Duskblade is getting changed and assassins are getting buffed

Riot has been hinting at changes to Duskblade for the better part of a year and it seems like 8.6 might finally be the patch where they come through. Overall, Riot’s Duskblade of Draktharr changes aren’t that drastic, but the numbers are getting a pretty big nerf, and that’s why assassins are getting buffed as compensation.

First of all, let’s take a look a the specific changes that the item is likely to get in Patch 8.6, as outlined by lead live gameplay designer Riot Repertoir.

Melee Damage :: 60 / x / 320 >>> 30 / x / 200

Ranged Damage :: 45 / x / 300 >>> 30 / x / 200

NEW :: Melee basic attacks instantly kill traps and wards disabled by Black Out

NEW :: Black Out won’t be triggered if the owner is using a Red Sweeper (so you can’t waste it)

As you can see, the item will survive mostly intact, but it’s getting a pretty massive nerf in raw damage. According to Repertoir, too many champions were using the item as a crutch to make up for their own lackluster kits, which the gameplay team now has no choice but to touch up. As the first wave of these tweaks begin, a whole host of assassins will be getting slight changes and buffs to make up for the loss of their favorite item.

Here’s a look at some of the preliminary changes coming to each of the champions that Repertoir listed in his original post.

Kayn

Things aren’t too complicated for Kayn. Rather than something fancy, he’s getting a couple buffs to how well his W (Blade’s Reach) and R (Umbral Trespass) abilities scale with attack damage, which should make up for the loss of some of Duskblade’s overpowering damage.

Kha’Zix

Kha’Zix is also fairly simple, in terms of buffs. He’s getting a damage bump for his Q (Taste Their Fear) which is also going to be a little more important, as his W (Void Spikes) is losing it’s 20 percent bonus damage to monsters. This should help him feel a little less relegated to jungling.

Miss Fortune

Miss Fortune’s buff is about as straight forward as you can get. Her attack damage growth is going from one to two.

Shaco

The truth is, Shaco has all kinds of issues that are tied to things far larger than just Duskblade. That being said, his changes are pretty complicated and try to address some gameplay patterns as well as just damage. The most significant change is coming to his Q (Deceive) which should now play a larger part of his early game. Since his changes are so large, here they are in numbers:

REMOVED :: Reduced cooldown on basic attacking after casting Q

Q CD :: 16/15.5/15/14.5/14 >>> 16/14.5/13/11.5/10

Q Duration :: 1.5/2.25/3/3.75/4.5 >>> 3

E Slow :: 20/22.5/25/27.5/30% >>> 10/15/20/25/30%

Talon

Once again, we have some number based changes to Talon that will just straight up buff the champion, helping both his passive to deal more damage in the mid and late game, as well as his ultimate to scale a little better with attack damage.

Wukong

Wukong is getting some pretty major buffs as a result of the Duskblade changes, with a bonus to his attack damage growth, as well as some vastly increased scaling on his Q (Crushing Blow).

Zed

This one’s a bit more complicated than some of the other assassins, but the changes should make Zed a much better champion overall. He’s getting a little more base attack speed to help out his early game. He’s also getting better scaling on both his Q (Razor Shuriken) and his E (Shadow Slash) which should be a huge help in the mid and late game for everyone’s favorite shadow assassin.