Summary: This article delivers an in-depth, factual changelog analysis of Patch 25.24, covering gameplay tweaks, system updates, and the practical impact for pro players and solo climbers. Follow Alex “Arc” Mason — a fictional pro jungler — as he tests the patch live and evaluates which changes matter for competitive play and casual queues.
Brief: Expect a lighter balance pass with targeted nerfs and buffs, the public rollout of experimental controls, multiple new features for Arena/ARAM, and a set of critical bug fixes and performance enhancements ahead of the season reset.
Patch 25.24 Overview And Release Highlights
This section synthesizes the top-level update details and what players should prioritize when booting the client. The patch is the last scheduled release before the seasonal reset, but Riot plans a sizable mid-December micropatch to follow.
- Version update: Final full patch of the year with a mid-December micropatch promised.
- Software improvements: Champ select speedups and global rollout of disallowing bans on teammates’ hovered champions.
- New features: WASD movement rollout to most unranked queues and new ARAM augments.
- Your Shop: The shop returns for a limited time, with new icons and holiday cosmetics releasing Dec 3.
Arc’s note: these top-line moves reduce downtime between games and test new control schemas that could change pro practice routines. For a complementary breakdown of the patch files and developer commentary, see this full 25.24 breakdown. Insight: Expect iteration rather than sweeping reworks until January.
Champion Balance: Targeted Nerfs And Buffs
The champion adjustments in Patch 25.24 focus on addressing outliers rather than broad meta shifts. Riot targeted specific roles and behaviors — jungle clear speed, sustain, and some frustrating kit interactions.
- Braum: Base Health +20 and passive follow-up damage increased to make him more durable and threatening in extended trades.
- Dr. Mundo (Jungle): Monster damage cap reduced to tone down jungle dominance while preserving top-lane viability.
- Kayn (Shadow Assassin): Reduced bonus post-mitigation magic damage to curb burst from fog-of-war poke.
- Kha’Zix: W base damage lowered to slightly slow early jungle clears.
- Master Yi: Slight reductions to base health and AD growth to rebalance jungle power curve.
- Mel: Multiple nerfs to make her E less oppressive and introduce higher mana costs; larger rework planned next year.
- Supportive buffs: Nasus base health and Q damage increased; Swain passive heal buffed; Viktor Q shield improved (bugfixes included).
Arc’s example: while scrimming, Arc noted Kha’Zix clears felt marginally slower, giving invade windows to coordinated duo lanes. For deeper reads on recent champion changes and release follow-ups, check this Zaahen analysis and the archived 25.23 pilot report. Insight: small number tweaks aim to rebalance without uprooting player champions ahead of the new season.
WASD Movement Rollout And Champion Select Improvements
WASD movement moves from beta pilots to most unranked queues, bringing a new control option for players. At the same time, the champ select quality-of-life speedups and the ban protection for hovered teammate champions are now global.
- Queues enabled: Customs, Swiftplay, ARAM plus Arena, ARAM: Mayhem, and ARURF; Ranked and Draft remain point-and-click for now.
- Key features: Dynamic Camera that follows mouse with speed settings; Scout Ahead (middle-click free camera) and full WASD remapping.
- Temporary restrictions: WASD disabled for some champions (Briar and Taliyah) and may be toggled per-queue if live data indicates issues.
- Champion select: no more banning champions hovered by teammates; global speed improvements rolled out after NA/OC pilot.
Arc’s test: switching to WASD in ARAM felt fluid after a short warm-up; the Dynamic Camera helps for ability aiming while roaming. For developer context and the WASD roadmap, see this note on WASD movement beta and the pilot summary from earlier tests. Insight: WASD is iterative — report issues to Player Support to help shape a ranked-ready rollout.
Between the WASD demo and champ select notes, the client now prioritizes faster queue times and fewer mistaken bans — both clear software improvements.
Season End, Ranked Rewards And Timings
With Season 3 (2025) closing, Riot published precise timings and rewards. Ranked will be disabled briefly for the season reset before Season 1, 2026 begins.
- Season end: Ranked season ends on 2026-01-07 local server time; reset begins 2026-01-08 at noon local time.
- Rewards: Victorious Draven skin, chromas, and new accessories that reflect highest rank achieved (border, emote, icon) distributed in patch 26.1.
- Transition note: 12-hour queue disable window to prepare server-side changes and LP reset.
Arc’s strategy: push for final climbs early in the patch window to avoid the scheduled downtime. For a broader view, Riot’s official patch commentary and community breakdowns are summarized in this 25.24 patch notes summary. Insight: plan ranked games around the shutdown window to avoid stuck promos or lost LP opportunities.
ARAM Mayhem And Arena: New Augments And Items
This patch expands Mayhem with tuned Prismatic Augments from Arena, item additions, and augment reworks designed to preserve fast-paced fun without visual overload.
- New augments: Earthwake, Orbital Laser, Trueshot Prodigy, Cerberus, Pandora’s Box, and Stackosaurus Rex.
- Ultimate Awakening rework: gives substantial ability haste and a basic-ability reset window after casting an ultimate.
- New items in Mayhem: Hextech Gunblade and Sword of Blossoming Dawn tuned for the faster ARAM pace.
- Augment limits: several are restricted per-game to prevent stacking visual chaos and balance exploits.
Arc’s arcade run: Orbital Laser felt decisive when timed correctly but is limited to one player per game to avoid instant-win scenarios. For related rotating-mode analysis and TFT connections, review the Teamfight Tactics patch notes and prior Arena overviews at TFT set notes and the Arena feature article arena overhaul summary. Insight: Mayhem continues to be a creative playground where small tweaks deliver big entertainment returns.
Items, Systems, And Itemization Changes
Item tuning in Patch 25.24 balances dominant choices and uplifts underused stats. System-level tweaks reduce accidental input errors and enhance fairness.
- Shardholder max stat amp reduced (80% ⇒ 50%) to curb runaway stacking.
- Buffs and tweaks: Crown of the Shattered Queen, Everfrost, Fulmination, and more adjusted to rebalance item spikes.
- System optimization: bloom hexgate selection radius reduced to avoid misclicks; crit-overflow grants adaptive force to improve stat utility.
- Augment changes: range and cooldown tweaks for key Mayhem augments to match pace and reduce downtime.
Arc’s match example: picking up an early Shardholder felt less game-ending, allowing opponents windows to contest power spikes. For historical comparisons to other major item reworks, see analysis pieces such as past patch highlights. Insight: item changes nudge power distribution without forcing radical build redesigns mid-season.
Bug Fixes, Performance Enhancements, And Changelog Analysis
This section covers the practical fixes and performance enhancements players will feel immediately: animation bugs, VFX issues, and resurrection-related edge cases were addressed alongside tooltip and calculation corrections.
- Bug fixes: several VFX and animation bugs fixed (Ashe R ping, Gwen recall, Karma disk, Bel’Veth Herald interaction, Nocturne R dash, Garen animations).
- System optimization: corrected shield and tooltip calculations for multiple champions, and resolved cases where basic attack VFX appeared without damage.
- Software improvements: improved champ select flow and server-side readiness for season reset to reduce queue failures.
- Operational note: Riot will monitor live-data and may issue micropatches; expect further iteration in mid-December and January.
Arc’s post-match review: the fixed basic-attack VFX bug cleared up confusing trades in scrims, improving replay clarity and judgeability for coaching review. For additional context on ongoing iterations and past patch impacts, consult the earlier pilot and highlights articles like pilot roundup and broader patch retrospectives at 25.23 follow-up. Final insight: combined fixes and optimizations reduce noise for high-level play and increase predictability in competitive settings.