League of Legends to Implement Extensive Changes to Annie in Patch 13.2
Riot Games has announced that they will be making extensive adjustments to several League of Legends champions in 2023, with a special focus on some of the game’s oldest and lesser-known characters. The upcoming changes will directly target Annie, one of the oldest champions in the game who has been struggling to perform well across all skill levels.
Ray Yonggi, a gameplay analyst at Riot Games, provided details on the changes coming to Annie in Patch 13.2, which is expected to go live on Jan. 24. Yonggi acknowledged that Annie has been struggling to win matches, even against primarily melee mid laners whom she should have an advantage over. As a result, Riot Games will be making adjustments to almost her entire kit.
Improvements to Annie in Patch 13.2
One of the main updates for Annie will be a quality-of-life improvement, as well as a general buff. Annie will now start with her passive fully stacked, allowing her to stun opponents with her abilities right from the start. Additionally, her passive will also reach full stacks when she respawns, ensuring she has it ready when she returns to the lane.
Furthermore, Annie’s W ability will have its mana cost reduced early on, making it more affordable during the laning phase. Her ultimate, where she summons Tibbers, will also be improved. Tibbers will now have more health and resistances based on Annie’s ability power (AP). However, the duration of Tibbers’ summon remains unchanged.
Annie’s E ability, which currently allows her to place a shield on allies, will also receive an upgrade. The shield will be more potent and will reflect back more damage to enemies, including damage from abilities. However, it will only activate once per damage taken per enemy.
Expected Changes in Patch 13.2
While there is not much information available about Patch 13.2, recent discoveries on the PBE (Public Beta Environment) suggest that there may be an art and sustainability update for Ahri and a comprehensive gameplay update for Aurelion Sol launching alongside this patch. The changes to Annie are expected to be made available on the PBE in the coming weeks, but they may be subject to alteration before being released on live servers.
For more updates on League of Legends and the upcoming changes to Annie, stay tuned.