The developers at Riot Games have decided to roll back the significant changes they were planning to implement in Patch 14.12 for League of Legends. These changes had initially impacted almost every ADC by changing their base stats.
Patch 14.12 sees ADC change reverted
In the patch notes for 14.12, Riot Games unveiled major adjustments for multiple ADC champions, indicating potential balance changes for the game. This update included a comprehensive review of stats for the ADC role, where champions saw an increase in defensive scaling but a decrease in AD and attack speed growth. These changes affected almost all ADCs, including less conventional ones.
However, just a few hours after announcing these changes, the developers decided to retract them from the patch. This quick reversal suggests that the developers need more time to refine these significant updates before they can be properly implemented.
Previously, in Patch 14.10, ADCs received substantial changes that affected how they build items, significantly boosting their overall power and damage output. This resulted in many ADCs becoming much stronger, necessitating nerfs for some that were overperforming.
Despite these enhancements, Riot seems interested in steering the ADC class in a new direction. By reducing the AD and attack speed, they aim to lower the overall damage output of ADCs while simultaneously enhancing their survivability during team fights.
Historically, ADCs have struggled with survivability, as even perfect play could lead to being quickly eliminated by CC abilities. This balance change would require players to strike a delicate balance between dealing damage and staying safe in team fights, making the ADC role one of the most challenging yet rewarding positions in the game.
The decision to pull these changes from Patch 14.12 indicates that Riot is not yet ready to make such drastic alterations. However, it does suggest that they are considering more extensive changes for the ADC class in the future.