Now that Worlds 2025 has come and gone, big swings from the balance team are back. This time around, the biggest changes are ones that will make some very unconventional champs like Jayce now jungle-viable, creating the possibility for a very strange meta.

Worlds has most certainly influenced this patch, with them finally nerfing Neeko’s ability to tank several tower shots in early levels, thanks to CTBC Flying Oyster using the strat at Worlds 2025. Rek’Sai also got hit with the nerf bat after being one of the best top laners at the event.

However, a great deal of the champs who were high priority at Worlds are getting buffed despite already being strong. Riot clearly wants to have some fun with this patch and mix things up ahead of Season 16.

LoL Update 25.23 Patch Notes

Zaahen released

Zaahen will be going live with this patch. Players who have tried him on the PBE claim that he’s incredibly strong and may need nerfs before hitting live servers, so there’s a chance he gets some balance adjustments before this patch is released for the public.

Everyone’s a jungler now!

According to Phroxzon, Riot is trying to widen the pool of viable jungle champions so that people who get autofilled into the role can take champions they already like into the jungle rather than having to play jungle-specific characters.

So, while not everyone is a jungler now, the pool has widened enough that literal dozens of champions could feasibly clear jungle camps if you wanted to take them into the role.

As a primer ahead of reading the full notes, here’s a list of champions who got buffed to be more viable in the jungle:

Patch 25.23 Preview!

Apologies for the late preview, was on a plane!

Hope you all enjoyed Worlds and the games, getting Silver Scrapes in the finals was such a treat. I'll write up some of my thoughts later this week.

Zaahen
– Zaahen will also go Live this patch! Hope you're… pic.twitter.com/mQ0x63nzGW

— Matt Leung-Harrison (@RiotPhroxzon) November 11, 2025

• Aatrox
• Ambessa
• Cho’Gath
• Jayce
• Malphite
• Ornn
• Riven
• Sion

Champion Changes

Aatrox

Passive: Deathbringer Stance

• Monster damage cap increased: 100 >>> 100-320 (based on levels 1-18)

Q: The Darkin Blade

• Bonus monster damage added: 40/50/60 (68/70/72 in Sweetspot) (based on [Q1/Q2/Q3])

Ahri

W: Fox Fire

• Subsequent hits against the same target damage ratio increased: 30% >>> 40%

Ambessa

Q1/Q2: Cunning Sweep/Sundering Slam

• Bonus monster damage increased: 125 >>> 150

Ashe

Ranger’s Focus

• Attack speed reduced: 25/37.5/50/62.5/75% >>> 20/30/40/50/60%

Caitlyn

Passive: Headshot

• AD ratio reduced: 60/90/120% >>> 60/80/100% (based on levels 1/7/13)
  • Non-champion AD ratio reduced: 110/115/120% (based on levels 1/7/13) >>> 110% flat)

Cho’Gath

E: Vorpal Spikes

• Monster damage per hit adjusted 20/40/60/80/100 (+30% AP) (+2.5/2.85/3.2/3.55/3.9% (+0.5% per [R] Feast stack) of target’s max HP (capped at 200 against monsters)) >>> 20/40/60/80/100 (+30% AP) (+80/110/140/170/200 bonus monster damage)

Dr. Mundo

E: Blunt Force Trauma

• Bug Fix: Increased damage multiplier reduced 100-140% (based on 0-30% Dr. Mundo’s missing HP) >>> 100-140% (based on 0-70% Dr. Mundo’s missing HP)
• Passive: Bonus AD max HP ratio increased 2/2.2/2.4/2.6/2.8% >>> 2/2.3/2.6/2.9/3.2%

Fizz

Base Stats

• Base armor increased: 22 >>> 26

Passive: Nimble Fighter

• Now reduces monster damage: 4 (+1% AP) >>> 14 (+1% AP)

W: Seastone Trident

• Now deals bonus monster damage

R: Chum the Waters

• Cooldown increased 100/85/70 >>> 120/100/80 seconds

Hwei

[Q-E] Subject: Disaster – Molten Fissure

• Total damage adjusted: 70/140/210/280/350 (+80% AP) >>> 70/122.5/175/227.5/280 (+90% AP)

Jayce

Hammer Q: To the Skies!

• Now deals bonus monster damage 0 >>> 50

Cannon Q: Shock Blast

• Now deals bonus monster damage 0 >>> 50

Jhin

Base Stats

• Base AD increased: 59 >>> 61

Passive: Whisper – Every Moment Matters

• Bonus MS and AS ratio increased: 40% >>> 44%

W: Deadly Flourish

• Base damage increased: 60/95/130/165/200 >>> 70/105/140/175/210

Jinx

R: Super Mega Death Rocket

• Damage reduced: (30/45/60 (+15.5% bAD)-300/450/600 (+155% bAD)) (based on distance traveled 0-1500, linear) (+25/30/35% target’s missing HP) >>> (25/40/55 (+13% bAD)-250/400/550 (+130% bAD)) (based on distance traveled 0-1500, linear) (+25/30/35% target’s missing HP)

Kai’Sa

Base Stats

• Base armor: 27 >>> 25

R: Killer Instinct

• Cooldown increased: 120/90/60 >>> 130/100/70 seconds

Malphite

W: Thunderclap

• Now does 200% damage to monsters.

Mel

(Note: The devs gave a special shoutout to Faker’s Worlds 2025 run for raising visibility on the champ and realizing that she may be a bit overtuned despite having a generally low play rate.)

Passive: Searing Brilliance

• Damage per Searing Brilliance stack increased: 8-33 (+3% AP) >>> 8-50 (based on levels 1-18, linear) (+5% AP) (max damage increased 72-297 (+27% AP) >>> 72-450 (based on levels 1-18, linear) (+45% AP))

E: Solar Snare

• Root duration reduced: 1.25/1.5/1.75/2/2.25 >>> 1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5/1.6 seconds

Miss Fortune

R: Bullet Time

• AD scaling per wave increased: 75% >>> 80%

Neeko

Passive: Inherent Glamour

• Now transforms back into Neeko upon taking damage from a turret.

Ornn

Passive: Living Forge – Temper

• Brittle monster damage cap increased: 250 >>> 260/320/380/440/500

W: Bellows Breath

• Monster damage cap increased: 155/180/205/230/255 >>> 260/320/380/440/500

Rek’Sai

Passive: Fury of the Xer’Sai

• Fury gained on-hit on minions reduced: 5 >>> 4
• Max HP heal reduced: 10-20% >>> 9-20% (now has linear scaling from levels 1-18)

Riven

Passive: Runic Blade

• Now deals 50 bonus damage to monsters

Sion

Q: Decimating Smash

• Monster damage increased: 150% >>> 165%

Skarner

Base Stats

• AD per level increased: 4 >>> 5

Q1/Q2: Shattered Earth/Upheaval

• Target’s HP damage on third hit/on-recast increased 8% >>> 9%
• Cooldown reduced 8/7/6/5/4 >>> 8/6.75/5.5/4.25/3 seconds

Swain

E: Nevermore

• Base damage increased: 80/120/160/200/240 >>> 90/130/170/210/250
• Mana cost reduced: 60/65/70/75/80 >>> 50/55/60/65/70

Tristana

Base Stats

• AD per level increased: 2.5 >>> 2.9

Vladimir

Base Stats

• Base HP reduced: 607 >>> 600
• Base armor reduced: 27 >>> 24

Xayah

Passive: Clean Cuts

• Feather non-primary target damage AD ratio increased: 30/40/50% >>> 35/45/55% (based on levels 1/7/13)

Zeri

R: Lightning Crash

• Bonus movement speed per Hypercharged stack increased: 0.5% >>> 1%

System Changes

Sunfire Cape

• Immolate monster damage scaling increased: 160% >>> 200%