S-tier Baron laner Garen has finally been nerfed in Wild Rift patch 2.3b.
Riot Games acknowledged that tank Garen “has been too consistent in terms of damage output”, especially considering how he could be blind picked even at pro play level and still thrive.
To shift tank Garen’s power, Wild Rift patch 2.3b attempts to make AD Garen stronger.
Adjustments to Garen in Wild Rift patch 2.3b
Third ability – Judgment
- Base damage decreased from 15/20/25/30 to 11/14/17/20
- AD ratio increased from 0.25/0.3/0.35/0.4 to 0.3/0.35/0.4/0.45
Ultimate – Demacian Justice
- Base damage decreased from 150/300/450 to 150/275/400
- Missing health percentage damage decreased from 20/25/30% to 15/20/25% +8% per 100 bonus AD
- Max damage towards epic monsters capped at 600/600/600
His spin to win ability, Judgment, had its base damage decreased significantly at the later levels. In return, its AD ratio has increased.
Garen’s Demacian Justice ultimate likewise had its base damage nerfed at later levels, and more importantly, its missing health percentage reduced by 5% at all ranks, but with additional bonus AD scaling.
Lastly, now that Demacian Justice’s damage towards epic monsters is capped, gone are the days when tank Garen can single-handedly control the outcome of the game by using his ultimate to “out-smite” your jungler at Baron and Elder Dragon.
Is this the end of tank Garen?
The thing about Garen is that there aren’t many good AD items that pair well with him. Black Cleaver and Sterak’s Gage are bruiser items that AD Garen will end up building, or risk being too squishy.
“Unless you go down a very heavy AD route, and you’re building items that are not optimal on Garen, you’re going to be doing less damage with your spin pretty much every stage of the game,” analyzed Wild Rift content creator and shoutcaster Ceirnan “Excoundrel” Lowe in his Wild Rift patch 2.3b rundown.
“[Tank] Garen is quite donezo I would say,” concluded Excoundrel. “He’s probably still playable, but you have to go down a non-tanky build path and he’s going to be much easier to kill.”
And so, instead of full tank Garen, Excoundrel recommend tank Gragas, who’s a better choice now if your team requires one.
Click here to read the full Wild Rift patch 2.3b notes.