League of Legends Lead Gameplay Designer Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison posted a preview of LoL patch 14.18.
In the tweet, he detailed a wave of changes that impacts all roles — top, jungle, mid, bot, and support — ahead of the World Championship (Worlds 2024).
He also outlined adjustments to various aspects of the game, including lane swaps, AP items, and the AD ecosystem. These changes aim to create a balanced and exciting playing field for the world’s best teams as they compete for the coveted Worlds 2024 title.
Preview: LoL patch 14.18 notes rundown
Aurora to make her debut at this year’s Worlds
LoL patch 14.18 brings changes to the champion Aurora, who’s poised to make her debut at this year’s Worlds tournament.
The most impactful change to Aurora is the reduction in her wall jump distance. This limits her ability to engage enemies from unexpected angles, particularly in the top lane. Previously, Aurora could use her wall jumps to quickly close the gap on opponents and land her ultimate. Now, players need to be more strategic and patient in their engagements.
“As it’s played out, pros and elite players have been extremely good at capitalizing on her R engage range and we’re taking some of the training wheels off in enabling these types of engages and picks now that players are a lot better at her,” Riot Phroxzon explained.
Previously, there was an issue with Aurora’s interaction with Chronobreak, a feature used in competitive matches to “rewind” a game if necessary.
Due to this interference, Aurora was disabled globally in all competitive regions. However, Riot is optimistic that this issue will be resolved before Worlds, allowing Aurora to be used in the tournament.
What’s new for every role in LoL patch 14.18, the Worlds 2024 patch
Top lane
The developers are adding a few situational picks in the top lane in the Worlds 2024 patch, including Malphite, Jax, Gnar, and Shen. Rumble is getting nerfed, while Nasus remains largely unchanged, making him a situational counterpick.
Jungle
The jungle role already offers a diverse range of champions, including AP, tanks, enchanters, and fighters like Vi. However, Riot is aiming to introduce more variety by adjusting the balance of top-tier junglers. Viego, Jarvan-IV, and Xin Zhao are expected to receive attention to provide more AD options and reduce the dominance of AP champions.
Mid lane
Ahri is making a comeback in the mid lane, and indirect buffs are being applied to champions like Syndra and Orianna. Recently buffed champions like Ryze, Lissandra, and Twisted Fate should also be viable in certain situations.
The rise of ADCs in mid lane, such as Smolder, Zeri, and Corki, is addressed with direct nerfs. Azir is also being impacted, with a nerf to his ultimate, Emperor’s Divide, and the impact of the Fleet Footwork rune nerfs. These changes likely requires Azir players to adapt their playstyle by using alternative runes like Conqueror and considering situational counterpicks to maintain the champion’s effectiveness.
Bot lane
The bot lane meta remains utility-focused due to the presence of many carries in the mid lane. Jinx is getting buffed to increase her viability, and Samira is receiving early damage boosts to improve her trading and all-ins.
Miss Fortune is being nerfed to her first item and base AD. Varus, who was overbuffed in a previous patch, is being scaled back. Ziggs, a popular choice with AD mid champions, is also expected to see less play due to nerfs to those mid laners and a direct nerf to Ziggs himself.
Support
The support role is in a relatively good state. While ranged supports aren’t as prevalent as they once were, they’re still performing well in solo queue. As a result, Riot is nerfing top-tier champions like Rell and Leona while buffing Lulu.
LoL patch 14.18 champion buffs
- Ahri
- Gnar
- Hwei
- Jarvan IV
- Jax
- Jayce
- Jinx
- Lulu
- Malphite
- Samira
- Shen
- Viego
- Xin Zhao
LoL patch 14.18 champion nerfs
- Aurora
- Azir
- Corki
- Ivern
- Leona
- Lillia
- Lissandra
- Maokai
- Miss Fortune
- Nasus
- Rell
- Rumble
- Smolder
- Varus
- Vi
- Zeri
- Ziggs
LoL patch 14.18 system adjustments
- Luden’s Companion
- Shadowflame
- Stormsurge
- Turret Bulwark
- Turret Fortification
- Fleet Footwork
- Bloodthirster
- Immortal Shieldbow
READ MORE: All teams qualified for Worlds 2024 — full list of regions, qualification path
