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League of Legends Classic Patch 1: Akali Enters the Rift and Champion Balances
It’s been just over a week since League Classic officially launched as a game mode for Summoners around the globe, and we are getting our first massive patch delivered by David "Phreak" Turley.
New champions abound, tweaks to the gameplay and system, and champion buffs and nerfs. There's plenty to expect with the first patch of League of Legends' latest game mode. Let’s get into it.
Three New Champions Join the Roster
In addition to the starting 60, the first 3 champions to be added to LoL Classic are: Akali, Shen, and Kennen. Akali will receive her kit from June 2012, while Shen and Kennen will receive theirs from April and July 2013, respectively.
Here’s a quick rundown on what to expect with their kits.
Akali
Akali’s release kit is based on Patch 1.0.0.141, which was released in June 2012.
[P] Spell vamp from bonus AD and on-hit damage from bonus AP
[Q] Single-target nuke. Attack the target for bonus damage and energy
[W] Smoke bomb. Akali gets Invisibility and resistances. Enemies are slowed
[E] Damage enemies around Akali
[R] Single target dash and damage. Max 3 ammo
Shen
Shen’s release kit is based on Patch 3.6, which was released in April 2013.
[P] Attack for bonus damage and energy. Has cooldown. Attacks partially refund cooldown
[Q] Nuke and mark an enemy. Allies who damage that enemy gain Heal over Time
[W] Gain a shield. While shield persists, passive CD refund is increased
[E] Dash to taunt enemy champions, reducing physical damage for dash duration. Refunds energy.
[R] Shield an ally while channeling. If channel completes and ally is still alive, teleport to ally.
Kennen
Kennen’s release kit is based on Patch 3.9, which was released in July 2013.
[P] Mark enemies on spell hit. Stun and returns energy in exchange for consuming all 3 marks
[Q] Skill shot nuke. Can apply mark.
[W] Passive: Bonus damage and mark every 5 auto-attacks. Active: Damages marked targets and adds another mark to them.
[E] Gain bonus movement speed, bonus armor and magic resistance. Hit enemies to mark and damage them.
[R] Summon maelstrom. Rotate damages a random enemy champion repeatedly up to a cap per champion.
Champion and System Balances Incoming
Following the first round of feedback from the community, Homeguards, a modern League of Legends addition, has been removed for the first 15 minutes of League Classic, bringing back that higher cost for dying on the Rift. Turrets also see a sizeable increase to their health pool.
Significant buffs to Dr. Mundo's survivability and Lux's late game scaling are particularly noteworthy from this round of buffs. Alistar's ally healing also sees a significant jump to aid in trades.
Blitzcrank, Heimerdinger, Janna, Tryndamere and Twitch are among the champions not getting the love this patch, seeing tweaks to their numbers across the board.
Classic Summoner’s Rift Gets a Little Sunnier
The Sun is getting moved in the upcoming patch. The Riot Art team has noticed that the star's location and temperature were different and that this affected a number of model decorations. As such, it’s getting moved, and players should see a meaningful improvement to the lighting on classic Summoner’s Rift.
Further Improvements Expected in Future Patches
Firstly, a map texture pass is expected to come as soon as Patch 2 (ETA Aug 26). Along with the lighting changes this patch, we’re expecting a much more faithful (but maybe a tad improved) look to the classic Summoner’s Rift map.
Improved VFX for champions is coming in a future patch, nudging them closer to their classic looks. The first round of voting for The Council will arrive in either Patch 2 or 3.
Better Aligning the Fantasy
League Classic is all about fulfilling the nostalgia and fantasy of replaying old versions of League of Legends. With that in mind, Patch 1 spends most of its budget tweaking champion numbers so everyone gets a turn exploring their favorite champion from the old days.
All information about LoL Classic Patch 1 was taken from David "Phreak" Turley's patch preview video. If you'd like to have a look at the complete list of changes, check out his video!
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Featured Image Credit: Riot Games
