missing in this section that's included in the Jungle Champions section instead, so look below for that!
Q - Decisive Strike
W - Courage
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Gnar.png)
Gnar
Base MS increased. Passive Mini Gnar MS decreased. R damage ratios increased.
Similar to Garen, we have a jungle Gnar-specific change which you could find in the Jungle Champions section. But generally, we're looking to power him up a little bit, specifically when he's Mega Gnar, since he's feeling a bit underwhelming even has a huge hulking monster.
Base Stats
Passive - Rage Gene
R - GNAR!
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Jayce.png)
Jayce
Base mana and mana growth increased. Q base damage increased.
Jayce should now be able to cast more abilities to fend off his opponents.
Base Stats
Q - To the Skies!
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Lux.png)
Lux
Q damage increased; cooldown decreased early. Lux can now Flash while casting R.
Buffing support Lux to give players the option to viably take her bot lane.
Q - Light Binding
R - Final Spark
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Rammus.png)
Rammus
Base AS and AS ratio increased.
Ok.
Base Stats
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Singed.png)
Singed
Base health and armor decreased.
Singed was pumped up on his plant-based potion before it was cool. While his healthy libations have been letting him conquer the top lane, we're going to make his triumphs a bit more risky by reducing his early tankiness.
Base Stats
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Sona.png)
Sona
Auras now grants Sona mana at first ally tag. Q, W, and E costs increased.
I don't play her top anyways.
Q - Hymn of Valor
W - Aria of Perseverance
E - Song of Celerity
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Soraka.png)
Soraka
Base stats adjusted. Q self-heal, Rejuvenation heal duration, and bonus movement speed decreased; Q cost increased. W health cost decreased when Rejuvenated; heal increased later.
Chipping away at Soraka's top lane potency as she's the winningest top laner at the current moment. We also want to keep the impact on her support lane minimal as she’s not overperforming there.
Base Stats
Q - Starcall
W - Astral Infusion
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Sylas.png)
Sylas
Q damage increased later.
Sylas has been doing well after our large changes in 10.1 and we're less worried about him taking over pro games, so we can give him some more power.
Q - Chain Lash
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/champion/Udyr.png)
Udyr
Time between stance changes decreased per Cloud Drake buff.
Udyr currently doesn't benefit at all from Cloud Drake so we're fixing that.
Passive - Monkey's Agility
Jungle Champions
One trend we've seen over the years is that new and low-MMR players pick jungle at a much lower rate than other positions—even when it's stronger than those other positions. For 10.4, we're approaching this problem by giving some popular champs at these skill levels better tools to jungle with, especially also because jungle has an arguably smaller champion pool than other positions. While players here will still have to contend with the learning curve of jungle as a position, they won't have to learn to play a new champion as well. All the changes below are to ability effectiveness against monsters to avoid accidental impacts to lane strength.
As a caveat, we're investigating other solutions to help out jungle and the satisfaction of playing the role in the future too, so look forward to seeing more from us outside of these changes.
Darius
Diana
Garen
Gnar
Mordekaiser
Talon
Zed
ICYMI: 10.3 Follow-up Changes
These were all documented as mid-patch updates for 10.3, but we wanted to include them in case you missed them!
Akali
Lucian
Yuumi
Runes (and Exhaust)
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/10.3.1/img/spell/SummonerExhaust.png)
Exhaust
Small buffs to Exhaust as well as readability improvements.
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2020/january/pn104/Hail_of_Blades_rune.png)
Hail of Blades
Attempting to broaden Hail of Blades' use cases since it's currently taken specifically by junglers who can chain their CC abilities with their basic attacks.
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2020/january/pn104/Legend-_Alacrity_rune.png)
Legend Runes
We've seen Bloodline all too often as the dominant pick for ADCs, especially in pro, all last year. We're slowing down all the Legend runes' stacking for minion farming vs. champion killing since Bloodline specifically relies on stacking up. And since pros get more of their stacks from farming than kills compared to everyone else, this should be most impactful at that level of play.
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2020/january/pn104/Perfect_Timing_rune.png)
Perfect Timing
Currently, a lot of players are taking Perfect Timing since it builds into core items on so many different types of champions (mages [Zhonya's], AD champs [Guardian's Angel], and tanks [Gargoyle Stoneplate]). Don't get us wrong, we are happy to see it, but there's much more satisfaction as a player and as a spectator when it's used aggressively rather than defensively.
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2020/january/pn104/Phase_Rush_rune.png)
Phase Rush
Attempting to broaden the rune since it's currently only being taken by ranged mages with extremely low cooldowns.
![](https://am-a.akamaihd.net/image?f=https://news-a.akamaihd.net/public/images/articles/2020/january/pn104/Prototype-_Omnistone_rune.png)
Prototype: Omnistone
These keystones are really hard to trigger at level 1.
Immolate Items
Getting some more satisfaction and activity out of Sunfire's pattern.
Bami's Cinder
Cinderhulk
Sunfire Cape (and Forgefire Cape)
Slow Resistance Calculation Adjustment
We're making an adjustment to how slow resistance stacks on a champion to match Tenacity stacking. Now, slow resistance will stack multiplicatively instead of linearly. As an example of the change, two 30% slow resistance effects will now reduce slows by 51% rather than 60%.
Login Region Selector
We've talked a bunch in the past months about the switch to globally unique Riot Accounts and usernames. Starting later in 10.4, you’ll need to use those unique Riot Accounts, since the region selector on the login screen will disappear. When you log in, you'll automatically be directed to the server associated with your account (so if you log in using your PBE account, you’ll be sent straight to PBE). You’ll also be able to change your language by going to the settings on the login screen (the little cog on the bottom right). Worth noting: if your account isn’t globally unique when this change goes through, you’re going to need to update it on this website before you log in to the game.
Crash Reporting
We have a new crash handling system going live this patch which will automatically collect crash data to help diagnose issues. Crash reports help us improve the game because it alerts us when something goes wrong! You can opt out of the automatic crash reports collection by clicking the Settings (gear icon) in-client. There, look under General and toggle off the option. Thanks for helping us help you! Read more about Crash Reporting on the Player Support website.
Bugfixes
- Bird of Prey Anivia's W - Crystallize is now using its proper skin
- Fixed an issue where Dr. Mundo's damage penalty was not properly applying in ARAM
- Pyke's, Cho'Gath's, and Urgot's execute indicators appear as intended and are properly visible
- PROJECT: Pyke's W - Ghostwater Dive is no longer missing its PROJECT HUD screen overlay
- Pulsefire Caitlyn's R - Ace in the Hole UI overlay now properly appears when she casts the ability
- PROJECT: Vayne's R - Final Hour HUD no longer disappears prematurely
- Removing a friend, being removed by someone else, or being blocked by someone else will no longer break the Social panel and chat window
- Sett now properly becomes Unstoppable and suppresses Tahm Kench when casting R - The Show Stopper while Tahm Kench casts W - Devour
- Attacking a non-revealed R - Noxious Trap from Teemo with Umbral Glaive will now properly do triple damage
- Qiyana's R - Supreme Display of Talent no longer breaks Unstoppable animations/abilities when cast in the river or in a brush
- Sett's E - Facebreaker will only stun enemies if he successfully grabs one on each side
- When Qiyana casts R - Supreme Display of Talent towards a wall just barely within Yasuo's W - Wind Wall, she should no longer be able to successfully explode the targeted wall
- Champions will no longer be in a T-pose for the remainder of the game if they get eaten by Tahm Kench’s W - Devour
- Battle Boss Qiyana's Passive - Royal Privilege cooldown indicator is no longer barely visible in brush
- Abilities that cannot target allies will not proc Guardian
- Lee Sin's abilities now properly count per use towards Electrocute
- Wukong can properly cast R - Cyclone even after he's used it immediately before getting killed by a knock-up
- Vi's Q - Vault Breaker will no longer cause her next basic attack to fail triggering runes
Upcoming Skins & Chromas
The following skins will be released this patch. Grab the League Displays app for full-res splash art!
The following chromas will be released this patch: