Tethers are receiving massive changes in League of Legends on patch 14.4.
Since the start of this season, we have seen many mechanics and system changes in League of Legends. Firstly, we got a complete overhaul of Summoner’s Rift. Then we got changes like the entire itemization changes and objective changes. With this objective change, if they want, players can now control the Rift Herald.
Fast forward to Patch 14.3, we got the first League of Legends event of season 14, Lunar Revel 2024. In this patch, we have seen new skins, event pass, and tons of balance adjustments. Similarly, in patch 14.4, we are getting a lot of mechanic changes. Among these mechanic changes, Riot is rescripting the tether system.
Tethers are the spell effects that create a link between them and another unit or a player. Some of the most popular tethers are Morgana’s ultimate, Nocturne’s E, Malzahar E, etc. Depending on the situation, tether abilities are annoying to deal with, but they still offer unique gameplay variety to the game. But they are built on scripts from long ago, and they haven’t been updated since. So Riot has announced that they will be rescripting the entire tether system in League of Legends patch 14.4.
Read more: League of Legends Patch 14.4 Notes.
League of Legends Patch 14.4: Tethers Changes
Before we get into the changes, we should look at all of the champions with a tethering ability.
- Aatrox
- Fiddlesticks
- Illaoi
- Karma
- Kled
- LeBlanc
- Malzahar
- Morgana
- Nocturne
- Renata Glasc
- Taric
- Zac
First, let’s talk about the current tether system. The current tether system checks a player’s presence only a couple of frames in the server’s time. And since the server only runs at 30 fps, it’s very forgiving for the player who casts the tether. For example, if Fiddlesticks casts his E against his enemy, and then if the enemy runs away from that enemy, it should break the tether. However, if the Fiddlesticks manage to catch up to that champion within the next server refresh timing, the tether won’t even break. Moreover, due to the inconsistency of the server timing, if the tether is supposed to do damage, then most of the time, it does even more than it’s supposed to. Overall, it’s very unforgiving for the player who gets caught in the tether.
With that said Riot is changing it with a slightly newer tech that utilizes area triggers. So now, if the champions leave the range, the tether will break, period. Server time won’t influence the change. Additionally, as server time is not in the equation, the damage will be far more consistent, meaning they will be lower.
The champions who will be changed heavily by the change are Aatrox, Kled, and Malzahar. The reason why they are the least affected once is because their tether is different. Besides them, everyone’s tether will be far more consistent and weaker than before. And if these champions do get significantly weaker, then they will receive some buffs in the future.
Release Date
The tether changes are expected to come out in patch 14.4, scheduled for Thursday, February 22, 2024.
Keep in mind Riot did state that they might get these changes later if things go wrong.
