Soraka Receives Gameplay Changes in League of Legends PBE Update
The recent update to the League of Legends Public Beta Environment has brought some noteworthy changes for Soraka, the popular champion known for throwing bananas. These changes will have a significant impact on her gameplay.
Soraka’s Starcall (Q) ability now has an increased cooldown, starting at eight seconds at level one compared to its previous flat rate of five seconds. Additionally, the ability’s damage has been reduced. However, there are buffs to its rejuvenation effect, with an increase in duration and ally heal. The duration of rejuvenation is now five seconds across all levels, and the heal for friendly champions is now the same as the heal for Soraka herself.
In addition, Starcall now grants up to 30 percent decaying movement speed instead of a flat 10 percent. This change allows Soraka players to benefit from the movement speed buff without needing to move away from enemy champions.
The Equinox ability (E) will see a decreased cooldown at earlier levels, but the mana cost has increased by five mana at each level. The damage of the ability has also been reduced past level one.
According to Riot AzuBK, a game designer, the intention is to highlight Soraka’s healing abilities rather than her damage potential. As the champion with the most focus on healing, Soraka’s dominance in the lane should come from her ability to heal rather than deal damage.
With the changes to Starcall’s cooldown, Soraka’s early game will be weaker as she won’t be able to use the ability as frequently. Players often choose to maximize Equinox over Starcall, but these changes may result in players favoring the latter.
These changes to Soraka are currently undergoing testing in the League of Legends PBE and will be released in a later patch if approved.