Quick briefing on Patch 25.24: this game update is the last major release of the year with focused balance changes, new cosmetics, and platform-level gameplay improvements. Pro player Alex “Rift” Morgan tested many changes on live and shares tactical notes below.
Patch 25.24 Overview and Key Dates
This section summarizes the high-level items in version 25.24: ranked timelines, skin drops, and the planned mid-December micropatch. Read the full context and historical lead-ups in the season 3 overview.
- Ranked End: Season 3 ends on 2026-01-07 23:59:59 local server time; ranked queues will be disabled for 12 hours before the season reset.
- Season Reset: Season 1, 2026 begins at 2026-01-08 12:00:00 local server time with LP and rank resets.
- Cosmetics: Winter skins including Reindeer Smolder and Winter Wonder Milio release on December 3, 2025.
- Micropatch: Expect a sizable micropatch in mid-December focused on follow-up balance.
Alex “Rift” Morgan notes the end-of-season window is ideal for testing new champion combos before resets. Key insight: plan ranked climbs around the scheduled downtime.
Why this version matters for pro players
For competitive teams, Patch 25.24 signals a transitional phase: light tuning now and a larger meta shake in January. Historical patch context can be useful; look back at how earlier updates shaped play in this season, such as past highlights from patch 25.21.
- Short-term: Tune champion picks and item paths.
- Medium-term: Prepare for season start meta shifts.
- Long-term: Anticipate more sweeping changes in early 2026.
Key insight: use this quieter patch to prototype picks that could explode when the new season arrives.
Following the video, note how Riot’s developer commentary frames future iterations and how it connects to past patches like patch 25.23 updates.
Gameplay Balance Changes in Patch 25.24
This section breaks down the primary balance changes affecting roles and the jungle. For deeper jungle context, consult the jungle meta analysis.
- Mel: Nerfed to reduce the inescapable feel of her E with lowered damage, shorter lingering debuff, and increased mana costs.
- Zaahen: Skill-skewed nerfs to damage ratios and cast cooldowns, with a jungle compensation to monster damage.
- Kha’Zix, Kayn, Master Yi, Zed: Targeted nerfs to slow jungle clears and assassin burst.
- Braum, Nasus, Viktor, Swain: Buffs aimed at increasing lane durability or trading strength.
Alex ran scrims where reduced Kha’Zix AoE and Zed jungle monster damage noticeably slowed early invades. Key insight: expect meta shifts favoring more stable junglers and resilient laners.
Practical pick and ban implications
Teams should adapt ban priorities: nerfs lower immediate bans on champions like Mel, while buffs to champions such as Nasus increase their viability in solo lanes.
- Ban less on nerfed outliers to free up contested picks.
- Prioritize counterpicks against champions that received buffs.
- Track pick rate changes live to catch fast-moving meta shifts.
Key insight: dynamic pick/ban plans will outperform rigid lists in the first two weeks after the patch.
Watch this breakdown for hands-on tactics; then review historical balance trends like the patch 25.19 lead-up to see rhythm in Riot’s tuning decisions.
Controls: WASD Rollout and Champion Safety
WASD movement is live in most unranked queues in Patch 25.24, with Draft and Ranked excluded for now. Read player testing history and implementation pilots in this Briar tweaks summary.
- Queues Enabled: Customs, Swiftplay, ARAM; Arena and ARAM Mayhem modes also enabled.
- Disabled Champions: For 25.24, Briar and Taliyah have WASD disabled to protect experience.
- New Features: Dynamic Camera, Scout Ahead (middle mouse), WASD remapping.
Pro tip from Alex: practice probe clears in Customs with WASD before using it in faster modes to adapt camera feel. Key insight: WASD will alter positional play and highlight the value of camera control.
Champion select and QoL updates
Champ select improvements are now globally rolled out. Allies can no longer have hovered champions banned, and champ select timers are sped up for Draft modes.
- No hover-bans reduces hostile behavior and promotes clearer team planning.
- Faster pick timers streamline pre-game flow and reduce downtime.
- Impact: Faster drafts change warmup routines for pro teams and casters.
Key insight: these QoL changes reduce toxicity vectors and speed up professional pre-game workflows.
Arena, ARAM Mayhem, Augments and Mythic Variants
Patch 25.24 brings new ARAM Mayhem augments, Mythic variants in the Sanctum, and tuned prismatic augments from Arena. Mayhem received reworks to keep the mode fresh while managing visual clutter.
- New Augments: Earthwake, Orbital Laser (limited), Trueshot Prodigy, Cerberus, Pandora’s Box, Stackosaurus Rex, and a reworked Ultimate Awakening.
- Sanctum Mythics: Sunken Shadows Lucian and Nami available through patch 26.02.
- Mayhem balance: several augments limited per game to avoid chaotic stacking.
Alex highlights Orbital Laser’s single-player limit as a critical balance guard in high-variance matches. Key insight: these augment changes diversify ARAM strategies without breaking pacing.
Item additions and Arena item shifts
Two Arena items arrive in Mayhem alongside broader item tuning to shift power curves.
- Hextech Gunblade: Hybrid offensive item with spell vamp and an active Lightning Bolt.
- Sword of Blossoming Dawn: Supports ally sustain and hybrid stats for unique builds.
- Item tuning: Multiple items adjusted to rebalance power in both Arena and standard games.
Key insight: new items encourage unconventional builds that can surprise opponents in Mayhem and Arena.
After watching Mayhem clips, check patch historical context such as highlights from patch 25.20 to understand how Riot iterates on casual modes.
Shop, Skins, Rewards and Systems
Your Shop returns in 25.24 along with new icons, skins, and the Prestige Winterblessed Mel. Year-end rewards tied to Season 2025 will be distributed in patch 26.1.
- Skin Drops: Reindeer Smolder, Winter Wonder Milio, Winter Wonder Zeri, Sunken Shadows Lucian and Nami available December 3, 2025.
- Ranked Rewards: Victorious Draven skin border, emote, and icon tied to 2025 ranks, distributed next year.
- New Icon: Mel and Ambessa icon available for 250 RP in the Shop.
Alex recommends teams secure themed cosmetics for brand partnerships during the winter window. Key insight: shop and cosmetic timing often align with peak player activity—use promotional windows.
Systems and conversion tweaks
Version 25.24 includes system-level changes such as crit conversion rules and shrub-radius fixes to reduce misclicks, affecting competitive nuance.
- Crit conversion above 100% grants adaptive force instead of wasted crit chance.
- Bloom hexgate radius reduced to match object size for fewer accidental clicks.
- Misc systems tuned to support clearer interactions in pro-level play.
Key insight: small systemic improvements can compound into meaningful pro-level advantages during tight macro plays.
Bug Fixes, Developer Insights and Follow-Up
This section compiles notable bug fixes and summarises Riot’s stated developer insights about iteration plans. Several fixes address VFX, ability interactions, and resurrection edge cases.
- Fixed Issues: Zaahen passive resurrection bugs, Nocturne R pathing, Gwen recall animation, and many VFX/tooltips corrected.
- Developer Notes: Riot plans a mid-December micropatch and more work on Mel early next year to address fairness beyond numeric nerfs.
- Reporting: Players should submit WASD issues to Player Support to feed live balance and quality data.
For context on how similar post-release fixes unfolded, review the deep dives such as earlier post-release analysis and the patch 25.23 follow-ups.
Key insight: the combination of targeted bug fixes and transparent developer insights improves long-term game health and competitive integrity.
Where to watch live testing and community reaction
Follow pro scrims and community VODs to see how picks adapt; archived patch histories like patch 25.15 overview help explain present balance philosophy.
- Watch scrims for emergent strategies.
- Compare live pick rates to historical patches for trend spotting.
- Report anomalies to Player Support to accelerate fixes.
Key insight: live telemetry plus community feedback accelerates iteration—stay engaged.