Lethal Changes to Lethal Tempo: League of Legends Patch 14.4 Changes to Yasuo, Yone, K’Sante, Rek’Sai, Smolder and More
League of Legends is in a competitive renaissance – the 2023 World Championship broke viewership records to become the most-viewed esports event of all time and hit over 6.4 million peak concurrent watchers. In addition to the hype for the pro scene, players have been enjoying the addition of a new champion: Smolder arrived on February 7th with Patch 14.3. Adjustments and fine-tuning will inevitably occur when a champion arrives to ensure they fit seamlessly in the meta.
Patch 14.4 delivers on Smolder changes and includes additional alterations that affect scaling and late-game potential in many more beloved champions. There is plenty for the League of Legends community to be excited about in Patch 14.4, so let’s unpack all the changes Riot Games has planned!
When will League of Legends Patch 14.4 take effect?
The patch will reach servers on Thursday, February 22nd. It will go into effect at the following times in each server’s timezone:
- NA Servers: 3:00 P.M. CT
- EU West Servers: 5:00 A.M. GMT
- EU Northeast Servers: 3:00 A.M. CET
- Korean Servers: 8:00 A.M. KR
Kai'Sa buffs await in the upcoming patch.
Image via Riot Games
What champions are being buffed in League of Legends Patch 14.4?
Patch 14.4's alterations to Kai'Sa increase the range at which she can engage and assist teammates. Soraka will also receive a comical increase in her movement speed – expect to see Soraka mains zooming around the map. While not many of the buffs are life-changing, they majorly improve quality-of-life and gameplay experience.
Ahri
- Base stats:
- Health growth: 96 > 104
- Orb of Deception:
- AP ratio: 45 AP > 50% AP
Jayce
- Base stats:
- Base AD: 57 > 59
- Lightning Field:
- Mana Restore: 10/12/14/16/18/20 > 15/17/19/21/23/25
- Thundering Blow:
- Mirrors Lee Sin Ultimate Functionality
Kai’Sa
- Killer Instinct:
- Cast Range: 1500/2250/3000 > 2000/2500/3000
Lulu
- Glitterance:
- Doublehit Damage: 25% > 50%
- Help, Pix:
- Damage: 80/120/160/200/240 > 80/125/170/215/260
- Shield: 75/115/155/195/235 > 80/125/170/215/260
Renekton
- Cull the Meek:
- Champion Healing: 12-36 (+15% Base AD) > 12-44 (+17% Base AD)
- Slice and Dice:
- Cooldown: 16-12 > 16-10
- Dominus:
- Bonus Health: 250-550 > 300-700
Soraka
- Salvation:
- Movement Speed: 70 > 90%
- Starcall:
- Heal: 50-110 > 60-120
- Wish:
- Cooldown: 160-130 > 150-120
Thresh
- Base Stats:
- Base Armor: 28 > 31
- Flay
- Damage: 75-235 > 75-255
- The Box
- Cooldown: 140-110 > 120-80
Volibear
- Thundering Smash:
- Movement Speed: 8-24 > 12-32
- Sky Splitter:
- Cooldown: 13 > 12
- Stormbringer:
- Turret Disable: 3-5 seconds > 2-4 seconds
- Cooldown: 160-120 > 130-110
- CC Immunity has been removed, but still Unstoppable.
Aurelion Sol is receiving another nerf adjustment after a previous hotfix nerf in Patch 14.3.
What champions are being nerfed in League of Legends Patch 14.4?
Aurelion Sol and Fiora are among the champions receiving the wrath of Riot Games in this patch. After a vital hotfix in Patch 14.3, devs are kicking Aurelion Sol while he's down and delivering another small yet painful nerf. Changes to Fiora's Riposte will shut down players using it to slow enemy attack speed instead of blocking CC as Riot Games intended.
Aurelion Sol
- Breath of Light:
- Bonus magic damage/second: 60-100 (+35% AP) > 55-95 (+30% AP)
Bard
- Base Stats:
- Armor Growth: 5.2 > 5
- Attack Speed: .625 > .658
- Traveler’s Call:
- Damage: 35 + 14/5 Chimes (+30% AP) > 35 + 10/5 Chimes (+40%AP)
Fiora
- Riposte:
- Attack Speed Slow: 50% > 25%
Illaoi
- Prophet of an Elder God:
- Damage: 9-162 (+115% Total AD) > 9-182 (+100% Total AD)
Kalista
- Rend:
- Base Damage: 20-60 (+70% Total AD) > 10-50 (+70% Total AD)
- Note: Per-stack damage is unchanged.
- Bug fix:
- Fixed a bug where Boots of Speed improperly affected passive dash distance.
Maokai
- Base Stats:
- Base Armor: 39 > 35
- Bramble Smash:
- Damage: 70-270 (+2-4% Max HP) > 65-265 (+2-4% Max HP)
- Nature’s Grasp:
- Root Duration: 0.8-2.6 > 0.75-2.25
Urgot
- Hullbreaker:
- Bug Fix: Fixed bugs to ensure Hullbreaker works properly.
Varus
- Base Stats:
- Base AD: 62 > 60
Zyra
- Garden of Thorns:
- Plant Damage: 20-88 (+18% AP) > 16-84 (+18% AP)
- Bonus Monster Damage: 40-100 > 60-100
K'Sante is receiving major changes in Patch 14.4.
What champions are being adjusted in League of Legends patch 14.04?
The following champions are facing adjustments that are not necessarily buffs or nerfs but may drastically change how they are played.
Severe nerfs to K'Sante's ultimate will limit damage-focused use, while buffs to his surrounding abilities will reward tanky play. Smolder's changes will refine his scaling and establish his position in the meta after his recent introduction. His Ultimate adjustment is a major quality-of-life improvement and balances out well with the nerf to his W poke.
Meanwhile, Rek'Sai changes are steering her away from assassin playstyles and encouraging bruiser engagements. The Rek'Sai changes are intended to reduce 'stat-check' encounters and encourage healthier interaction with other champions. The shift from physical damage to magic damage will limit Rek'Sai's efficiency, but massive Burrow changes make the ability deadly and will please mains.
K’Sante
- Base Stats:
- Base Health: 570 > 625
- Base Mana: 290 > 320
- Path Maker:
- Armor/MR Ratio: 50% > 85%
- All Out:
- Q no longer slows.
- W no longer has faster CD or cast time.
- Dash Speed: 20% - 40%
Rek’sai
- Base Stats:
- Health Growth: 99 > 105
- Health Regeneration: 7.5 + 0.65 > 5.0 + 0.5
- Movement Speed: 335 > 340
- Fury of the Xer’sai:
- This ability will now generate 0.5x fury from minions.
- Total healing from 100 fury: HP Scaling: 2%-10% / level > 12%-20% / level
- Base 10 has been removed
- Queen’s Wrath:
- Now grants 45% attack speed while active.
- Prey Seeker:
- Damage type is now Magic instead of Physical.
- Damage: 60-200 > 50-170
- Base AD Scaling: 50% > 25%
- Cooldown is now constant at 10 seconds.
- Fury of the Xer’sai:
- This ability will now generate 0.5x fury from minions.
- Total healing from 100 fury: HP Scaling: 2%-10% / level > 12%-20% / level
- Base 10 has been removed
- Burrow:
- Bonus Speed: 5/10/15 at 1/6/11 > 5-25 according to spell rank
- Burrow Vision Loss: -75% > -65%
- Damage: 50-190 > 50-150
- Base AD Scaling: 80% AD > 80% AP
- Burrow no longer reduces the attack range to 75.
- Damage type is now magic instead of physical.
- Un-Burrow:
- This ability now knocks up all targets it hits.
- Furious Bite:
- Cooldown: 12s > 10s
- AD Scaling: 70% > 100%
- Max Fury Bonus: x2.0 Damage and True Damage Conversion > Additional 6-14% (by spell rank) Target HP
- 60-400 health is capped against monsters per level.
- Base damage has been removed.
Smolder
- Super Scorcher Breath:
- Target dying while the missile is in flight still grants a stack.
- 125 Stacks Number of Missiles: 2 + 1% Dragon Practice Stacks > 1 + 1.5% Dragon Practice Stacks
- Achooo!:
- Cooldown: 13-11 > 14-10
- Base Damage: 70-150 (+25% Total AD) (+35% AP) > 50-170 (25% Bonus AD) (+20% AP)
- Explosion Damage: 25-85 (+65% AP) > 25-85 (+25% Bonus AD) (+80% AP)
- Mmooommm!:
- Will now be cast even if Smolder dies during casting.
Zac
- Stretching Strikes:
- Tether Range: 1000 > 900
What items and systems are changing in League of Legends patch 14.04?
To put it mildly, this patch's Lethal Tempo nerf is simply a polite Yasuo and Yone nerf. This change will prevent players from abusing their early-game melee abilities. In addition, Black Cleaver changes mean the item could have fearsome potential when paired with Urgot – ranged champions will receive full power from movement speed effects and Urgot can apply Black Cleaver's effects quickly in one fewer hit.
Items
- Black Cleaver:
- Shred Cap: 24% in 6 hits > 25% in 5 hits
- Warhammer + Ruby Crystal will now form Black Cleaver instead of Kinglegem + Long Sword.
- Passive movement speed effects now apply even if damage is mitigated
- Ranged champions receive full power from passive movement speed
- Ravenous Hydra:
- Active Benefits from 150% of lifesteal
- Terminus:
- Stack cap: 5 each > 3 each
- Max Armor/MR: 15-25 > 18-24
- Second Recurve Bow has replaced the Dagger in this recipe.
- Stridebreaker:
- Passive movement speed effects now apply even if damage is mitigated
- Active Movement Speed Decay: 1.5s > 3.0s and now has a buff icon
- Lethal Tempo:
- Melee Attack Speed Per Stack: 9-13.5% > 5-16%
- Hubris:
- VFX have changed.
Support Items
- Charge rate: 18 seconds > 20 seconds
- First Charge: 2:08 > 2:50
- Bloodsong:
- Ranged Amplification: 6% > 5%
- Solstice Sleigh:
- Health: 120 > 7% of Max HP
- Movement Speed: 90, decaying over 4 seconds > 30%, decaying over 3 seconds
- Zaz’Zak’s Realmspike
- Damage: 50 (+15% AP) (+3% of Max HP) > 20 (+20% AP) (+4% of Max HP)
- Cooldown: 9-6 linear cooldown > 8/7/6 (1/11/16)
What else is changing in League of Legends Patch 14.4?
Patch 14.4's Fountain healing changes are also notable. The fountain has remained one of the constant factors in League of Legends play and has barely faced any changes in League of Legends history. Changing the fountain's health regeneration per second has massive implications: it will be a subtle change, but may mean faster games, more engagements and quicker returns to the battlefield after respawning.
Fountain Regeneration
- Max Health Regeneration per second: 8.4% > 10.4%
After Patch 14.4 arrives, the unprecedented changes within will be sure to inspire some creative builds and shake up your competitive games. Stay tuned for more League of Legends updates, and stay cool on the Rift!
