Patch 14.21, the latest update for League of Legends, dropped this week with a promise to balance gameplay while making significant changes to some of the game’s most iconic champions like Swain. In a post announcing the patch, Riot Sakaar (Caden House) said these changes aim to make Swain “more self-reliant and enjoyable to play in solo lanes,” while ensuring he remains a powerful battlemage.
Swain’s Time to Shine
Swain, already well-known to players for his strategic value, was given major buffs to improve his consistency. With Patch 14.21, Swain’s Nevermove ability has been fine-tuned for better accuracy and faster return speeds, providing “better access to crowd control,” House said.
The Nevermore change, coupled with a shift in power from Swain’s ultimate ability to his base kit, gives players more control over their own success. Players will notice that Swain’s Demonic Ascension has a longer cooldown, but this is offset by the fact that it now allows for multiple uses of Demonflare per ultimate. “Our hope is that Swain feels much more well-rounded as a champion,” House said.
Champion Bounty Overhaul
Going beyond champion-specific updates, Riot Games is using Patch 14.21 to introduce a complete overhaul of the champion bounty system. Where in the past League of Legends bounties were based on kill streaks and farm comparisons, they are now tied directly to gold earned. The idea is to make bounties more intuitive for players. For example, an 0/0/0 champion like Jinx could have a bounty solely from farming, while assist-heavy champions like Janna will also trigger bounties based on gold.
“We wanted to create a system that better reflects a player’s in-game performance and doesn’t just rely on kills and deaths,” House said. Furthermore, the update also reduces total gold given out in bounties and rewards the losing team more, helping to slow the snowballing effect that can occur when one team gains a substantial lead.
Additional Updates and Skins
In addition to Swain, Patch 14.21 is serving up balance adjustments to other champions, including Camille, Azir, and Aurelion Sol. Probably the most notable changes are directed at Camille’s damage and health, which are being reduced. House said the changes are being made to even the odds for top lane opponents. Azir, on the other hand, is getting a boost in health regeneration and attack damage. According to House, the idea here is to fine-tune the champion’s performance across varying skill levels.
Fans of the Dark Star series will be happy to learn that it is making a comeback with Patch 14.21. Dark Cosmic Diana, Dark Star Zoe, Dark Star Kai’Sa, Dark Star Sylas, and Dark Star Yorick all got new skins which became available on October 23. House said the underlying idea behind the changes in Patch 14.21 was to keep players engaged.
The team decided to put an emphasis on balancing gameplay while updating both fan-favorite and underperforming champions. House assured players that the Riot Games team is listening closely to feedback and will react quickly if any parts of this new system feel off.
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