Patch 7.3a: Hwei and Samira Shift, Smite and Turret Plating Tighten

Based on Wild Rift Patch Notes 7.3a by Riot Games, published 29 September 2026.

Patch 7.3a arrives while the current meta is still settling, and Riot says it expects some trends to continue. Hwei has been rising as players learn his kit, so the notes pull back on his burst. At the same time, Samira, Tristana and Draven get more damage, which should change which marksmen are worth picking. Jungle clears, tank armor and Turret Plating all get adjusted together, so pushing, clearing and fighting all feel different. If you play Wild Rift regularly, the useful question is which of these numbers changes your next game.

Hwei and Samira reshape the top of the lineup

Hwei is the clearest downgrade in this patch. Signature of the Visionary moves from 33 - 333 (based on level) plus 33% Ability Power to 40-285 (based on level) plus 30% Ability Power, so the low end rises slightly while the high end drops. Disaster's Devastating Fire goes from 50/90/130/170 plus 75% Ability Power to 50/85/120/155 plus 70% Ability Power. Severing Bolt's health-lost ratio falls from 150%/200%/250%/300% to 100%/150%/200%/250%, and Spiraling Despair's explosion drops from 250/350/450 plus 75% Ability Power to 200/300/400 plus 70% Ability Power. Every damage source gets smaller, which is a broad cut rather than a single nerf.

Samira moves the other way. Her health per level rises from 128 to 136, armor per level from 5 to 5.5, and magic resistance per level from 1.4 to 2. That durability matters most early, when a dive champion is most likely to be focused. Her offence grows too: Daredevil Impulse's minimum melee ratio goes from 3.5% - 10.5% to 5.8% - 17%, its maximum from 7% - 21% to 11.6% - 34%, Flair from 110% to 125%, and Inferno Trigger per shot from 40% to 50%. This probably means Samira is meant to survive the first contact and keep attacking through it.

Crit marksmen get pulled toward the middle

Tristana and Draven are the clearest winners among marksmen. Tristana's Rapid Fire attack speed goes from 50/75/100/125% to 60/80/100/120%, which helps the early and mid game while trimming the top rank. Rocket Jump's cooldown drops from 22/20/18/16s to 20/18/16/14s, and Explosive Charge's base changes from 80/100/120/140 plus 100% bonus attack damage to 80/110/140/170 plus 120% bonus attack damage. Draven's Spinning Axe bonus attack damage ratio rises from 80/90/100/110% to 90/100/110/120%, Blood Rush's attack speed from 20/25/30/35% to 25/30/35/40%, and Whirling Death's ratio from 130% to 150%.

Caitlyn and Senna lose the most. Caitlyn's attack speed per level falls from 0.04 to 0.025, and her Headshot range moves from 60% -100% to 60% -90%, so her sustained and burst damage both drop. Senna's attack speed ratio goes from 0.4 to 0.3, her base attack speed from 0.4 to 0.3, and her attack speed per level from 0.05 to 0.025. Her base bonus attack speed rises from 0.6 to 1.1, but the notes say bonus attack speed now helps less with basic attack windup. Viego is the crit exception, with Blade of the Ruined King's passive going from 2%/3%/4%/5% to 3%/4%/5%/6%, and Heartbreaker's crit stats ratio from 50% to 70%.

Tanks, jungle clears and pushing all slow down

Rammus loses base armor, dropping from 45 to 40, and his Defensive Ball Curl armor ratio falls from 45%/50%/55%/60% to 30%/40%/50%/60%. The notes say this targets his jungle speed under the new system while keeping his late teamfights intact. Malphite's Thunderclap armor damage ratio goes from 20% to 15%, Ground Slam's from 45% to 40%, and Unstoppable Force's cooldown from 75/70/65s to 85/80/75s. Expect Malphite to hit less hard in the front line and to get his big engage less often.

Smite is the jungle change that touches the most games. Its damage to jungle monsters per second goes from 30 - 198 to 22 - 162, depending on level, while the scaling later in the game stays the same according to the notes. Turret Plating's armor and magic resistance gained after a plate falls drop from 30 to 20, and that bonus now lasts 10s instead of 20s. Nexus maximum health returns from 5500 to 4000. Riot says the new Turret Plating system is already limiting sustained pushes, so the Nexus revert and the shorter plate bonus should make slow pushes less punishing for the attacker.

Items and supports: Yun Tal, Diadem and sustain

Yun Tal Wildarrows is being made a real early pick. Its base attack speed rises from 25% to 35%, and Flurry's attack speed rises from 25% to 35%, but its cooldown grows from 20s to 25s. Diadem of Songs and Whispering Circlet both cut Harmony's healing and shield power from 0.5% to 0.25%, which turns Diadem into a situational choice rather than the default support pick. Death's Dance keeps its power but its base price rises from 3200 to 3300. Supports who relied on Diadem for sustain should expect less of it.

Support sustain is also trimmed on the mage side. Yuumi's You and Me healing and shield power falls from 8%/9%/10%/11% plus 0.02% Ability Power to 6%/7%/8%/9% plus 0.01% Ability Power, which the notes tie to her gaining more from recent support item changes. Swain's Ravenous Flock health restored rises from 3% - 4.5% plus 0.5% Ability Power to 4.5% - 6% plus 0.2% Ability Power, and Nevermove's repeated damage Ability Power ratio goes from 25% to 40%. Syndra's Force of Will ability power ratio drops from 60% to 50%, its slow shrinks from 20%/25%/30%/35% to a flat 25%, and Transcendent's upgrade thresholds rise from 40/60/80/100/120 to 50/75/100/125/150.

AAA ARAM: Heartsteel and augment fixes

The AAA ARAM hotfix responds to player feedback about Heartsteel and several augments. Rhythm Hunter's trigger distance goes from 7 to 11, and its steel buff multiplier per stack drops from 12 to 8, with clearer visual effects. Riot says this should make it behave more similarly against melee and ranged comps. Neverending Encore now grants the stacks that six rerolls would give, and the notes put that at 180, when taken in the fifth round or later. Ethereal Weapon gets a one-second cooldown per ability against the same target, while Duet's cooldown per target goes from 5s to 2s.

Several earlier augment nerfs are partly reversed. Galestrike's attack range rises from 8 to 9, Cycle of Life's shield ratio from 150% to 200%, and Hextech Shrapnel's damage amplification for the other damage type from 20% to 30%. Metal Crown's stats after casting an ultimate fall from 35 Attack Damage, 70 Ability Power, 50 Armor and 50 Magic Resistance to 30, 60, 40 and 40. Stack One Up's damage per stack rises from 8 to 12, while Accelerating Sorcery's maximum stacks drop from 100 to 66. Pinnacle of Perfection's crit rate cap goes from 50% to 44.44%, and the notes say the Crit Damage cap is now reachable without Infinity Edge. Fiddlestick's damage taken moves from 90% to 85%, and Nasus's from 100% to 90%.

Who benefits

• Samira: Her health per level rises from 128 to 136, magic resistance per level from 1.4 to 2, and her Daredevil Impulse and Flair ratios all go up, so she should last longer and hit harder in dives.
• Tristana and Draven: Tristana gets a faster Rapid Fire early and a shorter Rocket Jump cooldown, while Draven's Spinning Axe, Blood Rush and Whirling Death ratios all rise, which addresses the burst gap the notes describe.
• Viego: Blade of the Ruined King's passive rises from 2%/3%/4%/5% to 3%/4%/5%/6%, and Heartbreaker's crit stats ratio goes from 50% to 70%, which the notes frame as catching up after the crit system changes.
• Early Yun Tal Wildarrows players: Base attack speed and Flurry both go from 25% to 35%, making the item a stronger first purchase, though the Flurry cooldown grows from 20s to 25s.

Who loses

• Hwei: Signature of the Visionary's high end, Disaster's Devastating Fire, Severing Bolt and Spiraling Despair all shrink, so his burst and sustained ability damage both fall.
• Caitlyn and Senna: Caitlyn's attack speed per level drops from 0.04 to 0.025, and Senna's attack speed ratio and per-level scaling are both cut, which reduces the attack speed payoff that both champions rely on.
• Malphite and Rammus: Malphite's armor damage ratios fall from 20% to 15% and 45% to 40%, while Rammus loses base armor from 45 to 40 and his Defensive Ball Curl ratio drops, which makes both slower in the early game.
• Supports using Diadem of Songs: Harmony's healing and shield power is cut from 0.5% to 0.25% on both Diadem of Songs and Whispering Circlet, and Death's Dance goes from 3200 to 3300, making sustain items a more situational pick.

What to do about it

• Test Yun Tal Wildarrows as a first item on attack speed champions.: The base attack speed and Flurry both rise to 35%, so it should compete earlier. We expect the longer 25s Flurry cooldown to limit how often you get its full value.
• Drop Diadem of Songs from default support builds and compare it against your usual options.: Harmony's healing and shield power falls to 0.25%, so the item now needs a reason on that champion, not just habit.
• Pick Samira or Tristana over Caitlyn or Senna in lanes where you plan to dive or fight.: Samira and Tristana gain durability or burst, while Caitlyn and Senna lose attack speed scaling, which probably changes who you can rely on in extended fights.
• Avoid Hwei as a must-pick until you have played him after the change.: Every damage source shrinks, so his earlier advantage may be smaller. The notes do not show how far his win potential moves, so treat this as a reading, not a fact.
• Pace your early jungle pathing and pushes with the new Smite and Turret Plating numbers.: Smite's early burn drops from 30 - 198 to 22 - 162 by level, and plate bonuses last only 10s, so slow clears and pushes will feel less secure.

Key numbers at a glance

What we are unsure about

• The notes do not say how Hwei's pick or win rate will move, so the size of his drop is unknown until players have time with the patch.
• Some figures look unusual as written, such as the Pinnacle of Perfection conversion ratio going from 150% to 444%, and the notes call the augment Neverending Encore in one place and Infinite Encore in another.
• Riot says content is released throughout the patch, so some changes may arrive later than the notes suggest.

How this article was made

This is an original analysis of the official notes, written with AI assistance and checked automatically: every number in it appears in the official text, and copy overlap with it is capped. We do not play-test patches ourselves. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will correct it. How we work: editorial policy.