Patch 11.23 notes

Dive deep into Preseason 2022 and deeper Into the Arcane!
Game Updates
ahrisoo, RiotAether

BOOM, baby! Preseason 2022 is here, and it's BIG!

Patch 11.23 brings sweeping changes to the Rift (literally and figuratively) with the new Chemtech & Hextech Drakes, 6 new items, 24 item updates, 3 changes to runes, and Objective Bounties! Ultimate Spellbook is also back with dozens of new Ult-ernates and a special treat for junglers.

We're also diving deeper Into the Arcane this week. Continue exploring the story behind Jinx & Vi with new events, thematic updates in-game, secret Council Archives, and interactive content online!

Preseason is our very own kind of Progress Days on the Rift. There are tons of experiments and discoveries to make—innovate your heart out!

Speaking of innovation, TFT's first balance patch of Gizmos & Gadgets is here. Read all about the change at the TFT patch notes here!
Jina “ahrisoo” Yoon Paul "RiotAether" Perscheid

Mid-Patch Updates

11/23/2021 Objective Bounties

The Objective Bounties system currently overvalues Dragons and Dragon Souls when determining leads, so we're adjusting their values accordingly. Additionally, damaging an objective with an active Objective Bounty will no longer reset the 15 second deactivation timer.

11/19/2021 Ultimate Spellbook & Evelynn Bugfix

Ult-ernate Summoner Spells

Mordekaiser R +35 Bonus Ability Haste ⇒ +15 Bonus Ability Haste
Olaf R +10 Bonus Ability Haste ⇒ 0 Bonus Ability Haste
Vex R Fixed a bug where taking Vex's R - Shadow Surge as their Ult-ernate Summoner Spell would sometimes cause issues for champions

Ultimate Spellbook Champion Buffs

ELISE +5% Damage Dealt, -5% Damage Taken
FIDDLESTICKS +5% Damage Dealt, -5% Damage Taken
NIDALEE +5% Damage Dealt, -5% Damage Taken, +20% Healing
NUNU & WILLUMP +5% Damage Dealt, -5% Damage Taken, +20% Healing
THRESH +5% Damage Dealt, -5% Damage Taken, +20% Shielding

Ultimate Spellbook Champion Nerfs

APHELIOS -5% Damage Dealt
MORDEKAISER +5% Damage Taken
RELL +5% Damage Taken ⇒ -5% Damage Dealt, +10% Damage Taken
SETT -5% Damage Dealt, +5% Damage Taken
WARWICK +5% Damage Taken
WUKONG +5% Damage Taken

Evelynn

BUGFIX Fixed a bug where Evelynn would appear translucent while in Passive - Demon Shade's stealth mode

11/18/2021 Objective Bounties & Bugfixes

Caitlyn

BUGFIX Fixed a bug where Caitlyn's recall would get interrupted if an enemy triggered one of her W - Yordle Snap Traps

Objective Bounties

We’re making it harder for Objective Bounties to come online. Losing teams will have to be even further behind for Objective Bounties to activate. Objective Bounties will also fall off faster once the losing team starts to catch up.

Hextech Drake

HEXTECH DRAGON SOUL Fixed a bug where Champion-created clones could proc Hextech Dragon Soul's chain lightning skill repeatedly, ignoring its cooldown

11/17/2021 Lulu & Caitlyn Bugfixes

Caitlyn

DOUBLE HEADSHOTS Fixed a bug where Caitlyn could sometimes fire multiple extended-range Headshots at targets marked by W - Yordle Snap Trap or E - 90 Caliber Net at very high attack speeds

Lulu

BUGPIX Fixed a bug where Pix would become targetable after Lulu travels through a Hexgate

Patch Highlights

Cafe Cuties Gwen, Cafe Cuties Soraka, Cafe Cuties Annie, Cafe Cuties Bard, Cafe Cuties Sivir, and Cafe Cuties Vladimir will be available December 2, 2021. Players will be able to earn Arcane Caitlyn starting November 22, 2021 and Arcane Jinx starting November 24, 2021 for a limited time.

Into the Arcane

Every legend has a beginning, and we hope you're enjoying Arcane's. But there's even more to the lore than just the show! Check out all the Arcane-inspired League of Legends content below and in Into the Arcane.
  • The Council Archives: Can't get enough of Arcane? Well, don't worry, because there's more! Dig into Jayce and Vi's backstories by checking around the Council Archives in the League client to learn more about the characters.
  • Ultimate Spellbook: IT'S BACK! The return of this summer's popular rotating game mode is back with brand new Ult-ernate spells galore, many of which belong to the characters of Arcane. Check out the Ultimate Spellbook section for more details.
  • League of Legends Avatar Creator: So maybe it's not enough to know Arcane—maybe you want to be Arcane. You're in luck: The League of Legends Avatar Creator is now up and running! Head over to the client or on the web to create your avatar to customize, save, and share.
  • Summoner's Rift Accents: Arcane has taken over Summoner's Rift and Howling Abyss! Minions and turrets alike have gotten a makeover for RiotX Arcane. Maybe you’ve also noticed new Arcane-themed loading screens, quotes, and in-game music. These accents will last until December 9, 2021.
  • Caitlyn ASU: Caitlyn's also getting a major visual update this patch along with small upgrades for Jayce and Jinx, too. Talk about progress, huh? More details on that way, way below.

Objective Bounties

Objective Bounties are another way for losing teams to get back into the game, in addition to Champion Bounties. They grant extra gold rewards for taking objectives when a team is far behind, and are designed to be hard to claim—but not impossible! We still want the winning team's leads to matter, so losing teams will have to capture multiple objectives in order to cash out, because a single bounty won't pay out very much. We hope that Objective Bounties will allow you to execute big brain strats to equalize the game, rather than having to wait around to capitalize on your opponent's mistakes.

Objective Bounties activate only when a team is sufficiently behind and objectives that'll pay out bounties are highlighted on the minimap for both teams. If the losing team takes an objective with an active bounty, each of its members will receive Objective Bounty gold.
Objective Bounties are calculated in the background based on four factors: XP lead, Gold lead, Dragon lead, and Turret lead. When they activate, each objective available to the team that's behind gains a bounty. Bounties start at the following, split evenly amongst all five team members.
BARON & ELDER DRAGON 500 gold
DRAKES & RIFT HERALD 500 gold
OUTER TURRET 250 gold
INNER TURRET 400 gold
BASE TURRET 400 gold
As the losing team falls farther behind, these base amounts can increase up to an additional 60%. The exact bounty for each reward will be visible under the losing team's objective icons in the tab-menu.
Blue team is behind; the additional gold they'll get for taking an objective is listed below each objective's icon
Objective Bounties activate 15 seconds after a team falls below the threshold and deactivate 15 seconds after they rise above it. This deactivation timer extends if the losing team remains in combat with an objective that has an active bounty.

Jungle Changes

We're introducing two new dragons to Summoner's Rift, complete with new buffs, souls, and terrain effects. The selection rate of Chemtech Rift and Hextech Rift terrains will be temporarily doubled during patch 11.23 only so you can try out the new map changes and dragon souls more frequently during preseason.
new

Chemtech Drake

Chemtech Drake is all about playing on the edge, taking calculated risks, and fighting for every scrap. The Chemtech Dragon Soul encourages you to go big or go home, and trade your life for high value plays.
CHEMTECH DRAKE BUFF Grants up to 5% bonus damage per stack against enemies with 340-1020 (your level 1-18) more current health than you
CHEMTECH DRAGON SOUL When a team obtains the Chemtech Dragon Soul, they receive a buff that grants them a brief second life upon their next death. Champions revive with 80% of their base health + 50% of their bonus health and gain 75/30% (melee/ranged) decaying Move Speed. Revived champions take 40% less damage, deal 33% less damage, and take damage equal to an ever-increasing percent of their starting health every 0.25 seconds
You might notice that Chemtech Soul is similar to the Ruined Drake buff from Ultimate Spellbook this summer, and it is!
CHEMTECH RIFT Gas zones emerge in four jungle locations that camouflage any champion within it. Champions within the zone deal up to 10% more damage to enemies who have more current health than them. Maximum damage is achieved when at 340-1020 (based on the attacker's level) less health than them
CAMOUFLAGE Camouflaged enemies are not revealed by regular vision wards, but are revealed by Control Wards, Scryer’s Blooms, and effects that reveal invisible units. They're also revealed while you're standing near them
new

Hextech Drake

Hextech Drake is all about controlling the map, flanking your foes, and trapping the enemy team for a wombo combo. The Hextech Dragon Soul grants a unique lightning that slows down enemies, allowing you to control teamfights and chase down stragglers.
HEXTECH DRAKE BUFF Grants 5 Ability Haste and 5% attack speed per stack
HEXTECH DRAGON SOUL When a team obtains the Hextech Drake Soul, they gain a chain lightning slow on their next basic attack or ability that deals 25-75 true damage (based on champion level 1-18), bounces to 3 additional targets, and slows units hit by 45/35% (melee/ranged) (+5% per 1000 bonus health, +1% per 100 AP, +3% per 100 bonus AD) for 2 seconds (8 second cooldown)
HEXTECH RIFT Pairs of Hex-gates appear across the map which allow champions to quickly travel from one location to its paired counterpart. Hex-gates are activated with a brief channel that can be interrupted by immobilizes or damage. Each pair of Hex-gates has a 30 second individual cooldown per champion

Cloud Drake

The Cloud Drake buff wasn’t getting much love this year, despite being very powerful. It was hard to tune because it needed to give a lot of ultimate Ability Haste to be a powerful reward, but not so powerful that it’d completely warp the game. So we're making some adjustments. Run like the wind! (Cloud Dragon Soul and Cloud Rift are unchanged.)
CLOUD DRAKE BUFF 12 Ultimate Ability Haste ⇒ +3.5% out-of-combat Move Speed, +3.5% slow resistance

Rift Scuttler

The first Rift Scuttler spawn has been too impactful in deciding the outcome of the early game, so we're reducing its importance with lessened XP. Now that it's squishier (and tinier), you can defeat it more easily and scuttle back to safety sooner.
BABY BUG The first Rift Scuttler will now have 35% reduced health, grants 80% reduced XP, and has been slightly reduced in size to match its lower value. (Note: The 80% reduced XP does not impact the bonus XP granted by the Huntsman passive on jungle starter items.)

New Items

We’re adding some new items for mages, tanks, bruisers, and assassins, who have all been lacking meaningful options since the item system update last preseason.

Crown of the Shattered Queen

Mages have often felt at the mercy of their bursty foes with little else to do but hide on the far side of teamfights or hope their Stopwatch is enough to survive. This new Mythic lets them sacrifice some early damage for the chance to live longer—especially in the early game, when a completed Zhonya’s may not be a good option.
TOTAL COST 2800 gold
BUILD PATH Lost Chapter + Kindlegem + Amplifying Tome + 265 gold
ABILITY POWER 70
HEALTH 250
MANA 600
ABILITY HASTE 20
SAFEGUARD (PASSIVE) You are Safeguarded, reducing incoming champion damage by 75%. Safeguard persists for 1.5 seconds after taking champion damage (40 second cooldown, restarts upon taking damage from an enemy champion)
POISE (PASSIVE) While Safeguarded and for 3 seconds after it’s broken, gain 10-40 (based on your champion's level) ability power
MYTHIC PASSIVE Grants all other Legendary items 1% Move Speed and 8 ability power

Evenshroud

Tanky supports felt pigeonholed into one Mythic (Locket of the Iron Solari) which was a purely defensive tool. We're adding another Mythic for those who want to focus more on engaging offensively instead of relying on Locket's anti-burst.
TOTAL COST 2500 gold
BUILD PATH Kindlegem + Aegis of the Legion + 300 gold
HEALTH 200
ABILITY HASTE 20
ARMOR 30
MAGIC RESIST 30
CORUSCATION After immobilizing champions or being immobilized, cause that target and all nearby enemies to Repent, increasing the damage they take by 12% for 5 seconds
MYTHIC PASSIVE Grants all other Legendary items 5 armor and 5 magic resist

Axiom Arc

Prior to the Youmuu’s Ghostblade buffs in patch 11.17, there weren’t many options for assassins to pick up Ability Haste. Axiom Arc is a new Legendary item designed to be the Ability Haste pick-up while also allowing ability-focused assassins to snowball a lead.
TOTAL COST 3000 gold
BUILD PATH Serrated Dirk + Caulfield’s Warhammer + 800 gold
ATTACK DAMAGE 55
ABILITY HASTE 25
LETHALITY 10
FLUX (PASSIVE) Whenever an enemy champion dies within 3 seconds after you've damaged them, refund 25% of your ultimate’s total cooldown

Shadowflame

Offensive options for mages have been quite narrow, especially for those who wanted Legendary items to simply deal more damage. Shadowflame should let you blow up your opponents and will be extra spicy against those who stop your damage with shields on shields on shields.
TOTAL COST 3000 gold
BUILD PATH Hextech Alternator + Needlessly Large Rod + 700 gold
ABILITY POWER 100
HEALTH 200
CINDERBLOOM (PASSIVE) Damage to champions benefits from 10-20 magic penetration based on the target’s current health. (Maximum value at 1000 or less health, minimum value at 2500 or more health.) Gains the maximum magic penetration if the target was recently affected by shields

Winter's Approach

Tanks who need mana can really struggle during teamfights as they slowly grind through their mana bars. Let the spell spamming commence. (Thanks, Wild Rift!)
TOTAL COST 2600 gold
BUILD PATH Tear of the Goddess + Kindlegem + Ruby Crystal + 1000 gold
HEALTH 400
MANA 500
ABILITY HASTE 15
AWE (PASSIVE) Gain bonus health equal to 8% mana
MANA CHARGE (PASSIVE) Strike a target with an ability or auto attack to consume a charge and gain 3 bonus mana, doubled if the target is a champion. Grants a maximum of 360 mana at which point this item transforms into Fimbulwinter

Fimbulwinter

BUILD PATH This item upgrades from Winter's Approach upon reaching Mana Charge's maximum bonus 360 mana.
HEALTH 400
MANA 860
ABILITY HASTE 15
AWE (PASSIVE) Gain bonus health equal to 8% mana
EVERLASTING (PASSIVE) Slowing (melee only) or immobilizing an enemy champion consumes 3% of current mana and grants a shield for 3 seconds, absorbing 100-200 (+5% current mana) damage (8 second cooldown). The shield is increased by 80% if more than one enemy is nearby

Tank Items

Tank Mythics sort of feel like reskins of each other right now, and the choices aren't very cool or satisfying—just a bunch of different ways to burn people. These updates should create more distinction while still giving you the durability you need to succeed. We also gave the tank Mythic passives a bit more health so your stats progress better throughout the game.

Tank Legendaries had a different issue where the MR options felt really light aside from Spirit Visage, so we're heightening the fantasies of other choices like Force of Nature and Abyssal Mask.

Bami's Cinder

Immolate was meant to help with waveclear but would instead often throw off your CSing because your own minions would steal the last hits. We’re adding a small QoL helper to help you miss fewer of them. This update takes effect on all items that have the passive.
updatedIMMOLATE (PASSIVE) Now also executes minions that would be killed by one more tick of Immolate

Frostfire Gauntlet

In order to differentiate the Immolate tank Mythics, we've shifted some of Frostfire's power into its "signature" effect—the Snowbind AoE passive. This chunky hit should make chasing down and debilitating enemies much more satisfying. Caution: Icy surface ahead!
updatedSNOWBIND (PASSIVE) Basic attacks a create frost field that slows enemies. ⇒ Basic attacks create a frost field for 1.5 seconds that deals 20-100 (+0.5% max health) magic damage to all enemies in the area. Enemies that move across the field are slowed (slow rate and cooldowns unchanged)
IMMOLATE (PASSIVE) Unchanged
MYTHIC PASSIVE Unchanged

Turbo Chemtank

Turbo Chemtank's Immolate effect often felt more like a requirement for jungle clear rather than an interesting passive. We're shifting the item's power into one big explosion, which should make it the go-to option for gankers and initiators that just gotta go fast.
SUPERCHARGED (ACTIVE) Unchanged
newREFUEL (PASSIVE) Moving and dealing damage fills up the Chemtank. At 100 stacks, your next basic attack deals 40-120 (+1% max health, +3% Move Speed) magic damage to all nearby enemies (increased by 25% against minions and 175% against jungle monsters).
removedIMMOLATE (PASSIVE) Deals magic damage to nearby enemies upon taking or dealing damage
updatedMYTHIC PASSIVE Empowers each of your other Legendary items with 5 Ability Haste and 50 health

Sunfire Aegis

Sunfire Aegis is the most expensive tank Mythic, yet its stats are a bit underwhelming. We're buffing up its durability to match its cost.
TOTAL COST 3200 gold (unchanged)
HEALTH 350 (unchanged)
ABILITY HASTE 20 (unchanged)
ARMOR 30 ⇒ 35
MAGIC RESIST 30 ⇒ 35
FLAMETOUCH (PASSIVE) Unchanged
IMMOLATE (PASSIVE) Unchanged
updatedMYTHIC PASSIVE Empowers each of your other Legendary items with 5% slow resist, 5% tenacity, and 50 health

Abyssal Mask

Last season’s Abyssal Mask was powerful for champs who could use its Immobilize effect, and pretty much those champs only. We've reshaped it to be more of a hybrid offense/defense tool that shines against magic damage comps or large teamfights. It should also be an exciting choice for some AP bruisers and battlemages!
TOTAL COST 2700 (unchanged)
BUILD PATH Giant's Belt + Negatron Cloak + 900 gold ⇒ Kindlegem + Spectre's Cowl + 650 gold
HEALTH 400 ⇒ 450
newABILITY HASTE 10
MAGIC RESIST 60 ⇒ 30
updatedUNMAKE (PASSIVE) Immobilizing enemy champions increases the damage they take by 15% for 5 seconds ⇒ Curse nearby enemy champions, reducing their magic resist by 5 + 1% bonus health (max 20). For each cursed enemy, gain 7 magic resist

Force of Nature

Force of Nature was meant to fill the void Adaptive Helm left behind, but its value straddles between stacking resistances and movement speed. We've condensed and buffed its effects a bit; it should now be the go-to option when facing heavy magic damage comps or high-DPS mages like Ryze or Cassiopeia.
HEALTH 350 (unchanged)
MAGIC RESIST 60 ⇒ 70
MOVE SPEED 5% (unchanged)
updatedABSORB Taking ability damage grants bonus Move Speed and magic resist, stacking up to 5 times. Each unique ability gives 1 stack ⇒ Taking magic damage from enemy champions grants a stack of Steadfast (max 6) for 5 seconds. Enemy immobilizing effects grant an additional 2 stacks
newDISSIPATE While at 6 stacks of Steadfast, take 20% reduced magic damage and gain 10% increased Move Speed

Knight's Vow

Knight's Vow was unpopular despite being powerful all year. We've returned the ally heal so that Pledge feels more like a mutual partnership rather than a selfless sacrifice. We've also sharpened the damage reduction to work better against burst damage, and removed the movement speed boost.
HEALTH 400 (unchanged)
BASE HEALTH REGEN 300% ⇒ 150%
ABILITY HASTE 10 (unchanged)
PLEDGE (ACTIVE) Unchanged
updatedSACRIFICE (PASSIVE) While your Worthy ally is nearby and you are above 30% of your maximum health, redirect 15% of the damage they take to you. If they are below 50% of their maximum health, gain 35% bonus Move Speed towards them ⇒ While your Worthy ally is nearby, redirect 10% of damage they take to you and heal for 8% of the damage they deal to champions. If they have less than 30% health, redirect 20% of damage they take to you instead

Aegis of the Legion

We're dropping the price of Aegis to make it more accessible in tank builds, especially for supports. Sunfire Aegis and Locket of the Iron Solari are still strong, so their total costs are unchanged. Gargoyle Stoneplate is relatively weak compared to others though, so it's inheriting the discount.
TOTAL COST 1500 gold ⇒ 1400 gold

Gargoyle Stoneplate

TOTAL COST 3300 gold ⇒ 3200 gold

Locket of the Iron Solari

COMBINE COST 200 gold ⇒ 300 gold (total cost unchanged)

Mage Items

Mage item choices have been pretty limited this season, especially for AP bruisers and some battlemages. We're making a few options less generic but otherwise opening up items to appeal to all AP users.

Everfrost

We want to offer a cheaper tier of Mythics for AP mana users who don't need "luxury" damage options right away, so we're bringing Everfrost’s price down to match the new mage Mythic, Crown of the Shattered Queen. This way, mana users can opt into cheaper items if they need an earlier spike.
TOTAL COST 3200 gold ⇒ 2800 gold
BUILD PATH Kindlegem + Lost Chapter + Blasting Wand + 250 gold ⇒ Kindlegem + Lost Chapter + Amplifying Tome + 265 gold
ABILITY POWER 80 ⇒ 70
HEALTH 250 (unchanged)
MANA 600 (unchanged)
ABILITY HASTE 20 (unchanged)
GLACIATE (ACTIVE) Unchanged
updatedMYTHIC PASSIVE Grants all other Legendary items 15 ability power ⇒ 10 ability power

Demonic Embrace

Demonic Embrace should be a core item for AP bruisers, battlemages, and tanks who want more damage. It wasn’t fulfilling that role very well, so we’re removing its stacking resistance, boosting it for melees, and giving it a new passive that will make those tanky AP builds shine.
ABILITY POWER 70 ⇒ 60
HEALTH 350 ⇒ 450
updatedAZAKANA GAZE (PASSIVE) Dealing ability damage burns enemies for (2% for melee / 1.2% for ranged) max health magic damage every second for 4 seconds. No longer grants bonus resistances while enemies burn
newDARK PACT (PASSIVE) Gain 2% of your bonus health as ability power

Archangel's Staff

Archangel's and Seraph's were basically just big powerful sticks of AP and mana this year. We're pushing them to better fit spell-slinging battlemage and bruiser playstyles.
TOTAL COST 3000 gold (unchanged)
BUILD PATH Tear of the Goddess + Amplifying Tome + Needlessly Large Rod + 915 gold ⇒ Tear of the Goddess + Kindlegem + Blasting Wand + 950 gold
ABILITY POWER 65 ⇒ 60
newHEALTH 200
MANA 500 (unchanged)
updatedAWE (PASSIVE) Grants ability power equal to 3% bonus mana ⇒ Gain Ability Haste equal to 0.5% bonus mana
MANA CHARGE (PASSIVE) Unchanged

Seraph's Embrace

BUILD PATH This item upgrades from Archangel's Staff upon reaching the maximum 360 bonus mana
ABILITY POWER 65 ⇒ 80
newHEALTH 250
MANA 860 (unchanged)
updatedAWE (PASSIVE) Gain ability power equal to 3% bonus mana ⇒ Gain Ability Haste equal to 1.3% bonus mana
updatedEMPYREAN (PASSIVE) Increase your maximum mana by 5% (+ 2.5% per 100 AP) ⇒ Restore health equal to 40% of mana spent, up to 25-50 +10% ability power per cast. Toggles can restore the same amount per 1 second

Cosmic Drive

Cosmic Drive was strong throughout the season… but not very exciting. We're amping up the fantasy of this move-fast-cast-fast item and making its passive available way sooner.
TOTAL COST 3000 gold (unchanged)
BUILD PATH Fiendish Codex + Kindlegem + Ruby Crystal + 865 gold ⇒ Fiendish Codex + Aether Wisp + Ruby Crystal + 850 gold
ABILITY POWER 80 ⇒ 75
HEALTH 200 ⇒ 250
ABILITY HASTE 20 ⇒ 30
newMOVE SPEED 5%
updatedSPELLDANCE (PASSIVE) If you have at least 160 ability power, gain 20 Ability Haste and 20 bonus Move Speed ⇒ Damaging a champion with 3 separate attacks or spells grants 20% Move Speed (decaying to 10%) and 40 ability power until leaving combat

Horizon Focus

Horizon Focus was a pretty niche, glass-cannon item that essentially gave long-range mages a lot of bonus damage. We're broadening its use case so that more champs feel happy picking it up.
TOTAL COST 3000 gold (unchanged)
BUILD PATH Hextech Alternator + Needlessly Large Rod + 700g ⇒ Hextech Alternator + Fiendish Codex + 1050 gold
ABILITY POWER 115 ⇒ 85
newHEALTH 150
newABILITY HASTE 15
updatedHYPERSHOT (PASSIVE) Now also applies Hypershot to slowed enemy champions

Void Staff

Void Staff was a very powerful but generic purchase for amping up your AP and melting through MR. We’re shifting some of its power to its magic penetration so it’s not a one-stop-shop for mages who buy it.
TOTAL COST 2700 gold ⇒ 2800 gold
BUILD PATH Blighting Jewel + Blasting Wand + 700 gold ⇒ Blighting Jewel + Blasting Wand + 800 gold
ABILITY POWER 70 ⇒ 65
MAGIC PENETRATION 40% ⇒ 45%

Doran's Ring

We’re adding an incentive to Doran’s Ring for champions who want to get aggressive in lane. We still want champions to have access to mana in tough matchups, so we’re keeping the base mana regeneration relatively high—now there's just a bonus treat for dueling.
FOCUS (PASSIVE) Unchanged
updatedDRAIN (PASSIVE) Killing a unit restores 6 mana. If you can’t gain mana, restore 3 health instead ⇒ Restore 0.75 mana every second. Damaging an enemy champion increases this amount to 1.25 mana every second for 10 seconds. If you can’t gain mana, restore 50% of the value as health instead

Hextech Alternator

Hextech Alternator was one of many AP damage items that were a bit too glass cannon-y. We're trading some of its AP for durability. This change affects Horizon Focus and the next three items, all of which build from Hextech Alternator.
TOTAL COST 1050 gold (unchanged)
BUILD PATH Amplifying Tome + Amplifying Tome + 180 gold ⇒ Amplifying Tome + Ruby Crystal + 215 gold
ABILITY POWER 40 ⇒ 25
newHEALTH 150
REVVED (PASSIVE) Unchanged

Hextech Rocketbelt

TOTAL COST 3200 gold (unchanged)
BUILD PATH Ruby Crystal + Hextech Alternator + Blasting Wand + 900 gold ⇒ Amplifying Tome + Hextech Alternator + Blasting Wand + 865 gold

Night Harvester

TOTAL COST 3200 gold (unchanged)
BUILD PATH Ruby Crystal + Hextech Alternator + Blasting Wand + 900 gold ⇒ Amplifying Tome + Hextech Alternator + Blasting Wand + 865 gold

Lethality Items

While assassins were strong, their Mythics felt lackluster. Many assassins were opting into Mythics like Goredrinker or Stridebreaker, and some rushed Legendaries like Youmuu's before their Mythic. We're not opposed to flexing into unique builds, but building a Lethality Mythic first was almost always the weaker option. We're reducing the gap between Mythics and Youmuu's for melee Lethality users, while ranged Lethality users should be relatively unaffected.

Duskblade of Draktharr

TOTAL COST 3200 gold ⇒ 3100 gold
BUILD PATH Serrated Dirk + Caulfield's Warhammer + 1000 gold ⇒ Serrated Dirk + Caulfield's Warhammer + 900 gold
updatedNIGHTSTALKER (ACTIVE) Bonus AD on next basic attack against an enemy champion deals 65 (+25% bonus AD) ⇒ 75 (+30% bonus AD) for melee / 55 (+25% bonus AD) for ranged (all else unchanged)

Eclipse

TOTAL COST 3200 gold ⇒ 3100 gold
BUILD PATH Serrated Dirk + Long Sword + Vampiric Scepter + 850 gold ⇒ Serrated Dirk + Long Sword + Vampiric Scepter + 750 gold
updatedEVER RISING MOON (PASSIVE) Cooldown for melee champions reduced from 8 seconds ⇒ 6 seconds (all else unchanged)

Prowler's Claw

TOTAL COST 3200 gold ⇒ 3100 gold
BUILD PATH Serrated Dirk + Caulfield's Warhammer + 1000 gold ⇒ Serrated Dirk + Caulfield's Warhammer + 900 gold
updatedSANDSWIPE (ACTIVE) The dash deals 65 (+25% bonus AD) ⇒ 75 (+30% bonus AD physical damage (all else unchanged)

Youmuu's Ghostblade

TOTAL COST 2900 gold ⇒ 3000 gold

Runes

newFirst Strike

First Strike is a new Inspiration keystone that gives you a huge damage and gold boost when you strike an enemy champion first, but nothing if they hit you first. It's been great for artillery champions and assassins during playtests, and we're excited to see you experiment with it! You can read more details behind its design here.
FIRST STRIKE (PASSIVE) Basic attacks or abilities against an enemy champion within 0.25 seconds of entering champion combat grants 5 gold and First Strike for 3 seconds, causing you to deal 10% extra damage against champions, and granting 100% (70% for ranged champions) of bonus damage dealt as gold. 25-15 second cooldown (levels 1-18)
NOT SECOND STRIKE If an enemy strikes you first, First Strike still goes on cooldown without providing any of its bonuses. (Unlike Banshee's Veil, subsequent damage won't keep restarting the cooldown)

removedPrototype: Omnistone

With the introduction of First Strike, it's also time we say goodbye to Prototype: Omnistone, a keystone that never really found a place in most players’ hearts. Its rules were too complex, and tinkering with it risked making it even harder to master. This left us in a tough spot where we couldn’t safely buff it because of its potential to warp gameplay in ways we weren't comfortable with.
removedPROTOTYPE: OMNISTONE (PASSIVE) Periodically grants a single use of another random keystone. After a keystone is used or has expired, another random keystone is granted

Glacial Augment

Some champions were using Glacial Augment's Freeze Ray to CC enemies before casting skillshots to guarantee a wombo combo, which—though clever—wasn’t the intended design. This updated version should appeal to tanks and some enchanters without removing skill expression. We think it'll be particularly useful to defend allies or amplify huge engages.
updatedGLACIAL AUGMENT (PASSIVE) Basic attacks on-hit periodically slow enemy champions ⇒ Immobilizing an enemy champion will cause 3 glacial rays to emanate from them towards you and other nearby champions, creating frozen lines for a few seconds that slow enemies for 35% (+5% per 10% heal and shield power) (+2% per 100 AP) (+2% per 100 bonus AD) and reduce their damage by 15% against your allies (not including yourself). The frozen lines last for 3 (+100% of the final duration of the immobilizing effect) seconds
removedFREEZE RAY (PASSIVE) Slowing an enemy champion with an item active creates a frozen line that slows all enemies within

Lethal Tempo

The keystones available for marksmen felt a little flat. Hail of Blades offered a burst of instant attack speed, Lethal Tempo a delayed burst of attack speed, and Press the Attack a delayed burst of damage. Lethal Tempo stood out as the least popular of the bunch despite having a similar win rate. This meant it was either more niche, less satisfying, or both. We're clarifying Lethal Tempo's identity as the best ramping option for long term value and adding attack range to make it more unique.
removedLETHAL TEMPO (PASSIVE) After 1.5 seconds upon damaging an enemy champion, you gain bonus attack speed and your attack speed cap is increased for 3 seconds. Attacking a champion while the effect is active extends the duration to 6 seconds
updatedLETHAL TEMPO (PASSIVE) Gain (15% for melee/5% for ranged) attack speedfor 6 seconds when striking at least one enemy champion with each auto attack. This effect stacks up to 6 times. While this effect is at its cap, also gain (50 for melee/100 for ranged) attack range and increase your attack speed cap from 2.5 to 10

Ultimate Spellbook

Ultimate Spellbook is back—with a twist! (If you need a refresher, the original rules can be found here.)

We've added several new ultimates to the pool of Ult-ernate Summoner Spells, champion select bans, a new auto-smite feature for junglers, and special interactions with the new Chemtech and Hextech Drakes! Ultimate Spellbook will incorporate all of preseason’s content upon release (except for Objective Bounties) and will be available from November 18, 2021 to January 10, 2022.

New Ult-ernate Summoner Spells

Akali

Blitzcrank

Caitlyn

Camille

Dr. Mundo

Evelynn

Jinx

Kindred

Orianna

Seraphine

Urgot

Vex

Vi

Viktor

Xin Zhao

Removed Ult-ernate Summoner Spells

Malphite

Ult-ernate Summoner Spell Balance Adjustments

As a catch-all note, any changes that have been made to champion ults since patch 11.14 (the last run of Ultimate Spellbook) have also been applied to their Ult-ernate versions in this mode. The only exception is the following bonus Ability Haste reduction on Ashe's R.

Ashe

R Bonus Ability Haste 35 ⇒ 20

Auto-Smite

Jungle mains around the world, rejoice! We're introducing a special feature called Auto-Smite so that junglers can still pick a Summoner Spell other than Smite in this mode.

Junglers will be locked into taking Auto-Smite instead of a Placeholder Ult-ernate Summoner Spell during champ select. Auto-Smite gets replaced by the Ult-ernate that you select at the beginning of the game, granting you a buff that is also called Auto-Smite.
AUTO-SMITE BUFF When fighting Epic Monsters, Rift Scuttlers, or Allied Buff Monsters, Auto-Smite automatically executes the monster once it reaches the threshold health at which a regular Smite would last-hit them
We're also introducing a new jungle starter item called Obsidian Edge that will only be available on Ultimate Spellbook. It has the same stats as the other two jungle items, but with a different completion criteria just for Auto-Smite and without Chilling or Challenging Smite's effects against champs (since you can't Auto-Smite a champion).
Obsidian Edge - STATS & EFFECTS Grants the same stats as Hailblade and Emberknife, except for...
Obsidian Edge - AUTO PATH (PASSIVE) Triggering Auto-Smite 5 times consumes this item, granting all of the item's effects permanently as well as increasing Auto-Smite's threshold and damage to 900
Lastly, Ivern's Auto-Smite works a little differently because, well, Ivern.
BE FREE, MY FRIEND When Ivern takes Auto-Smite, he will not be able to use it to bypass Passive - Friend of the Forest's grove maturation timer. However, freeing a qualifying jungle camp (Epic Monsters, Rift Scuttlers, or Allied Buff Monsters) will trigger Auto-Smite, granting him the heal and jungle starter item stack that a regular Smite would

Dragons & Terrain

The only dragons that will spawn in this mode are the new Hextech and Chemtech Drakes! Any time your team slays one of these dragons in Ultimate Spellbook, your team will also gain a stack of the Echoes of Ruination buff.
ECHOES OF RUINATION Your attacks against enemy turrets apply Echoes of Ruination, dealing 0.3% of the turret's health as damage per second

Caitlyn, Jayce, & Jinx Updates

In order to streamline Caitlyn's future visuals, skins, and overall development, we've given the Sheriff of Piltover an Art and Sustainability Update (ASU)! In-game models, voiceovers (VO), sound effects (SFX), and visual effects (VFX) for Caitlyn and eight of her skins have been modernized. All of her splashes have also been updated, and some have been completely redone.

Jayce and Jinx have also been modernized for clarity and thematic purposes.

Caitlyn ASU

During this ASU, Caitlyn's Headshots were re-coded as empowered attacks rather than abilities. This removed several cases where Caitlyn was able to Headshot while her basic attack was on cooldown since Headshots now use her basic attack timer. We're monitoring Caitlyn's performance—especially at high skill levels—to ensure this doesn't unintentionally nerf her.

The following changes apply to Base, Arcade, Prestige Arcade, Headhunter, Lunar Wraith, Officer, Pool Party, and Safari Caitlyn, except for the new VO. VFXs, SFXs, splash arts, and in-game models for these skins have been updated to varying degrees.
VOICEOVER Base Caitlyn has new VO
BASIC ATTACK Added ejected bullet when reloading her rifle
PASSIVE - HEADSHOT "Passive Ready" SFX adjusted for more of a Hextech feel. Added SFX that plays when Caitlyn's Headshot is ready for use.
Q - PILTOVER PEACEMAKER New meshes and particles made to look more Hextech. Initial on-hit SFX are now more impactful than subsequent hits.
W - YORDLE SNAP TRAP Added indicator on traps and their activation VFXs. Trap SFXs adjusted to match new animation timing.
E - 90 CALIBER NET New range indicator. On-hit SFX are now more impactful
R - ACE IN THE HOLE New laser and Hextech imagery. On-cast SFX are now more impactful and have additional Hextech elements.

Jayce VFX & SFX

The following updates apply to base and Debonair Jayce only (except for the VO). VFX and in-game models for Debonair, Forsaken, Full Metal, Jayce Brighthammer, and Resistance Jayce have also been updated to varying degrees.
VOICEOVER Base Jayce's voice lines have been remastered for clarity and quality
BASIC ATTACK Missiles and hits are now unique between ranged and melee stances. Added new critical hit VFX.
PASSIVE - HEXTECH CAPACITOR Modernized visuals for reduced noise and clarity
Q (MERCURY HAMMER) - TO THE SKIES! Modernized visuals. Added clarity to match AoE size.
Q (MERCURY CANNON) - SHOCK BLAST New projectiles and explosions. Added burst when projectile supercharges.
W (MERCURY HAMMER) - LIGHTNING FIELD Modernized visuals with better defined AoE edge. Reduced noise to match damage level.
W(MERCURY CANNON) - HYPER CHARGE Removed noise
E (MERCURY HAMMER) - THUNDERING BLOW Modernized visuals; addded directionality on knockback
E (MERCURY CANNON) - ACCELERATION GATE Modernized visuals
RECALL New SFX

Jinx VFX & SFX

The following updates apply to Base, Ambitious Elf, Crime City, Heartseeker, Firecracker, Odyssey, and Zombie Slayer Jinx. Crime City, Firecracker, and Zombie Slayer Jinx's in-game models have been cleaned up to varying degrees.
BASIC ATTACK Added glows to machine gun missiles. New rocket trails and explosions.
W - Zap! Modernized ground telegraph, missile, and hit VFX
E - Flame Chompers! Modernized telegraph visuals
R - Super Mega Death Rocket! New missile and explosion. Modernized rocket animations to emphasize its movement boost
RECALL New SFX

/All Chat

Based on initial results since we originally disabled /all chat in a few regions in patch 11.21, we're continuing the disable where it's already in effect but we’re not adding additional regions. From here on out, we'll message any per-region changes to impacted regions only, unless we've got global updates to share.

End of Season Rewards

Summoner's Rift Ranked and Honor End of Season Rewards will be distributed starting this patch and will be completed by December 16 (Riot Regions and Garena only). Clash End of Season Rewards will be distributed starting this patch and will be completed by December 16 (Riot Regions only). Tencent will distribute Ranked and Clash rewards for players in China during patch 11.24. You can find more details at the Player Support page here!

Ixtal Clash

Team formation for the first weekend of the Ixtal-themed Clash starts on November 15, and the tournament will be on November 20 and 21. Team formation for the second weekend will open on November 29, and the tournament will be on December 4 and 5.

Ixtal Clash is not a part of the regular Clash season. You’ll still be able to earn Ixtal rewards, but your Clash VP track won’t be affected.

Bugfixes & QoL Changes

Loot Odds

Drop rates for content from Loot items, now called Loot Odds, will soon be displayed in the Store on the League client! You can now view Loot Odds directly in the client in addition to the existing Hextech Crafting FAQ webpage so you can make better informed decisions at the time of purchase.

Loot Odds will roll out slowly all over the globe starting later in patch 11.23. Certain regions have additional regulations around Loot, so it may take additional time for Loot Odds to appear.

Tooltip Trackers

Numerous item and rune tooltips have been updated to include stat trackers so that players can evaluate the impact of them throughout their games.

Items

BLOODTHIRSTER Now tracks damage blocked by Blood Barrier
GARGOYLE'S STONEPLATE Now tracks damage blocked by Monolith
GUARDIAN'S HORN (ARAM) Now tracks damage blocked by passive
Lord Dominik's Regards Now tracks bonus damage from Giant’s Slayer
Rapid Firecannon Now tracks how many times extra range was utilized
Spirit Visage Now tracks bonus healing and shielding from Boundless Vitality
Stormrazor Now tracks champions slowed by Paralyze

Runes

AFTERSHOCK Now tracks damage mitigated

Bugfixes

  • Fizz's base voice lines have been remastered for clarity and quality
  • The sound effects on Twitch's E - Contaminate have been restored for his base and Shadowfoot skins
  • Clicking "Confirm" upon selecting an Ult-ernate Summoner Spell in Ultimate Spellbook will now play a sound
  • Placing a Passive - A Harmless Scarecrow effigy as Fiddlesticks while channeling R - Crowstorm will no longer override his ultimate's sound effects
  • Fixed several Zed skins so that his Q - Razor Shuriken on-hit sound effects play properly for all shurikens, even when they hit the same target
  • Fixed a bug where Graves would receive full Fleet Footwork healing if he targets a champion with a basic attack that is blocked by minions
  • Lord Dominik's Regards' Giant Slayer passive will no longer work against structures, monsters, and minions
  • Fixed a bug with Vi's Q - Vault Breaker so that it casts immediately after tapping the ability
  • Fixed a bug where Tryndamere could get executed during his R - Undying Rage upon healing from a Kindred R - Lamb's Respite
  • Fixed a bug where Kai'Sa could not dash to marked targets with R - Killer Instinct unless she had learned Q - Icathian Rain
  • Fixed bug where Volibear's next attack would sometimes fail to stun if he had casted his R - Stormbringer during his Q - Thundering Smash
  • Fixed a bug where Lee Sin's Passive - Fury would sometimes not take effect if he had casted Q - Resonating Strike or E - Cripple during a basic attack
  • Kayn's current transformation status will properly display in team chat when he pings his own portrait
  • Yorick's E - Mourning Mist tooltip now displays its AP ratio
  • The sound effect on Vi's Q - Vault Breaker dash has been restored
  • Galio's death animation where he turns into stone has been restored

Upcoming Skins & Chromas