Updated on August 15, 4:40 p.m. (GMT+8): Riot Phroxzon posted an update stating that matchmaking improvements have been delayed until 14.17 due to technical issues.
Updated on August 8, 2:58 p.m. (GMT+8): Added new information on ranked matchmaking posted today by Riot Phroxzon.
League of Legends Game Designer David “Phreak” Turley posted a full preview of LoL patch 14.16 today.
Riot Phreak gave a top of the line summary of the changes this patch, which is both solo queue and pro play focused.
The game devs are implementing changes to make solo queue more fair. For example, top laners are being penalized for solo kills, ADCs are facing more item nerfs, while buffs are being given to underused champions.
Preview: LoL patch 14.16 notes rundown
LoL patch 14.17 is making big improvements to ranked matchmaking
Update: Originally scheduled for 14.16, Riot Phroxzon updated on August 15 that these changes will go live in patch 14.17 instead.
Riot Phroxzon explained in a tweet that the team has gone through extensive discussions about the balance between blue and red sides, particularly at the beginning of the season.
After a thorough investigation, they’ve identified some areas for optimization. They’ve made adjustments in patch 14.4 to modify the default camera angle for the red side, which resulted in some improvements. However, they recognize that there is still more work needed to address these issues fully.
The League of Legends Lead Gameplay Designer outlined four key areas that LoL patch 14.16 hopes to address:
- Better team player balance: The game devs have pinpointed ways to improve how individual matches are balanced, particularly for high-level play where player pools are smaller and achieving fair matches is challenging. Their goal is to ensure more equitable matchups and reduce the frequency of players ending up on the same side repeatedly.
- Improved side balancing: Riot is optimizing the balance of teams by side, which will be particularly noticeable in high MMR brackets (ie. Master+). This adjustment aims to enhance fairness in these competitive matches.
- Optimize off-role balance: The game devs have found ways to better match players in off-roles and secondary positions without significantly increasing queue times. This should lead to a more balanced experience for those playing roles outside their primary ones.
- Better ranked experience for returning players: The game devs recognize that returning players often need time to regain their form. To address this, they’re adjusting how rank and skill decay occurs during breaks. The overall goal is to prevent returning players from facing overly challenging matches upon their return.
LoL patch 14.16 champion buffs
- Azir
- Orianna
- Syndra
- Sylas
- Katarina
- Vi
- Skarner
- Wukong
“Many of the buffs are strictly for solo queue. If they show up in pro and create diversity, then that’s great. But not trying to buff things that aren’t actually weak after accounting for champion mastery,” Riot Phreak explained.
For Katarina, these changes close the gap on Q/E max while making raw AP builds stronger by buffing ratios.
The changes to Skarner aim to introduce juggernaut builds to players who desire them and strengthen his early game, given that Q3 is now much weaker.
Riot Phreak posted an update to Wukong’s numbers as there’s a typo in the original image:
P Armor +1 at all levels (stacks up to +6 armor)
E attack speed +5% at all ranks
LoL patch 14.16 champion nerfs
- Corki
The changes to Lucian and Corki are aimed specifically at pro and high-level solo queue, where they are dominating pick rates.
LoL patch 14.16 champion adjustments
- Lucian
- Qiyana
- Senna
Qiyana’s adjustments aim to provide her with greater control during the early game and enhance her secondary jungle role. While the game devs value her unique identity as a scaling assassin and want to maintain that, they believe they can make her early laning phase more forgiving and smoother to play, Phreak stated.
Senna’s adjustments are designed to make it more challenging for her to be the “primary carry” unless she receives gold income comparable to an ADC.
As a support, she will be stronger alongside ADCs in lane and slightly weaker with tanks. Essentially, this aims to balance her power between solo queue and professional play.
Note that changes to Black Cleaver make it a viable choice for Senna (particularly when paired with ADCs) and provide a buff to many on-hit fighters.
Riot is aware that there are Senna players who occasionally opt for AP items and they will not intervene as long as these builds do not outshine AD builds.
LoL patch 14.16 system buffs
- Black Cleaver
LoL patch 14.16 system nerfs
- Doran’s Blade
- Blade of the Ruined King
LoL patch 14.16 system adjustments
- Death timers
- Homeguards
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