League of Legends patch 11.6 notes – Battle Academia skins, Akali, Xin Zhao changes

League of Legends' 11.6 update brings a raft of new superhero school skins

Carrie Talbot

Published:

League of Legends 

March 17, 2021 Patch 11.6 is headed to live! Check out the League of Legends patch 11.7 notes to see what’s coming next.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on that League of Legends 2021 patch schedule, you’ll know the multiplayer game’s 11.5 update has now dropped onto live servers, bringing a big ol’ batch o’ balance changes and bee-themed skins to the League. Now, though, it’s time for the next content extravaganza, so let’s take a look at what’s coming for League of Legends patch 11.6.

As showcased on the League of Legends Twitter channels this week, we’ve got a raft of new skins for the Battle Academia line on the way with 11.6. In case you need refreshing, the skin line is themed on an alternate universe in which all the best League of Legends champions head to a school to become superheroes. Joining the line in the next update are Caitlyn, Garen, Wukong, Yone, and Leona – with the latter getting a prestige edition, too. You can check these out in the champion skins section below.

There’s also now a bunch of champion balance changes to check out in the section below, with a lot of gameplay updates for Xin Zhao and Akali coming with 11.6, plus some tweaks for Gnar, Hecarim, Karthus, LeBlanc, Lillia, and others, too.

Let’s get on with the show – here are the tentative League of Legends patch 11.6 notes (cheers, Surrenderat20!):

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS PATCH 11.6 RELEASE DATE AND DOWNTIME

According to the League of Legends 2021 patch schedule, League of Legends patch 11.6 is due to go live on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Maintenance times have now been confirmed, and will begin at 3am PT for NA servers, 5am GMT for EUW servers, and 3am CET for EUNE servers, and last for approximately three hours.

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS PATCH 11.6 – BALANCE CHANGES

Champion Changes

Xin Zhao – changed

Determination (Passive):
Healing shrunk to 7-92 (+10% AD)(+55% AP) from 10-112 (+10% AD)(+40% AP)
Three Talon Strike (Q):
Bonus physical damage decreased to 16/25/34/43/52 from 20/28/36/44/52
Wind Becomes Lightning (W):
Various quality-of-life changes and hitbox adjustments
Thrust damage can increase up to 33% depending on Critical Strike Chance
Cast time is now a static 0.5 seconds
Mana Cost increased to 60 from 45
W2 range increased to 1000 from 900
W2 damage decreased to 40/75/110/145/180 (+80% tAD)(+50% AP) from 40/75/110/145/180 (+80% tAD)
Cooldown decreased to 12/10.5/9/7.5/6 from 12/11/10/9/8
Deals 50% more damage to minions than it did before
Audacious Charge (E):
Cast range on challenged targets increased to 1100
Cooldown decreased to 11 seconds from 12 seconds
Dash speed has been decreased to 2500 from 3000
Crescent Guard (R):
A new ability power ratio has been set at 110%
Duration increased to five seconds from three seconds
Basic attacks and spells no longer extend the move

Akali – changed

Stats:
Base HP decreased to 500 from 575
HP per level has been increased to 105 from 95
Assassin’s Mark (Passive):
This one doesn’t restore energy anymore
Five Point Strike (Q):
Energy cost changed to 130/115/100/85/70 from 120/115/110/105/100
Doesn’t deal extra damage to minions and monsters at max rank anymore
Twilight Shroud (W):
Akali will now increase her energy by 80 while the shroud is active
Shuriken Flip (E):
E1 damage increased to to 30% of base damage from 50/85/120/155/190 (+35% AD)(50% AP)
E2 damage increased to 70% of base damage from 50/85/120/155/190 (+35% AD)(50% AP)
Perfect Execution (R):
R1 damage changed to 80/220/360 from 125/225/325
This move has a 30% AP ratio
R1 damage type swapped to Magic from Physical

Gnar – nerfed

Hyper (W):
This move’s bonus magic damage has decreased to 0/10/20/30/40 from 10/20/30/40/50

Hecarim – nerfed

Rampage (Q):
Damage has been decreased to 60/97/134/171/208 from 60/102/144/186/228

Karthus – nerfed

Lay Waste (Q):
This move’s damage has been decreased to 45/62.5/80/97.5/115 from 45/65/85/105/125

LeBlanc – buffed

Distortion (W):
Mana cost has been decreased to 60/70/80/90/100 from 60/75/90/105/120

Lillia – buffed

Lilting Lullaby (R):
Cooldown for this one has been increased to 150/130/110 from 130/110/90

Pyke – changed

Phantom Undertow (E):
The cooldown for this ability has been changed to 15/14/13/12/11 from 15

Renekton – nerfed

Dominus (R):
Bonus health has been decreased to 250/400/550 from 250/500/750

Sylas – buffed

Petricite Burst (Passive):
The attack speed on this move has been increased to 125% from 80%
Kingslayer (W):
The base heal AP ratio has been decreased to 45% from 50%
The cooldown here has been decreased to 13/11.25/9.5/7.75/6 from 13/11.5/10/8.5/7
The mana cost has decreased to 60/70/80/90/100 from 70/80/90/100/110

Urgot – nerfed

Purge (W):
This move’s on-hit modifier has been decreased to 50% from 75%

Volibear – changed

Sky Splitter (E):
This move’s damage cap has been changed to 750 from 150/300/450/600/750

Here’s the Riot Games patch preview from Twitter:

Item Changes

Blade of the Ruined King

Effects:
Life Steal decreased to 10% from 12%

Liandry’s Anguish – buffed

Agony (new passive):
You can deal up to 12% bonus magic damage based on your target’s bonus health – this is maxed at 1250 bonus health
Removed effect:
Whilst burning, they lose 5% Magic Resist per second (max reduction 15%)

Luden’s Tempest – buffed

New effect
You can reduce cooldown by half a second by dealing ability damage to champs – max is three per ability

Rabadon’s Deathcap – buffed

Cost:
The cost for this item has decreased to 3600 from 3800
The combine cost, meanwhile, has decreased to 1100 from 1300

Seeker’s Armguard – nerfed

Effect:
Armour per kill has been decreased to 0.5 from 1
Maximum decreased to 15 from 30

Sunfire Aegis – buffed

Effect:
Ability haste has been increased to 20 from 15
Immolate damage per stack increased from 10% to 12%

Shurelya’s Battlesong – nerfed

Stats:
Inspire active cooldown decreased to to 75 seconds form 90 seconds

Sterak’s Gage – changed

Passive:
Stacks beyond the first heal for 50% less

Stridebreaker – nerfed

Effect:
Total health offered has decreased to 200 from 300

Immortal Shieldbow

Effects:
Now does 25-50% Attack Speed when activated
Shield amount increased to 300-800 from 250-700

Ironspike Whip – changed

Cost:
Total cost has decreased to 1100 from 1200 As such, combine cost has decreased to 225 from 325
Effect:
This item’s cooldown has increased to 20 seconds from 15 seconds

Verdant Barrier – nerfed

Effect:
Magic resist per kill decreased to 0.3 from 0.5
Max MR has been decreased to 9 from 15
Ability power decreased to 20 from 25

Void Staff – nerfed

Effect:
Ability power has been increased to 70 from 65
Cost
The cost of this item has increased to 2700 from 2500
Combine cost has increased to 600 from 400

Rune Changes

Ravenous Hunter

Effects:
Omnivamp decreased to [0% + 1.5% per Bounty Hunter stack] from [1% + 1.7% per Bounty Hunter stack]

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS PATCH 11.6 – CHAMPION SKINS

Champion Skins

BATTLE ACADEMIA CAITLYN – 1820 RP – LEGENDARY SKIN
“A feared and respected second year, head of the Luminary Club, and class president of Labrys God-Weapon Academy. Caitlyn enrolled herself in the famously troubled school specifically to whip the delinquents there into prime fighting shape, hoping to one day become the greatest battlefield general in history. With her perfect record, she’s not too far off.”
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Here’s the BATTLE ACADEMIA CAITLYN splash art:

… And here are her new legendary skin VO and interactions:
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BATTLE ACADEMIA GAREN

“Brother’ to Lux, Garen is the only biological child of his family, but was neglected from an early age as his parents spent all their time developing the god-weapon fragment that would one day become their daughter. As he vented his anger in increasingly delinquent ways, Labrys sought him out for enrollment, where he eventually joined the Battle Club.”

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Here’s the shared BATTLE ACADEMIA GAREN and BATTLE ACADEMIA WUKONG splash art:

BATTLE ACADEMIA WUKONG

“A consummate troublemaker and prankster, Wukong has failed out of every high school in the region, eventually washing out into Labrys as an ‘enrollment of last resort’. A naturally gifted fighter in the Battle Club, he still hasn’t learned discipline, and only listens to Caitlyn because she can beat him up.”

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BATTLE ACADEMIA LEONA

“An oddly cheery member of Labrys Academy’s Battle Club, Leona’s dark side comes out in combat, when her motherly, protective persona is utterly replaced by bloodlust. The change is so dramatic that even the most violent students tend to stay on her good side, hoping to avoid her wrath.”

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Here’s the BATTLE ACADEMIA LEONA splash art:

BATTLE ACADEMIA LEONA – PRESTIGE – 100 PRESTIGE POINTS

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Here’s the BATTLE ACADEMIA LEONA PRESTIGE edition splash art, as shown off on Twitter:

BATTLE ACADEMIA YONE

“Yone is a brooding, quiet member of the Assassin Club, one whose morose and serious attitude belies the colossal chip on his shoulder. The bad blood between him and his brother is well known, and even speaking about it casually has been known to invoke Yone’s fury– something Caitlyn has picked up on for her own purposes.”

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Here’s the BATTLE ACADEMIA YONE splash art:

Here are Riot Games’ PBE previews of the shiny new skins:

That’s all we’ve got for now in the way of the tentative League of Legends patch 11.6 notes based on the PBE’s current fare and LoL social media channels right now. But, keep checking back on these notes during the patch’s fortnight-long testing cycle as we’ll keep it up-to-date with all the changes and previews you’ll want to know about ahead of the update’s launch onto live servers. Assuming you want to keep up with all the latest changes headed to League, that is? Of course you do.

While you wait, we have a handy LoL tier list as well as a rundown of the best League of Legends champions to play for each role if you’re on the lookout for some tips.

Carrie is an RPG and open-world game fanatic, with more hours in Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and Divinity: Original Sin II than she'd care to admit. She's also pledged her soul to the Fable gods to make Fable 4 arrive quicker. A former PCGamesN news editor, she's off pursuing independent writing projects.