Patch 25.22 lands with champion balance, a major rune rebalance, ARAM Mayhem tweaks, Arena buffs, and two new skins released on November 5, 2025. Pro player Mira tracks these changes closely as she prepares for Chengdu Worlds practice, using custom ARAM Mayhem lobbies to test matchups and runes. This breakdown highlights practical impacts for solo queue and competitive play.
Patch 25.22 Highlights and Release Schedule
The update focuses on rune tuning to promote diversity, a handful of champion adjustments, large ARAM and Arena feature updates, and two high-profile skins: Panda Pal Lux and Machine Herald Viktor. Riot also added custom ARAM Mayhem lobbies and made several charity-oriented decisions tied to the skin releases.
- New skins: Panda Pal Lux and Machine Herald Viktor available from November 5, 2025.
- Rune changes: Nerfs to staples like Biscuit Delivery and buffs to underused options like Cash Back and Nimbus Cloak.
- Gameplay modes: ARAM Mayhem balance pass and Arena augment buffs.
- Quality of life: ARAM map tweaks, bugfixes, and audio updates.
For context on recent cycles and prior decisions, see a recap of earlier patches and previews that set the stage for this release.
Key insight: This patch is designed to redistribute power across runes and provide clearer choices; players who adapt early gain a strategic edge.
Champion Changes: Notable Buffs and Nerfs
This section covers targeted champion updates that shift early-game power and late-game scaling. The intent is to soften extreme early lanes while enabling more consistent win conditions for underplayed champions.
- Akshan: Base Health reduced and Q cooldown increased to curb early-game dominance.
- Aurelion Sol: Movement speed and Q burst improved to help early trades and roaming.
- Skarner: AD scaling and Q tweaks for juggernaut builds, with a slight R cast time increase to add counterplay.
Akshan adjustments and their impact
Problem: Akshan benefited too heavily from recent sustain changes, making his early lane climbs oppressive.
Solution: Reduce base health (630 ⇒ 610) and lengthen Q – Avengerang cooldown at lower ranks, which pulls back his early snowball potential.
- Effect on play: more vulnerable to early pressure and less forgiving to mispositioning.
- Pro tip: Mira now trades level one with range advantage and delays all-ins until cooldown windows close.
Key insight: These tweaks push Akshan players to prioritize scaling windows and cautious lane play instead of guaranteed early skirmishes.
Skarner rework for juggernauts and counterplay
Problem: Skarner felt underpowered and difficult for newer players, yet remained potent in pro environments at times.
Solution: Increased AD growth and Q damage ratios, shorter Q cooldown based on last offensive action, and a small R cast-time increase to allow skilled opponents a chance to react.
- Numbers: AD Growth 3 ⇒ 4, Q cooldown restructured and bonus AD ratio 80% ⇒ 90%.
- Practical example: a Sterak’s Gage Skarner now reaches juggernaut thresholds faster; pro players must weigh latency when using R – Impale.
Key insight: Skarner should feel more accessible and reliably strong in extended fights while remaining counterable with timed reactions.
Watch a concise champion breakdown to see how these stat shifts affect common builds and jungle paths.
Key insight: Monitoring itemization trends after the patch will reveal which champions gained durable advantages.
Rune Rebalance: Promoting Choice and Counterplay
Riot’s main live-balance focus this patch is runes: several overperformers received nerfs, while many low-pick runes were buffed to increase diversity. These changes have direct implications for both casual and competitive play.
- Biscuit Delivery: Regen per biscuit reduced (scaled HP regen lowered).
- Cash Back: Rebate on legendary item purchases increased from 6% ⇒ 8%.
- Guardian, Nimbus Cloak, Hail of Blades: Adjusted shield/AP scaling and attack speed to create balanced options.
How the rune changes alter lane dynamics
Problem: A few rune choices made early-lane sustain and safety feel automatic, reducing fight frequency and strategic choices.
Solution: Nerf top sustain runes and buff situational picks like Cash Back and the Movement Speed Shard, encouraging different tradeoffs in rune pages.
- Example: Dueling mids may switch from sustain to mobility runes to exploit roams; supports may prefer Guardian‘s improved AP scaling for late fights.
- Pro tip: Mira experiments with Nimbus Cloak on long-cooldown mages for improved chase potential.
Key insight: Expect a meta shift where flexibility and item planning matter more than a single dominant rune pick.
Video guides will help players rework pages fast—especially useful for competitive teams prepping counters.
Key insight: Teams that iterate quickly on runes will gain early-season advantages in coordinated play.
ARAM Mayhem, Arena, and Augments: Chaos Tuned
ARAM Mayhem received balance and functionality updates, plus an important QoL change: the ability to create custom ARAM Mayhem lobbies for private scrims. Arena augments and underperforming champions also got targeted buffs.
- Custom ARAM Mayhem: Create private chaotic matches to test Augments and compositions.
- Major Augment adjustments: Draw Your Sword, Dual Wield nerfs and buffs to Glass Cannon and Laser Heal.
- Arena buffs: champion stat boosts for Janna, LeBlanc, and Irelia, plus several augment quality improvements.
Practical effects for casual and competitive ARAM
Problem: Some Augments were either overbearing or too weak to be meaningful, skewing ARAM outcomes.
Solution: Nerf top Augments’ damage and lifesteal while increasing functionality for underused options like Empyrean Promise and Glass Cannon.
- Example: Laser Heal receives wider beam width and stronger heal/damage values, improving sustain for team compositions.
- Example: Snowball Roulette gains ability haste on snowball, enabling more strategic combos.
Key insight: Custom ARAM lobbies will accelerate meta discovery and let pro teams stress-test Augment synergies before official rotations.
Skins, Release Strategy, and Charity Initiatives
Panda Pal Lux and Machine Herald Viktor arrive this patch with themed chromas and community-driven initiatives. Riot committed to donating proceeds from Panda Pal Lux sales to the Riot Games Social Impact Fund for a limited window.
- Panda Pal Lux: Chromas inspired by Sichuan culture and landscapes; donations applied from Nov 5 – Dec 3, 2025.
- Machine Herald Viktor: Adjusted per community feedback and granted free to eligible players with Mastery 5+ as of Aug 4, 2025.
- Shop availability: both skins purchasable from release day onward.
For broader esports context and the Worlds event, refer to community power rankings and championship coverage.
Key insight: Limited-time charity windows and free skin grants strengthen community goodwill while rewarding dedicated players.
Bug Fixes, Audio Updates, and Competitive Prep
This patch includes a broad bugfix sweep, audio improvements for several champions (notably Kai’Sa), and multiple fixes across Arena and ARAM systems. These fixes improve clarity and reduce unintended interactions that affect pro-level play.
- Audio: Kai’Sa passive and Q SFX corrected across multiple skins.
- Bug fixes: many edge cases addressed, from transform health exploits to augment triggers and item interactions.
- ARAM QoL: Bilgewater Power Flowers healing set to a percentage of max health; Bilgewater Cannon shield adjustments.
How pros adapt to the patch in practice
Problem: Patches with many systemic changes often disrupt practiced patterns for teams and streamers.
Solution: Top players like Mira schedule targeted scrims using custom ARAM Mayhem, iterating rune pages and item paths while tracking patch-to-patch trends from community analyses.
- Resource: competitive teams also review patch retrospectives and prior change context such as the 15.22 deep dive to anticipate follow-up adjustments.
- Cross-game note: esports ecosystems increasingly borrow QA practices from titles like Overwatch and systems run by companies such as Blizzard Entertainment and Activision, raising standards across titles including World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Diablo, StarCraft, and the Battle.net platform.
Valorant patch notes and other cross-franchise updates are useful comparisons for balancing cadence and competitive integrity.
Key insight: Teams that treat each patch as an R&D sprint—testing, measuring, and iterating—gain measurable advantage in both ladder and tournament settings.