The latest patch preview for League of Legends showcases Gwen and Hullbreaker nerfs alongside other balance changes.
Professional play has seen tons of split-push specialists pick up the powerful legendary Hullbreaker item in order to pad their stats while pressuring alone, and Riot Games wants to change that. But rather than punish every champion, Riot has been very careful with how it targets the upcoming Hullbreaker nerfs.
Hullbreaker nerfs hit ranged, melee champions untouched
The patch 12.5 preview was posted to Twitter by developer Riot Phlox, highlighting the changes that Riot felt most confident about pushing forwards onto the live servers. Only three champions get buffs this patch, with Samira, Kennen, and Seraphine being the only ones to have their stats improved rather than downgraded.
Ahri’s rework is seeing her mana costs raised, and both Master Yi and Xin Zhao will be receiving adjustments. However, the big news comes in the form of Gwen and Hullbreaker nerfs that are being previewed. Gwen has dominated professional play due to her mobility and potential for safety, while Hullbreaker has become a default item for most top laners, even being bought by a Rek’Sai in the jungle as their first item in the LCK.
Riot’s nerfs to the split-pushing stat stick are to make it less powerful for ranged champions like Urgot while allowing it to remain as powerful as ever on melee champions. One of the melee purchasers is also getting nerfs, with Riot reducing the bonus damage to monsters from Gwen’s passive as well as lowering her bonus attack range from her E. Both of these will make Gwen less likely to continue appearing in the jungle as she has been in recent weeks.
Patch 12.5 looks to be small adjustments to the state of the game, with Riot waiting for things to stabilize following the addition of two new champions in recent weeks with the release of both Zeri and Renata coming quickly after one the other.
