League of Legends patch 14.21 notes: Champion bounty changes, Swain rework, mage nerfs & more

League of Legends patch 14.21 isn’t showing any signs of slowing down despite the game having had some massive updates over the past few months, with Swain getting a rework, several mages getting nerfed, and the champion bounty system getting a substantial overhaul.

Bear in mind these are early patch notes and are subject to change, with the patch not likely being complete at the time of writing. However, enough changes have been put on the PBE to get a picture of what’s coming in the next update.

Hot off the heels of 14.20, there are even more changes coming to League of Legends. Here are the early patch notes for patch 14.21:

League of Legends patch 14.21 notes

Champion Bounty Adjustments

Champion bounties have been entirely overhauled in terms of how they’re calculated and how the gold bounty accumulates. Minion and monster gold earned now contributes to bounties directly rather than being scaled in comparison to the enemy team’s average farm, and kill bounties are based on gold earned from kills/assists minus gold given away from deaths. This is a big change from it being previously based on kill/death streaks.

In other words, that inting split push Sion who’s powerfarming will get punished a lot harder. This system, on paper, is less punishing for players who are solo carrying their team and more punishing toward split pushers and power farmers.

Here’s the full set of changes for positive, negative, and objective bounties.

Positive Bounties

• Positive bounties are no longer based upon kill streaks.
• Positive bounties are no longer based upon your minion and monster kills relative to the average minion and monster kills of the enemy team.
• Champions now accrue 1 bounty gold for every 4 gold earned from kills and assists. Shut Down gold does not increase the killer’s positive bounty.
• Potential bounty gold is now reduced by 1 for every 4 gold given away to killers and assisters on death.
• While in a positive state, champions now accrue 1 bounty gold for every 20 gold earned from minions and monsters.
• When a champion is “Shut Down” all bounty is removed from the champion.
• As an exception, a champion with a bounty greater than 700 gold will carry over their remaining bounty into their next life.
• The first 100 bounty gold is not applied. For example, 400g worth of kills and assists will not give you a bounty, but the next 400g will set your bounty to +100g.
• When active, objective bounties will now devalue positive bounties for the losing team. This modifier starts at a 10% reduction and can reach about an 80% reduction in the most extreme scenarios.

Negative Bounties

• Negative bounties are no longer based upon death streaks.
• Negative bounties are no longer reset from earning a single kill.
• Negative bounties no longer “undo” one death per assist.
• While in a negative state, base gold value is reduced by 1 for every 4 gold given to killers and assisters on death.
• While in a negative state, base gold value is increased by 1 for every 4 gold earned from kills and assists. Shut Down gold is applied to negative bounties.
• While in a negative state, base gold value is increased by 1 for every 10 gold earned from minions and monsters.
• The first 50 negative bounty gold is not applied. For example, a 300g death will set your base kill gold to -25, not -75.

Objective Bounties

• Void Grubs now contribute.
• Experience differences contribute about 40% less.
• Gold differences contribute about 25% more.
• Turret and drake differences are slightly more likely to contribute.
• Objective bounties will deactivate more quickly when the losing team makes a comeback.
• Objective Bounties are ending soon timer: 60 seconds >>> 30 seconds.
• Objective bounties are decreased by 20-40% in situations where the losing team is already coming back.
• Baron Nashor base objective bounty: 500g >>> 300g.

Riot Games

Swain rework

Swain’s rework has a lot going on. His base abilities are mostly the same, but the way they interact and how he uses them has changed in a lot of big ways. If you want a full look at his lengthy change log, you can read up Swain’s rework here.

For now, though, here’s a quick summary:

• Swain’s ult now has multiple activations, allowing him to use the burst of damage more than once over the course of its duration
• His E no longer does damage going out, but it has more burst if it lands
• He’s still got healing built into his kit, but it’s been reduced across the board

Other Champion Changes

Riot Games

Aurelion Sol

Base Stats:

• Base HP reduced: 620 >>> 600

E: Singularity

• AP scaling reduced: 80% >>> 60%

Azir

Base Stats:

• Base AD increased: 52 >>> 56
• Base HP regen increased: 5 >>> 7

Brand

Base Stats:

• Base mana regen decreased: 10.65 >>> 9

Passive: Blaze

• Detonation damage decreased: 9-13% max HP >>> 8-12% max HP

Q: Sear

• Mana cost increased: 50 >>> 70

Camille

Base Stats:

• 670 >>> 650

W: Tactical Sweep

• Base damage decreased: 70/100/130/160/190 >>> 50/75/100/125/150

E: Hookshot

• Bonus AD scaling reduced: 90% >>> 75%

R: Hextech Ultimatum

• Base damage removed

Corki

Passive: Hextech Munitions

• AD scaling increased: 15% >>> 20%

W: Valkyrie

• Base damage increased: 150-450 >>> 200-500
• Bonus AD ratio increased: 150% >>> 200%

R: Missile Barrage

• Base damage increased: 80-240 >>> 90-250
• Bonus AD scaling increased: 70% >>> 80%

Elise

Base Stats:

• Armor growth per level decreased: 5.2 >>> 4.5

Fiddlesticks

Q: Terrify

• % HP damage reduced: 6-10% current HP >>> 5-9% current HP

Galio

Base Stats:

• Base mana reduced: 500 >>> 410

Gangplank

Base Stats:

• Mana regen increased: 7.5 >>> 8

E: Powder Keg

• Recharge time decreased: 18-14 >>> 17-13

Gwen

Passive: Thousand Cuts

• % health damage AP scaling decreased: +.72% per 100 AP >>> +.6% per 100 AP

Hwei

Q – Q: Devastating Fire

• AP scaling reduced: 75% >>> 70%

E: Subject: Torment

• Cooldown increased: 12-10 seconds >>> 13-11 seconds

Irelia

Q: Bladesurge

• AD scaling increased: 60% >>> 70%
• Bonus minion damage reduced: 55-259 >>> 50-237
• Cooldown reduced: 11/10/9/8/7 >>> 10/9/8/7/6
• Mana cost reduced: 20 >>> 15

R: Vanguard’s Edge

• No longer reduces Q CD

Kai’Sa

Passive: Second Skin

• On-hit base damage adjusted: 5-23 >>> 4-24
• On-hit AP scaling reduced: 15% >>> 12%
• Bonus damage per stack reduced: 1-12 >>> 1-6
• Bonus AP scaling per stack increased: 2.5% >>> 3%
• Passive detonation base damage reduced: 9-71 >>> 8-48
• Passive detonation AP scaling reduced: 25% >>> 24%

Karthus

R: Requiem

• AP scaling reduced: 75% >>> 70%

Kassadin

Q: Null Sphere

• AP scaling reduced: 70% >>> 60%

E: Force Pulse

• AP scaling reduced: 70% >>> 65%

Kayle

W: Celestial Blessing

• Mana cost: 90-130 >>> 75-115

Malphite

Base Stats:

• Base HP increased: 644 >>> 665

Nilah

Q: Formless Blade

• Nilah’s auto attack should no longer cancel when her Q buff runs out

E: Slipstream

• Using Nilah’s Q during this ability now counts as a beam rather than a missile, making it hit instantly rather than having a chance of missing its target.

R: Apotheosis

• Nilah’s first auto attack coming out of her ultimate should no longer be delayed

Nasus

Passive: Soul Eater

• Life steal reduced: 12-24% >>> 9-21%

Q: Siphoning Strike

• Base damage reduced: 40-120 >>> 35-115

Qiyana

Base Stats:

• Base health regen increased: 6 >>> 8

W: Terrashape

• On-hit bonus AD scaling: 10% >>> 20%

Senna

Base Stats:

• Base armor decreased: 28 >>> 25
• Armor growth reduced: 4.7 >>> 4

Sivir

Base Stats

• Base AD increased: 58 >>> 60

Q: Boomerang Blade

• Base damage increased: 15-75 >>> 60-160
• AD scaling adjusted: 80-100% total AD >>> 100% bonus AD

Talon

W: Rake

• Outgoing base damage increased: 50-170 >>> 60-180
• Outgoing AD scaling: 80% >>> 90%

Taric

W: Bastion

• Bonus armor reduced: 9-13% >>> 6-10%

Teemo

Base Stats:

• Base HP increased: 598 >>> 615

W: Move Quick

• Passive movement speed: 10-26% >>> 12-28%
• Active movement speed: 20-52% >>> 24-56%

Viego

Base Stats:

• Armor growth per level decreased: 5.2 >>> 4.6

Volibear

W: Frenzied Maul

• Cooldown increased: 12 >>> 14

Xayah

W: Deadly Plumage

• Bonus auto attack damage: 20% >>> 25%

Yone

W: Spirit Cleave

• % health damage scaling decreased: 11-15% max HP >>> 10-14% max HP

Yorick

Passive: Shepherd of Souls

• Ghoul base AD increased: 2-88 >>> 4-90
• Ghoul AD ratio reduced: 25% >>> 20%

Items

Blade of the Ruined King

• Passive % health damage decreased: 10% (melee)/6%(ranged) >>> 8%(melee)/5%(ranged)

Sorcerer’s Shoes

• Magic penetration decreased: 15 >>> 12

Runes

Lethal Tempo

• Attack speed per stack increased: 5% >>> 6%
  • Max attack speed increased: 30% >>> 35%