LoL Patch 25.24 Breakdown: Mel Gets Nerfed, AP Sejuani Rises, and WASD Beta Arrives

The holiday season is upon us, and Riot Games is delivering one last major update before we ring in 2026. League of Legends Patch 25.24, scheduled to go live on December 3, 2025, serves as the year's final balance shake-up, blending crucial champion tuning with festive cosmetics and a game-changing control experiment. This patch isn't just about tweaking numbers; it's about setting the stage for the new year, rewarding players for their Season 3 grind, and testing a feature that could fundamentally alter how some players interact with Summoner's Rift.

Let's dive into the champion changes, where the meta is getting a deliberate nudge. The headline act is undoubtedly the nerf to Mel, the mid-lane powerhouse who has dominated since her release. Riot is specifically targeting her E ability in the short term to make her "less overwhelming to deal with." This is a clear acknowledgment of her oppressive lane presence, but the developers note that more significant changes are in the pipeline for a future patch to fully bring her in line. On the flip side, Sejuani is receiving some much-needed love. Once a jungle staple, she's fallen off hard, especially with the rise of off-role junglers. Riot's solution? Buffing her AP ratios to make her a more viable threat, particularly in the top lane. Other notable buffs include Braum, Nasus, Swain, and Viktor, while the nerf list features Dr. Mundo, Kayn, Kha'Zix, Master Yi, Nidalee, and Zed—a mix of carry junglers and assassins feeling the tap-down.

The most controversial addition, the WASD movement controls, is finally leaving the PBE for a beta release on live servers. This will be available in most unranked queues across all regions, though Draft and Ranked queues will not support it initially. Riot is proceeding with caution, stating that some champions or queues might be disabled if they cause a "degraded player experience." In fact, this patch notes that both Briar and Taliyah will have WASD disabled from the start. This beta phase is crucial for Riot to gather data and bug reports, so players are encouraged to submit feedback through Player Support. It's a bold step that could open the game to a new wave of players accustomed to different control schemes.

As Season 3 winds down, the ranked rewards are being finalized. The season will officially end, and queues will lock on January 7, 2026, with a 12-hour downtime to prepare for Season 1 of 2026. Your reward for the grind? The Victorious Draven skin and chromas. But there's more: players will also receive special accessories for achieving their highest rank, including a Victorious Skin Border that works with all three 2025 Victorious skins (if you own them all), plus a Season 2025 Ranked Emote and Icon. It's a nice bonus for dedicated climbers. In rune news, the Bloodline tune-up continues, with its Life Steal per stack increasing from 0.4% to 0.45%, capping at 6.75% total—a small but meaningful buff for sustain-focused marksmen and fighters.

No holiday patch would be complete without festive skins. Patch 25.24 delivers six new cosmetics to spread some cheer. The Winterblessed skin line expands with new looks for Smolder, Zeri, and Milio, perfect for the snowy Summoner's Rift map. For those seeking premium content, new Mythic skins are arriving for Lucian and Nami, alongside a Prestige Edition Winterblessed Mel skin. It's a visually stunning send-off for the year. Patch 25.24 wraps up 2025 with a mix of necessary balance, exciting experimentation, and seasonal flair. As we look ahead to the massive 2026 item overhaul and new role quests, this patch ensures the game enters the new year on a stable, if slightly chilled, note.