The Neeko rework lets her become jungle monsters

League of Legends’ master of disguise is receiving a comprehensive midscope update that dramatically expands her shapeshifting capabilities. This rework addresses long-standing issues with her fantasy fulfillment while introducing creative new gameplay possibilities.

For years, Neeko has struggled to deliver on her core identity as Summoner’s Rift’s ultimate infiltrator. Riot Games has now deployed these transformative changes to the Public Beta Environment, showcasing exactly how the curious chameleon will evolve. The development team previously hinted at allowing Neeko to transform into environmental objects, and these promises have been fully realized in the current iteration.

Neeko Rework Abilities Breakdown

The cornerstone of Neeko’s evolution centers on her passive ability, which undergoes the most radical transformation. Previously limited to champion mimicry, Inherent Glamour now enables Neeko to assume the forms of nearly any entity encountered on the battlefield. This includes jungle creatures, lane minions, environmental plants, vision wards, and even enemy traps like Teemo’s toxic mushrooms. Each transformation requires a brief two-second channeling period to activate.

Q – Blooming Burst: Damage distribution shifts significantly with increased monster damage at the expense of normal targets, preserving her wave clear dominance while opening jungle potential. The ability mechanics otherwise remain consistent with previous iterations.

W – Shapesplitter: Neeko projects a decoy while becoming briefly invisible. The revolutionary addition allows recasting to redirect the clone’s movement path, dramatically improving deception capabilities and creating more believable bait scenarios.

E – Tangle-Barbs: This crowd control tool maintains its fundamental functionality with minor numerical tuning. The root duration and projectile behavior stay familiar to experienced players.

R – Pop Blossom: While the ultimate’s core mechanics persist, the protective shield has been removed in exchange for substantially expanded area of effect. This creates devastating combination potential with her enhanced passive, enabling surprise engagements from disguised forms.

Visual Updates and Model Considerations

Despite the comprehensive gameplay overhaul, Neeko’s visual presentation remains unchanged. Released in 2018, her character model, animations, and skin presentations already meet current visual standards. The development team determined that graphical enhancements weren’t necessary for this midscope update, focusing resources entirely on mechanical improvements.

When is the Neeko rework coming to League?

Neeko’s transformative update is scheduled for deployment with Patch 13.9. Based on the established patch calendar, players can anticipate experiencing the revamped abilities on live servers beginning May 3, 2023. This timing provides approximately two weeks of PBE testing for refinement and balance adjustments.

Advanced Gameplay Strategies and Tips

Mastering Disguise Tactics: The expanded passive enables sophisticated mind games. Transform into low-health minions to bait engages, mimic jungle monsters to avoid suspicion, or appear as wards to set up ultimate ambushes. Advanced players should master the timing of transformation breaks to maximize surprise factor.

Combo Optimization: Coordinate your enhanced W clone redirection with E skill shots to create unpredictable attack patterns. Use passive transformations during channeling times to maintain disguise while positioning for engagements.

Avoid These Common Mistakes: Don’t transform in enemy vision—they’ll see the channel animation. Avoid using ultimate immediately after breaking disguise as experienced players anticipate this pattern. Remember that while disguised as non-champions, your attack range and movement speed may differ.

Jungle Viability: With increased Q damage to monsters, Neeko gains jungle clearing potential. Combine this with monster disguises to create seamless gank approaches from unexpected angles.

No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » The Neeko rework lets her become jungle monsters Neeko's midscope rework transforms her shapeshifting fantasy with new passive mechanics and ability adjustments