Noxus’s Grand General Transformed: A Closer Look at the New Swain in Patch 12.8
Introduction
Finally, after years of anticipation, Swain enthusiasts can rejoice as Riot Games has delivered an incredible update to our favorite Master Tactician. Patch 12.8 brought significant changes to Swain, making him a force to be reckoned with on the Rift. In this article, we will explore the details of these changes and explore the optimal strategies for playing the new Swain.
An Overdue Transformation: The History of Swain’s Balancing Struggles
Swain has faced a tumultuous journey when it comes to balance adjustments over the years. Since his complete visual rework and gameplay overhaul four years ago, he has constantly teetered between being a midlane battlemage and a lane bully support. Riot Games has taken their time and carefully considered the best approach to balance Swain, especially in regards to his ultimate ability.
With the introduction of Patch 12.8, it seems that Riot has hit a home run. Swain now embodies the demonic ascension raid-boss fantasy, offering a delightfully fun and engaging playstyle, while remaining well-balanced and fair to play against. The promised Swain update has exceeded our expectations, and players can now fully enjoy the thrilling experience of embodying the Grand General of Noxus.
The Updated Swain: A Comprehensive Overview
Before diving into the strategies for playing the new Swain, let us first examine the changes introduced in LoL Patch 12.8:
Base Stats:
– Base armor increased from 23 to 26.
– Base movement speed increased from 325 to 330.
Passive – Ravenous Flock:
– Healing from Soul Fragments increased from 4/5.5/7% to 4/5.5/7%/9% of maximum health (at levels 1/6/11/16).
– Maximum health increase per soul fragment increased from 5 to 12.
– Removed the ability to use Passive – Ravenous Flock to pull and rip out Soul Fragments from immobilized enemies.
Q – Death’s Hand:
– Damage increased from 55/75/95/115/135 (+40% AP) to 60/80/100/120/140 (+38% AP).
– Bonus damage per additional bolt increased from 8.25/15/23.75/34.5/47.25 (+6/8/10/12/14% AP) to 12/22/32/42/52 (+8% AP).
– Maximum damage (5 bolts) increased from 88/135/190/253/324 (+64/72/80/88/96% AP) to 108/168/228/288/348 (+70% AP).
– Cooldown decreased from 9/7.5/6/4.5/3 to 7/6/5/4/3 seconds.
– Mana cost decreased from 65/70/75/80/85 to 45/50/55/60/65.
W – Vision of Empire:
– Mana cost decreased from 70/80/90/100/110 to 60/65/70/75/80.
– Added a new feature: Pinging W – Vision of Empire displays