LoL 2023 Pre-Season Announcement: New items, top lane tweaks, expanded pings, new champions such as K’Sante, and Jungle changes including pets, empowered plants & revised camp leash ranges

LoL Preseason 2023

LoL 2023 Pre-Season has been officially revealed by Riot, with a host of changes to League of Legends planned, including tweaks to the jungle, the ping system and more.

Update: This article has been updated to reflect further changes announced by Riot on October 3rd 2022, with them hitting the PBE (Public Beta Environment) over the following weeks.

Pre-Season LoL Jungle changes for 2023: Pets, plants & camps

Riot has a number of tweaks set for junglers this pre-season. First up, buff sharing – Riot is exploring how giving a blue or red buff to a teammate will be ‘more painless to junglers, like leaving behind a little friend that also has a buff’.

Speaking of friends, Riot is planning to add jungle ‘pets’ to the game, like wolves. These could buff a champion’s base kit, runes, items and more, with Riot still exploring this.

Riot said:

“Pets will help you do little things in the jungle like clearing or taking down epic monsters (think old Sated Devourer puppy). As you jungle, you slowly raise and feed your pet until they’ve grown up enough to be able to empower you.”

Riot

An early design prototype image can be found at the top of this article.

Players can purchase a pet egg in the in=game shop and give them treats through monster kills. The pets are as follows:

  • Noxian Embercat: This will be the pet of choice for junglers looking to play more aggressively. It will provide slows and bonus damage.
  • Ixtali Ixamander: This jungle pet is perfect for junglers looking to frontline and tank for their teams. It will provide a shield based on your health that provides bonus slow resist and Tenacity when broken.
  • Ionian Cloudleaper: This jungle pet will be great for junglers looking to rotate and move around the map more quickly. It will provide bonus movement speed.

Jungler, caster and streamer Foxdrop questioned the community on the upcoming update:

Jungle camp patience rules are also changing, including camp leash ranges, with the goal to not overly punish a jungler for accidentally pulling camps too far from their aggro range limit.

Riot is also decreasing the distance camps can be pulled, so no more having to stand on the perfect pixel in order to hyper-optimize your jungle clears.

“We’ll still keep unique, optimal clears for different champions,” said Riot Phroxzon, “we want to make it easier [for players] to start jungling”.

Riot is also exploring some changes like jungle pathing aids: “Think something similar to recommended items but instead it’s how to do your first clear, a steppingstone toward mastery of the role.”

Riot added: “To help make the jungle more accessible [we’re adding] recommended jungle paths for every champion. These first clear paths were determined by gathering data from high skilled junglers on their high mastery champs across the globe. Pathing recommendations are based on which routes most often led these players to a victory and will be updated each patch.”

There will also be recommended rune pages and summoner spells in champ select. Once you lock in your champion, you’ll see a recommended runes button to the left of the edit rune pages button. Opening this interface will display up to three rune and summoner spell setups you’ll be able to select to use in game. These recommendations will be updated once per patch and are informed by what setups are optimal and popular.

Riot is also helping players in-game by providing them with recommended ability level ups.

Finally, the Chemtech Drake is returning. The Chemtech Drake was disabled in League of Legends earlier this year (see ‘Caedrel cancels Chemtech?‘) as Riot looked to make design changes.

Now it will come back with a revised dragon soul. No longer will it bring champions back from the dead, but will instead grant the team with the soul more damage and damage reduction when low on health.

  • Chemtech Drake will now grant a small amount of Tenacity and Heal/Shield strength when slain
  • Chemtech Soul will grant bonus damage when below a certain amount of health
hextech chemtech drakes dragons
The Hextech (left) and Chemtech (right) drakes

The Chemtech Drake will also bring about empowered plants on the map. Scryer’s Bloom will upgrade to Stalker’s Bloom to grant movement speed when moving towards revealed enemies (and reducing wards revealed to 1 health), while Blast Cone will launch a player champion twice as far than usual.

Honey Fruits will upgrade into Stim Fruits, no longer slowing champions that consume them and granting a small bonus shield in addition to the usual heal.

Phroxzon also spoke about other potential changes Riot is working on, but said it was too early to share the specifics. And speaking of junglers, Riot recently revealed the rework for Udyr.

Expanded ping and vision system coming to League of Legends for 2023

question mark ping lol

New pings are being added to LoL. The existing pings will remain (such as danger, on my way, assist, missing) and new ones will be added, including engage, harass, freeze and push.

The eight pings on the wheel will now be as follows:

  • Returning Pings (clockwise): Retreat, On My Way, Assist Me, Enemy Missing
  • New Pings (clockwise): Push, All-In, Hold, Bait

Riot is also adding an entirely new LoL ping wheel that focuses primarily on vision. Using this wheel, you can now indicate the following:

  • (From left to right) Vision Cleared, Enemy Vision, Need Vision

A new voting function will appear when objectives are pinged that will function similarly to a surrender vote. All players can vote and indicate whether or not they’d like to take or contest that objective.

The last communication change is a small quality-of-life update that will notify which direction an off-screen ping came from by displaying it on the edge of your screen.

Enemy Missing pings will show on your screen regardless of where they are pinged on the map while Retreat, On My Way, Assist Me, Hold, All-In, and Push pings will only be displayed if they’re pinged within 3,000 units (approximately corner to corner of your screen when fully zoomed out) of your screen’s edge.

Matthew Leung Harrison, aka Riot Phroxzon, lead game designer on the Summoner’s Rift team, said: “Our communication system is showing its age, so we’re giving it some much needed attention with new features that’ll make it easier to communicate with your team and walk away with the win.

“We’re expanding our in-game ping system. The current system only lets you share very basic communication, and we wanted to give you more opportunity for clearer communication.

“We’re also thinking about ways to emphasize pings with teammates, plan macro strategy for objectives, and keep track of where pings are on the map, even if they’re off your screen.”

Riot Phroxzon

The vision system will also be revised, with Riot currently exploring ways to do so. Players will be able to see how many wards they have on the map when they go to place a new ward, and a preview cursor will show where the ping is due to appear over a wall, as you hover over the ground.

New ward visuals on the minimap will indicate when wards are close to expiring. They will change appearance when wards reach 60 and 30 seconds remaining before they expire.

Also, if you ping an enemy ward that you saw them place within the last 10 seconds, a perfectly accurate ward timer will appear until the ward is removed or expires.

Phroxzon also said the team were happy with the past durability update, designed to reduce the damage and healing of every champion in League. But he did say the team doesn’t want updates like that to disrupt League’s competitive integrity, midway through the season.

Top Lane Changes for LoL Pre-Season 2023

Some adjustments are being made for pre-season to help top laners scale faster and hit those key item and level breakpoints faster relative to mid and bot. The changes will be as follows:

  • Solo Lane Experience: Solo lanes will now receive a 95% experience multiplier (previously 93%) from minions
  • Duo Lane Experience: Duo lanes will now receive a 22% bonus experience multiplier (previously 24.73%) from minions
  • Mid Lane Gold Changes: All minions spawned in the mid lane will now be worth one less gold before 14 minutes when last hit (previously, only cannon minions were worth less gold, but were worth 10 less gold)

New and Updated Items for LoL Pre-Season 2023

Riot is introducing 12 new/updated items in this pre-season. As a disclaimer, item stats, effects and names are subject to change while on PBE.

Icathia’s Endurance (Mythic Item)

  • 400 Health
  • 30 Armor
  • 30 Magic Resist
  • 20 Ability Haste
    • Voidborn Resilience: For each second in champion combat gain a stack granting 3 Armor and Magic Resist, up to 10 max. At max stack become empowered, instantly draining enemies around you for 4% of your maximum health each (reduced to 1% against minions and monsters) and doubling your resists from stacks until end of combat (60 second cooldown).
    • Mythic Passive: Grants all other Legendary items 5 Armor and Magic Resist

Radiant Virtue (Mythic Item)

  • 400 Health
  • 30 Armor
  • 30 Magic Resist
  • 20 Ability Haste
    • Guiding Light: Upon casting your ultimate you Transcend, increasing your maximum health by 10% for 9 seconds. While Transcended you and allies within 1200 range of you gain 25 non-ultimate Ability Haste. You and allies will also heal for 1.5% of your maximum health every 3 seconds, increased by up to 100% based on that champion’s missing health. Healing is doubled on yourself (90 second cooldown).
    • Mythic Passive: Grants all other Legendary items 100 Health

Iceborn Gauntlet (Mythic Item)

  • 400 Health
  • 40 Armor
  • 20 Ability Haste
    • Spellblade: After using an ability, your next attack is enhanced with an additional 100% base AoE physical damage and creates a frost field for 2.5 seconds. Enemies that move across the field are slowed by 15% + 0.003% of your maximum health. Your primate target is slowed for double the amount and has their damage against you reduced by 10% for 2.5 seconds (1.5 second cooldown).
    • Mythic Passive: Grants all other Legendary items 50 health, 5% Tenacity, and 5% Slow Resist

Goliath’s Ascendiary (Mythic Item)

  • 800 Health
  • 200% Base Health Regeneration
  • 20 Ability Haste
    • Colossal Consumption: Charge up a powerful attack against a champion over 3 seconds while within 600 range of them. The charged attack drains the target, dealing 50 + 10% of your maximum health as bonus physical damage and healing you for that same amount. You permanently gain maximum health equal to 15% of the drain (30 second cooldown per target) (note: Maximum health will be lost if the item is sold).
    • Mythic Passive: Grants all other Legendary items 1% increased health and 6% champion size

Rod of Ages (Mythic Item)

  • 60 Ability Power
  • 300 Health
  • 300 Mana
    • This item gains 20 health, 20 mana, and 4 ability power every minute, up to 10 times, for a maximum of 200 health, 200 mana, and 40 ability power. Upon reaching max stacks, gain a level (Note: the level cap will remain at 18).
    • Mythic Passive: Grants all other Legendary items 5 Ability Haste

Catalyst of Aeons

  • 225 Health
  • 300 Mana
    • Eternity: Restore mana equal to 15% of damage taken from champions, and health equal to 20% of mana spent, up to 15 health per cast. Toggled abilities can only heal for up to 15 health per second.

Abyssal Mask

  • 500 Health
  • 300 Mana
  • 40 Magic Resist
  • 10 Ability Haste
    • Eternity: Restore mana equal to 15% of damage taken from champions, and health equal to 20% of mana spent, up to 15 health per cast. Toggled abilities can only heal for up to 15 health per second.
    • Unmake: Curse nearby enemy champions, reducing the Magic Resist by 5 + 1.5% bonus health (maximum of 25). For each Cursed enemy, gain 9 Magic Resist.
    • A champion can only be Cursed by one enemy at a time (prioritizing the most potent Curse)

Sunfire Aegis (No longer a Mythic Item)

  • 400 Health
  • 50 Armor
    • Immolate: Taking or dealing damage causes you to begin dealing 15 (+ 1.75% of bonus health) magic damage to nearby enemies (increased by 25% against minions and 150% against jungle monsters) for 3 seconds. Damaging champions or epic jungle monsters with this effect adds a stack, increasing subsequent Immolate damage by 10% for 5 seconds (6 stacks maximum).

Turbo Chemtank (No longer a Mythic Item)

  • 450 Health
  • 50 Magic Resist
  • 10 Ability Haste
    • Active – Supercharged: Grants 40% movement speed towards enemies or enemy turrets for 4 seconds. Once near an enemy (or after 4 seconds) a shockwave is emitted that slows nearby champions by 40% for 1.5 seconds (90 second cooldown).

Randuin’s Omen

  • 400 Health
  • 70 Armor
    • Active – Humility: Briefly slow nearby enemies by 55% for 2 seconds (60 second cooldown)
    • Rock Solid: Reduce incoming damage from attacks by up to 5 (+ 0.35% of maximum health)%, capped at 40% of the attack’s damage
    • Critical Resilience: Critical Strikes deal 20% less damage to you

Spear of Shojin

  • 65 Attack Damage
  • 300 Health
  • 20 Ability Haste
    • Dragonforce: Your non-ultimate spells gain (6 + 10% of bonus AD for Melee champions / 4 + 6% of bonus AD for Ranged Champions) Ability Haste, reduced to (3 + 5% of bonus AD for Melee champions / 42+ 3% of bonus AD for Ranged Champions) Ability Haste for immobilizing spells
    • Exigency: Gain up to (15% for Melee champions / 10% for Ranged champions) increased movement speed, based on your missing health (maxed out when below 33% health)

Ravenous Hydra

  • 65 Attack Damage
  • 20 Ability Haste
  • 9% Omnivamp
    • Cleave: Attacks and abilities deal (60% for Melee champions / 30% for Ranged Champions) physical damage to other enemies within 350 units of the target hit
    • Carnivorous: Gain 0.5 AD and 0.1% Omnivamp whenever you kill an enemy, stacking up to 25 AD and 5% omnivamp. Lose 50% of these stacks on death.
    • Can only hit each target once per attack or ability every 10 seconds
    • Cleave does not trigger on structures

Three new LoL champions coming for 2023 include K’Sante, a Darkin Assassin & Ixtal Enchanter

Ryan Mireles, aka Reav3, lead producer of gameplay for League of Legends, revealed three new champions coming to the game.

First, is K’Sante, the Pride of Nazumah – a city that Riot hasn’t explored yet.

Ryan said: “Nazumah is an oasis city state in the Southern outskirts of the desert. And unlike the rest of Shurima, they don’t bow to Azir. Situated on one of the only water sources for miles, the people of Nazumah had to compete with giant monsters just trying to stay hydrated. It was a hard fought struggle, but they eventually claimed the oasis as their own and built their society around it.

“Now, 500 years later, this new champion leads the warriors of Nazumah to hunt those same monsters using the rare resources they gain to build their infrastructure and weapons.”

“He actually fought one of the largest monsters the desert has ever known, creating his unique Ntofos [weapon] out of its rare regenerating hide. Ntofos are huge, blunt weapons that can be used defensively, but at any moment, he can shatter them, revealing carefully crafted blades capable of tearing through any foe in seconds. Soon after, the hide will regenerate back to its blunt form. The entire citystate is impressed by him.”

Riot also mentioned a CGU (comprehensive gameplay update) for Aurelion Sol following K’Sante, allowing Sol to fly while breathing fire with his Q and W.

Riot is also working on a Darkin Assassin. Darkin are God-Warriors traumatised by the Void War and blood magic.

This new Darkin champion was entrapped in a dagger, like this (reminiscent of the Soul Edge weapon in the Soul Calibur fighting game series):

darkin assassin dagger

The third new champion for LoL coming up will be a new male enchanter from Ixtal.

Reav3 said: “The new champion will show a very different side to Ixtal, far from the lavish palaces Qiyana grew up in.”

An art teaser for the male enchanter from Ixtal is as follows:

ixtal enchanter teaser

Elsewhere, Riot mentioned some potential mid-scope updates for other champions on the way, including Syndra and Neeko. These follow updates for the likes of Ahri and Swain, which aimed to strengthen the champion fantasy, rather than reimagine a champion’s visual, theme or abilities.

Ahri is also getting a visual refresh.

When will LoL pre-season 2023 launch?

League of Legends pre-season usually launches around November time, so you can also expect 2023 pre-season to begin towards the end of this year. Changes will hit the PBE in October.

Related article: League of Legends 2022 Season announcement

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