Debuting in the first update of 2025, the "Power Spike" system replaces the traditional First Blood and First Turret gold bonuses, offering a fresh approach to snowballing early advantages.
The core concept revolves around completing two out of three key objectives: securing First Blood, taking the first turret, and slaying the first Dragon or Rift Herald. Achieving this "Power Spike" grants the winning team a free upgrade to their Tier 2 boots, transforming them into a "Glorious" variant. While the upgrade is free, the initial 750 gold purchase for the base Tier 2 boots remains.
These "Glorious" boot upgrades provide unique stat bonuses depending on the original boot type:
- Glorious Berserker's Greaves: Grants an additional +5% Attack Speed.
- Glorious Ionian Boots of Lucidity: Provides an extra +5 Ability Haste.
- Glorious Sorcerer's Shoes: Increases Magic Penetration by +4.
- Glorious Plated Steelcaps: Offers +5 bonus Armor.
- Glorious Mercury's Treads: Adds +5 Magic Resist.
- Glorious Boots of Swiftness: Increases Movement Speed by +5.
- Glorious Mobility Boots: Also grants +5 Movement Speed.
To ensure balanced gameplay, the "Glorious" boot upgrade is only available after a player has acquired two or more Legendary items. This prevents an overwhelming advantage too early in the match.
This boot advantage translates into a significant late-game boost for teams that dominate the early game. With a maximum of six item slots, strengthening one item has a considerable impact on overall power, helping bridge the gap against compositions that traditionally scale better into the late game.
Riot Games designed the "Power Spike" system to promote greater team coordination. Instead of gold rewards being concentrated on a single player, as with First Blood or First Turret in the past, the entire team benefits from securing these objectives.
Interestingly, the champion Cassiopeia, due to her serpentine form, cannot equip boots. To compensate, her passive ability, Serpentine Grace, receives a buff, granting 6 movement speed per level instead of the previous 4.
