League of Legends patch 9.18 is due to hit the PBE very soon, with yet another round of changes for Riot's constantly-evolving MOBA. We'll have more information tomorrow, but thanks to a PBE preview, we can take a decent guess at what we're expecting to see.
In of balance changes, nothing is confirmed just yet, but we're likely to see the return of several sets of tweaks from the past few patch cycles. In League of Legends patch 9.17, Garen saw a significant number of alterations. Those aren't likely to ship with this update, but they've returned for more testing, alongside a bunch of changes to Annie's Molten Shield.
When it comes to cosmetics, the popular Star Guardian line is getting a new batch of recruits. Neeko, Zoe, Xayah, and Rakan all the anime-themed roster this time around, ing the already ten-strong line-up of Jinx, Poppy, Lux, Syndra, Lulu, Soraka, Ezreal, Janna, Ahri, and Miss Fortune. This time around, however, there'll be no return of the Invasion game mode that appeared with previous releases.
LEAGUE OF LEGENDS PATCH 9.18 RELEASE DATE AND DOWNTIME
League of Legends patch 9.18 arrives tomorrow, September 11. Maintenance is expected to begin at 03:00 PT for NA servers, 05:00 BST for EUW servers, and 03:00 CET for EUNE servers, and is expected to last around three hours.
LEAGUE OF LEGENDS PATCH 9.18 BALANCE CHANGES
At the moment, there are no balance changes showing up on the PBE, but be sure to check back for more information during the rest of the current cycle.
Champion Changes
Aatrox – nerfed
- Deathbringer Stance (P):
- Now heals for 25% of the damage dealt to minions instead of 100% of the damage dealt to minions.
Akali – nerfed
- Perfect Execution (R):
- R2 minimum damage decreased to 65/140/215 from 85/150/215.
- Cooldown increased to 160/130/100 seconds from 120/110/100 seconds.
- Microstun removed.
Annie – changed
- Molten Shield (E):
- Annie now gains 25-51% bonus movespeed that decays quickly over 1.5 seconds.
- Damage reduction decreased to 10/13/16/19/22 from 16/22/28/34/40.
- Cooldown increased to 15 seconds from 10 seconds.
Aurelion Sol – buffed
- Stats:
- Base HP increased to 575 from 510.
Caitlyn – buffed
- Stats:
- Base AD increased to 62 from 60.
Ekko – buffed
- Parallel Convergence (W):
- Mana cost decreased to 30/35/40/45/50 from 50/55/60/65/70.
- Stun duration increased to 2.25 seconds from 1.75 seconds.
Evelynn – buffed
- Last Caress (R):
- Damage multiplier vs low health targets increased to 140% from 100%.
Jhin – buffed
- Stats:
- Base AD increased to 59 from 57.
Kai'Sa – nerfed
- Supercharge (E):
- Bonus attack speed decreased to 40/45/50/55/60% from 40/50/60/70/80%.
Kayle – buffed
- Starfire Spellblade (E):
- ive damage increased to 15/20/25/30/35 from 10/15/20/25/30.
Lee Sin – buffed
- Stats:
- Base HP increased to 575 from 570.8.
- Base AD increased to 70 from 69.18.
- Dragon's Rage (R):
- Damage increased to 175/400/625 from 150/375/600.
Miss Fortune – buffed
- Make it Rain (E):
- Slow changed to 40/45/50/55/60% from 28/36/44/52/60%.
Nunu & Willump – nerfed
- Stats:
- HP per level decreased to 82 from 90.
- Mana decreased to 280 from 283.56.
- MP5 decreased to 7 from 7.44.
- Armor per level decreased to 3 from 3.5.
- Snowball Barrage (E):
- Slow decreased to 30/35/40/45/50% from 50% at all ranks.
Teemo – buffed
- Noxious Trap (R):
- Max ammo increased to 3/4/5 from 3.
Xayah – nerfed
- Stats:
- Base armor decreased to 25 from 28.
- Featherstorm (R):
- Cooldown increased to 160/145/130 seconds from 140/125/110 seconds.
Skins
Star Guardian Neeko – 1350 RP
Star Guardian Neeko will also come with a Prestige Edition skin. Here's her splash:
Star Guardian Xayah and Rakan – 1820 RP each
Here are all of their special interactions:
Star Guardian Zoe – 1350 RP
LEague of Legends patch 9.18 screen
Each League of Legends patch comes with its own unique screen. They're usually fairly excellent, and patch 9.18's is likely to be no exception. It'll probably be based on the new Star Guardian skins.
That's all we've got for you from League of Legends patch 9.18. To keep up with the current version of the game, check out the League of Legends patch 9.17 notes, and make sure to check back for League of Legends patch 9.19 in the very near future.