The League of Legends Chemtech dragon is back following its removal back in January 2022. Initially deemed too powerful, it’s set to be reintroduced into the MOBA alongside preseason 2023, but its kit has been entirely overhauled. Yes folks, the zombies are gone, you can rest (slightly) easier.
Once upon a time the Chemtech dragon granted stacks of chemtech blight for each dragon killed. This increased damage on champions with 340 – 1020 more health than you, allowing squisher ADCs and assassins to shred through top lane and jungle tank’s health bars with ease.
Couple this with the chemtech soul (which transformed players into unkillable zombies for three seconds if they were killed) and it became OP very, very quickly. Quickly removed by Riot after only a few weeks in the regular season, it has been etched into history as one of League’s most infamous buff systems – and that’s quite the feat.
But guess who’s back (back again) during the 2023 preseason? You guessed it; our favourite gas spewing lizard returns, but this time it has a completely new kit.
League Preseason 2023 Chemtech dragon changes
The Chemtech drake changes are as follows:
- Each time you slay the dragon your team gets 5% increased tenacity and shield/heal strength.
- Chemtech soul gives 10% bonus damage and damage reduction when below 50% health
- The terrain will also be changing to reflect a new thematic rooted in Zaunite chemicals tainting the jungle plants and foliage. Blast cones will launch you twice as far, honey fruits no longer slow and also give you a small shield, and Scryer’s Bloom becomes Stalker’s Bloom which grants move speed in the direction you reveal, reduces any wards caught in the reveal to 1 health, and grants a vision circle around the plant itself.
In terms of the soul, senior product manager Patrick Noonan states “it’ll be lot easier to play around and work with than the old zombie soul, while still being close enough to the Chemtech thematic.”
From an outsider’s perspective this looks far more balanced than the original iteration. While 5% tenacity may raise an eyebrow given the power of the mechanic overall, it falls in line with the more conventional drake buffs and doesn’t look like it’ll promote tank shredding.
My personal favourite are the Rift changes, though. Not only do they look cool, they add a plethora of different counter-play options. As a support main, the updated terrain also makes clearing out a slew of enemy wards a little less arduous.
At the moment, though, we’ve got the League of Legends patch 12.18 changes to contend with, as well as the all-new Fright Night skins to splash the cash on. If you want to know how much you’ve spent on League of Legends we have a guide for that, but aren’t liable for any injuries caused when your jaw hits the floor. If you want more dragons, then check our guide for the best dragon games to play.