League of Legends 14.22 Aram Guide: Better or Worse?
League of Legend's 14.22 New ARAM Map
The new 14.22 update has brought fresh changes to League’s beloved ARAM mode in the form of Arcane’s Bridge of Progress, transforming it from a straightforward brawl to a strategy-focused free-for-all.
If you thought ARAM was just about charging forward, you’re in for some funsies—now there’s way more potential for plays, setups, and ambushes.
Let’s dive into what’s new in League of Legends’s 14.22 update for ARAM, what’s changed, and how to use it all to secure the dub.
Map Updates: Bushes, Speed-Ups, and Health Relics - oh, my!
The map’s new twists are the real MVPs here, and they’re designed to add some serious spice to ARAM. The additional bushes and alleyways now provide spots for sneak attacks, ambushes, or quick escapes.
If you’re playing a stealthy champ, you can turn these new additions into your personal hideouts to confuse enemies or just wait for that perfect moment to strike.
Speed zones are another new feature—time them right, and you’ll feel like a pro dodging enemy skill shots. And let’s not forget the strategically placed health relics with enhanced range, which offer more opportunities to heal up without having to go back to spawn (or just to bait enemies into overextending).
Pro tip: learn the new map flow, including when and where to grab relics, and you’re already a step ahead.
Champion Boosts: Who’s Thriving on the New Map?
Some champs are out here living their best life with the new terrain changes. Let’s break down a few that can really take advantage of these tweaks:
Zeri: The added walls and terrain mean Zeri’s mobility is now an actual advantage in ARAM. She can zip in and out of fights and over the new walls with her dash, dodge incoming damage, or just play keep-away with squishy champs who can’t close the gap.
Bard: This is Bard’s playground now. With more bushes and speed-ups, Bard can flit around creating chaos. Plus, his Magical Journey through walls is suddenly a powerful escape and positioning tool in ARAM.
Talon: Walls? Check. Narrow spaces? Double-check. Talon’s Assassin potential is amped up big-time with the new wall setup. Sneak in, get the kill, and hop out before anyone realizes what hit them.
Take advantage of these terrain-bouncing champs to keep opponents guessing or simply show off moves they aren’t expecting in the usually straightforward ARAM.
Mastering Map Mechanics: Get Tactical with Terrain
The biggest flex on this new map? Knowing when and how to dominate the terrain.
If you’re looking for some general tips on how to get good at ARAM we have a whole article on that, but for the new map you can take advantage of these mechanics:
BUSH CONTROL
ARAM’s generally a map of straightforward fights, but these new bushes? They’re prime real estate. If you’re running a champ like Teemo or Twitch, you’ve got a playground of hidey-holes for pop-out ambushes.
SPEED UP ZONES
Use these as get-out-of-jail-free cards or chase tools. Enemies think they’re escaping? Hit the speed-up and remind them why that’s a bad idea.
HEALTH RELICS
The newly-widened relics are almost like mini-objectives now. Low-health enemies will beeline for them, giving you a solid chance to catch them off-guard and secure kills, but the biggest advantage (in my opinion) are the champion-specific buffs for whoever picks these up that will last for 30 seconds:
Piltover (Red):
- Council Member – Refresh your non-Ultimate abilities every 15 seconds.
Zaun (Blue):
- Mad Scientist – Infected by Shimmer, you become either big or small. Gain damage and health when big; haste and movement speed when small.
Besides the health swings themselves, these buffs could prove to be pretty impactful so it may be in your best interest to hit the relic and push the enemy team off with your new buff.
There’s a lot more emphasis on setting up plays now rather than just head-on clashes, so embrace the complexity for a tactical edge.
Honorable Mentions: Miscellaneous Tweaks That Matter
While champion and item updates might seem less impactful here, a few changes deserve a mention:
BOUNTY SYSTEM UPDATE
Bounties are now more calculated based on champ performance, and this is a game-changer in ARAM’s fast-paced fights. Falling behind? Hunt down a high-bounty enemy and level the playing field.
NEW INHIBITOR BUFFS
Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of these changes, but the 14.22 update also includes new inhibitor buffs for each side, unique to each faction.
These include a team-wide buff along with a single-champ buff that’s randomly given to a champ near the inhibitor that lasts for 3 minutes and persists through death.
Piltover (Red):
- Team Buff, Backup Battery – Reduce Summoner cooldowns to 15 seconds.
- Champ Buff, City Leader – Refresh your non-Ultimate abilities and summoners every 15 seconds.
Zaun (Blue):
- Team Buff, Mad Scientist – Infected by Shimmer, you become either big or small. Gain damage and health when big; haste and movement speed when small.
- Champ Buff, Raid Boss – Become a Raid Boss, gaining size, health, movement speed, and damage.
My biggest annoyances with these new buffs are that they aren’t 1:1 (Raid Boss is objectively better than City Leader) and an additional snowball mechanic just wasn’t necessary.
With most games already lasting 15-20 minutes before these changes, it feels like Riot’s trying to shut down the game at inhibitors and further hurting late game scaling champions like Veigar, Cho ‘Gath, and Kayle – who already suffer at the fast pace of the game mode.
embrace the 14.22 aram update chaos
The 14.22 update takes ARAM beyond the basics, bringing tactical depth and a breath of fresh air to the battlefield. Yes, it might take a few games to get used to, but once you learn the lay of the land, the fun (and sometimes chaotic) possibilities start to shine.
Sure, some players are still adjusting to the changes, and the new faction buffs may feel a bit unnecessary, but there’s no denying that overall the changes make for a more dynamic experience.
For ARAM fans, this update brings a funderful twist, breathing new life into the mode and proving that Riot can still surprise us.
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