Legends of Runeterra Expeditions mode update patch notes

Legends of Runeterra receives its first major update, which brings the new Expeditions mode, over 40 card updates, and several gameplay improvements and bugfixes. 

Expeditions

The new mode will have players draft a deck as they continue to defeat as many opponents as they can. They'll receive an evolving set of cards. 

The mode will require shards to play, but as a bonus for playing during the preview patch, Riot Games is gifting fans with a free week of play. Just make use of the free Exhibition token or 8000 shards added to your inventory. 

Game balancing

The scope of changes to cards with this patch will not be the norm. Riot is still trying to figure out the right amount of change to introduce sign card games always need to remain fresh. 

Riot's high-level: balance goals for the game in future updates include:

• Each Champion will have decks they excel within. 

• Non-Champion cards will also have at least one deck that they fit in.

• Each region will have at least one viable deck. 

• Meta should support a wide range of viable decks. 

Once a month, Riot will also talk on balance regarding the game alongside major patches. These posts will focus on what they're changing, what they're keeping an eye on, and what they're intentionally not changing. 

Here are the card updates:

Champion cards

Lux & Final Spark

Lux now drops later in the game with a buff to defense and easier to level up. Final Spark is slightly nerfed but free to cast with the possibility of unleashing its powers thrice in a single turn. 

Garen

Stats and cost reduced by one. 

Draven

Raw stat power nerfed. 

Shen

Shen's health has now reduced. 

Thresh & The Box

Thresh's old healing effect is gone, while health received a buff. Thresh's level-up quest threshold has also increased while The Box gets a rework. 

Kalista

She now has increased evasion along with an ally buff +2|+0. 

Elise

She gains 3+ other spiders when leveled up.

Followers & spells cards

Tianna Crownguard

Card cost increased by 1.

Detain

Card cost reduced by 1.

Mageseeker Investigator

Removes all text and keywords from an enemy follower if a spell is cast after it is played.

Mobilize

Card cost increased by 1.

Basilisk Rider

Allegiance effect dropped to +1|+1, and attack increased by +1.

Intimidating Roar

Speed dropped to Slow.

Precious Pet

The card is now Fearsome, with its old effect removed.

Reckoning

Card cost increased by 1.

She Who Wanders & Balesight

She Who Wanders will now affect all followers instead of all units, and the same goes for Balesight.

Avalanche

It will now deal 2 damage to all units.

Heart of the Fluft

Card cost increased by 1.

Wyrding Stones

Card cost and health increased by 1.

Scarmaiden Reaver

Health reduced by 1.

Navori Bladescout

Base attack increased by 1 and +2 attack from card effect removed.

Sown Seeds

Card cost dropped by 1 along with attack boost to allies in hand.

Corina Veraza

Card cost increased by 1 with both attack and health nerfed by 1.

Assembly Bot

Attack and health nerfed by 1. Also, it no longer creates a copy of itself.

Augmented Experimenter

Will now deal 3 damage to an enemy instead of deal 3 to anything.

Chempunk Shredder

Deals 1 damage to all enemy units instead of all enemies.

Eager Apprentice

Card cost and health dropped by 1 while effect now refills 2 spell mana.

Flame Chompers

Health dropped to 1.

Flash of Brilliance

Card cost dropped to 3. The effect will now create a random spell in hand instead of a random 6+ spell.

Rising Spell Force

Attack buff goes to an ally instead of any unit.

Absorb Soul

Card speed increased to Fast.

Glimpse Beyond

Card speed increased to Fast.

Grasp of the Undying

Drain 3 from a unit instead of an enemy unit.

The Box

Speed increased to Fast and will also now deal 3 damage to each enemy summoned on the round played.

Warden's Prey

Last Breath will now create another Last Breath follower in hand from any region that costs 3 or less.

Withering Wail

Will now also heal Nexus by 3.

Brood Awakening

Card cost increased by 1.

Fiora

Riot will observe Fiora’s ability to punish strategies that play smaller units.

Anivia

Cryophoenix is under observation, with plans to modify how she functions and find a better balance.

Deny

Riot is considering a rebalance if the changes to all its tools affect it negatively.

Card visuals & clarity

• Katarina, Heimerdinger, and Vladimir text now reflect better functionality.

• Corina Veraza's Magnum Opus visuals updated.

• Offensive keyword Double Attack, Overwhelm, and Quick Attack visualization updated.

• Vlad's level-up effects are now updated.

• Helmet Bro icon used to track quest progression update to a chevron system icon. 

In-game deck inspect

Clicking on either player's deck in-game will now also show any champions included in the deck and the deck's regions. Champions will receive an announcement at the start as an improvement on this.

Deckbuilder

• Right-click to inspect cards in your decklist.

• Decklist now stays open when browsing unowned cards view.

• Small tweaks and improvements.

Starter decks

Two starter decks are being improved since they underperformed during the last preview patch.

Piltover & Zaun + Ionia starter deck

• -2 Rush, +2 Scaled Snapper

• -2 Greenglade Lookout, +2 Keeper of Masks

• -2 Intrepid Mariner, +1 Chempunk Shredder, +1 Get Excited (brings Get Excited count to 2x)

Shadow Isles + Noxus starter deck

• -1 Shiraza the Blade, +1 Captain Farron

MIscellaneous

• AI tweaked to block lethal attacks more often and stop playing spells for no benefit.

• Player nameplates reduced in size and no longer visible during Champion level up.

• Discarded cards appear in the Action Log.

Bugfixes

• Nexus explosions will no longer occasionally throw the game camera off-kilter.

• Eggnivia transform effects will now play correctly.

• Players will no longer occasionally receive a new quest on every login.

• An issue preventing the Vault from progressing past Level 9 for some players has been fixed.

• An issue where Vault progression would sometimes not display correctly on the end-of-game screen is now fixed.

• Ruination will no longer occasionally crash the game.

• Overwhelm damage will no longer occasionally crash the game.

• The opponent's revealed cards will no longer flicker.

• Playing Warden's Prey while Spider Queen Elise is in play will no longer mute all voice overs.

• Surrendering a tutorial with an open prompt will no longer crash the game.

• An issue causing service notifications sometimes not to be visible is fixed.

• The board will no longer occasionally turn blue when Ashe levels up.

• Players will no longer sometimes face "_" opponents. 

• Hovered cards in deck builder should no longer occasionally get stuck on the screen.

• Quickly casting a bunch of Burst spells will no longer crash the game.

• Various stability improvements.

You can find the full patch notes here.