League of Legends Noxus Season explained: What’s changing on the map?

League of Legends developer Riot Games has confirmed all of the details for next year, including the overall theme, as the region of Noxus comes to the fore.

Noxus is home to brutal and warlike peoples who dominate on the battlefield with unparalleled savagery. They count champions like Darius, Draven and Sion among their number, and the powerful empire is set to take center stage in Season One next year.

The update will bring major visual changes to the Rift, alongside some tangible gameplay alterations that should make a real difference to how games play out.

With plenty to jump into, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Season and the changes to the map, set to debut in January 2025.

LoL respawning nexus turrets explained

Riot Games

Everyone who watches professional League of Legends will remember Deft’s attempt to backdoor the Nexus, which was stopped by the impossibly lousy timing of an inhibitor respawn.

The potential for similar situations will increase dramatically in 2025, as Nexus turrets will now be on a set respawn timer. According to Riot devs, this is to reduce the usually hopeless nature of defending a Nexus with no supporting turrets.

It will allow teams on the verge of a loss a more viable route back into the game, if they are able to hold their base until the turrets respawn. The goal, according to Riot, is to prevent the hopeless nature of those moments and limit the ability of certain champs to backdoor for the win.

Atakhan, Bringer of Ruin debuts in the jungle

Riot Games

Atakhan, Bringer of Ruin, who many will know from Legends of Runeterra, is also set to make his debut next year. This Epic jungle monster will spawn at the top or bottom of the map at the entrance to the river, depending on which lane has seen the most action.

Atakhan will spawn in one of two forms, as a Ruinous or Voracious version, depending on how much action there has been in the game as a whole.

Ruinous Atakhan drops a copse of Blood Roses when killed, which provide direct XP when picked up, while Voracious Atakhan gives a one-time buff that resurrects players at base when they take fatal damage.

Atakhan is set to spawn at the 20-minute mark, while the Rift Herald and Baron will spawn at 16 and 25 minutes, respectively. This new mob’s appearance also adds permanent walls to the map at the spawn location, meaning jungle players may have to work out new routes.

Major visual overhaul to reflect the influence of Noxus

Riot Games

In addition to those very tangible changes, the entirety of Summoner’s Rift is getting a major visual overhaul. The river and blue buff areas remain largely the same, but lanes, red buff and the bases themselves will all be altered to reflect the seasonal theme.

Minions and turrets also have new appearances to look out for, and the shopkeepers are dressed in appropriate garb. Couple this with the additional Blood Roses that spawn in the locations where champions die and it should be the most stark overhaul that the rift has seen in years.

Feats of Strength and Tier 3 boots

Riot Games

First Blood and First Turret gold bonuses are going to be a thing of the past, replaced by the Feats of Strength system in 2025.

This new system tasks teams with claiming two out of three of First Blood, First Turret and First to three jungle objectives (Void Grubs, Rift Herald, Dragons etc.) Once that’s done, the successful team will be granted the Blessing of Noxus.

That blessing provides a small buff to Tier 2 boots (assuming you have them). After that, it allows players to purchase new, Tier 3 boots for 750 gold, with the only prerequisite being two Legendary items in your inventory.

These provide significant boosts to the existing stat focus of your chosen footwear, whether that be additional armor, movement speed or anything else. These are tailored to your Tier 2 selection and many come with additional passive buffs like max health shields.

That’s all there is to know about the major changes coming to the rift in 2025. Make sure to check out our complete League of Legends directory, if you need any further guidance on the world’s most popular MMO.