League patch 11.8 notes: New champ Gwen, Aphelios & Lee Sin buffs, Gnar nerfs

League of Legends patch 11.8 notes is here and brought all the details for the Apr. 14 update, including the game’s 155th champion Gwen, new “Blackfrost” and “Dragonslayer” skins, Rammus buffs and more.

---

• New champion “Gwen” coming in LoL patch 11.8 cycle
• Several LoL characters set to be pushed into meta jungle roles
• Riot Games reveal Blackfrost, Dragonslayer skins

---

LoL game dev Mark Yetter has been looking forward to patch 11.8 that will include “broadening enchanter items” as well as adding more characters to the jungle.

The Riot dev team are bringing “another round of new champs to the jungle pool,” including Darius, Mordekaiser, and Morgana, as well as usual mid lane stars like Diana and Zed. This will ship alongside a move to “shift a few champs [back] that have fallen out of their player base’s favorite positions.”

Gwen will also be officially released this week.

Finally, Riot is releasing nearly half a dozen new skins, including more “Dragonslayer” cosmetics, as well as dark “Blackfrost” skins for Vel’Koz and Sion.

Here’s all the details on League of Legends patch 11.8, coming Wednesday.

What’s coming in League of Legends patch 11.8?

“Gwen” set to make her debut

Rumor had it that the newest champion to join League of Legends would be Isolde, Viego’s wife. Instead, we’ll be getting Gwen, one of her creations.

For Gwen, every moment of life is precious and she performs every action with purpose. She wanders across Runeterra, separated from Isolde and looking to spread joy to those who are hurt or suffering. “Tragedy ripped them apart, sending the doll to sink beneath sea and sorrow. Centuries passed. The doll was not deterred; she knew love would find her again.”

Gwen is available on the LoL PBE test servers right now.

Rammus mini-rework rolls into the Rift

Riot are looking at revamping other champions in League Season 11 to bring them back to modernity. Top of the list? Rammus, with the jungler set to get a new set of wheels in 2021.

LoL players got their first taste of the Rammus rework through mobile clone Wild Rift. Leroy ‘Sirhaian’ Kevin has worked on a gameplay update, including overhauls to Rammus’ skins and kit.

• Read More: Everything we know about Rammus rework

The biggest change is to his ultimate. Now called Soaring Slam, Rammus gets some hang time before slamming back into the ground and creating tremors. This more mobile engage opportunity could bring the tank back into the meta.

Non-jungle champs make roaming switch

Riot has been experimenting with League’s jungle, and the champions that take up the role, for quite some time.

In Season 10, they worked to make the jungle more “appealing” by widening champion diversity. However, the changes ended up falling flat, or not making it to live servers.

• Read More: Morgana, Darius & Zed could be LoL’s next meta junglers

Now in Season 11, they’re trying again to make it stick. Five champions are on Riot’s radar in League patch 11.8 to take them out of the lane and put them in the jungle: Darius, Diana, Mordekaiser, Morgana, and Zed.

New Blackfrost, Dragonslayer skins

Four different skin lines will be getting new releases this update ⁠— new champ Gwen will finally get her epic “Space Groove” skin, while Sion and Vel’Koz are getting “Blackfrost” skins. Galio, Kayle, and Twitch will also get dragon-themed outfits.

Here’s the full list of champs getting skins next week:

• Space Groove Gwen (Epic) ⁠— 1350 RP
• Blackfrost Sion (Epic) ⁠— 1350 RP
• Blackfrost Vel’Koz (Epic) ⁠— 1350 RP
• Dragon Guardian Galio (Epic) ⁠— 1350 RP
• Dragonslayer Kayle (Epic) ⁠— 1350 RP
• Dragonslayer Twitch (Epic) ⁠— 1350 RP

Each new LoL patch 11.8 skin will also get a half dozen chromas.

Catch all of the major changes in the League of Legends 11.8 update below, courtesy of Riot.

League of Legends patch 11.8 patch notes

Champions

Gwen – The Hallowed Seamstress

• Gwen snips, skips, and slashes into 11.8 on April 15th.

Annie

W – Incinerate

• Cost: 70/80/90/100/110 mana ⇒ 90/95/100/105/110 mana

Aphelios

THE HITMAN AND THE SEER Passive – The Hitman and the Seer

• Lethality: 3/6/9/12/15/18 ⇒ 3.5/7/10.5/14/17.5/21

R – Moonlight Vigil

• Calibrum – Damage per mark: 40/70/100 ⇒ 50/80/110
• Severum – Healing: 250/375/500 ⇒ 275/400/525
• Gravitum – Root Duration: 1.25 seconds ⇒ 1.35 seconds
• Infernum – Spash Damage: 85% of initial damage ⇒ 90% of initial damage
• Crescendum – Chakram Refund: 4 additional (5 total) ⇒ 5 additional (6 total)

Cassiopeia

E – Twin Fangs

• Cost: 50 mana ⇒ 50/48/46/44/42 mana

Dr. Mundo

Passive – Adrenaline Rish

• Max Health Regeneration: 1.5% ⇒ 2.5%

Q – Infected Cleaver

• Capped Damage against Minions & Monsters: 300/350/400/450/500 ⇒ 100/200/300/400/500
• Health Cost Restore on Enemy Hit: 50% ⇒ 100%

E – Masochism

• Flat Bonus AD: 40/55/70/85/100 ⇒ 30/45/60/75/90
• Max Bonus AD: 60/90/120/150/180 ⇒ 50/80/110/140/170

Gnar

W – Hyper

• Bonus Movement Speed 30/45/60/75%, decaying over 3s (based on R rank) ⇒ 20/40/60/80%, decaying over 3s (based on R rank)

LeBlanc

Q – Sigil of Malice

• Base Damage: 55/80/105/130/155 ⇒ 65/90/115/140/165
• Total Damage:  110/160/210/260/310 ⇒ 130/180/230/280/330

Lee Sin

E – Tempest

• Cooldown: 10 seconds ⇒ 8 seconds

Orianna

E – Command: Protect

• Bonus Resistances: 10/15/20/25/30 armor and magic resist ⇒ 6/12/18/24/30 armor and magic resist

Rammus rework changes

Q – Powerball

• Base damage: 100/135/170/205/240 ⇒ 100/130/160/190/220

W – Defensive Ball Curl

• NEW – Ballin: Basic attacks now extend the duration of Defensive Ball Curl by 0.4 seconds, up to a maximum of 4 additional seconds

E – Frenzying Taunt

• Taunt duration: 1.25/1.5/1.75/2.0/2.25 seconds ⇒ 1.2/1.4/1.6/1.8/2.0 seconds

R – Soaring Slam

• Updated: Come on and Slam, and Welcome to the… Ram – Rammus leaps into the air and slams down, dealing 100/175/250 (+0.6 AP) magic damage and slowing enemies by 15/17.5/20% for 1.5 seconds. Rammus generates aftershocks at the target location for 4 seconds, dealing 20/30/40 (+0.1 AP) magic damage and stacking the initial slow up to four times. Damage near the center is increased up to 150% damage based on the distance traveled. If Soaring Slam is cast while Rammus is in Powerball, enemies near the center are also knocked up and dealt Powerball’s collision damage, ending Powerball’s effect.
• Cooldown: 100/80/60 seconds ⇒ 130/110/90 seconds

Rumble

Base stats

• Magic Resist: 32 ⇒ 28
• Magic Resist Growth: 1.25 ⇒ 0.75

Passive – Junkyard Titan

• Overheating Bonus Damage: 25-110 (based on level) (+30% AP) ⇒ 10-50 (+6% of target’s maximum health) (+30% AP)
• New – It’s Getting’ Hot in Here: While Overheated, Rumble gains 50% attack speed

E – Electro Harpoon

• New – So Take Off All Your MR: Electro Harpoon now reduces the target’s magic resistance by 10% (15% when in the Danger Zone) for 4 seconds, stacking additively

Thresh

E – Flay

• Cooldown: 9 seconds ⇒ 11/10.5/10/9.5/9 seconds

Vladimir

Q – Transfusion

• Cooldown: 9/8/7/6/5 seconds ⇒ 9/7.75/6.5/5.25/4 seconds

Yorick

Passive – Shepherd of Souls

• Mist Walker Damage: 2/3/4/5/6/7/8/14/20/26/32/38/44/55/66/77/88/99 (+30% total AD) ⇒ 2/3/4/5/6/7/8/13/18/23/28/33/38/48/58/68/78/88 (+25% total AD)

E – Mourning Mist

• Mist Walker Initial Leap Damage: 200% on first attack ⇒ 100% (normal damage) on first attack
• New – Marked Territory: Marked targets take 40% increased damage from the next 8 attacks by a Mist Walker

R – Eulogy of the Isles

• Turret Priority: Attacks the Maiden over melee and ranged minions ⇒ Attacks melee and ranged minions over the Maiden

Zac

W – Unstable Matter

• Damage: 25/40/55/70/85 (+4/5/6/7/8% of target’s maximum health) (+2% per 100 AP) ⇒ 35/50/65/80/95 (+4/5/6/7/8% of target’s maximum health) (+4% per 100 AP)

Jungle Champion Changes

Darius

Passive – Hemorrhage

• Monster Damage Bonus: 175% ⇒ 300%

Diana

Passive – Moonsilver Blade

• Damage to Non-Epic Monsters: 150% ⇒ 300%
• Blade Bonus Attack Speed: 10-40% (based on level) ⇒ 20-40% (based on level)

Mordekaiser

Passive – Darkness Rise

• Capped Damage Against Monsters: 28-164 (based on level) ⇒ 180 (at all levels)

Morgana

W – Tormented Shadow

• Bonus Damage Against Non-Epic Monsters: 150% ⇒ 200%

Zed

Passive – Contempt for the Weak

• On-Target Cooldown: Affects all targets once every 10 seconds ⇒ Applies to enemy champions once every 10 seconds (i.e. no longer affects minions and monsters)
• Removed – Bonus Damage Against Monsters: No longer deals increased damage by 100% against monsters
• Capped Damage against Monsters: 200/350/500 (based on level) ⇒ 300, capped only for epic monsters (at all levels)

Items

Chemtech Purifier

Base Stats

• Ability power: 50 ⇒ 55
• Updated – Puffcap Toxin Ally Empowerment: Healing or shielding an allied champion (including yourself) empowers the ally’s next damage to an enemy champion with 60% Grievous Wounds for 3 seconds ⇒ Healing or shielding another allied champion (excluding yourself) empowers both the ally’s and your next damage to an enemy champion with 60% Grievous Wounds for 3 seconds
• Updated – Tooltip Consistency: To match Chemtech Putrifier, Ardent Censer’s tooltip has been updated to specify the requirement of another ally. Their functionality is entirely unchanged.
• New – No More Grievance: Items that apply Grievous Wounds will now be called out in chat to notify your team when purchased

Hextech Rocketbelt

• Health: 350 ⇒ 250
• New – Magic Penetration: 6
• Upgraded – Aeropack (Ornn Upgrade) Health: 450 ⇒ 350
• New – Upgraded Aeropack (Ornn Upgrade)Magic Penetration: 10

Ionian Boots of Lucidity

• Total cost: 900 ⇒ 950.

Frozen Heart

• Armor 70 ⇒ 80.

Shurelya’s Battlesong

• Removed – Inspire Damage Empowerment: No longer empowers the next 3 instances of damage to deal an additional 35-55 magic damage

New – Passive

• Motivate: Empowering or protecting another allied champion (excluding yourself) grants both allies 25% movement speed over 1.5 seconds

Mythic Passive

• 3% movement speed ⇒ 5 ability haste

Staff of Flowing Water

• Rapids: Grants 15% bonus movement speed and 20-40 (based on target’s level) AP for 3 seconds ⇒ Grants 20 ability haste and 20-40 AP for 4 seconds

Titanic Hydra

• Colossus Bonus AD: Equal to 1% maximum health ⇒ Equal to 2% bonus health

Moonstone Renewer

• Starlit Grace Heal:  50-100 (based on target’s level) ⇒ 60 (at all levels)
• Starlit Grace Heal Amplification: Each second spent in combat increases the base heal by 12.5%, stacking up to 4 times, up to 50% ⇒ Each second spent in combat increases your healing and shielding power by 4%, stacking up to 5 times, up to 20%
• Mythic Passive: Empowers each of your other Legendary items with 5 ability haste ⇒ Increases Starlit Grace’s heal by 10

Skins

Blackfrost Sion

“A fearsome jötunn who once stood at the front of Lissandra’s vast armies, Sion fell in battle only for his master’s magic to weave itself beneath his massive frame, resurrecting him as a monster of rage and cold.”

Blackfrost Vel’Koz

“Beneath the ice they slumber, trapped as two worlds pass them by. Watching, waiting, for the day they will rise again, and all will be buried in ice.”

Dragon Guardian Galio

“A great dragon of old, who protected dragonkind’s ancestral nesting grounds from those who might do it harm. Tricked by the mad knight Kayle so she could destroy every clutch of eggs under his charge, he has followed her back to human society, so he might extract his vengeance personally.”

Dragonslayer Kayle

“A famous dragonslayer who vanished into the distant mountains, obsessed with destroying the dragon lineage utterly. Many years later she has returned, so changed by the carnage that she has begun to resemble a dragon herself.”

Dragonslayer Twitch

“A lesser dragon who has learned to blend in among humans… poorly. Twitch worships the true dragons and plans to one day become one himself, though he isn’t sure how just yet.”

In-Game Shop Updates

• Purchasing a Mythic item from the All Items view now collapses the Mythic row. You can’t buy another one anyway so we saved you some space!
• Fixed an issue where scaling the HUD could break parts of the shop. (Allan, add a joke about scaling here.)
• Various performance improvements and bug fixes. Now you can lose because of your lane phase rather than the shop.

Shurima Clash

• “Get ready to Arise! with your team, because this round of Clash is Shurima themed! The first weekend will be April 17th and 18th, and the second will be May 1st and 2nd. Team formation for the first weekend open on April 12th.”

ARAM Balance Changes

11.8 Buffs

• Aurelian Sol: Normal ⇒ -5% damage taken
• Fiora: Normal ⇒ -5% damage taken
• Kassadin: +5% damage dealt, -5% damage taken ⇒ +5% damage dealt, -10% damage taken
• Olaf: Normal ⇒ -5% damage taken
• Rammus: Normal ⇒ -5% damage taken
• Rengar: +5% damage dealt, -8% damage taken ⇒ +8 damage dealt, -8% damage taken
• Ryze: +5% damage dealt, -10% damage taken ⇒ +8% damage dealt, -10% damage taken

11.8 Nerfs

• Akali: +20% damage dealt, -20% damage taken ⇒ +5% damage dealt, -5% damage taken
• Amumu: Normal ⇒ +5% damage taken
• Leona: Normal ⇒ +5% damage taken
• Ornn: -5% damage dealt ⇒ -10% damage dealt, +5% damage taken
• Seraphine: -15% damage dealt, +15% damage taken, -15% healing, -15% shielding ⇒ -15% damage dealt, +15% damage taken, -20% healing, -20% shielding
• Varus: -5% damage dealt ⇒ -5% damage dealt, +5% damage taken
• Xerath: -5% damage dealt ⇒ -5% damage dealt. +5% damage taken
• Yorick: Normal ⇒ Increasing the number of deaths required to spawn a grave from 2 to 5
• Ziggs: -18% damage dealt, +15% damage taken ⇒ -18% damage dealt, +18% damage taken

Bugfixes / QoL Changes

• League Client: Fixed an issue where the Social panel would continuously flicker when loading the client
• League Client: Fixed an issue where players would not be able to see specific champion stats in their Profile
• Rakan’s E – Battle Dance’s second cast now properly triggers Summon Aery
• Sion’s R – Unstoppable Onslaught now properly knocks up really big targets
• Corrected Corki’s E – Gatling Gun’s tooltip to properly match its actual values
• Fixed a bug where Kennen’s W – Electrical Surge SFX would continue to play after cast until his death
• Alistar can now generate E – Trample stacks against Morgana’s E – Black Shield and Malzahar’s Passive – Void Shift
• Fixed a bug where Kindred’s Wolf’s W – Frenzy would not attack the Rift Scuttler if the ability was cast prior to it entering the respective ability area
• Trundle’s W – Frozen Domain now properly increases the healing received from omnivamp
• Fixed a bug where Jarvan IV would be able to leave R – Cataclysm’s terrain if he activates Stridebreaker and casts the ability simultaneously
• Fixed Orianna’s tooltip which switched the damage and shield values of E – Command: Protect
• Yuumi can no longer activate Moonstone Renewer when casting W2 – Change of Plan repeatedly on an out-of-range ally that is in combat
• Fixed an issue where Ironspike Whip’s, Goredrinker’s, and Stridebreaker’s passives would not remove spell shields from enemy champions
• Fixed a bug where Prowler’s Claw’s Sandswipe passive would still apply damage and its debuff to targets with spell shields
• Knight’s Vow’s Sacrifice passive now properly redirects damage from allied Pledged champions to the user even when they’re untargetable
• When Kayle has Kraken Slayer and uses E – Starfire Spellblade as a third attack, she will now properly deal true damage
• Jayce now properly deals true damage on his third attack (with Kraken Slayer equipped) with Mercury Cannon in all instances, not just when he crits
• Dark Waters Diana’s VO now properly play when she casts Q – Crescent Strike
• Battle Academia Caitlyn’s W – Yordle Snap Trap hit VO now plays from Caitlyn’s location instead of the trap’s location. Her R – Ace in the Hole cast VO also now plays for all enemies and allies.
• Fiora’s R – Grand Challenge VO now plays from her location instead of her target’s location