All Map Changes in Season 16 of League of Legends: Atakhan’s Death is Permanent

Demacia is the theme for the start of Season 16 of League of Legends. As a result, Demacian-themed changes are coming to the Rift this year. There are an abundance of map changes Riot is making changes to objectives, turrets, jungle camps, and much more. Overall, games should end quicker and have a better focus on side laning as a path to victory. Players will rejoice to no longer see Atakhan in their games.

Map Changes: Removal of Atakhan, Blood Rose, and Feats

One of the more contentious objectives this year is Atakhan. The objective has seen more game-changing moments (especially throws) than any other. Riot determined that it is not healthy to keep in League of Legends. The removal of Atakhan also includes the Blood Roses.

Feats did not provide enough value for their complexity. They are also going away in the new season. The removal of Feats sees the return of bonus gold granted from first blood and first tower.

• First blood grants 100 bonus gold
• First turret grants 300 bonus gold

Players who die in quick succession will grant less gold the more they die.

Map Changes: Epic Monster Changes

All Epic monsters gain increased resistances to combat non-jungle steals. The increased resistances will create more danger in taking an objective. It should make stand-offs more interesting while also allowing for more time to make cross-map plays. The stats for objectives are becoming streamlined. Levels will impact the strength of objectives, instead of the in-game timer. It should allow for more consistent objective fights.

Elemental Drakes

• More effective HP
  • Increased by Dragon Vengeance
    • Dragon Vengeance will no longer increase the damage champions take from Drakes
• Local rewards increased
• Dragons’ comeback experience buffed

Elder Dragon

• Overall, the gold value decreased
• More effective HP
• Only global experience granted

Void Grubs

• Increased effective health
• Decreased damage dealt
  • Intended to allow non-junglers to kill a Void Grub alone
• Only the Grub killer will get the gold reward
• Grants additional experience with a bigger radius

Rift Herald

• Increased effective health
• Eye cooldown reduced to six seconds, from eight
  • No longer reduced on-hit
• Only the killer earns the gold reward
• Charge damage from Herald increased to a flat amount

Baron Nashor

• Increased effective HP
• Lower gold rewards
• Weakens all enemies around him
• Spawn changed to 20 minutes with the removal of Atakhan
• Baron’s abilities should now match the damage of his regular attacks.
• Lower experience gain and is now global only.
• Subject to the comeback experience.

Map Changes: Jungle Camps

The global blue and red buff camps are gone. Only two players, the jungler, and one more gain access to the buff at a time. Red buff’s effectiveness is lower, but it slows more if utilized by a melee champion.

Junglers will deal less damage to jungle camps to slow down early clears. The intention is to give laners more time to play out their lane. However, to help novice jungle players, all junglers take less damage from non-epic monsters. The jungle pet deals additional damage to epic monsters, giving junglers a better chance to secure these objectives.

Map Changes: Faelights

Faelights are pockets on the map that increase the vision granted by wards. If a player places a ward in a Faelight, it grants more vision, surrounding the area. Some Faelight locations spawn later in the game. Control Wards do not increase the effectiveness of the Faelight. It grants vision of bushes within its range. Enemies know about the bonus range if they have a Control Ward or sweeper in the region. Ward suppression works on the Faelight buff.

Map Changes: Vision

Buffs are coming to two trinkets. Stealth Wards’ cooldown is lower, while Oracle Lens lasts longer. Scryer’s Bloom plants spawn more often and have additional spawn locations at fifteen minutes or after the elemental rift transformation.

Map Changes: Homeguards

Homeguards does not have a duration. Instead, it will last until the designated endpoint, upon entering the jungle or engaging in combat. The endpoints will go to the furthest tower in the lane. After fourteen minutes or after at least one tower in that lane gets destroyed, the furthest minion wave counts for homeguards. The movement speed from homeguards is significantly higher.

Map Changes: (NEW) Crystalline Overgrowth

Over time, crystals grow on towers. Upon damaging the tower, the crystals explode and deal additional damage to the tower. The longer a crystal forms, the more damage it deals. The addition intends to increase split-push power. Only targetable towers will grow crystals. Demolish becomes a three-hit passive now and deals significantly lower damage.

Map Changes: Towers

All towers will now have platings, which remain permanent throughout the game. The platings will grant roughly equivalent gold to what destroying the tower gives currently. The value of plates drops as the game progresses, but they also lose durability. Effective starting health for turrets is higher. Nexus Towers will respawn at 40% health instead of 100%.

Map Changes: Minion

Minions will spawn more often in the mid-late game, but will have fewer minions per wave.

• At 14 minutes, each cannon wave spawns one fewer melee minion
• At 30 minutes, each wave spawns one fewer caster minion

Overall, gold and experience granted by minions are lower, while minions deal more damage to towers.

Map Changes: Start Timer

To decrease the time spent before the game begins, all timers start earlier. Minions and camps spawn earlier. Passive gold generation starts at 1:05. The change should also decrease the time spent in games.