As we enter into the new year, League of Legends Season 14 is on the horizon with the first patch notes of the year. League patch 14.1 sees many significant changes coming to Summoner's Rift, breathing new life into Riot Games' popular MOBA.
These changes include updates to the ranked experience, visual updates to the Summoner's Rift map, and a complete overhaul of the item system. As if that's not enough, players are treated to five new Dragonmancer skins to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.
There are loads of major changes with the first patch notes of the year, so buckle up your seat belts; here are full patch notes for League of Legends patch 14.1.
According to the official Riot Games patch schedule, the first League of Legends patch of 2024, 14.1, will go live on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. League patch 14.1 will be rolled out steadily across the day according to different server timezones, beginning with the Oceanic server at around 10 AM AEST.
Here are all the critical LoL patch rollout times for the remaining servers.
As the first patch of the new year, this upcoming patch has more content than previous ones, so server downtime may take longer than usual. While the patch is going live, Riot Games will disable all matchmaking and competitive queues for around three hours before the update goes live on servers.
Since there are no champion balance changes in this upcoming League of Legends patch, Riot Games is looking to add some other significant changes to kick off Season 14. Players should expect massive system changes and bug fixes, including substantial adjustments to Baron Nashor's visual appearance as the Void engulfs the Summoner's Rift map.
As mentioned in the preseason changes, Riot Games aims to shift power back into the hands of players with a vast item system overhaul in Lol Season 14, including the departure of the Mythic items system, which has been in the game since 2021. Riot will also introduce an all-new three-split-ranked structure to accommodate newer players or even returning ones.
It wouldn't be a League patch without new skins to add to the collection! In honor of the Year of the Dragon, some new Dragonmancer skins are bursting onto the scene, ready for players to purchase upon the release of patch 14.1.
For Season 14, Riot Games has announced changes to the League of Legends ranked system, with an all-new three-split ranked structure. They have acknowledged that the previous ranked experience felt like too much of a grind, with just one ranked reset a year.
From Season 14 onwards, the ranked year will be divided into three individual splits, with three ranked resets in the following months below.
This change should accommodate players returning to the game or even newbies joining halfway through the ranked season to climb the competitive ladder and earn more rewards.
The Void's influence will engulf Summoner's Rift coming into Season 14, with significant changes to most map objectives in the Jungle, like the Baron Pit, Rift Herald, Scuttlecrabs, and more.
There will also be map changes, affecting how Junglers can gank lanes. For example, the entryways from the river to Top and Bot have been adjusted, shaking up the dynamics of the game.
Significant alterations have been made to the Top Lane in the upcoming season. The Red Side wall has been elongated, posing a challenge for Junglers attempting to gank unless they possess mobility skills like Kayn. Furthermore, a smaller pixel brush has been introduced for extra stealth opportunities.
For Mid Lane, Riot Games has expanded the river bushes outward to dissuade Junglers and roaming enemy Supports from camping Mid. Additionally, new roaming pathways have been introduced nearer to each Mid Turret, heightening the challenge for surprise ganks.
Bot Lane has been made more vulnerable, with a small pixel brush placed just by the river opening. This allows for more gank opportunities or even roaming surprises.
In Season 14, Baron Nashor will be getting three forms. Although the three forms will still provide the same classic Hand of Baron buff, these new changes will alter how Baron fights back and determine the shape and format of his Baron Pit.
Void Grubs will also be added to the Baron Pit, replacing the first Rift Herald. Void Grubs unleash a swarm of Voidmites that attack enemies. Once Void Grubs are slain, the entire team gains the permanent Hunger of the Void buff, granting a damage-over-time bonus to structures like Turrets and Inhibitors.
Upon crushing the Eye of the Herald, the Rift Herald (Shelly) will spawn like normal, with a twist. Now, allied champions can right-click to jump onto the back of Shelly. The rider can then steer Shelly in any direction, similar to Sion's Ultimate.
In the past, Mythic Items stifled creativity, meaning most builds stayed rigid for every champion in most games. As such, Riot Games are removing Mythic Items, a staple in every game since 2021, to diversify item builds and freshen up gameplay.
Riot Games is introducing new items to the game to divert the power back into the champions themselves, allowing more flexibility with item build paths and hopefully promoting more exciting gameplay.
That was all the information we have on the early patch notes for League of Legends update 14.1, going live on January 10, 2024. LoL will feel like a completely new game, with a steep learning curve for all players diving into the new changes when released on live servers.
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