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The League of Legends 2022 preseason is coming in patch 11.23 and introduces some major changes, including new runes, two new drakes and several other gameplay updates. Some of the preseason changes will be live on League’s PBE today, for a four-week period. During this time, Riot Games will test all new additions in-game and make final changes in November.

What’s new in LoL Preseason 2022?

Among the major additions to the LoL 2022 preseason are the new Chemtech and Hextech Drakes. Both dragons offer very distinct rewards to summoners who slay them. Teams who obtain the Chemtech dragon soul receive a buff that gives them a brief second life. Teams who get the Hextech dragon soul obtain unique abilities, among which is a chain lightning effect to their normal attacks and abilities.

Hextech dragon
The Hextech dragon. | Image Provided by Riot Games

Aside from the new dragons, there will be changes to the Rift Scuttler in 2022. The size of the first Rift Scuttler in-game has now been reduced in the PBE, along with a 35% reduction to its health and 80% reduction to its experience. These changes are meant to reduce the impact that obtaining the first Rift Scuttler has on the early game as seen in competitive play, especially at Worlds 2021.

Furthermore, League of Legends 2022 preseason also comes with objective bounties. These bounties only activate when a team is clearly behind their opponents and are shown on the minimap. Each member of a team receives the objective bounty gold if a losing team gets an objective with an active bounty.

Experience, dragon and turret leads will all determine objective bounties. The base amounts of extra gold earned through taking objectives with an active bounty are:

  • Baron and Elder Dragon: 500 gold
  • Elemental Drake and Rift Herald: 500 gold
  • Outer turret: 250 gold
  • Inner turret: 400 gold
  • Base turret: 400 gold

The base amounts can also increase up to 60% as the gap between both teams gets wider. Moreover, objective bounties will give a 15-second warning period before activating and a 15-second lingering duration before expiration. However, this 15-second period can increase if the losing team stays in combat with an active objective bounty.

Runes

The new preseason will see the addition of First Strike, a rune that grants players extra gold and damage against enemy champions. It grants five gold and a first strike for three seconds to players who damage enemy champions with an attack or ability first. This causes attacks or abilities to deal 12% additional damage and grants 100% of that damage dealt as gold. Players will have to wait longer for this rune though, as First Strike arrives much later in the PBE cycle.

The LoL 2022 preseason will also introduce reworks of both the Lethal Tempo and Glacial Augment runes. The new Lethal Tempo allows champions to gain attack speed for six seconds when striking at least one enemy with each attack. The effect stacks up to six times and, while at its cap, the champion gains attack range and increased attack speed.

Additionally, Glacial Augment has been reworked to improve its ability in slowing down enemy champions. Immobilizing an enemy champion now causes three glacial rays to transfer from them to you and nearby allies. This creates frozen zones for a brief moment, slowing enemies by 40% and reducing their damage against your teammates by 15%.