League of Legends patch 13.4 XP changes set to rehaul competitive meta, bringing less focus onto early-game skirmishing

League of Legends patch 13.4 included a plethora of changes to the summoner's rift. While it has introduced numerous champion buffs/nerfs and changes, the most notable are the XP shifts.

Due to the myriad of modifications released in pre-season 2023, the early game meta has been fairly snowball-heavy since the start of season 13.

Sejuani, Elise, Maokai, Wukong, and Vi have dominated the Summoners Rift in ranked Solo/Duo and professional play. This is owing to their capacity to engage in early skirmishing, which has been prominent in high elo ranks and professional play.

With early-game snowballing gameplay dominating since the start of League of Legends season 13, the professional scene has grown monotonous and tedious.

With esports athletes only playing a limited number of champions, the League of Legends viewership experience has suffered significantly. Even though Riot Games developers have made major attempts to build anticipation by buffing non-meta champions, the community has chastised professionals for sticking to their comfort zones.

---

Full details regarding League of Legends patch 13.4 XP changes

To improve balance, the snowball aspect of the early game in League of Legends season 13 is being toned down. This will prevent premature progression.

XP changes

• Level 1: 42 experience (15% of level) ⇒ 42 experience (15% of level)
• Level 2: 114 experience (30% of level) ⇒ 114 experience (30% of level)
• Level 3: 186 experience (39% of level) ⇒ 144 experience (30% of level)
• Level 4: 258 experience (44% of level) ⇒ 174 experience (30% of level)
• Level 5: 330 experience (49% of level) ⇒ 204 experience (30% of level)
• Level 6: 402 experience (52% of level) ⇒ 234 experience (30% of level)
• Level 7: 434 experience (49% of level) ⇒ 308 experience (35% of level)
• Level 8: 500 experience (51% of level) ⇒ 392 experience (40% of level)
• Level 9: 515 experience (48% of level) ⇒ 486 experience (45% of level)
• Level 10: 590 experience (50% of level) ⇒ 590 experience (50% of level)

These XP changes are largely intended to punish early-game snowballing junglers. Champions like Maokai, J4, Elise, and others will undoubtedly suffer due to these changes.

Also, the League of Legends patch 13.4 XP changes indirectly impact the roaming Twitch strategy. As of now, early-game wandering strategy fans may struggle to obtain level experience if they continue to travel excessively, particularly during levels 3-6.

---

How the meta is bound to shift following League of Legends patch 13.4 changes

With patch 13.4, the meta will undoubtedly alter. However, the professional play meta may not shift immediately owing to many pros' refusal to adapt to changes.

Yet, there is a good likelihood that a fresh catalog of champions will settle into the arsenal of League of Legends professional players.

Given that champions like Maokai and Elise have received direct nerfs, a considerably lower play rate is to be expected. Moreover, picks like Vi and Wukong should experience a reduced play rate.

This is because junglers must now choose between farming and ganking. The incentive for ganking is substantially smaller in the early game, making it less advantageous in many situations.

For example, if an early game gank by a jungler fails and the opposing jungler chooses to power farm rather than counter-gank, the player ganking has additional problems. This occurs because those who neglect jungle camps will gain less catch-up experience than in previous versions.

And considering the improvements to jungle camps in League of Legends patch 13.4, if a player chooses to completely clear, the camps will not only clear faster but also provide more healing.

These changes make the early clearances of the jungle camps much more enjoyable. Therefore, champions like Evelynn, Zac, Kindred, Fiddlesticks, Rammus, Rengar, Udyr, and others should be more prevalent choices and perhaps enter professional competitions in League of Legends season 13.

Since the aforementioned jungle champions are significantly stronger scalers and benefit the most from these changes, a meta where the junglers have less effect in the early game is feasible.