Update – February 2, 2022: Patch 12.3 has headed to live servers! Check out the League of Legends patch 12.4 notes for what's coming next.
As we head further into the new year, the League of Legends patch 12.2 has headed to live servers, bringing new champion Zeri, the Spark of Zaun, and a whole lot of new skins. It seems 12.3 will be a somewhat humbler affair, at least as far as cosmetics are concerned, but there are still plenty of key changes fans will want to know – so, read on if you're keen to know what's next.
It appears that League of Legends patch 12.3 won't be bringing new skins – given that these tend to hit the PBE first thing in a new testing cycle, and there doesn't seem to be any as yet – but we do have some big Ahri balance changes coming up. Principal character designer August 'Riot August' Browning has posted some details around this on Twitter.
Goals for the refresh include "lean[ing] into her mobile mage identity by allowing R to partially reset, giving her more opportunities to carry fights" and reworking her ive ability to "be more useful throughout the game". Additionally, the devs want to "make her spells feel better to cast in lane". You can check out all the changed abilities in the notes below.
Elsewhere, we've got a pretty hearty round of champion and item balance changes coming, which Riot has offered some extra context on (in the 'Miscellaneous' section below), as well as a VFX update for Vel'Koz. You can catch all the details in the notes below.
Without further ado, here are the tentative League of Legends patch 12.3 notes (cheers, Surrenderat20!):
LEAGUE OF LEGENDS PATCH 12.3 RELEASE DATE AND DOWNTIME
The League of Legends Season 12 patch schedule has now been rolled out, so we know that League of Legends patch 12.3 is due to go live on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.
Maintenance times haven't yet been confirmed, but usually begin at 3am PT for NA servers, 5am UK time for EUW servers, and 3am CET for EUNE servers, and last for approximately three hours, so expect downtime to start sometime around then.
LEAGUE OF LEGENDS PATCH 12.3 BALANCE CHANGES
Champion Changes
Ahri – rebalanced/refreshed
- Stats:
- Health decreased to 480 + 82 per level from 526 + 92 per level
- Health regeneration decreased to 2.5 from 5.5
- Armour decreased to 18 from 21
- Essence Theft (ive):
- Ability reworked! "Killing minions or monsters grants Ahri an Essence Fragment. After obtaining 9 Fragments, Ahri consumes them to heal for 40-120 (+25% AP). When Ahri scores a takedown against an enemy champion within 3 seconds of damaging them, she feasts upon their Essence, healing for 80-200 (+35% AP)."
- There are brand-new VFX and SFX for all of Ahri's skins
- Orb of Deception (Q):
- Mana cost changed to 60-100 from 65-85
- Fox-Fire (W):
- Damage dealt increased to 60-160 from 40-140
- Mana cost decreased to 25 from 45
- Flame duration decreased to 2.5 seconds from 5 seconds
- Move speed duration increased to 2 seconds from 1.5 seconds
- "Updated last-hitting logic and leaned up VFX"
- Charm (E):
- Damage dealt increased to 80-200 (+60% AP) from 60-180 (+40% AP)
- Mana cost decreased to 50 from 70
- Removed! "This ability no longer grants a 20% damage amp on the target"
- Spirit Rush (R):
- Ability duration has increased to 15 seconds from 10 seconds
- New! "Consuming a champion's Essence with Essence Theft (P) while Spirit Rush is active extends its recast duration by up to 10 seconds and grants an additional cast of Spirit Rush (up to 3 stored)"
- "Cleaned up VFX and added ammo bar icons (currently placeholder)"
Akshan – nerfed
- Dirty Fighting (ive):
- Single-shot move speed has decreased to 20-75 from 35-75
- Three-stack damage has decreased to 10-165 from 20-175
Amumu – nerfed
- Stats:
- Armour per level has decreased to 3 from 3.5
- Tantrum (E):
- Changed! Maximum damage reduction is now 50% of damage instance "(like other flat DR)", as per Riot on Twitter
Caitlyn – nerfed
- Stats:
- Attack Damage growth has decreased to 3.4 from 3.8
- Piltover Peacemaker (Q):
- Secondary damage decreased to 50% from 60%
LeBlanc – nerfed
- Distortion (W):
- Damage dealt decreased to 75/110/145/180/215 from 75/115/155/195/235
Lillia – buffed
- Lilting Lullaby (R):
- Duration of sleep effect increased to 2/2.25/2.5 seconds from 1.5/2/2.5 seconds
Nami – changed
- Surging Tides (ive):
- Bonus movement speed increased to 90 from 45, but now decays
- Tidecaller's Blessing (E):
- Bonus magic damage dealt per hit has decreased to 20/35/50/65/80 from 25/40/55/70/85
Quinn – buffed
- Heightened Senses (W):
- Attack speed increased to 28/36/44/52/60% from 20/30/40/50/60%
- Behind enemy lines (R):
- Damage dealt increased to 70% tAD from 40% tAD
Senna – changed
- Absolution (ive):
- Attack speed increased to 28/36/44/52/60% from 20/30/40/50/60%
Twisted Fate – nerfed
- Wind Cards (Q):
- Damage dealt decreased to [60/100/140/180/220 (+75% AP)] from [60/105/150/195/240 (+65% AP)]
- Stacked Deck (E):
- Attack speed decreased to 10/17.5/25/32.5/40% from 20/25/30/35/40%
Item Changes
Sterak's Gage – changed
- Removed!
- This item no longer gives you flat AD
- Removed!
- The Bloodlust ive is gone
- New ive!
- You'll now gain 40% base damage as bonus attack power thanks to 'The Claws that Catch'
- Effects:
- Lifeline ive shield changed to [75% Bonus Health Shield] from [100 Shield (increased by (8% max Health | 4.8% max Health for Ranged champions) per stack of Bloodlust]
Black Cleaver – buffed
- Effects:
- Attack damage increased to 45 from 40
- Health decreased to 350 from 450
- Ability Haste increased to 30 from 25
Ravenous Hydra – buffed
- Effects:
- Attack damage increased to 70 from 65
Trinity Force – changed
- Effects:
- Health increased from 200 to 300
Cost:
- Combine cost increased to 833 from 733
Blade of the Ruined King – nerfed
- Cost:
- Total cost increased to 3300 from 3200
- Combined cost increased to 525 from 425
- Effects:
- Damage dealt by Mist's Edge increased to 12% Melee / 8% Ranged from 10% melee / 6% Ranged
Hexdrinker – buffed
- Effects:
- Attack damage increased to 25 from 20
Hearthbound Axe – buffed
- Cost:
- Total cost decreased to 1,000 from 1,100
- Combine cost decreased to 350 from 450
Maw of Malmortius – buffed
- Cost:
- Total cost increased to 2,900 from 2,800
- Effects:
- New! Item has a new ive effect: "When Lifeline triggers, gain 12% Omnivamp until the end of combat."
- Attack damage increased to 55 from 50
- Ability Haste increased to 20 from 15
Goredrinker – buffed
- Effects:
- Attack damage increased to 50 from 45
- Health decreased to 300 from 450
- Ability Haste increased to 25 from 20
- Recipe:
- Recipe changed! Is now as follows: Ironspike Whip + Caufield's Warhammer + Kindlegem + 200g
Divine Sunderer – changed
- Effects:
- Attack damage increased to 40 from 35
- Health decreased to 300 from 400
- Recipe:
- Recipe changed! Is now as follows: Caulfield's Warhammer + Sheen + Kindlegem + 700g
Stridebreaker – nerfed
- Cost:
- Combine cost increased to 400 from 300
Death's Dance – changed
- Effects:
- Ignore Pain ive damage spread amount decreased to 30% melee/10% ranged from 35% melee/15% ranged
- Defy ive heal changed to 175% bonus attack damage health from 15% max health
Wit's End – nerfed
- Cost:
- Total cost has increased to 775 from 675
Vel'Koz VFX update
Miscellaneous
12.3 with content! -Pyke +Akshan +Brand
There'll be a QGT on this later in the week, but the short of the fighter changes is that we're aiming to shift light fighters toward lower-durability itemization. We'll be watching the fallout closely, it's 100% a disruptive change.
1/3 pic.twitter.com/IaPXkpW5Ks
— Phlox (@RiotPhlox) January 25, 2022
These different kinds of fighters should feel pretty different to face, and shouldn't share all of their items else they start to homogenize together to the benefit of neither class.
Again, we'll be watching closely and almost surely following up over the next few patches.
3/3— Phlox (@RiotPhlox) January 25, 2022
We've got an Ahri refresh going to PBE soon for
Goals:
-Lean into her mobile mage identity by allowing R to partially reset, giving her more opportunities to carry fights
-ive reworked to be more useful throughout the game
-Make her spells feel better to cast in lane pic.twitter.com/0vLqJqOlS2— August (@RiotAugust) January 19, 2022
That's all there is for the League of Legends patch 12.3 notes right now, but keep heading back over its two-week testing cycle to catch any gameplay updates and other changes coming that hit the PBE ahead of the update's live debut soon. We'll be sure to post all you need to know in the notes above.
You can go catch up on the LoL beginners' guides can help you get started.