League of Legends Patch Notes

League of Legends updates can feel dense, but clear Patch Notes make them manageable. This category explains update scope, timing, and impact in plain language. Learn how balance teams adjust champions, items, runes, and systems, and how those tweaks reach live servers. Use this hub to track changes, plan picks, and avoid common mistakes after each release.

What Patch Notes Cover

Balance updates touch champions, items, runes, systems, and maps. Most patches ship tuning for damage, cooldowns, or gold values, and bug fixes. Some bring new champions or reworks. System changes hit jungle camps, objectives, minion strength, or turret damage. Cosmetic releases arrive on the same day but do not affect gameplay.

Patch Notes Rhythm and Versioning

Riot ships numbered versions like 14.9 or 14.10. A typical cycle lands every two weeks. Preseason and midseason sets bring larger shifts. Micropatches and hotfixes can land between versions when an outlier breaks the game. Those updates flip numbers server side and do not require a client download.

Major vs Micropatches

Major versions include art, new content, and wide tuning. They appear on the launcher and require a download. Micropatches adjust live variables only. You might notice a champion’s base armor drop or an item price rise after a restart. These small changes aim to stabilize ranked play without a full deploy.

Reading Patch Notes the Right Way

Start with the summary. Then scan champions you play, items in your builds, and roles you queue. Look for four fields on each line: base values, scaling, cooldowns, and costs. A two second cooldown cut on a core spell often matters more than a small damage nerf. Weigh buffs and nerfs across a full kit, not a single number.

Champion Changes

Focus on early clear, lane power, and first item spikes. A base stat tweak can swing level one trades. Cooldown or mana cuts raise trading windows. Scaling changes push a pick into late game. If a dash gains range or a root gains duration, expect new gank paths and pick angles.

Items, Runes, and Systems

Item price changes shift first backs and snowball speed. Ability haste or crit rate edits move builds. Rune tweaks can flip keystone choices and alter lane plans. Objective timers or health changes adjust play around dragons, Herald, or Baron. Track jungler clear times after any camp change.