Season 3 Climax: Patch 25.24 Brings Ranked Rewards, WASD Beta Expansion & Braum Buffs

The year is winding down on the Rift, and Patch 25.24 is the final major update of 2025. This patch isn't just about balance tweaks; it's a transitional update packed with season-ending announcements, significant system rollouts, and quality-of-life improvements that will shape how we play heading into 2026. From the imminent Ranked reset to the continued evolution of alternative controls, let's break down everything you need to know.

**The Ranked Season 3 Countdown Begins**

Mark your calendars, climbers! The Summoner’s Rift Ranked Season for Season 3, 2025 will officially end on **January 7, 2026, at 23:59:59** according to your local server time. This is the last day of the 25.24 patch cycle. As in previous years, ranked queues will be disabled for approximately 12 hours for backend preparation. The fresh start of **Season 1, 2026, will begin on January 8, 2026, at 12:00:00 (noon)** local server time, at which point LP and ranks will be reset.

This also marks the end of the entire 2025 ranked year, meaning it's time to secure those coveted rewards. The headline prize is, of course, the **Victorious Draven** skin and its chromas. However, Riot is also distributing accessories to celebrate your yearly peak. The full reward set, which will be distributed in Patch 26.1 next year, includes a **Victorious Skin Border** (compatible with all three 2025 Victorious skins, provided you own them all), a **Season 2025 Ranked Emote**, and a **Season 2025 Ranked Icon**. More details on the 2026 season will arrive with the 26.1 patch notes, so get those final games in for glory and loot!

**WASD Controls Expand Beyond the Lab**

One of the most anticipated experimental features is taking a major step forward. Starting with Patch 25.24, **WASD movement controls will go live in most unranked queues across all regions**. Riot is taking a careful, regional rollout approach, beginning on OCE and scaling up. It's crucial to note that **Draft Pick and all Ranked queues will NOT support WASD at this time**, as the system remains in an active beta state. Riot has explicitly stated they may disable the feature for specific queues or champions if player experience is degraded. For this patch, **both Briar and Taliyah will have WASD disabled**.

Where can you try it? The enabled queues are: Normals (Customs, Swiftplay, ARAM) and Game Modes (Arena, ARAM: Mayhem, and ARURF). The update also introduces new WASD features: a **Dynamic Camera** that follows your mouse (with adjustable speed), a **Scout Ahead Button** (middle mouse click) for free camera movement, and full **WASD Remapping**. Riot plans to use live balance data from this broader test to iterate before even considering enabling it in Ranked, so be sure to report any bugs or feedback through Player Support.

**Champion Select Gets Faster and More Cooperative**

Following a successful pilot program, two major champion select updates are being fully released globally. First, and perhaps most importantly, **you can no longer ban a champion that a teammate has hovered**. This simple change should eliminate a major source of pre-game frustration and toxicity. Second, the quality-of-life improvements to speed up the champ select timer for Summoner’s Rift queues (Solo/Duo, Flex, and Normal Draft), which were tested in NA and OCE in Patch 25.23, are now rolling out to all regions. Faster lobbies mean more time on the Rift.

**Champion Balance: Buffing the Brawlers**

The balance team is relatively light-handed in this transitional patch, focusing on a couple of key outliers. **Braum** is receiving some love to help him trade more effectively. His base health is increasing from 610 to 630, giving him more early durability. More significantly, the damage from follow-up attacks on his passive, Concussive Blows, is being doubled from 20% to 40%. This should make him a much bigger threat in extended skirmishes, rewarding him and his allies for stacking those stuns.

Meanwhile, **Dr. Mundo** finds himself in a tricky spot. Riot has acknowledged they overestimated the impact of a bugfix in the previous patch, which means the compensation buff they gave him overshot the mark. While specific nerfs aren't detailed in these notes, it's a clear signal that the Madman of Zaun's power level is being reassessed, and players should expect adjustments to rein him in.

Patch 25.24 is the bridge between seasons, blending the culmination of a year's efforts with exciting experiments for the future. Whether you're grinding for your Victorious border, testing WASD controls in ARAM, or enjoying a more streamlined draft phase, this update ensures the Rift remains dynamic as we prepare to turn the page to 2026. Good luck with your final climbs!