Riot's Final 2025 Patch: Massive Nerfs & Last Call for Ranked
The final League of Legends patch of the year is here, and Riot Games is sending 2025 out with a bang. Patch 25.24 delivers game-altering changes, including long-awaited nerfs to some of the game's most frustrating champions, the official launch of WASD controls, and the final warning for players looking to climb the ranked ladder before the season ends.
- Ranked Season Ends Soon: The 2025 Ranked Season 3 officially concludes on January 7, 2026. This is your last chance to secure Victorious Draven and other exclusive end-of-year rewards.
- Major Champion Nerfs: Riot is directly targeting player frustration with significant nerfs to Mel, while also toning down dominant junglers like Master Yi, Kha'Zix, and Zed.
- WASD Controls Go Live: After successful testing, WASD movement controls are now available in most unranked game modes, offering a new way to control your champion.
- Your Shop Returns: The popular personalized discount shop is back, alongside new winter-themed skins and major updates for Arena and ARAM Mayhem.
The Nerf Hammer Falls on Problematic Champions
Riot has clearly been listening to community feedback, delivering a series of nerfs aimed at champions that have dominated the meta and caused significant player frustration. Mel, described by Riot as "the most frustrating champion to face," is receiving direct nerfs to her Solar Snare (E) to make it less inescapable. This is a short-term fix, with a larger rework planned for early next year to address her core gameplay issues.
Jungle Dominance Curtailed
The jungle role is also seeing a major shakeup. Several top-tier junglers have been toned down:
- Dr. Mundo: A jungle-specific nerf to his Infected Bonesaw (Q) aims to reduce his clear speed and bring him in line with his top-lane counterpart.
- Kayn: The powerful Shadow Assassin form is being targeted, with a reduction to the magic damage from his passive to give opponents a better chance.
- Kha'Zix & Master Yi: Both are having their power reduced. Kha'Zix sees a decrease in his W's base damage to slow his jungle clear, while Master Yi's base health and AD growth are being lowered to make him less durable.
- Zed: Riot is directly addressing Zed's incredibly fast jungle clear, which allows him to invade too early and safely. His passive damage to monsters has been reduced to slow him down.
Last Chance for 2025 Ranked Rewards
Don't miss out! The Summoner's Rift Ranked Season for 2025 will officially end on January 7, 2026, at 11:59:59 PM local server time. This is the absolute deadline to climb and earn your end-of-season rewards, which include the Victorious Draven skin and chromas, as well as exclusive icons and emotes celebrating your highest rank. The ranked queues will be disabled for 12 hours before the 2026 season kicks off on January 8th.
A New Way to Play: WASD Controls Arrive
A feature many players have been asking for is finally here. WASD controls are now live in unranked queues, including Normals, ARAM, and Arena. This beta feature allows you to control your champion's movement with the keyboard, freeing up your mouse for aiming and camera control. The update also includes a new Dynamic Camera that follows your mouse. While it's a huge change, Riot is rolling it out cautiously and has disabled it for Briar and Taliyah for now.
Quality of Life and Festive Fun
Beyond the major balance changes, Patch 25.24 is packed with other updates. The faster champion select timings are now rolling out globally, and the fan-favorite Your Shop has returned, offering personalized skin discounts. Players can also look forward to new winter skins, including Winter Wonder Milio and Prestige Winterblessed Mel, which will be available on December 3rd. Finally, both Arena and ARAM Mayhem are receiving significant updates with new augments and items to keep the gameplay fresh.
