League of Legends has already existed for 13 years and has developed steadily during this time. However, it is noticeable: The average teamfight now lasts a lot shorter than in previous – Season s. It feels like the fights last a maximum of 20 seconds nowadays. In the past, team fights could easily last over a minute.

The problem has been hotly debated in the LoL community for quite some time. Posts on Reddit point out the problem, but also Players at the highest level talk about it. At the beginning of May, Riot Axes confirmed on Reddit that Riot Games has planned adjustments and they will talk about it already in the coming weeks. Three days ago came the official post from Riot Games on the subject. Damage in League of Legends will be reduced in the next patch.

Big changes are coming to all League of Legends players with patch 12.10: All champions will get more base HP, more HP per level, more Armor per level and more Magic Resist per level. This is Riot Games’ way of combating the growing damage output of all champions.

Why is a lot of damage bad anyway?

Players and developers agree: right now, there’s too much damage in League of Legends. But don’t the familiar “Tons of Damage” also make up an important part of the game? Riot feels that less damage will ensure that players can better prove their skill when there are more opportunities for counterplay. And the longer you live, the longer you have to make the right plays. Makes sense so far.

But the devs assure: kills are good and there should be kills. A certain amount of damage is healthy for gameplay and makes the game interesting. But: high damage can make the game tedious for supports and squishy carries, as they die in one hit in an incredible number of situations with little to no counterplay. It’s also frustrating and hurts the “clarity” of the game when you die so quickly that you can’t really tell what killed you in the first place.

Aside from frustrating moments as a lone ADC, high damage also hurts team fights. It’s hard to keep track when champions die too quickly. Short teamfights are confusing, limit the opportunities for players to make plays and show off their skill – and no longer live up to the epic status of match-deciding teamfights. Teamfights are the highlight of any League game, and they should feel that way.

How will League of Legends feel after the “Durability” patch 12.10?

League of Legends is supposed to remain fast-paced, but right now it’s a little too fast. Riot doesn’t think certain champions, items, or other systems are the main reason for this change. That’s why the damage on all champions will be reduced. You will notice the following things in the games after patch 12.10:

• Champions deal and suffer less damage
• Burst champions must use more resources or be further “ahead” to get kills
• More possibilities for counterplay
• Teamfights will last longer

But not only the Durability will be adjusted. The fact that champions do less damage will trigger a chain reaction in the game and many other systems will have to be adjusted. For example:

• Sustain is reduced
• Barons and Turrets also cause less damage
• Champions more often have no mana left (because a spell does less damage like before)
• Scaling champions need to be adjusted (indirect buff due to less damage)

The team behind League of Legends is aware that these are huge changes. However, they assure the community that they will be watching the meta closely. Because no one wants a meta where tanks become invincible and no one plays burst champions anymore. The changes are coming soon, patch 12.10 will go live on May 25 according to the patch schedule.