The gravekeeper of top lane is rising again. Yorick has just received a massive rework on the PBE, and Riot’s goal is clear: make him stronger in teamfights, more self-reliant, and less frustrating for players and opponents alike.

The update, led by Riot Phreak, modernizes Yorick’s kit, adjusts scaling, revamps his Mist Walkers, and adds tons of QoL improvements that fans of the Shepherd of Souls have been asking for. Here’s a breakdown of what’s new with Mr. Ghoul.

Yorick’s Kit Gets a Major Revamp on PBE

The rework includes over 100 changes focused on making Yorick more intuitive, more consistent across skill levels, and less reliant on strict split-push win conditions.

Key Rework Goals:

  • Improve Yorick’s early laning (levels 1–6)
  • Let him function better in teamfights
  • Make his Mist Walkers feel like real minions with actual health
  • Reduce power scaling in late game while boosting consistency throughout the match
  • Flatten the skill skew between low and high MMRs

Yorick’s Mist Walkers: More of Them, Smarter, But Weaker

Mist Walkers are at the center of this rework. You’ll see way more ghouls, but each is now less powerful individually and much more susceptible to damage.

Mist Walker Changes:

  • Passive Grave Generation: Graves now spawn much faster, especially early game. You’ll get a grave every 6 deaths by level 5, down from 12.
  • Q Now Spawns Graves on Hit: Q-ing a champion or large monster creates a grave, allowing aggressive plays to feed ghoul spawns.
  • Health Scaling Changed: Ghouls now scale with bonus health, not total health. This gives Riot more tuning control and rewards intentional build paths.
  • Real Health Bars: Mist Walkers can now be damaged instead of just one-shot. They take double damage from melee attacks but are more resilient against AoE.

While they die faster, they’ll be easier to resummon. Riot’s goal is to create a loop where Yorick spawns, loses, and respawns ghouls dynamically, especially in skirmishes.

Abilities – What Changed?

Q – Last Rites

  • AD Ratio Increased
  • Cooldown reduced early
  • Now spawns a grave on any hit to a champion or large monster
  • Doesn’t spawn 2 graves on kill anymore, just 1

W – Dark Procession

  • No changes… for now. Riot tried things like making the wall unbreakable but reverted due to player feedback and balance concerns.

E – Mourning Mist

  • No longer deals % current health damage
  • Now shreds enemy armor by 18–30% for 4 seconds
  • Grants 30% movespeed (up from 20%) toward marked targets
  • Mist Walkers no longer get a damage amp from E, but benefit from the armor shred

R – Eulogy of the Isles

  • Maiden’s base damage increased, but scaling lowered from total to bonus AD
  • Maiden’s health reworked to scale off bonus health instead of total
  • Overall: Maiden hits harder early but doesn’t snowball as hard later

Self-Reliance and Teamfight Boosts

Yorick no longer has to sit in a side lane praying for cannon minions to die. With more self-generated graves and teamfight-centric buffs like armor shred and faster mistwalker spawning, he’s far more viable in grouped scenarios.

Also, Riot added:

  • Passive Ping Feature: You can now ping your passive to see how many ghouls are near you or on the map (finally!).
  • Pet AI Improvements: Mist Walkers now finish jungle camps if you recall, just like Zyra plants or Heimer turrets.
  • Leaping Bug Fixes: Ghouls will now reliably leap over terrain when using E.

TL;DR – What Yorick Mains Need to Know

✅ More graves, more ghouls, more Qs
✅ Better early laning and solo power
✅ Slightly weaker late-game ghoul scaling
✅ Improved teamfighting with E armor shred
✅ Maiden is smarter, stronger early, and easier to manage
❌ Less fire-and-forget ghoul damage
❌ W remains untouched… for now

Riot’s aim is to make Yorick feel better to play at all skill levels, modernize his mechanics, and ensure that while he’s still a split-push juggernaut, he’s also more viable in grouped fights and late-game team comps.

For the latest rework breakdowns, balance changes, and champion previews, keep it locked on LoLNOW.gg — your graveyard for dead meta and fresh new picks!

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions about the Yorick Rework

What are the main goals of the Yorick rework?

Riot aims to make Yorick better in teamfights, improve his early game, and reduce his reliance on outdated split-push mechanics.

Do Mist Walkers still get one-shot by everything?

No, Mist Walkers now have real health bars. They take double damage from melee attacks but are no longer instantly deleted by all single-target spells.

Can Yorick now teamfight effectively?

Yes, with more self-generated ghouls and new tools like E’s armor shred, Yorick has more impact in grouped scenarios.

Did Yorick’s Maiden get buffed or nerfed?

The Maiden’s base damage and health were increased, but her scaling is now based on bonus stats, making her less dominant in late-game.

Does Yorick’s Q still require last-hitting to spawn graves?

No, Yorick’s Q now spawns a grave whenever it hits a champion or large monster, making trades and jungle clears more rewarding.

When will the Yorick rework go live?

The rework is currently testing on PBE and expected to launch in the next major patch within a week or two.