Neeko’s League of Legends rework: release date, new abilities & more

Neeko’s League of Legends rework has finally hit the PBE, giving players who were anxiously awaiting news on the champion a look at her new abilities. She’s set to release on patch 13.9.

Riot is churning out the mid-scope updates in League of Legends alongside new champion releases, reinvigorating the game’s roster. Yuumi’s recent mid-scope wasn’t exactly a smash hit with the community, but most mid scopes like those of Jax and Syndra hit their mark.

The latter hasn’t really found a place in the League of Legends meta. While Neeko has fleeted in and out as a mid lane mage and a support, her deceiving clones don’t really live up to their intention, and the rest of her kit falls flat between a mix of hard-to-use utility and damage styles.

What’s changing in Neeko’s League of Legends rework?

Riot Games

Some people are still playing Neeko’s pre-rework iteration, but her play rate is incredibly low at around 1.2%. Only the most diehard Neeko players have held onto this champion. This was something Riot highlighted when announcing the Neeko mid-scope update.

“We want to freshen up champions who aren’t living up to the expectations of the players who love them,” developer Ryan ‘Reav3’ Mireles explained in August. “We try to strengthen their fantasy even more, rather than reinvent it.”

With Neeko finally hitting the PBE, we’ve gotten a look at what strengthening Neeko’s fantasy looks like. While she hasn’t been changed too much, her new passive gives her some insane potential and has led players to believe she could emerge as a jungler.

New Neeko Abilities in League of Legends

Passive: Inherent Glamour

• Neeko can disguise herself as an allied champion. When Neeko stands next to any allied or neutral unit she stores their Sho’ma, allowing her to disguise herself as that unit. Only one unit can be stored at a time. Receiving immobilizing crowd control or casting a damaging spell breaks the disguise.
• Cooldown reduced to 6 seconds at all ranks
• Neeko no longer inherits base AS/MS from disguise target if that stat is higher than hers

Q: Blooming Burst

• Initial damage unchanged
• Explosion damage: 40-140 (+20% AP) >>> 35-135 (+25% AP)
• (NEW) Bonus monster damage on explosions: 30/40/50/60/70

W: Shapesplitter

• (NEW) Empowered attacks deal 50 bonus damage to monsters
• (NEW) Neeko can now control her clone by recasting the ability
• (NEW) Clone now plays animations and sounds of Q, E, Dance, Joke, Taunt, Recall, and Laugh and survives for their duration

E: Tangle-Barbs

• Damage: 80-220 (+60% AP) >>> 70-210 (+65% AP)

R: Pop Blossom

• After 1.25 seconds Neeko leaps into the air. She suspends all nearby enemies while she’s in the air. After .6 seconds, Neeko lands and crashes the suspended enemies to the ground. The enemies remain stunned for a total of 1.25 seconds. (Essentially, it’s the same ability as before but with a knock up added to it)
• Shield removed
• Can still hide the channel from enemies if she’s disguised while casting the ability
• Damage: 200-650 (+130% AP) >>> 150-550 (+100% AP)
• Cooldown: 90 >>> 120-90

Neeko rework release date

According to a dev blog from Riot, Neeko’s rework has been plagued by technical issues over the months it took to refine her kit. However, after a long wait, Neeko’s rework finally has a release date in sight. She’s on the PBE and expected to arrive on patch 13.9 which, according to Riot’s patch schedule, should be on May 3, 2023.