Patch 25.05 introduces numerous changes to the game, including balance adjustments, a new lane swap detection mechanic, Arena updates, and significant changes to the Battle Pass reward system. It also accompanies the year's first major international tournament — First Stand. Let's break down the main innovations. Update details were published on the game's official website.

Main Changes

Battle Pass Updates and Rewards

• Hextech chests replace free skins in the Battle Pass.
• The cost of all champions for Blue Essence is reduced by 50%.
• 25 Mythic Essence is added to the paid Battle Pass instead of one skin.
• Clash returns to a monthly schedule.
• "Your Shop" returns in 25.06, and the "Blue Essence Emporium" in 25.07.
• Key fragment consolidation: they now automatically round up to form a whole key.

New Lane Swap Detection System 

To prevent early lane swaps in professional play, a mechanic is introduced that penalizes teams sending two champions without a jungle item to top or mid between 1:30 and 3:30:

• Towers receive a 95% damage reduction.
• Minions take 1000% damage from the tower.
• Minions and towers transfer gold and experience to the nearest ally.
• Champions breaking the rule lose 50% gold and experience from minions.
• On top, the tower also deals 1000% damage to champions, and the defending champion receives a 50% damage reduction under the tower.

Balance Changes

Champion Changes

Ambessa

Lacerate [E]

• Damage: 40/65/90/115/140 (+60% bonus attack damage) ⇒ 40/60/80/100/120 (+60% bonus attack damage).

Aphelios

Base Stats

• Attack speed ratio: 0.640 ⇒ 0.658.

Ashe

Enchanted Crystal Arrow [R]

• Damage: 250/450/650 ⇒ 200/400/600.

Aurora

The Weirding [E]

• Damage: 70/110/150/190/230 (+80% ability power) ⇒ 70/110/150/190/230 (+70% ability power).

Between Worlds [R]

• Slow on hitting the skill boundary: 75% ⇒ 50%

Cho'Gath

Rupture [Q]

• Damage: 80/145/210/275/340 (+100% ability power) ⇒ 80/140/200/260/320 (+100% ability power).

Feral Scream [W]

• Damage: 80/135/190/245/300 (+70% ability power) ⇒ 80/130/180/230/280 (+70% ability power).

Vorpal Spikes [E]

• Damage: 20/40/60/80/100 (+3% (+0.5% per stack) of target's maximum health) ⇒ 20/40/60/80/100 (+2.5/2.75/3/3.25/3.5% (+0.5% per stack) of target's maximum health).

Elise

Neurotoxin [Q] (Human Form)

• Damage: 40/75/110/145/180 (+4% of target's health (+3% per 100 ability power)) ⇒ 40/70/100/130/160 (+4% of target's health (+3% per 100 ability power)).

Venomous Bite [Q] (Spider Form)

• Damage: 60/90/120/150/180 (+8% of missing health (+3% per 100 ability power)) ⇒ 50/80/110/140/180 (+8% of missing health (+3% per 100 ability power)).

K'Sante

Dauntless Instinct (Passive)

• Mark damage: 20 (+1–2% (based on level) of target's maximum health) ⇒ 12 (+1–2% (based on level) of target's maximum health).

Path Maker [W]

• Additional true damage from Unleashed: 10–100% (based on charge time) ⇒ 10–80% (based on charge time).

Dr. Mundo

Base Stats

• Health: 613 ⇒ 640

Poppy

Base Stats

• Health growth: 104 ⇒ 110.

Iron Ambassador (Passive)

• Shield strength: 13/15.5/18% of maximum health at levels 1/7/13 ⇒ 11–20% of maximum health (based on level).

Heroic Charge [E]

• Maximum damage: 100/140/180/220/260 (+100% bonus attack damage) ⇒ 80/120/160/200/240 (+120% bonus attack damage).

Seraphine

High Note [Q]

• Maximum bonus damage to champions: 60% ⇒ 75%.

Skarner

Shattered Earth [Q]

• Slow duration: 1.25 seconds ⇒ 1 second.
• Bonus damage from last hit: +10% of target's maximum health ⇒ +8% of target's maximum health.

Ixtal's Impact [E]

• Cooldown: 20/19/18/17/16 seconds ⇒ 22/21/20/19/18 seconds.

Yorick

Eulogy of the Isles [R]

• Maximum damage to marked monsters by Maiden: 100 ⇒ 50.

Zed

Shadow Slash [E]

• Damage: 65/90/115/140/165 (+65% bonus attack damage) ⇒ 70/95/120/145/170 (+80% bonus attack damage).

Item Changes

Staff of Flowing Water

• Ability power buff duration: 4 seconds ⇒ 6 seconds.

Yuntal Wild Arrows

• Critical strike chance per Lethal Practice stack: 0.2% per stack ⇒ 0.4% / 0.2% (melee/ranged).

Rune Changes

Axiom Arcanist

• Ultimate ability enhancement for single-target damage: 14% ⇒ 12%.
• Ultimate ability enhancement for area damage: 9% ⇒ 8%.

Unflinching Rune

• Additional defensive stats: 2–10 (based on level) ⇒ 6–12 (based on level).

Sixth Sense

• Cooldown: 275/350 seconds (melee/ranged) ⇒ 250 seconds.

ARAM

Buffs:

• Soraka: increased healing from Q and W, reduced health cost on W.
• Dark Harvest: soul damage increased from 4 to 5.

Nerfs:

• Sett: increased W cooldown, changed passive regen.

Quick Game

In "Sudden Death" mode, Nexus damage is no longer dealt, allowing the match to end at a predictable pace.

Arena Updates

New Progression System — "Glory"

The main progression system in Arena will now be "Glory," earned for participation and victories:

• 10 Fame for each completed round (20% more when playing with friends).
• 50 Fame when you first play as a champion.
• 150 Fame when you first win as a champion (finish in 1–4 places).
• 200 Fame when you first take 1st place as a champion.
• 30 Fame when you press the "Courage" button (Random champion selection).
• 10 Fame when you play as crowd favorites.

Glory Level Rewards:

• Level 1 (100 Fame): silver augmentation "Overflow" added to the pool.
• Level 2 (1400 Fame): gold augmentation "It's in the Hat" added to the pool.
• Level 3 (2900 Fame): player card upgrade.
• Level 4 (4900 Fame): gold augmentation "Slow but Steady" added to the pool.
• Level 5 (7400 Fame): one reroll.
• Level 6 (10,400 Fame): player card upgrade.
• Level 7 (14,400 Fame): gold augmentation "And My Axe!" added to the pool.
• Level 8 (19,400 Fame): prismatic augmentation "Transmutation: Chaos" added to the pool.
• Level 9 (28,400 Fame): player card upgrade.
• Levels above 9: Fame will grow indefinitely, and its value can be shown to friends in the "Arena" lobby.

New "Guest of Honor" System

Each Arena match now includes a vote for a special "Guest of Honor" — a champion introducing a unique rule to the battle. Among the first guests:

• Darius: each team receives 50 damage. When a team is eliminated, the remaining one restores 5 health.
• Rell: prismatic anvil costs reduced by 1000 gold.
• Vladimir: everyone receives an additional identical augmentation.
• Swain: during the battle, you can collect ravens. The more ravens you collect, the higher the ranks of future augmentations.
• Kled: at the end of the battle, you get a spell to interfere with other teams in the fight.
• Xin Zhao: when your team has less than 60 health, you receive a golden anvil of stats. The first time you are at risk of elimination, you receive a prismatic anvil of stats.
• Briar: team damage increases by 5. If a team wins despite the threat of elimination, it restores 15 health.
• Mordekaiser: during the battle, a random player from each team is sent to the Death Realm.
• Mel: the number of hexgates in each battle increases by 4.
• Talon: a fighter from each team deals 20% more damage. Killing him grants 250 gold.
• Sion: the fire ring appears 15 seconds earlier and quickly shrinks, moving around the arena.
• Samira: hitting an opponent first grants you 2 drinks. The amount increases to 4 when the luck bar is active.
• Elise: respawning is replaced by another mechanic — Elise cocoons defeated players, which their allies must break.
• Riven: Riven can appear at any voting stage. Rules remain unchanged.
• Trundle: legendary items are unavailable. Only legendary anvils can be purchased.

Map Updates

• Koi Ponds: added transitions between islands to avoid getting stuck situations.
• New map with destructible columns that can be knocked down on enemies.

Other Changes

• Champion mastery points are now (finally!) awarded for playing "Arena."
• 25 new augmentations: 20 brand new and 5 returning cursed augmentations.
• Changes to many augmentations and items.
• When choosing a random stat anvil, a message will display indicating which stat is increased.
• Rerolls: rerolls are now not mass (1 reroll changes all 3 options) but individual (each slot has its own reroll).

Future Skins

The update announced new skins that will be available in the Battle Pass and in the store for champions, including Darius, Draven, Rell, Talon, and Sion.

Along with the patch, the assortment in the mythic shop will also be updated. Additionally, developers will fix numerous minor bugs. Patch 25.05 for LoL will be available on March 5.