League of Legends patch 25.05 preview: Lane swap adjustments, Skarner nerfs, and more

The League of Legends patch 25.05 preview highlights substantial modifications anticipated to conclude the lane swap meta. In addition, several champions that have recently dominated the Rift will face nerfs. The changes were presented by the Lead Gameplay Designer of LoL, Matt Leung-Harrison (@RiotPhroxzon on X), providing a comprehensive analysis of the forthcoming patch.

This article highlights all the details in the League of Legends patch 25.05 preview.

Note: This article will be updated with more information about the League of Legends patch 25.05 preview when available.

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Champion adjustments in League of Legends patch 25.05 preview

All buffs, nerfs, and adjustments coming to the LoL champions in patch 25.05 are shown below:

Champion buffs in League of Legends patch 25.05 preview

1) Aphelios

Attack speed ratio: .640 → .658 (base unchanged)

2) Dr. Mundo

Base HP: 613 → 640

3) Seraphine

Q maximum champion damage amp: 60% → 75%

4) Zed

E damage: 65-165 + 65% bonus AD→ 70-170 + 80% bonus AD

Champion nerfs in League of Legends patch 25.05 preview

1) Ambessa

E damage per hit: 40-140 + 60% bonus AD → 40-120 + 60% bonus AD

2) Ashe

R damage: 250/450/650 → 200/400/600

3) Aurora

E damage: 70-230 + 80% AP → 65-225 + 70% AP

4) Cho'Gath

Q Damage: 80-340 → 80-320
W Damage: 80-300 → 80-280
E Max HP Damage: 3% → 2.5%-3.5%

5) Elise

Human Q damage: 40-160 + 4% current HP → 40-140 + 4% current HP
Spider Q damage: 60-180 + 8% missing HP → 50-170 + 8% missing HP

6) K'Sante

P mark damage: 20 + 1-2% max HP → 12 + 1-2% max HP
W All Out bonus true damage: 10-100% → 10-80%

7) Skarner

Q Max HP Damage: 10% → 8%
Q Slow Duration: 1.25s → 1s
E Cooldown: 20-16 → 22-18

8) Yorick (Jungle)

R monster damage cap: 100 → 50

Champion adjustments in League of Legends patch 25.05 preview

1) Poppy

HP growth: 104 → 110
P shield: 13/15.5/18% max HP at 1/7/13 → 11-20% max HP (linear)
E damage: 100-260 + 100% bonus AD → 80-240 + 120% bonus AD

Also read: League of Legends patch 25.04 notes

System adjustments in League of Legends patch 25.05 preview

All upcoming system changes are highlighted below:

System buffs in League of Legends patch 25.05 preview

1) Staff of Flowing Water (Item)

Buff duration: 4s → 6s

2) Sixth Sense (Rune)

Cooldown: 275/350 → 250 (Split Removed)

3) Unflinching (Rune)

Armor and MR: 2-10 → 6-12

4) Yun Tal Wildarrows (Item)

Crit per stack: .2% → .4% melee / .2% ranged

System nerfs in League of Legends patch 25.05 preview

1) Axiom Arcanist (Rune)

Ultimate Amp: 14% → 12%
AoE Mod: 9% 8%

2) Lane swaps

If a team has no Junglers, this never fires
With one Jungler, two non-Junglers in top/mid
With 2 Junglers, any two champions in the top/mid Lane Swap zone cover the lane from the enemy Inhibitor to the allied outer turret and reach 500u into the jungle
Warning ping and message show when you are about to trigger a swap
Warning messages repeat while triggering Lane Swap Duration: 0:00-5:00 → 1:30-3:30
Turret damage reduction: 50% → 95% (only when swap detected)
Defending champion gains all gold/XP from lane minions, regardless of the last hitting
Defending tower executes minions in one hit
Offending champions receive 50% less XP/Gold from Lane Minions
Buff/debuff lingers for the 20s in the top lane, 6s in the mid lane
[Top only] Defending tower executes enemy champions in one hit
Defending champion takes 50% less damage under the top turret

In the post, Matt Leung-Harrison indicated that the forthcoming patch will prioritize the professional scene, particularly concerning the inaugural international tournament of the year — First Stand 2025.

Significantly, the adjustments will have a substantial impact on the lane swap strategies. The removal of mechanics such as Deep Proxying and diverse lane shift strategies is on the horizon.

In addition, the mid-penalty duration will be reverted to 3:30, and players will be provided with improved notifications regarding this change.

Also read: All League of Legends patch release dates in 2025

Matt Leung-Harrison addressed the situation by saying:

"Please don't bother trying to grief people in soloQ with this, we will detect this and punish you - We're also adding a warning area to inform players that they will enter the zone right before they're penalized (it is also very loud if triggered)."

Riot Games is set to implement nerfs on Ashe, anticipating a significant shift in the ADC meta, as the lane-swap antics are expected to come to an end. These forthcoming adjustments aim to enhance the dynamic of the meta in preparation for First Stand 2025.

The League of Legends patch 25.05 patch will hit the live server on March 5, 2025.

Check out more LoL news and updates below:

About the author

Debayan is a gaming journalist and he specializes in League of Legends content but also pens game reviews for the website.
His fascination with video games began with the Fable series and to this day, he occasionally takes nostalgic strolls around the idyllic Oakvale village. If given a chance to inhabit a game world, he would eagerly jump into Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City and its neon-drenched streets.
Debayan is a big fan of T1's League of Legends team and Danish CS pro Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz.

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Edited by Dinesh Renthlei