Patch 8.12 notes

BY AETHER, GENTLEMAN GUSTAF

In recent history, we've seen mage changes in 8.9, jungle shifts in 8.10, and most recently marksman adjustments in 8.11. 8.12 ends this "midseason" timeframe—so named because we're in the middle of the season but no single patch was kingmade as a "Midseason" event. A few final systems changes are in this patch, but our focus has otherwise already shifted to followup. The plan between now and preseason is mainly to smooth out the rough edges and balance issues, meaning until preseason comes around, patches will be less disruptive than what you've seen over the past few months.

Back to 8.12! We're tuning down the duration of allied shield abilities and the strength of the Forbidden Idol item line with the goal of making shields fairer for enemies to play against. If you were watching PBE this patch, you also saw some item changes to help fighters carry late-game teamfights. Fighters have gotten stronger over the past few patches thanks to what's changed around them, and the landscape is still rapidly shifting. We're holding off on most of these changes until the dust clears, lest we power up a class that no longer needs the help.

GLHF,
 Mattias "Gentleman Gustaf" Lehman Paul "Aether" Perscheid

Patch Highlights

Champions

Elise

Human and Spider form movement speed increased. Human W damage increased.

We've been watching Elise for a while, but wanted to see how she'd do with the Runic Echoes rework in 8.10 and subsequent buffs in 8.11. She's pretty far below the average Echoes jungler, so the runway's clear for direct buffs.

Base Stats

HUMAN FORM MOVEMENT SPEED325  330
SPIDER FORM MOVEMENT SPEED350  355

W - Volatile Spiderling

BASE DAMAGE55/95/135/175/215  60/105/150/195/240

Ezreal

Armor decreased.

Ez is still running rampant after the scaling nerfs we shipped partway through last patch, so we're making it easier to boot him out of lane without letting him hit his item cost thresholds. In particular, this may leave him stuck on Tear of the Goddess (potentially not even that) without damage items for longer.

Base Stats

ARMOR25  22

Mid-Patch 8.11 Updates

These went live last patch.
ATTACK DAMAGE GROWTH3.11  2.5
PASSIVE - RISING SPELL FORCE ATTACK SPEED10/12/14% per stack  10% per stack at all levels

Kindred

Attack speed growth increased. Q attack speed increased. E damage increased.

Kindred's recently taken losses from both the Rift Scuttler changes and the Zeal item nerfs. We're building on last patch's buffs (focused on adjusting Kindred's early marks to account for the Scuttler changes) with a heavier power-up this time around.

Base Stats

ATTACK SPEED GROWTH2.5%  3.5%

Q - Dance of Arrows

BONUS ATTACK SPEED BUFF10%  25%

E - Mounting Dread

BASE DAMAGE65/85/105/125/145  80/100/120/140/160

Lee Sin

W cooldown decreased. E damage increased.

Last patch's buffs didn't go far enough in bringing Lee back up from the Warding Totem changes, so we're giving him a few more buffs.

W - Safeguard / Iron Will

COOLDOWN14 seconds  12 seconds

E - Tempest

BASE DAMAGE70/105/140/175/210  80/120/160/200/240

Poppy

Passive cooldown decreased late. Q cooldown decreased; ratio increased.

Giving Poppy a bit more oomph throughout the game, particularly with aggressive builds.

Passive - Iron Ambassador

COOLDOWN16/13/10 seconds (at levels 1/7/13)  16/12/8 seconds (at levels 1/7/13)

Q - Hammer Shock

COOLDOWN9/8/7/6/5 seconds  8/7/6/5/4 seconds
RATIO0.8 bonus attack damage  0.9 bonus attack damage (reminder: applies on both cast and detonation)

Rumble

W shield increased. R damage increased.

We're leaning into Rumble's lane bully strengths by making fights more favorable for him and letting him carry that lead more convincingly if he can secure it.

W - Scrap Shield

BASE SHIELD80/110/140/170/200  100/130/160/190/220
SHIELD RATIO0.4 ability power  0.5 ability power

R - The Equalizer

MAX DAMAGE650/925/1200 (+1.5 ability power) over 5 seconds 700/1050/1400 (+1.75 ability power) over 5 seconds

Sejuani

Icebreaker deals less damage vs monsters but no longer has a cooldown against them. More units can be frozen. W costs less, now has AP ratios. E damage and ratio increased.

Sejuani's been bristling for a buff since her nerfs earlier in the season, so we’re making her early clear healthier and more engaging. We’re also giving her some itemization flexibility by letting her feel good about pickups with AP in their stat lines.

Passive - Fury of the North

ICEBREAKER DAMAGE VS MONSTERS400 flat  10-20% target's max health (max 300 against epic monsters), matching damage vs other targets
ICEBREAKER TARGETSEnemy champions and epic/large monsters Enemy champions, epic/large/medium monsters, super minions, and siege minions (see Permafrost below)

W - Winter's Wrath

COST80 mana  65 mana
NEWFIRST SWING AP RATIO0.2 ability power
NEWSECOND SWING AP RATIO0.6 ability power

E - Permafrost

FREEZABLE TARGETSEnemy champions and epic/large monsters  Enemy champions, epic/large/medium monsters, super minions, and siege minions
REMOVEDNON-CHAMPION COOLDOWN10/9/8 second per-unit cooldown against non-champions
DAMAGE20/30/40/50/60  30/45/60/75/90
RATIO0.3 ability power  0.6 ability power

Taliyah

Q rocks beyond the first deal slightly less damage to champions.

When we shipped 8.11, Taliyah landed in a weak spot. We gave her a bunch of buffs partway through the patch, which overcompensated and pushed her too high. So we're reining in one of those mid-patch buffs to a more workable middle ground.

Q - Threaded Volley

CHAMPION DAMAGE60% for rocks beyond the first  50% for rocks beyond the first

Mid-Patch 8.11 Updates

These went live last patch.
BASE ATTACK DAMAGE56  58
Q - THREADED VOLLEY DAMAGE VS CHAMPIONS40% for rocks beyond the first  60% for rocks beyond the first (it's now 50%—see above)
E - UNRAVELED EARTH DASH DAMAGE35/45/55/65/75 (+0.2 ability power)  50/60/70/80/90 (+0.3 ability power)

Yorick

Q cooldown decreased late. Mist Walkers and the Maiden now update their stats when Yorick's stats change.

With no bonus AD ratios in his kit, the Sterak's shift from granting base AD to bonus AD weakens Yorick's Trinity Force damage without increasing the impact of his abilities. (Other Sterak's/Trinity Force champions in this bonus-ratio-less position are either pretty far ahead of Yorick power-wise or have other builds to lean on.) Since this build has historically been Yorick's only good offensive choice, we're giving him some buffs to offset a nerf he has no way of sidestepping.

General

LOOK AT MEMist Walkers and the Maiden now update their stats when Yorick's stats change

Q - Last Rites

COOLDOWN7/6.5/6/5.5/5 seconds  7/6.25/5.5/4.75/4 seconds

Jhin

Bugfixin'.
BUGFIXJhin's fourth Passive - Whisper shot now overrides Stormrazor's guaranteed-crit damage modifier

Mid-Patch 8.11 Updates

These changes all went live last patch; see Ezreal and Taliyah above for a few more.

Kai'Sa

PLASMA BASE ON-HIT DAMAGE7-12 at levels 1-16  4-10 at levels 1-16
PLASMA PER-STACK DAMAGE1-9 at levels 1-17  1-5 at levels 1-17
PLASMA AP RATIO0.2/0.25/0.3/0.35/0.4 (for stacks 1-5)  0.1/0.125/0.15/0.175/0.2 (for stacks 1-5)
W - VOID SEEKER RATIO0.45 ability power  0.6 ability power

Pyke

BASE HEALTH REGEN5 health per 5 seconds  7 health per 5 seconds
BASE MANA380  415
BASE ARMOR42  45
BASE ATTACK DAMAGE60  62

Yasuo

BASE ATTACK DAMAGE60  63
Q - STEEL TEMPEST CRIT DAMAGE150%  180%
BUGFIXThe combination of Brawler's Gloves and Infinity Edge now properly grants Yasuo 40% critical strike chance

Allied Shield Abilities & Items

This pass comes in two parts: abilities that shield allies ("gifted shields") and items that increase shield strength. On the ability front, we're tightening up the timing requirements of gifted shields. Enemies should be able to play around shields in some scenarios by baiting them out and waiting for them to fall off, rather than always having to try to brute-force their way through. Shortening the duration of shields makes that counterplay more realistic in more cases and makes proper timing of shield abilities a more important skill for enchanters to master.

On the item front, the Forbidden Idol line has been incredibly stat-efficient since the introduction of heal/shield power back in Season 6. This was meant to offset supports' historical lack of income at the time, but the economy's changed in the two years since. Simple stat nerfs to these items will bring them to a more reasonable spot (particularly when stacked with each other in the late game) and hopefully give enchanters a little more freedom in the items they choose to pick up, since "not an Idol item" is now a less punishing tradeoff.

Janna

Shield decays after a brief delay.

Unlike other gifted shields, Eye of the Storm comes with bonus AD that enemies want to knock off as quickly as possible. If we went with a duration reduction, waiting the shield out still wouldn't make sense as a form of counterplay since you'd just be letting Janna's carry hold onto free stats. Nuking the shield would end up feeling worse too, since there'd be much less buff duration to deny. By contrast, a decaying shield makes damage on the shield more effective while keeping the payoff for blowing it up satisfying.

E - Eye Of The Storm

NEWDECAYEye of the Storm's shield now decays over its duration after a 0.75 grace period

Karma

Shield duration decreased.

E - Inspire

SHIELD DURATION4 seconds  2.5 seconds (also applies to Mantra'd E - Defiance)

Lulu

Shield duration decreased.

Lulu's E has a visual indicator to let everyone know who Pix is attached to (...it's Pix). So we're able to reduce Help, Pix!'s shield duration without reducing the window Lulu has to fire a Glitterlance from her ally's location.

E - Help, Pix!

SHIELD DURATION6 seconds  2.5 seconds
PIX ALLY ATTACHMENT DURATION6 seconds (unchanged)

Orianna

Shield duration decreased.

E - Command: Protect

SHIELD DURATION4 seconds  2.5 seconds

Forbidden Idol

Cooldown reduction, heal and shield power reduced.

COOLDOWN REDUCTION10%  5%
HEAL AND SHIELD POWER8%  5%

Ardent Censer

HEAL AND SHIELD POWER10%  8%

Mikael's Crucible

HEAL AND SHIELD POWER20%  15%

Redemption

HEAL AND SHIELD POWER10%  8%

Athene's Unholy Grail

More damage is converted to healing charges.

This change is in part an invisible Chalice of Harmony buff. With Forbidden Idol brought in line, Chalice stands a chance at making it into enchanter laning builds. Ensuring Athene's is a worthy upgrade (particularly in a world with less heal/shield power) makes that a more realistic possibility.
DAMAGE-TO-BLOOD RATIO25% pre-mitigation damage  35% pre-mitigation damage

Items

REMOVED

Banner of Command

Banner of Command was intended as a strategic-niche item that pushes a lane autonomously, forcing enemies to deal with the threat while Banner's owner is making plays elsewhere on the map. However, it’s only ever lived in two states: rarely purchased even in the situations it was meant for, or meta-warping. We’re removing Banner from the shop and taking a step back to evaluate if this item niche is both engaging and fun enough to work in League. Even if that answer is "yes," Banner would need some serious work to make a return, so this is goodbye for the foreseeable future.

Sterak's Gage

Passive grants bonus attack damage instead of base attack damage.

Sterak's Gage was designed as a juggernaut item, but has become a Trinity Force combo piece due to granting additional base attack damage rather than bonus attack damage. For most current users (see Yorick above for notes on exceptions), swapping Sterak's to grant bonus AD is some degree of sidegrade. They'll gain damage through the bonus AD ratios in their abilities rather than Spellblade procs. On the other hand, non-Trinity Force juggernauts (and divers) can make better use of Sterak's than before.
GIANT'S STRENGTHGrants 50% of base attack damage as additional base attack damage ⇒ bonus attack damage

Maw of Malmortius

Bugfixin'.
BUGFIXMaw's shield now properly lasts the full 5 seconds again

Runes

Precision
Sorcery
Domination

Presence of Mind

Bugfixin'.
BUGFIXMany champions whose ultimate abilities use pet controls or multiple activations (ex. Talon recalling his R - Shadow Assault or Riven casting R2 - Wind Slash) now properly gain Presence of Mind's cooldown reduction on takedowns that occur while their ults are still active

Last-Hit Assistance

We'll continue chipping away at this over the next few patches.
TRAINING WHEELSMissing a minion last-hit by 4  3 damage will still grant you the last hit

New Player Experience

We've updated our Tutorials! We're only flipping the switch for some new players to start, so if the disembodied lady is still telling your friend to build Thornmail Ashe, sit tight! Everyone will get the new Tutorial experience down the line once we turn it on 100%.

Emotes Update

Emote Availability

COST450 RP  350 RP
THANKSIf you purchased an emote for 450 RP between May 29 at 12:01 AM PT and June 11 at 11:59 PM PT, we're refunding the difference. This partial refund should appear in your account by June 26. (Questions? Head to our Player Support FAQ).
REALLY, THANKSAs a thanks to early emoters, you’ll receive an animated M’Pengu if you purchased any emotes before 8.12. He can also be crafted for 5 gemstones from June 26 – July 10.
M'Pengu
NEWMYSTERY EMOTE TOKENSMystery Emote Tokens award a random unowned emote and will be periodically available in the store for 195 RP
REGULAR EMOTE SALESEmotes older than six months will join the regular skin sale schedule

Quality of Life Changes

NEWBUBBLESWhen off-screen teammates flash their emotes, the emote will now appear in a small bubble next to their portrait in the HUD. (This feature can be turned off via the Options menu.)
NEWMORE AUTOFIRE SLOTSAdded emote autofire slots for First Blood and Ace
NOISES FOR EVERYONEAll emotes now have custom sounds
COLLECTION UPDATESView, sort, and purchase emotes you don’t have from your collection
NEWMYSTERY EMOTE TOKENSMystery Emote Tokens award a random unowned emote and will be periodically available in the store for 195 RP
REGULAR EMOTE SALESEmotes older than six months will join the regular skin sale schedule

New Emotes

The following emotes will be released this patch:

Yikes / Okay / Joy Pengu / Go Team! / Hype Kitty

Grab all five in the Emotional Promotional bundle for 925 RP before it expires on July 10, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Bugfixes

  • Corki's bolts from Runaan's Hurricane are now properly converted to partial true damage against champions when they critically strike while Corki has Infinity Edge, and no longer partially convert to true damage against non-champions
  • Ivern can no longer channel Passive - Friend of the Forest on a small wolf or razorbeak to quickly collect them after attempting to channel his passive on the big monster in the camp
  • Fixed an infrequent bug where Rift Scuttler would occasionally heal back the first instance of damage dealt to it
  • The Crushing Blow proc on Dead Man's Plate now properly deals magic damage for ranged users
  • VFX have been restored for Pulsefire Caitlyn's E - 90 Caliber Net
  • Icon for the Crest of the Rooster ward is no longer off center in Champion Select

Upcoming Skins & Chromas

The following skins will be released this patch. Grab the League Displays app for their full-res splash!

The following chromas will be released this patch:

Playmaker Lee Sin (Citrine)
Playmaker Lee Sin (Emerald)
Playmaker Lee Sin (Sapphire)
Playmaker Lee Sin (Aquamarine)
Playmaker Lee Sin (Tanzanite)
Playmaker Lee Sin (Obsidian)
Playmaker Lee Sin (Rose Quartz)

Sweeper Rammus (Ruby)
Sweeper Rammus (Rose Quartz)
Sweeper Rammus (Emerald)
Sweeper Rammus (Sapphire)
Sweeper Rammus (Aquamarine)
Sweeper Rammus (Tanzanite)
Sweeper Rammus (Obsidian)