We’ve finally made it to one of the most important patches in League of Legends—Patch 14.18, the official 2024 League of Legends World Championship update.
As AD carries and the bot lane hold significant importance in League pro play, this patch focuses on a few ADCs and some of the core items taken by almost every ADC, like Bloodthirster and Immortal Shieldbow. Not to be left out, specific jungle champs like Xin Zhao are getting a few tweaks to make them viable meta picks.
Finally, there are also going to be necessary nerfs to strong champions being played off-role, like Nasus mid that’s taken over the pro play (and ranked) scene. So, a lot’s happening in this patch as Riot preps the Worlds stage.
Here’s everything about the League Patch 14.18 update.
When will LoL Patch 14.18 go live?
League Patch 14.18 went live on Wednesday, Sept. 11, according to the official 2024 League patch schedule Riot usually follows (even with the Memorial Day delay). Here are all the vital patching times for Patch 14.18:
- 3pm CT (NA)
- 5am GMT (EU West)
- 3am CET (EU North East)
- 8am KR (Korea)
On update day, expect several hours of downtime. As always, matchmaking will be turned off across all League queues three hours before the update.
What’s in LoL Patch 14.18?
Lane swaps targeted due to ‘low interaction states’
Over the past few months, particularly at the 2024 Mid-Season Invitational, we’ve seen pros switch lanes with one of their teammates to avoid a less-than-favorable matchup. While it can be beneficial if a lane needs a wave push or two, League teams have become fond of switching lanes entirely to avoid bad matchups or to defend towers.
But, as Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison pointed out, teams are willing to throw several tower plates if it means a player can avoid a bad matchup. This results in stale and boring gameplay, which Riot doesn’t want to see at Worlds. So, buffing turrets was a necessary move in the hopes of avoiding states of inactivity.
Riot buffs more ‘situationally viable’ champs
The League season 14 metagame has been pretty consistent throughout the year, which has led to stale, boring, and consistent champion picks—Riot’s words, not ours. This kind of repetition isn’t good for hype or esports viewership, and it’s why fans get so excited when pros pick these unconventional or off-meta picks.
So, a few of the more popular champs in each lane have been slightly nerfed while others have been directly buffed, like Gnar, Shen, Malphite, Ryze, Viego, Lissandra, Samira, and Lulu.
Others will also get indirect buffs through rune or item changes, like Syndra and Orianna. Hopefully, this means we’ll see more champion diversity at Worlds.
The terror of Nasus mid may be over
Ever since Dplus KIA’s mid laner ShowMaker picked Nasus in the mid lane against FearX, the Curator of the Sands has been a popular pro pick, and he’s even got a three percent pick rate in ranked games, according to the League stat tracker U.GG. The League devs are now taking a closer look at Nasus and nerfing him.
Turrets get more fortified
Turrets are getting Fortification buffs to make them harder to take. This means incoming damage to Turrets will be reduced, so taking them requires more strategic planning, particularly around lane pushing, lane splitting, and taking key objectives. Unless you’re a powerhouse in the early game, they likely won’t be falling before their Fortification buff ends.
K’sante ‘Lemme Breathe’ emote gets a change
K’Sante’s controversially named “Lemme Breathe” emote will be renamed to “Cope’Sante” in this patch; some League players also suggested K’opium. This is the third pro team emote to get a nerf after League community backlash. So, it definitely begs the question, will there be more emote nerfs before the year is out? Only time will tell.
You don’t have to wait for an attorney-ty for new skins
There’s no major theme for this cycle’s skins, but Riot is bringing corporate life back to League with a new Attorney Azir skin and Janitor Thresh skin. Outside the corporate theme, there’s an all-new Crystalis Indomitus Nautilus skin coming too.
These are the three skins making their way to the store:
- Attorney Azir (1,350 RP)
- Janitor Thresh (1,350 RP)
- Crystalis Indomitus Nautilus (125 Mythic Essence)
These skins will go live in the Patch 14.18 cycle.
LoL Patch 14.18 patch notes
Here are the official notes for League Patch 14.18.
Champions
Ahri
- E base damage increased from 80-200 to 80-240, and ability power increased from 60 to 75 percent.
Aurora
- R jump’s maximum distance reduced from 450 to 250.
- R wall jump forgiveness reduced from 700 to 450.
- R duration reduced from 3-4 to 2-3.
Azir
- W damage based on level decreased from 0-77 to 0-45, and ability power changed from a flat 55 percent to 35-55 percent. Base damage per level remains unchanged.
Corki
- Q base damage decreased from 70-270 to 70-250. Bonus ability damage and ability power percentages remain unchanged.
- R base damage reduced from 80-280 to 80 to 240, and bonus attack damage percentage reduced from 120 percent to 100 percent.
Gnar
- Base attack damage increased by three (57 to 60).
Hwei
- WW combo’s shield strength for allies was reduced from 50 percent to 25 percent.
Ivern
- E shield reduced from 85-245 to 75-235. Ability power bonus remains unchanged.
- E slow reduced from 45-65 percent to 40-60 percent.
Jarvan IV
- Passive damage increased from seven to eight percent.
Jax
- R base armor granted increased from 15-65 to 25-75.
- R base magic resist granted increased from 9-39 to 15-45.
- R on-hit magic damage increased from 60-160 to 70-170. Bonus ability power remains unchanged.
- R armor per additional champion hit increased from 15-25 to 20-30. Bonus attack damage remains unchanged.
Jayce
- Q’s melee slow increased from 30-55 percent to 35-60 percent.
- Ranged E haste increased from 30-55 percent to 35-60 percent.
Jinx
- Attack speed growth increased from one to 1.4.
Leona
- Base armor reduced from 47 to 43.
Lillia
- P monster cap reduced to a flat 65.
- R sleep duration reduced to a flat 2.0.
Lissandra
- Q ability power ratio decreases from 85 percent to 75 percent. Base damage remains unchanged.
Lulu
- Passive damage per bolt increased from 3-37 to 5-39. Bonus ability power remains unchanged.
Malphite
- P shield is now 10 percent of max health.
Maokai
- Q base damage reduced from 65-265 to 65-240. Bonus ability power and damage based on targets maximum health remains unchanged.
- E cooldown increased from 16-12 to 18-14.
- E brush duration’s health bonus reduced from 2.5 to 1.5 percent. Sapling base brush duration remains unchanged.
Miss Fortune
- Base attack damage reduced from 55 to 53.
Nasus
- Initial E movement speed reduced from 55-215 to 50-170. Bonus ability power remains unchanged.
- E damage per second reduced from 11-43 to 10-34. Bonus ability power remains unchanged.
Rell
- Initial E movement speed bonus of 75 percent of the maximum remains unchanged.
- E maximum bonus movement speed reduced from 12-20 to 12-16 percent.
- E maximum movement speed towards enemies or targeted ally reduced from 24-40 to 24-32 percent.
Rumble
- Q damage increased from 80-180 to 60-180 and ability power reduced from 110 to 100 percent.
- E damage reduced from 60-160 to 55-155.
Samira
- Q’s attack damage bonus increased from 85-125 to 95-125 percent. Base damage remains unchanged.
Shen
- P shield increased from 47-101 to 47-120, and the bonus health increased from 12 to 13 percent.
Smolder
- Base health reduced from 605 to 575.
- Q damage decreased from 20-60 to 15-55, and the ability power ratio has been removed. Bonus ability damage remains unchanged.
- W glob damage decreased from 50-170 to 45-165. Bonus ability power and ability damage remains unchanged.
- W minion and monster damage reduced from 70-238 to 63-231. Bonus attack damage and ability power percentages remains unchanged.
Varus
- Q maximum bonus ability damage reduced from 150-190 percent to 130-170 percent. Base maximum damage remains unchanged.
- E bonus ability damage ratio decreased from 110 percent to 100 percent. Base damage remains unchanged.
Vi
- Q minimum damage decreased from 50-150 to 45-145. The bonus attack damage percentage remains unchanged.
- Q maximum damage has been reduced from 100-300 to 90-290. Bonus attack damage percentage remains unchanged.
Viego
- Base attack damage increased from 57 to 60.
- Q bonus damage to monsters reduced from 20 to 15.
Xin Zhao
- Armor growth increased from 4.7 to 5.0.
- Q bonus damage per hit increased from 16-52 to 16-68. Bonus ability damage ratio remains unchanged.
Zeri
- Passive damage reduced from 90-200 to 75-160, and target maximum health reduced from 1-15 percent to 1-11 percent.
Ziggs
- P damage to structures reduced from 150 percent to 75 percent.
Items
Bloodthirster
- Life steal reduced from 18 percent to 15 percent.
- Ichorshield shield adjusted from 50-400 (levels 1-8) to 165-315 (levels 8-18).
Immortal Shieldbow
- Lifeline ranged shield reduced from 320-720 to 320-560.
- Lifeline melee shield adjusted from 320-720 to 400-700.
Luden’s Companion
- Ability power increased from 95 to 100.
- Price reduced from 2,900 to 2,850 gold.
- Haste reduced from 25 to 20.
Shadowflame
- Ability power reduced from 120-115.
- Magic penetration increased from 12 to 15.
- Cinderbloom threshold increased from 35 to 40 percent.
- Pet damage over time damage reduced from 30 percent to 25 percent.
Stormsurge
- Magic penetration increased from 10-15.
- Movement speed reduced from eight to five percent.
- Stormraider threshold reduced from 35 to 25 percent.
- Squall ranged penalty has been removed.
Runes
Fleet Footwork
- Healing is increased from 5-100 to 10-130.
- New: Healing is 60 percent more effective for ranged users.
- Minion healing ratio is now a flat 15 percent for all users.
- Bonus movement speed increased from 15 percent for one second (both melee and ranged) to 20 (melee) and 15 percent (ranged) for one second.
Turrets
Turret Bulwark
- Permanent armor and magic resists per destroyed plate increased from 40 to 50.
- Temporary resists per destroyed plate for 20 seconds reduced from 45 per champion to 20 per champion.
Turret Fortification
- Damage reduction for the first five minutes increased from 75 to 85 percent.
Bugfixes
- Fixed a bug that caused Tenacity to not reduce the duration of Slows from certain items and runes’ effects.
- Fixed a bug that caused Swain’s R heal to not be reduced when used on Voidmites.
- Fixed a bug that caused Pyke’s VO upon killing a champion and his ability VO on execution to not play at the same time for slain enemy champions.
- Fixed a bug that caused Magic Penetration to not correctly stack with itself.
- Fixed a bug that caused Morgana’s first encounter VO to be audible to enemy players.
- Fixed a bug that caused some of Bel’Veth’s VO to not trigger.
- Fixed a bug that caused Vladmir to be able to take damage while in his pool form.
- Fixed a bug that caused Skarner’s E stun to sometimes allow enemies to perform abilities or attacks during the stun.
- Fixed a bug that caused Moonstone renewer to be audible through the Fog of War.
- Fixed a bug that caused certain VO for Akali to not play.
Skins
Attorney Azir
Janitor Thresh
Crystalis Indomitus Nautilus
Update Sept. 10 6:32pm CT, by Hayley Andrews: Added updated information from the League of Legends official Patch 14.18 notes.
Update Sept. 4 12:32am CT, by Hayley Andrews: Added all balance changes planned for Patch 14.18 as shared by Riot Phroxzon on X (formerly Twitter).
This article will be updated throughout the League patch cycle.
