LoL Patch 14.3 Delays Riot Vanguard and Nerfs Proc Damage

LoL Patch 14.3 Delays Riot Vanguard and Nerfs Proc Damage

Time Stamp: February 7, 2024 6:34 AM

LoL Patch 14.3 continues to fine-tune champions and items impacted by the Season 14 itemisation overhaul. This includes reducing overall burst damage by lowering item proc damage, bolstering the survivability of certain AP carries, and curbing champions who’ve been overly dominant due to the new system.

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This second big patch of Season 14 affects a total of 22 champions and 22 items, receiving changes after a clear meta disparity emerged following the initial Season 14 shakeup!

AP carries buffed while overperforming champions are nerfed

Patch 14.3 brings welcome buffs to champions struggling after the itemisation overhaul. Finally, Aurelion Sol gets some love! Riot aims to shift his power source from passive farming towards proactive combat and trading. Adjusted mana costs enable him to be more aggressive in lane, with future balancing focused on his Q+W stacking playstyle.

LoL Porcelain Protector Aurelion Sol splash art.

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Credit: Riot Games

Certain AP carries, like Ziggs and Nidalee, lack durability due to changes to their core items, making their high damage less impactful. To address this, Ziggs receives base armor buffs and a reduced W cooldown. Nidalee receives an E heal boost and improved MR growth.

On the other hand, champions like Rengar and Karma, who benefited from the new item system a bit too effectively, face nerfs. Karma, dominant in multiple lanes, experiences a damage nerf to her R+Q combo, curbing her overall power. Rengar loses base health (from 620 to 590) and sees a reduction in his bonus Q damage.

Proc damage nerfed

Furthermore, patch 14.3 brings a wave of welcome changes for squishy AD carries, targeting the often-frustrating burst damage of item procs.

The primary goal of these nerfs is to curb snowballing and reduce overall burst damage in the late game. To achieve this, the amount of damage dealt by item effects across the board will be lowered, especially for champions who become unstoppable late-game powerhouses thanks to proc-heavy builds.

LoL Heavenscale Janna splash art.

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Credit: Riot Games

Several items are receiving nerfs, including Hextech Alternator, Hextech Rocketbelt, Echoes of Helia, Statikk Shiv, Stormrazor, Lich Bane, Profane Hydra, and Titanic Hydra. Riot aims to shift the focus away from proc damage scaling with ratios and move towards flat damage values that fall off later in the game. This prevents champions from becoming mere “item delivery systems” and reduces the snowball potential of already dominant champions.

Riot Vanguard rollout delayed to patch 14.5

Vanguard, Riot’s anti-cheat software, faces a setback. Originally planned for Patch 14.4, Vanguard’s debut is postponed to Patch 14.5 (6 March 2024) due to critical bugs with the client pop-up.

This delay grants breathing room for players worried about Vanguard’s privacy implications. The software requires deep system access, sparking concerns despite Riot’s assurances. Past controversies and reported performance issues haven’t helped, with some players even contemplating leaving the game.

Patch 14.3 will still perform a diagnostics check to assess your system for Vanguard. This doesn’t activate the software, but simply prepares your PC.

Those were the highlights of LoL patch 14.3! If you want to learn more about patch 14.3, check out our comprehensive 14.3 rundown, or the official full patch notes on the official LoL website here.

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