League of Legends patch 8.24 change list

New ranked tiers, the Snowdown event and more

By Julia Lee@hardykiwis Dec 4, 2018, 2:08pm EST

With the official preseason patch wrapping up, Riot is now on clean-up duty to fix anything that launched too strong or too weak. Patch 8.24 brings about a bunch of changes to overpowered champions, as well as some of the big ranked changes.

During this patch, you’ll notice Grandmaster and Iron release. These two new ranked division fit above Master and below Bronze, respectively. Any players in the fifth division of their tier will also be bumped up to the fourth, as divisions will only have four tiers going forward. (Free boost? I’ll take it!)

Neeko is also dropping this patch, which means you need to be aware of where the other team is at all times to make sure you’re not being tricked by her funky passive.

Finally, the last event of the year, Snowdown Showdown, starts during this patch. With it is coming some regal snowy skins for Dr. Mundo, Soraka, Twitch and Master Yi. You’ll be able to complete missions to earn tokens that you can use to claim icons, loading screen borders for those skins and ... a Prestige Edition K/DA Akali skin.

For Riot’s full notes, check them out here. For our tl;dr, head over here.

Champions

Neeko

Neeko, the Curious Chameleon, will appear sometime in patch 8.24!

Aatrox

Q no longer deals bonus damage to monsters.

Q - The Darkin Blade

[REM] MONSTER HATE :: No longer deals an additional 0.1 attack damage against monsters

Akali

W duration decreased.

W - Twilight Shroud

DURATION :: 5/5.5/6/6.5/7 seconds >>> 4/4.5/5/5.5/6 seconds

MAX DURATION EXTENSION :: 3 seconds >>> 2 seconds

Camille

Attack speed decreased.

Base Stats

BASE ATTACK SPEED :: 0.644 >>> 0.625

Galio

Q cost decreased, windblast damage increased, tornado flat damage removed but max health damage increased. E is faster but deals less damage to non-champions. R no longer grants damage reduction or longer knock-up vs enemies in the center.

Q - Winds of War

COST :: 70/85/100/115/130 mana >>> 70/75/80/85/90 mana

WINDBLAST DAMAGE :: 50/80/110/140/170 (+0.8 ability power) >>> 70/110/150/190/230 (+0.9 ability power)

[REM] FLAT TORNADO DAMAGE :: Tornado no longer deals 30/40/50/60/70 (+0.6 ability power) flat damage

MAX HEALTH TORNADO DAMAGE :: 0 (+3% per 100 ability power) target’s max health >>> 6 (+4% per 100 ability power) target’s max health

E - Justice Punch

WINDUP BEFORE FORWARD DASH :: 0.45 seconds >>> 0.4 seconds

DASH SPEED :: 1900 >>> 2300

[NEW] AIMED TOO HIGH :: Now deals 50% reduced damage to non-champions

R - Hero’s Entrance

[REM] DAMAGE REDUCTION :: The targeted ally no longer gains 20/25/30% (+8% per 100 Galio’s bonus magic resist) damage reduction

[REM] GROUND ZERO :: Enemies in the center are no longer knocked up longer (now 0.75 second knockup for all enemies hit)

Heimerdinger

Slight buff bugfixes and tooltip fixes.

Q - H-28G Evolution Turret

COOLDOWN REDUCTION :: Turret beam attack cooldown now actually scales with cooldown reduction

TOOLTIP :: Turret stats have been moved into the expanded tooltip (hold SHIFT). Expanded tooltip now indicates that turret health scales off Heimerdinger’s ability power.

W - Hextech Micro-Rockets

TOOLTIP :: Now states the actual damage rockets deal to minions instead of “60%” (which was lower than actual damage dealt due to additional AP scaling)

UPGRADE!!!’d W - Hextech Rocket Swarm

MAX DAMAGE :: 499/687/862 (+1.83 ability power) >>> 503/697.5/892 (+1.83 ability power)

MISSILE 1 DAMAGE :: 135/180/225 (+0.45 ability power) (unchanged)

MISSILE 2,3,4,5 DAMAGE :: 28/39/49 (+0.12 ability power) >>> 32/45/58 (+0.12 ability power)

MISSILE 6-20 DAMAGE :: 16.8/23.4/29.4 (+0.06 ability power) >>> 16/22.5/29 (+0.06 ability power)

Illaoi

E cooldown decreased early. R cooldown decreased late.

E - Test of Spirit

COOLDOWN :: 20/18/16/14/12 seconds >>> 16/15/14/13/12 seconds

R - Leap of Faith

COOLDOWN :: 120/105/90 seconds >>> 120/95/70 seconds

Irelia

W cooldown increased early, damage reduction reduced, no longer grants passive stack on cast.

W - Defiant Dance

COOLDOWN :: 16/15/14/13/12 seconds >>> 20/18/16/14/12 seconds

DAMAGE REDUCTION :: 50% >>> 40%

[REM] ON-CAST FERVOR :: Casting Defiant Dance no longer grants a stack of Ionian Fervor (stacks still granted based on enemies hit)

Jax

R on-hit base damage reduced late.

R - Grandmaster’s Might

3RD ATTACK ON-HIT DAMAGE :: 100/160/220 >>> 100/140/180

LeBlanc

W cooldown increased early.

W - Distortion

COOLDOWN :: 14/13/12/11/10 >>> 18/16/14/12/10

Viktor

Q base damage decreased, cooldown increased. E ratio increased, cooldown decreased.

Q - Siphon Power

COOLDOWN :: 8/7/6/5/4 seconds >>> 9/8/7/6/5 seconds

MISSILE BASE DAMAGE :: 60/80/100/120/140 >>> 50/65/80/95/110

E - Death Ray

COOLDOWN :: 13/12/11/10/9 seconds >>> 12/11/10/9/8 seconds

RATIO :: 0.5 ability power >>> 0.6 ability power (Aftershock ratio unchanged)

Skillshot Targeting with Flash

Updated several skillshot targeting interactions when Flash is used mid-cast.

Recent under-the-hood code work has led to a few skillshots not interacting with Flash the way they were intended to.

Skillshot fires toward target position (direction changes)

Ezreal’s Q - Mystic Shot (same as pre-update behavior)
Ezreal’s W - Essence Flux
Kai’Sa’s W - Void Seeker

Skillshot fires in target direction (position changes)

Irelia’s R - Vanguard’s Edge
Aatrox’s W - Infernal Chains

Clone Debuff Visuals

We finally got to doing this while working on Neeko.

WHICH ONE DID I IGNITE :: If a champion is affected with a debuff when they create a clone, the clone will now also have that debuff

VFX and SFX Updates

Anivia

Anivia’s attacks and abilities need some audio and visual love to get to current League quality and readability standards.

LOTS OF SFX :: Anivia’s SFX have been cleaned up for her joke, taunt, dance, laugh, death, and idle actions (voiceover unchanged)

BASIC ATTACK :: New missile and hit VFX

PASSIVE - REBIRTH :: Glow VFX increase the closer she is to revival and the hatching moment is more impactful

Q - FLASH FROST :: VFX more clearly indicate the hitbox and center zone

W - CRYSTALLIZE :: Updated wall model and frosty ground VFX. SFX updated for clarity and icy thematics.

E - FROSTBITE :: Missile is more distinct from Anivia’s basic attack. “Crit” hit is brighter and better defined.

R - GLACIAL STORM :: Freljord range indicator added. Blizzard VFX improved. New SFX added for when the storm is fully formed and when Glacial Storm deactivates.

BLACKFROST ANIVIA :: Q and R visuals updated to retain impact of a legendary skin

FESTIVAL QUEEN ANIVIA :: Gold range indicator adjusted to better match hitbox

Dr. Mundo

Dr. Mundo’s attacks and abilities need some audio and visual love to get to current League quality and readability standards.

BASIC ATTACK :: New trail and hit VFX. New hit SFX.

Q - INFECTED CLEAVER :: New trail VFX added. Hit VFX improved. Clearer throw and hit SFX.

W - BURNING AGONY :: VFX now shows actual area of effect. Enemies are visually set on fire when damaged. Activation SFX is clearer.

E - MASOCHISM :: New buff VFX on wrists. Zaun SFX elements added.

R - SADISM :: Initial burst VFX are bigger. Effect VFX are easier to see and read more as a heal. Zaun SFX elements added.

CORPORATE MUNDO :: W and R now have “buy/sell” arrow and paper VFX. Basic attacks and Q now have paper/briefcase SFX. W and R have digital SFX. New idle sounds added.

Gragas

Gragas’ attacks and abilities need some visual love to get to current League quality and readability standards. (He got some SFX updates a few patches ago!)

BASIC ATTACK :: New hit VFX

Q - BARREL ROLL :: Range indicator and grog VFX more clearly indicate area of effect

W - DRUNKEN RAGE :: Gragas now glows to indicate the damage reduction effect. Bubble VFX reduced.

E - BODY SLAM :: Added new dash VFX to indicate area of effect. Hit VFX are more impactful.

R - CASK TOSS :: Grog and barrel trail VFX improved to indicate area of effect and feel more impactful. VFX and SFX changed to be more distinct from Q.

OKTOBERFEST :: E pretzel dash VFX (finally!) restored

Renekton

Renekton’s attacks and abilities need some audio and visual love to get to current League quality and readability standards. The visual changes are here with 8.24; audio changes are still in the works.

BASIC ATTACK :: New hit VFX

PASSIVE - REIGN OF ANGER :: Glowing hand VFX are more clear when empowered. Eyes now glow red as well.

Q - CULL THE MEEK :: VFX more clearly indicate area of effect (scaling with R). Pool Party and SKT T1 unempowered casts are recolored.

W - RUTHLESS PREDATOR :: Mostly unchanged

E - SLICE AND DICE :: VFX cleaned up; ground sand added. Empowered cast VFX are much clearer.

R - DOMINUS :: New sandstorm and range indicator VFX. Dragonflies changed to scarabs. Outback and Prehistoric use base VFX. Galactic and Bloodfury use recolored base VFX. Rune Wars, Scorched Earth, Pool Party, SKT T1, and Renektoy have unique ult effects.

Teemo

Teemo’s attacks and abilities need some visual love to get to current League quality and readability standards.

BASIC ATTACK :: New missile and hit VFX

Q - BLINDING DART :: Missile is more distinct from Teemo’s basic attack; hit VFX improved

W - MOVE QUICK :: Run trail VFX added with skin-specific effects

E - TOXIC SHOT :: Missile is more distinct from basic attack and Q

R - NOXIOUS TRAP :: Explosion now shows actual area of effect. Skin-specific explosion effects added for Astronaut, Cottontail, Super, and Panda skins.

Items

Death’s Dance

Healing now works on all damage.

HEALING :: 15% of physical damage dealt (5% per target for area-effect abilities) >>> 15% of all damage dealt (5% per target for area-effect abilities)

Eye of the Herald

Can no longer be activated during combat with non-minions.

I BLINKED :: Eye of the Herald now goes on a 3-second cooldown during combat with non-minions

[REM] Poacher’s Dirk

Effects like the ones on Poacher’s Dirk, Mejai’s Soulstealer, and Cull are interesting because there’s a clear mini-objective you’re trying to achieve and opponents can change up their decision-making to deny you the payoff. In this case, unfortunately, both the mini-objective and the payoff are too specific for Poacher’s Dirk to be considered in a reasonable number of games. Leaving it in the shop might not harm junglers who know it’s not a great option, but it’s a trap for newer players who haven’t yet learned to skip over it. So, we’re saying goodbye to Poacher’s Dirk.

REMOVED :: Removed

Runes

Dark Harvest

Base damage decreased. Can’t proc off other procs.

BASE DAMAGE :: 40-80 (lv 1-18) >>> 20-60 (lv 1-18)

PROC MODEL :: Can no longer proc off other procs (ex. Scorch, Liandry’s Torment) aside from Luden’s Echo, whose effect is built to behave like a separate ability

Jungle

Murkwolf & Raptor Spawn Time

Murkwolves and raptors initially spawn later.

The header says “jungle” but this is really a mid-lane change. Bumping Murkwolf and Raptor spawn up by a few seconds means midlaners who poach a camp will be a little more vulnerable to interference before they get to lane.

FIRST MURKWOLF SPAWN :: 1:29 >>> 1:30

FIRST RAPTOR SPAWN :: 1:28 >>> 1:30

Nexus Blitz

Nexus Blitz is back for another test run this Snowdown! Stay tuned for more information on when this experimental mode will be available to play.

Non-Summoner’s Rift Modes

The new bounty system broke the old bounty system on maps that didn’t switch over (i.e. maps that weren’t Summoner’s Rift). It’s fixed now!

Hotkeys

Champion Mini-Menus

New hotkeys added for champs with additional buttons.

Sometimes you wanna interact with these mini-menus without losing a beat.

CHAMPION-SPECIFIC INTERACTIONS :: New hotkeys have been added for champions with extra buttons, like Kindred’s hunt bar and Neeko’s shapeshift bar. These hotkeys won’t do anything for champions without extra actions.

DEFAULT KEYBINDING :: SHIFT-F1 through SHIFT-F5

OPTIONS MENU :: These new bindings can be changed via Options -> Hotkeys -> Additional Hotkeys -> Abilities and Summoner Spells

Ranked

A swath of Ranked 2019 changes land for preseason testing. Splits, position ranks, and positional matchmaking will come at season start.

Placements

See your rank after just one game.

Placements suck: Deposit ten games into the anxiety box and hope for the best. We fixed that.

JUST ONE :: See a provisional rank after just one Ranked game. It’s only visible to you until your placements are complete.

ALL THE WAY UP :: In your remaining placement games, you earn bonus LP in wins and can’t lose LP

UNLOCKED :: After your placement games, your rank will be available for all to see

NO RESET :: There’s no reset during preseason, so you’ll need to be unranked in a queue to try new placements before season start

Tiers & Divisions

Iron slots in below Bronze, and Grandmaster snuggles in between Master and Challenger. Division V is removed from all tiers.

New tiers make for a smoother climb over the course of the season, and fewer divisions mean fewer promo series.

BOTTOM’S UP :: Iron tier added below Bronze

GRANDILOQUENT :: Grandmaster tier added between Master and Challenger

RIP MEMES :: Division V removed from all tiers

CONGRATS :: All players in Division V moved up to Division IV

HELD HORSES :: As part of preseason testing for Grandmaster promotions, all players in Master and above will be set to Master tier, 0LP.

Ranked Armor

Ranked armor, a new reward, now reflects your current rank across your profile, hovercard, game lobby, and loading screen.

Ranked armor will upgrade as you rack up wins and promote across next year. Your past rank will be reflected in a banner draped off the back of your armor.

OOH SHINY :: A new way to show off your current rank now appears on your profile, Ranked dashboard, hovercard, and in-game lobbies

ON MY LEVEL :: Switch between Ranked and level armor by clicking on your summoner icon

Ranked UI

A clarity pass across the end-of-game screen and the Ranked dashboard includes a variety of changes.

WHAT DID I WIN :: The end-of-game screen is rejiggered to make your LP gains more clear

PROMO WHEN :: The Ranked dashboard for Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger now more clearly shows promotion and demotion cutoffs

LOADING SCREEN :: Loading screen borders now reflect your current rank in the selected queue; you can click player cards to see their past rank banner

Bugfixes

Fixed a bug causing Alistar’s W - Headbutt to stun his target without displacing them if he cast recall in the middle of his W+Q combo to cancel the combo
Master Yi’s basic attack no longer cancels if Passive - Double Strike’s stack counter expires mid-attack
Fixed a bug that allowed Varus’ allies to detonate W - Blighted Quiver
Fixed a bug causing the audio on Jayce’s basic attacks to sometimes be missing
Dark Star Thresh’s Q - Death Sentence no longer has classic particles when breaking the chain
Guardian of the Sands Rammus recall SFX are no longer heard globally if Rammus is in vision
Nightbringer and PROJECT: Yasuo’s Q - Steel Tempest audio cues have been restored
PROJECT: Vi’s recall particles are now timed properly with the animation
K/DA Akali’s transition into her slowed animation has been restored
K/DA Akali’s R - Perfect Execution SFX volume no longer stacks when hitting multiple targets
Minimized clipping during Praetorian Graves’ run animation
Urfwick’s empowered recall no longer ignores forced facing/orientation
Pool Party Rek’Sai’s recall ground water VFX no longer clip through elevated terrain
Infernal Amumu Ruby Chroma’s head flame VFX are now much more visible on all graphics settings
Sad Robot Amumu’s W - Despair particles no longer separate and clip through elevated terrain
Restored Pug’Maw E - Void Ooze’s self and ally view bubble VFX and enemy view bubbles are now more red
Dragon Trainer Tristana’s champion-specific taunt and joke VO lines are now properly synchronized with her animations
Blood Moon Evelynn’s left lasher no longer shrinks at the end of her death animation
Shadowfire and Super Galaxy Kindred’s models no longer use classic skin textures upon death
Mecha Kha’Zix’s W - Void Spike’s on-hit VFX are no longer significantly louder than base
Beemo now properly plays his channel animation (ex. when activating Eye of the Herald)
Dragon Master Swain’s skin-specific VO has been restored
Pulsefire Ezreal’s recall VO has been restored
Tahm Kench’s W - Devour SFX have fully been restored

Upcoming Skins & Chromas

The following skins will be released this patch.

Ice King Twitch
Frozen Prince Mundo
Winter Wonder Soraka
Snow Man Yi
Hextech Renekton
K/DA Akali Prestige Edition

The following chromas will be released this patch:

Winter Wonder Soraka
Ice King Twitch
Frozen Prince Mundo
Snow Man Yi
Snow Day Graves
Snow Day Malzahar
Snowstorm Sivir
Snow Day Bard
Frostblade Irelia