Taliyah Update - Moar Rocks!

For months, faithful Taliyah mains have been crying out for their beloved Stoneweaver to receive a meaningful update to her kit to boost her extremely low playrate. Their cries have finally been listened to, as Taliyah’s entire kit was updated in the latest patch.

Q - Threaded Volley

Taliyah’s Q has always been the bread and butter of her kit, but the Worked Ground mechanic limited its usage. A new effect has been added to change how her Q interacts with the Worked Ground:

New effect - casting Threaded Volley on Worked Ground now consumes the Worked Ground to fire a single boulder that deals double damage and slows all targets hit in a small AoE radius by 30/35/40/45/50% for 2 seconds

This no longer punishes Taliyah for having a lot of Worked Ground, and instead presents her with new opportunities to slow enemies to set up a CC combo and deal bonus damage. It also offers Taliyah more choice and flexibility, as she can decide what type of ground is best to use her Q on. The Worked Ground itself has also received some changes:

Q mana cost on Worked Ground - 20, up from 1
Q minimum cooldown on Worked Ground - 0.75 seconds, down from 1 second
Worked Ground duration - 30 seconds, up from 25
Worked Ground radius - 400, up from 350

Long time Taliyah players will have to adapt to the longer duration and wider radius, and keep in mind the stark mana cost increase. However, this higher mana cost is balanced out by the enhanced boulder that is fired and the fact there are fewer Worked Ground patches.

Threaded Volley has received some additional changes:

Mana cost changed to 60/65/70/75/80, from 50/60/70/80/90
Cooldown reduced to 6.5/5.5/4.5/3.5/2.5 seconds, down from 7/6/5/4/3
1 rock damage reduced to 38/61/84/107/130 (+50% AP), down from 70/95/120/145/170 (+45% AP)
Damage reduction from subsequent stone shards increased to 60%, up from 50%
5 rock damage reduced to 98.8/158.6/218.4/278.2/338 (+130% AP), down from 210/285/360/435/510 (+135% AP)
Damage reduction from subsequent stone shards against monsters increased to 60%, up from 25%

This does nerf Taliyah’s jungle clear speed, and though she is able to fire off more Qs thanks to a reduced mana cost and CD, multiple Q hits won’t deal as much damage. These nerfs have been mitigated by some more new effects:

Each stone shard deals an additional 30 (+10% AP) damage against monsters
Stone shards now deal damage in a 175 radius area of effect
Threaded Volley will now continue to cast while Taliyah is in Stasis

Each shard will now deal AoE damage in a small radius. This increases Taliyah’s team fighting power if a lot of enemies are clumped together, and her poke damage in lane against enemies who are hiding in minion waves. Furthermore, Zhonya’s Hourglass is even better on Taliyah now as Q will continue to cast even through its active effect.

W - Seismic Shove and Passive

In comparison to her Q, W (Seismic Shove) has received far fewer changes. The most notable one, however, is the first:

Seismic Shove no longer deals damage
Mana cost reduced to 40/30/20/10/0, down from 70/80/90/100/110
Cooldown reduced to 14/12.5/11/9.5/8 seconds, down from 16/15/14/13/12
Knock-up radius 225, up from 200
Time delay before knock-up reduced to 0.75 seconds, down from 0.8 seconds

Seismic Shove is now solely used as a CC tool, and will no longer deal damage. This will be quite jarring for players who are used to using all of Taliyah’s abilities to kill minions, and increases the importance of landing her Q and E for damage. Nevertheless, the nerf has been compensated by some huge utility buffs, including a reduced mana cost, cooldown, and increased CC duration.

Taliyah’s passive (Rock Surfing) has also received a few buffs:

Out of combat bonus movement speed 10/20/35/55% (levels 1/9/12/15), up from 20-45% (levels 1-18)
Passive fall off time when not near terrain increased to 2.5 seconds, up from 1 second

The early game speed has been nerfed, reducing Taliyah’s early mobility through the jungle and her ability to roam in the early game. However, the movement speed will last longer when Taliyah moves away from terrain, and Taliyah now moves much quicker in the late game.

E (Unraveled Earth)

Just like Seismic Shove, Unraveled Earth (E) is now more focused on CC and utility than damage:

New effect - boulders now stun enemies that dash through them for the duration of the dash + 0.6/0.7/0.8/0.9/1.0 seconds (max stun duration - 2 seconds)
Removed effect - no longer detonates to deal additional damage after 4 seconds

The new effect adds another layer of potential CC to Taliyah’s kit, and will heavily punish players who attempt to use their mobility to escape her E. This can force enemies into tough situations, where they have to either get stunned but escape or stay in the E for longer and take more damage. While the detonation damage after 4 seconds has been removed, its other damage sources have been increased:

Initial damage increased to 60/105/150/195/240 (+60% AP), up from 50/75/100/125/150 (+40% AP)
Boulder detonation damage (for enemies that dash or are knocked up) increased to 25/45/65/85/105 (+30% AP), up from 50/60/70/80/90 (+30% AP)

Another change is to the configuration of the boulders, as they now spawn 6 rows of 4 boulders rather than 4 rows of 6 boulders. Essentially, this extends the vertical range and will allow Taliyah to catch out enemies with her E that are further away. This will be particularly useful in the laning phase.

The last set of changes to her E include:

Cooldown increased to 16/15/14/13/12 seconds, up from 16/14/12/10/8
Slow strength changed to 20/22/24/26/28% (AP ratio removed), changed from 20% (+4% AP)
Damage reduction per subsequent boulder hit increased to 25%, up from 15%
Max boulder detonation damage reduced to 62.5/112.5/162.5/212.5/262.5 (+75% AP), down from 155/186/217/248/279 (+93% AP)
Delay between cast and spawn of first set of boulders reduced to 0 seconds, down from 0.1 seconds
Delay between spawning rows of boulders after the first row increased to 0.17 seconds, up from 0.1 seconds

This will make hitting the first row of boulders a little easier, as they now spawn instantly, but enemies will have a little more time to move before the next row of boulders spawn after it.

Ultimate - Weaver’s Wall

Finally, Taliyah’s ultimate has been updated with some QoL improvements:

Removed effect - taking damage no longer knocks Taliyah off from her wall
Moving Taliyah while she is riding the wall now causes Taliyah to dash to the location clicked, up to the maximum dash range instead of dropping her perpendicular to the wall
Dashing when jumping off of the wall is now more forgiving when trying to dash through terrain
Dash range when jumping off wall increased to 700, up from 400
Dash speed when jumping off wall increased to 1200, up from 1000

Players now have a lot more control and options when using Taliyah’s ultimate. Taliyah can jump off her wall quicker, to a greater distance, and can use the dash to jump over terrain. The fact damage no longer knocks Taliyah off her wall limits its counterplay, and ensures Taliyah has full control over where she jumps off. However, these buffs have been mitigated by some other nerfs:

Range changed to 2500/4500/6500, changed from 3000/4500/6000
New effect - damage from enemy structures and champions prevent Taliyah from casting her ultimate for 3 seconds

The nerf to the rank 1 range limits the value of Taliyah’s ult in the early game, which is when you’re roaming around the map and can have the most value. Furthermore, it can no longer be used as an instant escape tool, making Taliyah more vulnerable in tricky situations.

Summary

Taliyah's update adds a lot more utility into her kit. She now has stronger CC tools and is no longer restricted by Worked Ground, making her much more viable in the mid lane. The shift in power from her damage to her CC may even push Taliyah into the support role, poking away at enemies before locking them down with her multiple forms of CC.