League of Legends patch 14.23 early notes: Rell & Aurora mini-rework, Smolder changes & more

League of Legends patch 14.23 has some big changes in store, most of which are focused on balancing champions away from pro play without nerfing them out of casual viability.

While we don’t have a full view of the patch’s smaller changes just yet, Phreak has already gone over some of his biggest goals with the patch before the PBE version goes live. Aurora, Rell, and Smolder are the main three champions he highlighted as ones who are getting changed.

Additionally, lead gameplay designer Phroxzon has confirmed that Ambessa will be getting changes, but they’re solely going to be oriented around bugfixes and polish rather than balance. Her win rate has landed low as is typical of new champions, so they’re letting her sit for a bit as players learn her.

However, there are adjustments coming to the bounties system as well to follow up on patch 14.21‘s changes and hone them in. Despite LoL’s blistering pace when it comes to large-scale changes as of late, the game isn’t slowing down either, with Phreak explaining 14.23’s small scale reworks.

Here’s everything we know about LoL patch 14.23 so far:

LoL patch 14.23 early notes

Riot Games

Champions

Ambessa Medarda

According to both Phreak and Phroxzon, they’re happy with where Ambessa has landed. They don’t plan on buffing her as of now, but there are still changes to be made.

Passive: Drakehound’s Step

• Dashes no longer go over player-created terrain

Q: Cunning Sweep/Sundering Slam

• Q2 cast window increased: 3.5 seconds >>> 4 seconds

R: Public Execution

• Movement commands issued before a successful cast will be discarded after slamming the enemy into the ground to avoid pathing the player towards a place they are no longer near

Aurora

Aurora dominated Worlds 2024, with the dev team retroactively regretting that they didn’t deliver more nerfs to her before the event started. However, they’re changing that now with a plan to nerf some parts of her kit and buff others to make her easier for casual players and worse in pro play.

A lot of her abilities and the way they function are changing, to the point where it’s a small-scare rework of the champion and how she functions.

Here’s a rundown of the changes Phreak has in mind:

Passive: Spirit Abjuration

• Bonus movement speed removed entirely

Q: Twofold Hex

• +50 range
• Damage increased: 40-140 >>> 45-145
• Cooldown increased: 8-6 >>> 9-7
• Recast goes off automatically

W: Across the Veil

• No longer gets cooldown reset on takedown
• Cooldown decreased
• Now grants 20-40% movement speed on cast

E: The Weirding

• +25 range

R: Between Worlds

• Will now grant W’s movement speed passive rather than the old passive’s movespeed
• Duration increased: 1.5/2/2.5 seconds >>> 2/3/4 seconds
• Now the ring slows by 75% on exit (1.5-2 seconds) rather than trapping enemies

Azir

W: Arise!

• AP scaling: 35-55% >>> 40-60%

Caitlyn

R: Ace in the Hole

• Bonus AD scaling: 150% >>> 100%

Jinx

Base Stats

• AD growth increased: 2.9 >>> 3.25

W: Zap!

• Total AD scaling: 160% >>> 140%

Kha’Zix

Base Stats

• Armor reduced: 36 >>> 32

W: Void Spike

• Evolved isolated slow: 75% >>> 60%

Kog’Maw

Q: Caustic Spittle

• Resistance shred adjusted: 23-31% >>> 16-32%

E: Void Ooze

• 75-255 (70% AP) >>> 70-230 (65% AP)

Master Yi

R: Highlander

• Attack speed: 25/35/45% >>> 25/45/65%

Miss Fortune

Q: Double Up

• Mana cost reduced: 43-55 >>> 40

Rammus

Q: Fastball

• Cooldown adjusted: 16-6 >>> 12-6

Rell

Phreak claims that Rell has too much CC, skewing her toward pro play relevance because of how difficult she is to counterplay. He wants to nerf her CC but make her more mobile and flexible to make her playable in more broad skill brackets.

Base Stats:

• Mana reduced: 350 >>> 320
• Mana growth reduced: 45 >>> 40
• Base Armor reduced: 36 >>> 30
• Armor growth per level increased: 4.2 >>> 4.3
• Base MR reduced: 30 >>> 28
• MR growth reduced: 2.05 >>> 1.8
• Base movement speed reduced: 330 >>> 315
• Attack speed growth increased: 1.5% >>> 2%
• Attack windup reduced: 21-19.5% >>> 18%

Passive: Break the Mold

• Armor and MR steal increased: .8-2 >>> 1-2
• Now deals 5% of total resistances on hit

W: Ferromancy

• Cooldown decreased: 11 >>> 10
• Knock up duration reduced: 1 second >>> 0.4 seconds
• Now stuns for 0.8 seconds after knock up
  • Mounted
    • 20-40 bonus movement speed
  • Not Mounted
    • Bonus Armor and MR increased: 12% >>> 15%
    • No longer reduces movement speed
    • Bonus attack speed reduced: 30% >>> 20%
    • Shield increased slightly: 15-110 >>> 15-115

E: Full Tilt

• Passive movement speed removed
• Active movement speed while moving toward enemies increased: 200% >>> 250%
• Base damage and AP ratio removed, now deals more % max health damage
  • Max health damage increased: 3% >>> 5-7% (+3% per 100 AP)
• Max health damage cap increased: 150 >>> 150-300
• Cooldown reduced: 15 >>> 14-10

Rengar

R: Thrill of the Hunt

• Bonus damage: 50% total AD >>> 100% total AD
• Armor shred increased: 12/18/24 >>> 15/20/25

Shyvana

Base Stats

• MR growth per level: 2.05 >>> 1.5

E: Flame Breath

• AP scaling: 80% >>> 70%

Skarner

Q: Shattered Earth

• Bonus HP scaling: 4% >>> 3%

Smolder

Q: Super Scorcher Breath

• Damage adjusted: 15-55 (100% total AD) >>> 65-125 (130% bonus AD)
  • Passive stack scaling ratio decreased: 40% >>> 30%
• T2 bolts increased: 1 >>> 2
• Passive stacks required to get more bolts increased: 67 >>> 125
• T2 bounce damage decreased: 75% >>> 50%
• T3 burn no longer scales with AP and passive stacks
• T3 burn AD scaling increased: 2% per 100 bonus AD >>> 2.5% per 100 bonus AD
• No longer deals 10% bonus damage to champions
• Now refunds 15 mana if at least one target dies

W: Achoo!

• Missile damage adjusted: 45-165 (25% bonus AD) >>> 30-110 (60% bonus AD)
• Explosion damage increased: 25-85 (25% bonus AD) >>> 30-110 (60% bonus AD)
• Mana cost adjusted: 60 >>> 50-70
• Bonus minion damage removed
  • These changes boil down to Smolder’s W doing much less damage to waves but significantly more damage to champions with his AD build. Riot’s trying to kill off AP Smolder so his W damage to champs should level out to be similar to what it was before with AP builds

E: Flap, Flap, Flap

• Damage adjusted: 15-35 (10% bonus AD) >>> 5-25 (10% bonus AD)
• Flat damage per passive stack decreased
• Passive bonus magic damage per stack reduced: 20% >>> 10%
• Passive stacks required for additional bolts decreased: 150 >>> 100

R: Mooommmm!

• Now deals half damage to minions
• Cooldown decreased: 140-120 >>> 120

Tahm Kench

Passive: An Acquired Taste

• AP scaling: 2% per 100 bonus HP >>> 1.5% per 100 bonus HP

R: Devour

• Shield AP scaling: 150% >>> 100%

Teemo

E: Toxic Shot

• Monster bonus damage: 150% >>> 125%

Zac

Q: Stretching Strikes

• Max HP scaling: 4% >>> 3%

Items

The Collector

• Cost: 2950 >>> 3000

Youmuu’s Ghostblade

• Out of combat movement speed reduced: 20 >>> 10
• Active duration reduced: 6 seconds >>> 4 seconds

Yun Tal Wildarrows

• Cost reduced: 3000 >>> 2900
• Passive duration: 4 seconds >>> 6 seconds
• Passive cooldown: 40 >>> 30

Systems

Bounties

• Champion bounties grow 14% faster from kills and assists
• Champion bounty reduction due to losing increased up to 4x
• Maximum contribution to objective bounties from gold leads doubled