The 2025 Worlds Patch, With Azir’s Follow-Up Included
Patch 25.20 was the official 2025 World Championship patch. Riot published its notes on October 7, 2025 and added an Azir adjustment on October 9. The champion reference below preserves that historical version, including the follow-up.
The official notes by Riot Riru and Riot Sakaar separate ordinary Summoner’s Rift balance from Arena and Doom Bots adjustments. This article focuses on the fourteen Rift champions and the lane-swap rule, so mode-specific numbers should not be applied across those boundaries.
Five Champions Receiving Targeted Buffs
| Champion | Released change |
|---|---|
| Anivia | Q cooldown: 12/11/10/9/8 → 11/10/9/8/7 seconds. E base damage: 50/75/100/125/150 → 55/80/105/130/155. |
| Katarina | Base armor: 28 → 32. |
| Malphite | Base armor: 37 → 40. E base damage: 70/110/150/190/230 → 80/120/160/200/240. |
| Pantheon | Q monster modifier: 0.75× → 0.8×. W minion/monster damage cap: 120 → 150. |
| Veigar | W AP ratio: 60/70/80/90/100% → 70/80/90/100/110%. |
Pantheon’s listed changes concern non-champions. They do not describe an equal direct damage increase against a lane opponent. Katarina’s adjustment is armor, while Anivia receives both a cooldown change and additional E base damage. Those differences matter more than treating every buff as the same type of advantage.
Four Direct Nerfs and Their Actual Targets
| Champion | Released change |
|---|---|
| Briar | Crimson Curse maximum stacks: 7 → 5. |
| Orianna | W base damage: 70/120/170/220/270 → 70/110/150/190/230. AP ratio: 70% → 80%. |
| Volibear | Passive AP ratio: 50% → 45%. E AP ratio: 80% → 70%. |
| Warwick | AD growth: 2.75 → 2.5. Attack-speed growth: 2.3% → 2%. |
Orianna’s rank-one base damage stays at 70; the higher AP ratio and reduced later-rank base damage form a tradeoff. Volibear’s two entries target AP scaling, rather than lowering the same amount from every AD setup. Briar’s change reduces the passive’s maximum stack count; it is not a reduction in the number of targets she can attack.
Five Adjustments That Need More Than a Buff-or-Nerf Label
Azir: use the October 9 W values
The mid-patch update sets W’s AP ratios to 32.5/40/47.5/55/62.5%. Use that dated line for the follow-up version rather than stopping at the earlier launch entry.
The release also increased W recharge times from 10/9/8/7/6 to 12/10.5/9/7.5/6 seconds and changed damage to additional targets to 20% until level 8, then eight percentage points per level, reaching 100% at 18. E damage increased to 70/110/150/190/230 with a 60% AP ratio, from 60/100/140/180/220 with 40% AP.
Camille: earlier W opportunities, lower armor growth
Armor growth fell from 5 to 4.5. W cooldown changed from 17/15.5/14/12.5/11 to 15/14/13/12/11 seconds, with base damage rising by ten at every rank. The cooldown benefit therefore changes by rank and disappears at rank five.
Fizz: distinguish the W components and ultimate size
W’s passive damage over time gained base damage but its AP ratio fell from 30% to 25%. The active burst’s base damage became 50/75/100/125/150; the on-hit damage became 20/25/30/35/40 with 30% AP. The damage over time stopped affecting structures.
R’s Guppy, Chomper and Gigalodon versions received different base-damage adjustments, while their AP ratios fell to 60%, 75% and 90% respectively. Riot described an AP-assassin direction. These entries do not establish a successful tank build or justify treating every R hit as the same damage change.
Graves: Q base damage and bonus-AD scaling moved differently
The notes list combined Q base damage as 130/200/270/340/410, replacing 130/185/240/295/350. Combined bonus-AD ratios became 120/135/150/165/180%, replacing 120/145/170/195/220%. This combined figure assumes both Q damage portions; it should not be substituted for the initial hit alone.
Wukong: Q and W lost power while later-rank E gained damage
Q’s bonus-AD ratio fell from 55% to 50%. W cooldown increased by two seconds at every rank, and clone damage fell from 35/40/45/50/55% to 30/35/40/45/50%. E base damage changed from 80/110/140/170/200 to 80/120/160/200/240, leaving rank one unchanged.
The Top-Lane Detection Window Also Changed
Lane-swap detection in top lane extended from 3:00 to 4:00. Riot framed it around supports entering the far side of the map during early lane swaps. This was a specific anti-swap rule, not a general statement that every champion was forbidden to roam before four minutes.
These values are a patch reference, not evidence of which champion ultimately won the most games or earned a Worlds draft spot. When reviewing a match or build from that period, match its date, mode and ability rank to the relevant entry. Later seasons use different balance values.
