Wild Rift Update 5.0 is here, and it brings a lot of new and exciting content. Update 5.0 introduced three new champions, skins, balance changes, and a new game mode.
The main goal of this new update is to make Wild Rift feel fresh, by introducing new content and implementing some balance changes that will impact the meta of the game.
Without further ado, let's find out everything about Update 5.0, starting with its release date.
Wild Rift Update 5.0 release date
As mentioned above, the Wild Rift Update 5.0 went live on 18 January 2024. This was the first update of 2024, so it has a special meaning, as Riot Games wanted to start the year on the right foot.
This is arguably the biggest update Wild Rift has received in a long time. It introduced three champions, nerfs and buffs to different champions, fixed many bugs, and more.
So, let's take a look at what champions Update 5.0 is bringing to Wild Rift.
Champions coming in Update 5.0
Three new champions arrived at Wild Rift in Update 5.0, and they all have different roles and playstyles. These three champions are Syndra, a control mage, Talon, an assassin, and Kindred, a marksman.
Syndara is a control mage predominantly played in mid-lane but who can also be played as an ADC if you have an AD mid and top. Her abilities are the same as in LoL, and allow her to slow and stun enemies while dealing a lot of damage.
While Syndra can poke an opponent out, and then finish him with a burst of damage by using her ultimate, Talon wants to 100-0 opponents in the blink of an eye.
Talon is an assassin who is also mainly played on mid, and he has quite a unique kit, with his E ability allowing him to jump over walls and structures. This helps Talon quickly roam around the map and catch opponents off guard.
As for Kindred, she is a marksman but is played more in the jungle than in the ADC role. Kindred abilities allow her to deal a lot of damage, and she has a pretty fast jungle clear.
When compared with other ADCs her attack range is small, but for a jungle champion she has a big auto-attack range. This helps her kite jungle camps and enemy champions, making her very strong in 1v1 situations with the enemy jungle, and even solo laners.
Champions buffs and nerds
Apart from the three new champions making their way into the game, Update 5.0 also introduced a reworked Aurelion Sol.
Aurelion Sol underwent some massive changes, which according to the Riot Games developers, will make sure that "he can deal more effective damage and crowd control during team fights."
Furthermore, Gragas received a small buff, Zyra was nerfed as she had been dominating the Rift, and Lee Sin ultimate was also tuned.
These changes might not have a huge impact on the meta, but the items changes we will address further below surely will.
Game mode changes
The popular Arena game mode received some significant changes. Update 5.0 introduced 20 new dragon augments, unique rewards, and new bonuses. The highly anticipated ranked system was also introduced to Arena, making the mode even more competitive.
As mentioned above, a new mode has also arrived at Wild Rift and it's called Double Cast. Double Cast is a mixture of URF and the standard mode, providing players with specific times when their abilities' cooldown is drastically decreased.
This game mode seems incredibly fun and will let players try out new combos and builds. It also seems like the perfect mode to play with your friends if you just want to relax and have a good time.
A new season and Wild Pass are coming!
Ranked season 12 has also arrived at Wild Rift, and it brought a lot of new rewards! This new ranked season went live on 19 January, at 00:01 UTC.
One of the rewards of season 12 is an exclusive Glorious Crown Xin Zhao skin. The Glorious Armada Twisted Fate skin from season 9 made a return to the ranked store, while the Glorious skins from season 1 were removed.
A new Wild Pass was also introduced in Update 5.0, it has 75 levels and brought plenty of rewards, with one standing out. Food Spirits Veigar is the most coveted reward, with this new skin looking fantastic.
However, that isn't the only great skin the new Wild Pass includes. The new Will Pass also brought the Ascended Supervillain Graves, Ascended Superhero Vi, Supervillain Graves, Superhero Vi, Hexplorer Jax, and Hexplorer Teemo skin, which are returning for a limited time.
After the Food Spirits Veigar Wild Pass comes to an end, a Black Frost Renekton mini pass will go live. This gives fans the chance to earn even more rewards and another spectacular skin.
The Lunar New Year is around the corner, and LoL: Wild Rift won't let it go unnoticed. To celebrate this important date, Wild Rift will introduce the Lunar New Year event, allowing players to earn many unique rewards, such as dragon lantern skins.
New items
Update 5.0 brought new and reworked items, which have already had a huge impact on the meta. Most of these items were already on LoL but are just now making their way to Wild Rift.
Spear of Shojin, Titanic Hydra, and Heartsteel were the new items that arrived at the game on 18 January. Titanic Hydra and Heartsteel are great items for Bruiser champions, as they provide them with health and plenty of damage.
As for Spear of Shojin, this item is especially good on mages as it reduces their abilities cooldown and provides movement speed after casting their ultimate.
Regarding reworked items, we have a total of seven items that received substantial changes. These items are Mantle of the Twelfth Hour, Randuin's Omen, Zeke's Convergence, Runaan's Hurricane, Ancient Coin, Relic Shield, and Spectral Sickle.
You can check all of the changes these items underwent here.
New skins
This new LoL: Wild Rift update also introduced 18 new skins! These skins are from the Dawnbringer, High Noon, Lunar, Dragon Lantern, and Battle Academia skinlines.
Here are all the skins introduced in Update 5.0:
- Akshan Dawnbringer
- Draven Dawnbringer
- Kayn Nightbringer
- Tyndramere Nightbringer
- Katarina High Noon
- Leona High Noon
- Samira High Noon
- Twitch High Noon
- Morgana Lunar Empress
- Nasus Lunar Guardian
- Pantheon Lunar Guardian
- Aurelion Sol Lunar Guardian
- Graves Dragon Lantern
- Zyra Dragon Lantern
- Caitlyn Battle Academia
- Jayce Battle Academia
- Kindred Cat&Dog
- Warden Nautilus
- Syndra Spirit Blossom
- Urgot Pajama Guardian Cosplay
LoL Arena: How the ranked system works | LoL Arena: How to rank up | LoL Arena Meta: How you should play if you want to win! | LoL Arena Tier List: Dominate Arena with these champions.