League of Legends patch 13.17 preview: Zoe buffs, Naafiri nerfs, Aatrox adjustments, and more

League of Legends patch 13.17 preview is live, and players can now get a glimpse of some of the changes that Riot Games has in store for the game's upcoming update. Some of the biggest highlights of the patch are the buffs making their way to picks like Zoe, Lux, and Orianna in the mid-lane, as well as the nerfs hitting Kayne, Kindred, and Naafiri.

Aatrox, Blitzcrank, and Vi will also be in for adjustments as Riot Games looks to balance them in the current season 13 meta. Another highlight is the nerf to Statikk Shiv’s AP ratios, which is very likely to affect both LeBlanc and Kai’Sa, who have been going for a more poke-heavy build.

When talking about patch 13.17, Riot Games stated:

“We're moving some champions off pure killing power builds and onto more durable [Aatrox, Hec, Vi, Xin]. We're also doing targeted adjustments to some champs who lost durability (eg. from Shieldbow moving from 1st to 3rd).

“In line with our strategy from previous patches, we're continuing to nerf some of the top Junglers down, rather than buffing weak junglers up. We're pulling Blitzcrank's jungle mods out. It's been hard to make it viable and it's added complexity to an otherwise elegant champion.”

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League of Legends patch 13.17 preview

Before moving on to the list of champions who will receive changes in League of Legends patch 13.17, it’s important to note that the preview is tentative. Riot Games will first test out the changes in the game's PBE before shipping them with the official patch next week.

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1) Champion Buffs

• Durability Pass on old Shield Bow users
• Elise
• Gnar
• Lux (Mid)
• Orianna
• Samira
• Twisted Fate
• Tryndamere
• Vex
• Zoe

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2) Champion Nerfs

• Kayne
• Kha’Zix
• Kindred
• Naafiri
• Xerath (Support role)

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3) Champion Adjustments

• Aatrox
• Blitzcrank
• Hecarim
• Vi
• Xin Zhao

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4) System Buffs

• Immortal Shieldbow

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5) System Nerfs

• Bloodthirster
• Evenshroud
• Future’s Market
• Statikk Shiv (AP Ratio)

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League of Legends patch 13.17 release date

League of Legends patch 13.17 is expected to go live next week and will make its way to the Rift on August 30, 2023. It will be one of the major balance updates leading to Worlds 2023.