Olaf Will Receive A Rework in Patch 12.9

Olaf isn't your average League of Legends champion. He is a big, beefy brawler in the jungle, but he's lost his ways in recent times. So, it's time for a rework.

Sentinel Olaf — Make Olaf Great Again. 2k22. | © Riot Games

Olaf getting a mid-scope update was announced a while ago and it might come sooner than we thought. He is going to be receiving an overhaul this year, but it won't be a big VGU like the one Dr. Mundo or Volibeargot. We're still pretty hyped, though.

What changes could Riot make to fit this viking into 2022? Well, thankfully Riot has decided to ship the changes a bit early onto the PBE server so players can really get a feel of what Riot is planning with the champion.

Riot August Announced Olaf Rework

Riot August, Lead Champion Designer at Riot Games, recently tweeted out that both Olaf and Taliyah will be receiving some mini reworks in 2022. This means that these champions will be getting some love from Riot and adjusted to fit into the current state of League of Legends.

He called it a "mid-scope-update" sort of like what the team did to Ahri, and we all know how well that mini rework has gone over. Ahri's pick rate and win rate have gone through the roof, revitalizing a champion that hadn't seen the light of day in centuries.

Olaf Rework Coming in Patch 12.9

On the PBE Reddit, Riot Axes just sent out a list of changes that will come to Olaf in the next few weeks. Finally, the iconic champion is getting a face lift to his kit, which is much needed.

What Olaf Changes Are on PBE?

These are all the changes that are currently on the PBE server. The changes go live on PBE 12.8, but will likely only be shipped to live servers with League of Legends Patch 12.9. This gives the balance team enough data to balance out the champion.

Abilities/Stats	Changes
Base Stats	Attack Damage :: 68 (+3.5/level), 127.5 at level 18 >>> 68 (+4.7/level), 148 at level 18 Health :: 575 (+100/level), 2275 at level 18 >>> 575 (+105/level), 2360 at level 18 Mana :: 316 (+42/level), 1030 at level 18 >>> 316 (+60/level), 1336 at level 18
Berserker Rage (P)	Calculation reworked to grant max effectiveness at or below 30% health Maximum Attack Speed granted :: 99% >>> 40-100% (levels 1-18) [NEW] Now gives up to 12-35% life steal (levels 1-18), based on Olaf's missing health
Undertow (Q)	[NEW] - Shreds 25/27.5/30/32.5/35% armor for 4 seconds on champion hit Damage :: 80/125/170/215/260 >>> 60/110/160/210/260 Minimum Range :: Approximately 300 >>> 425 Mana Cost :: 60 at all ranks >>> 40/45/50/55/60 Cooldown :: 7 seconds >>> 8 seconds Cooldown refund on axe pickup :: 4.5 seconds >>> 5 seconds
Vicious Strikes (W)	[NEW] Resets Olaf’s basic attack [NEW] Olaf gains 70/115/160/205/250 (+25% of Olaf’s missing health) as a shield for 2.5 seconds [REMOVED] No longer grants Life Steal [REMOVED] No longer amplifies Olaf’s healing based on missing health Attack Speed :: 50/60/70/80/90% for 6 seconds >>> 40/50/60/70/80% for 4 seconds Cooldown :: 16 seconds at all ranks>>> 16/14.5/13/11.5/10 seconds
Ragnarok (R)	[NEW] Hitting a champion with a basic attack or E - Reckless Swing extends the duration of Ragnarok to 2.5 seconds. Olaf can refresh Ragnarok indefinitely. Duration :: 6 seconds >>> 3 seconds [REMOVED] R - Ragnarok's passive's bonus resistances are no longer lost for the duration of the cast

Why is Olaf Getting a Mid-Scope Update?

Olaf is an iconic pick. That's because we see him being played by pro players all the time, right? This would make you think that he is a beast in the jungle with some of the highest pick and ban rates, right? That's not the case. In the Reddit post, Riot Axes explained that Olaf is actually one of the least played jungle champions in the game.

Not only that, but as already mentioned, he is a great pick in pro play. This should be a positive for the champion, right? Well, it makes it tricky for Riot to buff him in any way or shape, because the moment one of Olaf's stats gets buffed he gets abused in pro-play and it'll be the only champion we see.

Finally, another reason why Olaf has been on the lower end of the win rate spectrum, is the fact that he suffered more than any other champion in the jungle and top lane after changes to some systems and items were made in Season 12.

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How Will The Proposed Changes Help Olaf?

So, with all those issues in mind, what has Riot done to try and help the viking out in solo queue? They took some elements out of his kit which make him such an OP pro-play pick, like how easily he can escape certain situations thanks to his ultimate, as well as his clear speed when you've mastered Olaf and the jungle.

The changes to his kit should also aid with the item and system changes that have plagued him throughout Season 12.

Lastly, this update should help him use Juggernaut items effectively to scale better than before, which should also make him more resilient to future systems changes. For lanes, we’re aiming to preserve his ability to Jungle (while making it more accessible) while significantly increasing his viability in Top Lane.

When Will Olaf's Mini Rework Release?

Olaf is going to get his mini rework in League of Legends Patch 12.9. At least that is the prospective date for the update. There are some changes that could push the rework back a bit as well, but it seems Riot is aiming for May 11, 2022.

So, get ready for some Olaf shenanigans, because he's getting a mini rework. Not only that, but it seems Taliyah is also going to receive her mid-scope update around that time and we can't forget about Swain who is also being worked on by Riot right now.

[Original Article]

What Could An Olaf Rework Look Like?

There are quite a few options when looking at Olaf. Many of his abilities just don't fit into League of Legends these days and feel quite outdated, so there are a few ways Riot could improve them with this upcoming mini rework.

What do we mean by outdated, though? Well most of his kit is pretty one dimensional and in a world of dashes and fears and stuns left and right that just doesn't cut it anymore. So we could imagine his Q getting a charge, sort of like Pyke's hook. So holding Q could elongate his range, increase his slow and damage as well.

Oh, and let's not forget his ultimate. Who needs Olaf to get 10% bigger? Those who need an ego increase maybe, but how about we add in some crowd control or something like a knock back? Kind of like Lulu's ultimate? There are quite a few possibilities of how to play around with Olaf.