Riot is planning jungle nerfs for LoL patch 11.4

Riot has given the first sneak peek at the upcoming League of Legends Patch 11.4 and it includes nerfs to the jungle. 

The jungle position has been very strong so far in Season 11, but Riot is looking to tone down its strength in Patch 11.4. In the recent patches, several jungle champions have been sitting at the top of the win-rate charts and there is a good reason for that. The role has been buffed up because of the jungle camps providing a lot of XP, which means that junglers can currently keep up as a main-carry role. 

Players are utilizing fast-clearing champions such as Udyr, Graves, and Ivern to gain a lot of quick XP that can match solo laners. This enables junglers to quickly reach a high level and gain the items needed to be a real thread.

The jungle position should be able to carry, but it has gotten out of control according to Riot. This is why the jungle will likely see some nerfs in XP and gold in the upcoming patch, according to gameplay design director Mark “Scuffy” Yetter. 

Riot planning nerfs to Gromp, Krugs, and Razorbeak in jungle

Gromp

• Base XP, 135-182.25 >> 125-168.75 (at levels 1/3/5/7/9)
• Gold, 105 >> 95
• Base health, 1650 >> 1750

Krugs

• Large Krug – Base XP, 37-49.95 >> 27-36.45 (at levels 1/3/5/7/9)
• Large Krug – Gold, 42 >> 32
• Small Krug – Base XP, 18-24.3 >> 16-21.6 (at levels 1/3/5/7/9)
• Small Krug – Gold, 12 >> 10

Razorbeak

• Base health, 800 >> 900
• Base XP, 45-60.75 >> 35-47.25 (at levels 1/3/5/7/9)
• Gold, 45 >> 35

To tone down the strength of the jungle, Riot isn’t focusing on champions but instead the jungle camps. Gromp, Krugs, and Razorbeak will see a nerf in base XP and gold. Furthermore, Gromp and Razorbeak will have more base health, to make it a bit harder for champions to take them down in the early game. 

For the Krugs, Riot will be targeting both the large and small Krug. This means that the Krugs essentially gets a double nerf and might not be worth clearing in the first few levels anymore. 

Off-meta junglers can be punished further by Patch 11.4 nerfs

While many players think that the jungle role is currently too strong, this isn’t exactly the change that everyone wanted. With the XP and gold nerfs, Riot might see certain jungle champions fall further out of meta than they currently are. Fast-clearing junglers are already in meta and it seems like it will stay that way as Riot will be nerfing the rewards for killing camps. 

This leaves slow-clearing junglers out in the cold, farther away from being viable again. What these champions can do to compensate for the clear speed is ganking more often, but even that can be hard in a meta where mobile champions and Galeforce are in meta. 

How the jungle meta will continue to develop in Patch 11.4 is unknown but it seems like AOE damage and fast clearing is still the way to go. 

What is the current LoL patch?

League of Legends is on Patch 11.3 as of February 6. This is the third patch of Season 11, which included the newest champion in the game, Viego. 

When does LoL patch 11.4 go live?

The next patch of Season 11 is Patch 11.4 and it’s set to hit the live servers on February 18. Before that, the patch will be available for testing on the Public Beta Environment (PBE).