Patch 25.08 is packed with impactful balance updates, including changes to popular picks like Gwen, Tristana, and Syndra, a buff pass for underperforming mages like Zoe and Xerath, and a continued tuning pass on new champion Mel. Riot is refining a number of champions and items this patch, aiming to rebalance meta outliers while nudging others back into viability.

Here’s the complete breakdown of Patch 25.08, including all listed changes, developer insights, and a few extra updates confirmed via Spideraxe.

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🔼 Champion Buffs

Blitzcrank

  • Passive Mana Ratio: 30% → 35%
  • Q Damage: 105–285 → 110–310

Brand

  • Passive Monster Damage Mod: 215% → 240%

Mel

– Mel’s power budget distribution re: abilities is in a pretty good spot, so we’re adding more power to her to bolster her winrate without pushing her poke or ranged all-in damage – We like her E being more about utility/catch and Q being the thing to dodge for damage – We’re being cautious around perceived frustration here so putting power in less frustrating power

  • Passive Base Damage: 35–180 → 35–250
  • R Explosion Base Damage: 200/300/400 → 200/325/450
  • Attack Speed Ratio per Stack: 5–20 → 8–25
  • Extra (Not listed in preview but confirmed):
    • Base Health: 600 → 630
    • Attack Speed Ratio: 0.625 → 0.4 (reverted)
      Source

Renekton

  • Q Damage: 30–90 → 30–120

Singed

  • Passive Target Cooldown: 10s → 8s

Sona

  • Q Damage: 50–170 → 50–190

Xerath

– Changes last patch didn’t quite hit the mark, so we’re giving a small buff to his Q and his passive, which is mid skewed – Wanting to skew a little more towards mid

  • Passive Cooldown Refund per Kill: 2.5s → 3s
  • Q Damage: 70–230 → 75–235

Zeri

  • R Chain Lightning Damage: 25% total AD → 30% total AD

Zoe

– Zoe has been pretty absent for a while; giving her a bit of a bump to her waveclear as she’s rather telegraphed right now and can’t push tempo as much as it feels like she should

  • Q Non-Primary Target Damage Reduction: 20% → 0% (no longer reduced damage on non-primary hits)

🔽 Champion Nerfs

Gwen

– Our changes to Gwen have landed shape pretty well, moving power out of her being a scaling full squishy AP one shot champ – She’s a little too present right now, so we’re taking her down a tad, but it’s good to have another AP fighter in there to allow for more comp diversity and keep certain champs in check

  • E On-Hit Damage: 12–20 → 8–20

Lulu

  • Base Health: 595 → 565

Tristana

– She’s crept up a little, we’re happy she’s not meta driving mid, but just generally too powerful

  • Q Cooldown: 100 → 120–100
  • R Damage: 275–375 → 225–325
  • Additional Update (Revert):
    • R Cooldown Reverted to 100 at all ranks
      Source

Yone

  • W Target Max HP Damage: 10–14% → 8–12%

Yorick

Continued tuning after his recent mini-rework.

  • Passive Base Heal: 25–110 → 20–110
  • E Shield: 80–180 → 65–165
  • E Max HP Damage: 10% → 6–8%
    Source

⚙️ Champion Adjustments

Ahri

  • Armor Growth: 4.7 → 4.2
  • W Base Damage: 45–145 → 40–120
  • W AP Ratio: 30% → 40%
  • W Cooldown: 9–5 → 10–6

Annie

– Changes to Annie are aimed at increasing her satisfaction by moving a bit of power out of Tibbers’ sustained damage which can be hard to feel and into some of her spells – Also adding some Pen to her kit innately so she’s a bit better at killing tanks with multiple rotations and doesn’t need to one shot squishies as hard as a result which is often frustrating for players (she’ll still be good at it though)

  • HP Per Level: 102 → 96
  • Q Base Damage: 70–250 → 70–270
  • Q Cooldown: 8s → 7s
  • W Base Damage: 70–250 → 70–270
  • W Cooldown: 8s → 7s
  • NEW – R Now Grants Passive Penetration: 10%/12%/15% magic pen
  • Tibbers Flame Aura: 20–40 (+12% AP) → 8–16 (+4% AP)
  • Tibbers Auto AP Ratio: 15% → 10%

Syndra

– Syndra’s builds have been pretty heavily in the MS kite builds and we’re moving power budget out of that and a bit more into her actual burst purchases so she has to build a bit more damage and AP

  • W Slow: 25–45% → 25%
  • E Base Damage: 75–235 → 60–200
  • E Ratio: 45% → 60%
  • R Base Damage per Sphere: 100–180 → 90–170

🔧 System Buffs

Cryptbloom

  • Haste: 15 → 20

Opportunity

  • Lethality: 15 → 18
  • Out-of-Combat Lethality Gain: 11/7 → 11/5

Overlord’s Bloodmail

  • Bonus HP to AD: 2% → 2.5%
  • Max %AD Based on Missing Health: 10% → 12%

🔻 System Nerfs

Dead Man’s Plate

  • Slow Resist: 25% → 15%

🧠 Final Thoughts

Patch 25.08 continues to refine Riot’s vision for a more balanced and expressive champion pool, while keeping an eye on frustrating mechanics and overbearing scaling. Mel, the newest champion, continues to get small refinements, while meta staples like Tristana, Yone, and Gwen are finally reined in.

Keep an eye out for surprise picks like Zoe, Xerath, and Annie, who may see increased play due to their meaningful buffs and adjustments.

Source Credits

Frequently Asked Questions about League of Legends Patch 25.8

What are the biggest champion nerfs in Patch 25.8?

Tristana, Gwen, Yone, Yorick, and Lulu received nerfs. Gwen lost E on-hit damage, Tristana’s ultimate damage was reduced, and Yone’s W lost some max HP scaling.

Who got buffed in Patch 25.8?

Blitzcrank, Brand, Mel, Renekton, Singed, Sona, Xerath, Zeri, and Zoe received buffs. Mel also got a base health buff and a reverted attack speed ratio.

What changed for Annie in this patch?

Annie’s Q and W now deal more damage and have lower cooldowns. Tibbers now grants magic penetration but has reduced aura damage.

Is Mel still being adjusted post-release?

Yes. Riot added a base HP buff and reverted her attack speed ratio after the preview post. They’re still fine-tuning her numbers.

Which systems were changed in Patch 25.8?

Cryptbloom, Opportunity, and Overlord’s Bloodmail were buffed. Dead Man’s Plate received a nerf to its slow resistance.