LoL patch 10.8 brings big changes to the jungle, buffs solo kills

TL;DR

  • Ashe, Evelynn, Ryze, and Soraka receive significant buffs to improve their competitive viability
  • Aphelios, Kalista, Senna, and Sett face targeted nerfs to reduce pro play dominance
  • Jungle experience increased at level 9 with enhanced sustain mechanics below 30% health
  • Solo kills grant 20% more XP early game while assisted kills provide reduced rewards
  • New Coven skins for Morgana, LeBlanc, and Zyra available April 16 with Prestige Edition
  • Experience changes create new strategic priorities for junglers and laners alike

The latest League of Legends update, Patch 10.8, introduces transformative changes to core gameplay systems while addressing champion balance concerns that have shaped the professional meta.

This comprehensive balance patch targets experience distribution mechanics and champions with excessive competitive presence, creating new strategic dynamics for solo queue and organized play. The experience modifications represent Riot’s ongoing effort to balance early game snowballing while maintaining competitive integrity across all roles.

From a cosmetic perspective, players can anticipate the Coven skin line expansion featuring Morgana, LeBlanc, and Zyra, with the latter receiving a Prestige Edition variant. All cosmetic enhancements become accessible on April 16, providing visual variety alongside the substantive gameplay adjustments.

Buffed champions in patch 10.8

Riot’s development team has identified several underperforming champions deserving of power increases to improve their competitive standing. These buffs target specific weaknesses while maintaining balanced gameplay across skill brackets.

Ashe

  • Q – Ranger’s Focus, Bonus Attack Speed 20/30/40/50/60%

The Frost Archer receives substantial attack speed enhancements to her Q ability, addressing her early game trading limitations. This adjustment positions Ashe as a more viable marksman option in a meta dominated by limited bot lane diversity. Players should prioritize maxing Q first and utilize the improved attack speed to establish lane dominance through consistent harassment.

Evelynn

  • Q – Hate Spike, Base Spike Damage 30/35/40/45/50 (90/105/120/135/150 maximum damage)

The Agony’s Embrace gains crucial early game damage amplification through her Q ability buffs. With previous performance metrics showing a 48% win rate and minimal 3% pick rate, these changes should revitalize her jungle presence. Optimal clearing involves using Q immediately after camouflage to maximize damage output during ganks.

Ryze

  • Health 575
  • Armor 22
  • Attack Damage 56
  • Q – Overload, Bonus Movement Speed 28/32/36/40/44% when consuming 2 runes

The Rune Mage benefits from comprehensive stat improvements and movement speed enhancements. His Q ability now provides significantly better repositioning capabilities when properly managing rune consumption, making him a more reliable scaling option for coordinated team play.

Soraka

  • Mana 425
  • Q – Starcall, Cost 45/50/55/60/65 mana

The Starchild receives mana cost reductions and base stat improvements following previous over-nerfs aimed at eliminating her top lane viability. These adjustments restore her traditional support role effectiveness while preventing alternative lane assignments.

Nerfed champions in patch 10.8

Professional play staples face targeted adjustments to reduce their overwhelming presence in coordinated environments. These nerfs aim to create healthier champion diversity while maintaining individual character identity.

Aphelios

  • Pasive, Aphelios now gains 2/4/6/8/10/12 lethality
  • Q – Weapons Of The Faithful
  • Base Damage and Cooldown Level Scaling Aphelios’ Weapons Actives’ Base Damage And Cooldowns Scale Over Levels 1-13
  • Moonshot Damage Ad Ratio 0.42-0.6 (Levels 1-13) Bonus Attack Damage
  • Onslaught Damage Ad Ratio 0.21-0.3 (Levels 1-13) Bonus Attack Damage
  • Binding Eclipse Damage Ratio 0.26-0.35 (Levels 1-13) Bonus Attack Damage
  • Duskwave Damage Ratio 0.56-0.8 (Levels 1-13) Bonus Attack Damage
  • Sentry Damage Ratio 0.35-0.5 (levels 1-13) bonus attack damage

The Weapon of the Faithful undergoes comprehensive retuning, replacing armor penetration with lethality and adjusting scaling curves. These changes delay his power spikes while maintaining late-game relevance, requiring more strategic weapon rotation management.

Kalista

  • Armor 21
  • E – Rend, Slow 10/18/26/34/42%

The Spear of Vengeance faces early game durability reductions and crowd control effectiveness nerfs. Her signature Rend ability now provides diminished slowing power, reducing her early lane dominance and making her more vulnerable to ganks and all-ins.

Senna

  • Passive – Absolution, Mist Wraith Spawn Chance 22% on minions Senna doesn’t kill

The Redeemer receives adjustments to her passive mist collection mechanics, specifically targeting strategies that bypass her intended support role. The reduced spawn chance on minions she doesn’t kill directly addresses the ‘fasting Senna’ approach that dominated professional play.

Sett

  • W – Haymaker, Base Damage 80/105/130/155/180

The Boss encounters damage reductions to his W ability, curtailing his wave clear efficiency and early trading power. This nerf specifically impacts his solo lane flexibility while maintaining his viability as a niche support pick.

Experience changes in patch 10.8

Patch 10.8 introduces foundational changes to experience distribution that will reshape early game priorities and resource allocation across all roles.

The jungle experience modifications begin at level 9, where camps provide increased rewards to prevent mandatory early game aggression. This adjustment allows junglers to focus on efficient clearing without falling behind in experience relative to laners.

Enhanced sustain mechanics provide junglers with 50% increased healing from their items when below 30% maximum health, improving survivability during contested objective takes.

The kill experience restructuring creates divergent rewards based on participation. From levels 1-6, solo eliminations grant 20% additional experience while assisted kills provide 20% reduced rewards. These modifications scale down to 10% adjustments at level 7, creating natural power transitions throughout the laning phase.

Additionally, defeated champions receive movement speed bonuses that reduce return-to-lane time by approximately 2.5 seconds, mitigating death penalties and reducing snowball potential.

These systemic changes aim to balance early game volatility while maintaining meaningful reward structures for skilled play. The changes particularly impact bottom lane dynamics where most early kills typically involve multiple participants.

Understanding the strategic implications of Patch 10.8 requires analyzing both immediate champion changes and systemic experience adjustments. The combined impact creates new optimization opportunities for competitive players.

Optimal Champion Selection

With the buffs to Ashe and Evelynn, players should consider these champions as priority picks in their respective roles. Ashe’s improved attack speed scaling makes her particularly potent in extended trades, while Evelynn’s damage increases improve her early gank threat.

Jungle Pathing Adjustments

The experience changes necessitate revised jungle clearing patterns. Focus on reaching level 9 efficiently through optimized camp sequencing rather than forced early ganks that provide diminished experience rewards.

Laning Phase Optimization

Top and mid laners should prioritize solo kill opportunities during levels 1-6 to maximize experience gains. Coordinate with junglers to secure isolated engagements rather than multi-participant skirmishes.

Common Strategic Mistakes to Avoid

Many players will incorrectly prioritize assisted kills over farming efficiency. The 20% experience reduction on assisted eliminations makes efficient last-hitting more valuable than ever for maintaining level parity.

For comprehensive strategic guidance on adapting to meta shifts, consult our Complete Guide to competitive gameplay adaptation.

Action Checklist

  • Test Ashe in practice tool to master Q attack speed timing in different trade scenarios
  • Practice Evelynn jungle clears focusing on Q damage optimization and early gank routes
  • Adjust jungle pathing to prioritize level 9 timing over early forced engagements
  • Review Aphelios weapon rotation strategies to adapt to new lethality scaling mechanics
  • Analyze bottom lane matchups considering the reduced experience from assisted kills
  • Experiment with Ryze rune management to maximize movement speed benefits from Q enhancements

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