Riot Reveals Massive Changes To Arena Game Mode Before Release

Soumyo Deb
By Soumyo Deb
7 Min Read
Image Credits: Riot Games

As the release of the upcoming game mode is on the horizon, Riot has revealed some Arena balance changes.

Earlier this year, Riot has been teasing a new game mode for League of Legends. However, we didn’t know much about it at that time. The only proper information we knew was that it would be in 2v2v2v2 format and have a separate map.

Then last month, Riot fully unveiled their newest game mode called Arena. As stated before, it’s a 2v2v2v2 game mode. Moreover, it has its own maps. Although there are no runes in this game mode, it is replaced by augments.

While this mode is still not out on live servers, players can still try out the mode through League of Legends PBE servers. While the PBE for this mode just started recently, already countless players have signed up for the PBE so that they could start grinding early. So overall, this game mode is a success.

However, one thing was apparent, the balance in this game mode is not well. The main reason is that, unlike ARAM, Arena does not have its balance changes. So some champions who are weak, like Corki, have a high win rate in this mode. Moreover, some strong champions in Summoner’s Rift, like Seraphine, are very weak in Arena. Additionally, most of the time, it also depends on which champions are well paired up with each other.

When Riot released this game mode on PBE, they revealed that Arena would have its own set of balance adjustments. And recently, they have finally announced the first set of changes, specifically for Arena.

Read more: League of Legends Patch 13.14 Notes.

Patch 13.14: Arena Balance Changes

Items & Class Changes

Ranged Champion Stat Bonuses:

  • AS: 15% >>> 20%
  • Haste: 15 >>> 20
  • MS: 15 >>> 20

These set of changes are aimed towards buffing regular marksmen champions. However, since mages are outperforming, there are also mage specific nerfs.

Mage Item Nerfs:

  • Sorc Shoes: 22 Mpen >>> 20
  • Void Staff: 45% MPen >>> 40%
  • Liandry’s: 80 AP >> 70 AP
  • Demonic Embrace: 1.3% ranged burn >>> 1%

Buffs for Artillery Mages and AP Assassins’ Items:

  • Crown of the Shattered Queen: 90 AP >>> 100
  • Lich Bane: 15 Haste >>> 20, 8% MS >>> 10% MS
  • Hextech Rocketbelt: 250 HP >>> 400 HP
  • Night Harvester: 300 HP >>> 400 HP

Enchanter buffs:

Echoes of Helia/Shurelya’s Reverie: +100 Health and +10 Ability Haste

Marksmen item changes:

  • Blade of the Ruined King: 12%/9% current health damage on-hit >>>| 11%/8%
  • Rageblade: 50% AS >>> 40%
  • Galeforce/Infinity Edge/Navori Quickblades: +5 AD

The Blade of the Ruined King and Rageblade have been the go-to picks for many champions. But meanwhile, crit items are struggling. This should give crit items some deserved boost.

Starter Item Changes:

  • Guardian’s Dirk: 50% increased plant effects >>> 25%
  • Guardian’s Blade: 250 HP >>> 300
  • Guardian’s Hammer: 25 AD >>> 30, 9% Lifesteal >>> 10%
  • Evenshroud: 20 Ability Haste >>> 10

Guardian’s Dirk has been overperforming than other starter items. These changes should make all the starter items balanced.

Augment Tuning

Circle of Death:

  • Now procs off regen
  • Heal to damage conversion: 50% >>> 40%

Nerfs:

  • Scoped Weapons: 250/150 Range >>> 200/100 Range
  • Shrink Ray: 20% Damage Reduction >>> 15%
  • Warmup Routine: 30% bonus damage over 10s >>> 24% over 12s
  • Willing Sacrifice: Current Health drained and converted to shield: 40% >>> 30%
  • Thread the Needle: 30% pen >>> 25%
  • Fallen Aegis: Shield Duration: 15s >>> 12s, Shield Amount: 75-500 (based on level >>> 50-350)
  • Soul Siphon: Lifesteal: 35% >>> 30%
  • Restless Restoration: Health Ratio per 1000 units: 3% >>> 2.5%
  • Base Heal per 1000 units: 60-180 >>> 50-150

Buffs

  • Frost Wraith: Root every 8s >>> 7s
  • Deft: 40% AS >>> 50%
  • Typhoon: 20% damage >>> 30%
  • Back to Basics: 25% bonuses >>> 35%, 50 Haste >>> 60 Haste
  • Thief’s Gloves: 20% bonus stats and item damage >>> 30%
  • Evocation: 40% healing >>> 60%
  • Contract Killer: Bonus Damage: 10% >>> 15%

Champion Adjustments

Nerfs:

Taric:

  • Q Base heal 25 >>> 20
  • Q Heal AP Ratio 0.15 >>> 0.1
  • Q Heal HP Ratio 0.1 >>> 0.075
  • E Has -30 ability haste

Annie:

  • +5% damage taken
  • -5% damage dealt

Heimerdinger:

  • Q Base Damage: 7-23 >>> 6-18
  • Q Base Damage Beam: 40-120 >>> 30-90
  • RQ Base Damage: 80-120 >>> 70-100
  • RQ Base Damage Beam: 100-180 >>> 90-160

Kayn:

  • P 30 passive stacks per round >>> 25 R damage
  • R Slayer Max HP Base Damage: 15% >>> 10%
  • R Slayer Max HP Damage per 100 AD: 13% >>> 8%

Shaco:

  • W fear duration: 0.5-1.5s >>> 0.5-1s

Syndra:

  • P 15 stacks per round >>> 10 stacks per round

Teemo:

  • R Slow: 30/40/50% >>> 20/30/40%
  • R Total Damage: 200/325/450 (+55% AP) >>> 150/250/350 (+45% AP)

Kayle:

  • R has -50 Ability Haste
  • E On-hit Base Damage: 15:35 >>> 10-30
  • E Execute: 8-10% >>> 6.5-8.5%

Buff:

Nunu:

  • Q Base Heal: 65-185 >>> 85-285
  • Q Heal is no longer reduced against champions.
  • Q Champion Base Damage: 60-220 >>> 100-340

Yorick

  • Q now spawns a grave in a random area within 600 range every 6 seconds.

Yasuo:

  • Passive Shield value increased by 30%
  • E Base Damage: 60-100 >>> 75-135

Akali:

  • Q Base Damage: 40-140 >>> 50-150
  • W has +30 Ability Haste

Jhin:

  • Q Base Damage: 45-145 >>> 65-245
  • Q AD Ratio: .35-65 >>>.6-1.0
  • R Base Damage: 50-200 >>> 100-400

Pyke:

  • Gains 20 Ability Haste
  • Q Base Damage: 100-300 >>> 140-420

Arena Changes Release Date

These Arena-exclusive changes will release on patch 13.14, scheduled for Wednesday, July 19, 2023.

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By Soumyo Deb League of Legends Writer
Soumyo Deb is a League of Legends writer at GameRiv and a dedicated Jungle Main. When he is not writing about the latest League news, he is testing out various off-meta champions in the jungle.