Item Updates in LoL Patch 25.16 and 25.17: What Will Change?
September 30, 2025
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• Attack Damage: 40
• Attack Speed: 20
• Health: 450
• Ultimate Ability Haste: -30
• On ultimate cast: Attack Speed bonus increased from 30% → 50%, Movement Speed bonus increased from 15% → 20%
Previously, this item was mostly seen on Nocturne. At first glance, it might also seem viable on champions like Jayce who frequently use their ultimate, but in reality the effect only applies on the first use, and the opportunity cost in terms of stats and gold efficiency made it underwhelming.
After this patch, however, it could become a decent situational option for champions like Zeri, Master Yi, and Vayne. While its health and ability haste provide strong utility, compared to the typical first-core ADC items, it lacks the burst damage necessary to justify being a first purchase. For Zeri and Vayne, this makes it more of a secondary choice.
In Vayne’s case specifically, once she completes her first core after level 6, her 1v1 power is already top-tier. Because of this, the item may end up seeing more meaningful usage for her in the top lane rather than in bot lane.
Axiom Arc
• Attack Damage: 55
• Lethality: 18
• Ability Haste: 20
• Unique Passive: Reduces ultimate cooldown on takedown
• Cost: 3000 → 2750
Profane Hydra
• Attack Damage: 60 → 55
• Lethality: 18
• Ability Haste: 10
• Unique Passive: Deals AoE damage around the target on auto attacks and ability hits
• Cost: 3200 → 2850
Both items provide lethality and are mainly used by AD burst champions. However, most AD assassins currently prefer Youmuu’s Ghostblade as their first core item. Youmuu’s offers out-of-combat movement speed, an active burst of speed, and costs only 2800 gold, making it a stronger option early on.
That said, both Axiom Arc and Profane Hydra could become competitive in the 2–3 item slots. At that stage, they mainly compete with items like Opportunity or Edge of Night. While Edge of Night is difficult to replace because of its survivability, these two items still offer solid value against other choices. Talon, for example, may especially benefit from them since his kit relies heavily on waveclear and ultimate uptime. In his case, either item could serve as a strong follow-up option after Youmuu’s.
• Ability Power: 115 → 125
• Passive: Reveals targets hit by abilities for 6 seconds
• Cost: 2800 → 2750
This update makes Horizon Focus one of the most notable items in the patch.
For mid-lane AP champions that aren’t pure burst mages—such as Orianna, Syndra, and Hwei—their first core is almost always a mana item (Lost Chapter upgrades or Tear upgrades). After that, their second core has been fairly locked between Shadowflame or Liandry’s Anguish if the enemy frontline is tanky.
The issue was that when Shadowflame wasn’t a viable choice, there wasn’t a strong alternative. In pro play, some players opted for Everfrost or Rylai’s as a way to add utility and survivability, but both came at a noticeable cost in raw damage.
Horizon Focus directly fills this gap. For poke or zoning mages, it offers both reliable damage scaling and added utility, making it a highly stable option as a second core. If its changes hold up, it could very well become the go-to 2-item choice for these champions.
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