League of Legends’ Biggest Changes to Look Forward to in Patch 8.5

The patch notes for the next League of Legends patch haven’t been released just yet, but judging from what’s on the PBE and what’s recently been discussed by Riot Games employees, there’s plenty to look forward to in Patch 8.5.

From new champions to continued balance changes, Patch 8.5 is expected to be one of the smaller patches that follows Riot’s new plan to cycle between large and small patches. Even so, the new champion that’s currently on the PBE, Kai’Sa, is more than enough on her own to make this one of the bigger patches, at least in the minds of marksman mains.

As always, the content that’s being tested on the PBE is constantly subject to change, so just because something’s been previewed by Riot or tested during the PBE cycle, it doesn’t mean that it’s guaranteed to make it into the next patch. If you haven’t been keeping up with the PBE cycle and the updates from Riot at all though, here are some of the biggest changes and additions to League of Legends that players can look forward to in Patch 8.5.

Kai’Sa Is Released

The first part of Patch 8.5 that players are anticipating is the release of Kai’Sa, the Daughter of the Void.

Following the reveal of the champion weeks ago, Kai’Sa and her Void-imbued powers were made available on the PBE. Soon after, players began testing the new marksman champion to try and figure out how to best use the champ and what the best builds are for Kai’Sa, though they definitely received help from both the champion’s designer and the latest installment of the Champion Spotlight series.

Kai’Sa has been on the PBE for the current cycle and doesn’t appear to have encountered any glaring issues that would prevent her release, so assuming that continues to be true, look for the new champion to be played (or banned) from the bot lane in Patch 8.5.

Illaoi Gets a New Skin

Another new addition to the PBE for the Patch 8.5 cycle was Resistance Illaoi, the player-voted skin that’s the first cosmetic for the imposing top laner since she was released.

Formerly known as Battlecast Illaoi during the voting process, the skin for the champ was renamed to be Resistance Illaoi during the creation process. Resistance Illaoi’s development was a well-detailed process as well with Riot Games offering continued updates on the skin with concept art, gameplay, and insights into the skin team’s decisions throughout the whole process. The most recent of these updates came towards the end of February. Immediately following the last update, Resistance Illaoi was added to the PBE, and barring any last-minute problems, the skin should be released in the next patch for 1350 RP.

Zoe Has a Pulse Again

Zoe and her troubling sleep effects may have just seemed like a dream (or nightmare) to some players seeing how she largely wasn’t used at all in Patch 8.4 thanks to her nerfs, but Patch 8.5 will look to inject some of that power back into Zoe.

Following the changes in Patch 8.4, Zoe’s winrate fell through floor with the champion finding the least success during the patch out of any mid-lane mages according to LoLalytics. However, this may have been just a temporary setback for Zoe as the champion looks to start regaining power. She currently has several changes on the PBE to restore parts of her kit, changes that’ll likely go into effect in the next patch while making good on Riot Meddler’s past comments about the champ.

“We nerfed her in small ways repeatedly early last year, which didn’t solve her problems,” Riot Meddler said early in February. “After we finally hit her fairly hard we got a much better understanding of how she should/shouldn’t be powerful while she was a bit weak. That let us then put some power back into her in appropriate ways and she’s an effective pick without being the balance challenge she was on release at this point.”

Jhin is Back, Maybe?

A fitting way to round out the fourth thing to look forward to in Patch 8.5, buffs for Jhin may reignite the champ’s popularity in the bot lane.

While Jhin’s not currently in the meta, a champ that’s overshadowed by picks like Tristana, Varus, and Xayah, he’s an absolute blast to play with his four-shot power and dramatic personalities. But following some buffs that Riot August teased for the champ that have been tested on the PBE during the recent cycle, Jhin may be giving Kai’Sa a run for her money when Patch 8.5 releases.