How will Olaf and Taliyah change in their champion updates?

Nicholas James Published 30/03/2022

A Riot designer has announced that Taliyah and Olaf updates are in the works following the success of similar refreshes on other champions.

Taliyah and Olaf are the latest champions to be slated for mid-scale updates similar to what was done for Ahri and Janna previously. These updates were announced by Riot Games’ lead champion designer for League of Legends, Riot August. The updates for the Shuriman stone mage and Freljord’s angriest berserker are already in the works according to the League of Legends developer, meaning they could be arriving soon. But what will these champion updates bring for Taliyah and Olaf?

Taliyah and Olaf updates coming soon

Riot has been moving away from reserving quality-of-life updates for champions to just visual gameplay updates, also known as VGUs, and leaning more into smaller refreshes for champions who have begun to show their age. Taliyah and Olaf are both champions who have had issues with feast-or-famine win rates depending on how their stats are tuned.

Taliyah was released as a mid-lane mage before eventually transitioning into one of the game’s best junglers. After Riot heavily nerfed both options, Taliyah has fallen out of favor and now lacks her previous identity as the premier roaming mage. An update could potentially look to bring her back into that position.

Olaf is one of League of Legends’ oldest champions, with a binary and straightforward design that involves running down the opposition. All Olaf wants to do is toss axes as he sprints towards his target, relying on early game stats and strong skirmish potential to claim advantages. Both of these aspects have distinct identities than have fallen by the wayside as new champions with more complex mechanics are introduced. Changes to Olaf could add some additional complexity to the champion to make him feel fresher and more satisfying to play.

Riot August confirmed that more champions would be receiving the update treatment in the future, pointing to the success of updates made to Xin Zhao, Sona, and Lucian as positive examples of the process. Riot hasn’t clarified what exactly it has planned for Taliyah, but hopefully fans will get the chance to throw more rocks with her. Many of the recent updates have led to a new lease on life for the affected champions, and these updates look to continue that trend for Taliyah and Olaf.

Nicholas James

About Nicholas James

Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.

View full profile

Read Also

League of Legends

Caps Hall of Legends skins prices and dates revealed Hannan Mundia Caps is the latest League of Legends player to be inducted into the Hall of Legends, and the LEC player’s dedicated skins have been revealed, including their prices and release dates. The Hall of Legends is Riot Games’ way to honor a handful of the most well-known and celebrated professional players associated with LoL. The first inductee was naturally Faker, while the second was Uzi. The third player is Caps, ...

League of Legends

Five Support Champions To Pick Up in LoL Patch 26.17 Ben Boland The support meta in League of Legends is one of the most highly discussed roles in the game right now. With Riot doubling down on the roaming support playstyle, we will likely see more champions added to the pool around the time of Worlds 2026, which begins on 15 October. At the time of writing this article, the current patch, 26.17, is being tested on the PBE, with the launch ...

League of Legends

These Are Five Top Lane Champions To Pick Up in League of Legends Patch 26.17 Ben Boland League of Legends patch 26.17 is just around the corner, and with that patch comes more changes to the role. The days of ADCs in the lane are starting to be a thing of the past, with more bruisers hitting the gym before the launch of 26.17. Many top laners are receiving buffs on the new patch, while powerhouses such as Nasus and Vayne are on the chopping block, making ...

League of Legends

Here Is What To Expect From the League of Legends Patch 26.17 Ben Boland It’s less than a week until the release of League of Legends Patch 26.17, and with this patch comes some significant nerfs to popular champions, item adjustments, and targeting roaming supports as mage bottom lanes dominate the meta. While there is plenty to unpack in this week's patch from Riot Games, two champions, Vayne and Xerath, have received the biggest nerfs across the board. Here are some of the biggest ...

League of Legends

Trade on LGD vs Bilibili Gaming at Polymarket — Use Promo Code WINGGPREMAR Ben Boland Bilibili Gaming comes into their best-of-three series against LGD Gaming as the overwhelming favorites, with Polymarket traders giving the MSI finalists an 83% implied probability of winning at the time of writing this article. The prediction market doesn’t give LGD much of a chance at all, and with traders backing BLG heavily, it paints a picture of who is most likely to win this series in the LPL Split 3, ...

League of Legends

Which Teams Should Be Panicking Ahead of LoL Worlds 2026? Ben Boland The 2026 League of Legends World Championship is fast approaching, with the tournament beginning on 15 October. 19 of the best teams that esports has to offer will do battle in North America for a shot at the Summoner's Cup. For teams like Bilibili Gaming and Hanwha Life Esports, their fates are already sealed without stepping foot on the Rift again, but for the rest of the teams, they will ...

League of Legends

Predictions For Gen.G vs Dplus KIA: Best Value Odds at GGBET Ben Boland Two of the more in-form teams in the LCK go head-to-head as Dplus KIA takes on Gen.G on 22 August. Despite the odds leaning more towards a Gen.G win, there are some solid bets to make across the board, not just simply the result. Dplus KIA have shown impressive form throughout the summer and so shouldn’t be discounted in this series. In this preview, we will highlight the best chances to ...