Wild Rift 7.3 Jungle Rework: Smite and Gold Preview

Article Summary

Understand Wild Rift 7.3's test server jungle rework: 1,400-damage Smite, Conservation gold, tank scaling, lane penalties, and Scuttler timing.

The Wild Rift 7.3 jungle rework changes how Smite users clear camps, heal, earn gold, and secure objectives. Its central features are a true damage burn that scales with offensive and defensive stats, Conservation stacks that award bonus camp gold, and Smite upgrades reaching 1,400 true damage after 20 stacks consumed .

The Wild Rift 7.3 jungle rework changes how Smite users clear camps, heal, earn gold, and secure objectives. Its central features are a true-damage burn that scales with offensive and defensive stats, Conservation stacks that award bonus camp gold, and Smite upgrades reaching 1,400 true damage after 20 stacks consumed.

These are Chinese test server changes from September 2, 2026, based on the translated official 7.3 announcement and checked against its original wording. Values and implementation can change before a global release. See the 7.3 patch preview for the wider update.

What Changes When You Take Smite?

While attacking monsters, a champion carrying Smite deals recurring true damage to all active monsters within 650 range, once per second. The burn can continue for up to two ticks after the champion stops attacking.

The damage per tick is:

25–165 by champion level + 10% bonus AD + 12% AP + 20% bonus armor + 20% bonus magic resistance + 3% bonus health.

This replaces the previous extra basic-attack and ability damage against monsters. It is a benefit of carrying Smite and fighting camps; it is separate from pressing Smite to deal its burst of true damage.

The defensive scaling is the notable part for tank junglers. As a simple calculation, 1,000 bonus health contributes 30 damage per tick. Another 100 bonus armor contributes 20. Together, those stats add 50 true damage to each burn tick before the level-based component and any other scaling.

That does not make a tank's full clear identical to an assassin's. Ability damage, movement between camps, attack-speed changes, and the new monster stats still matter. It does mean defensive purchases can directly improve this part of a tank's clear.

Jungle Healing Moves Away From Casting Smite

The burn system includes 5–35 healing per second, scaling with champion level. Non-epic monsters also deal only 50% damage to champions carrying Smite.

Separately, killing a large monster heals its killer for 100–260 health. That amount scales with the monster's level and reaches its maximum at monster level 9. The previous heal from casting Smite is removed.

The practical adjustment is to stop treating the Smite button itself as an emergency heal. A Smite that finishes a large monster can still lead to the kill-based healing, but casting it without securing that kill no longer grants the old direct heal. This distinction matters when deciding whether to finish a camp before entering a nearby fight.

The 50% incoming-damage rule specifically covers non-epic monsters. It should not be read as half damage from Dragon, Rift Herald, Baron, or Elder Dragon.

Conservation Stacks and Jungle Gold

Before the final evolution changes the stack interval, Smite users gain one Conservation stack every 20 seconds, up to three stored stacks. Clearing a camp consumes one available stack and grants 60 bonus gold.

For example, clearing three camps while spending three stored stacks adds 180 gold from Conservation. That is a calculation of the stack reward alone; it excludes each camp's base gold and any other bonuses.

The three-stack cap gives pathing a new consideration. Spending too long at the cap prevents additional stacks from accumulating. A useful gank can still be worth that trade, but repeatedly waiting in a lane without an opening may now cost stack generation as well as clear time.

The developers are also removing monster gold growth over time and shifting more jungle income into Smite-related rewards. An increase in Conservation gold should therefore not be mistaken for a guaranteed increase in total jungle income.

How the Comeback Bonus Works

Each consumed Conservation stack pays 90 gold instead of 60 when both of these conditions are true:

• Your team's total gold is less than 90% of the opposing team's total gold.
• Your personal gold is at or below 95% of your own team's average gold.

Suppose the enemy team has 30,000 gold and your team has 26,000. Your team is below the 27,000 threshold. With five players, your team's average is 5,200, so you must have no more than 4,940 gold to meet the personal condition.

Being on the losing team is not enough by itself. A jungler who is well ahead of their own teammates may fail the second condition. When both conditions hold, three consumed stacks pay 270 gold, 90 more than the normal stack payout.

How to Upgrade Smite to 1,400 Damage

The task counts Conservation stacks consumed, with these cumulative thresholds:

1. Starting Smite: 600 true damage.
2. Eight stacks consumed: 1,000 true damage.
3. 20 stacks consumed in total: 1,400 true damage.

The last step requires 12 more stacks after the first upgrade, not 20 additional stacks. Camps cleared without an available stack do not spend one and should not be counted toward the stated stack requirement.

The original announcement lists further benefits under the 20-stack evolution: stack generation changes to once every 30 seconds, camps grant 20 additional gold, and the jungler gains 5% bonus movement speed in jungle and river, rising to 10% out of combat.

Do not plan around an exact minute for either upgrade from these thresholds alone. The announcement does not fully specify the initial stack state, and real upgrade timing depends on when you consume stacks while clearing and ganking.

Lane Penalties: When Does a Jungler Lose Gold or XP?

There are two separate rules for Smite users taking lane resources.

First, lane experience starts at 30% of its normal value and rises once per minute until it reaches 100% at 15:00.

Second, the original Chinese wording says that if a jungler's lane gold exceeds 40% of their gold from monsters, their lane gold and experience are reduced by another 50%. This extra penalty stacks with the experience rule and is removed at 12:00.

That second threshold compares lane gold with monster gold. It is not the same as saying “40% of total personal gold.” For example, with 2,000 gold earned from monsters, lane gold above 800 meets the stated trigger. The source does not detail every internal accounting edge case, so use the in-game penalty indicator when testing it.

Because the penalties stack, an early 30% experience rate becomes 15% while the additional 50% reduction is active. That example is arithmetic from the listed rules, not a claim that every wave catch will activate both penalties.

Laners also face a restriction. Champions without Smite receive only 50–80% of normal monster experience, increasing over time and reaching 80% at 12:00. Taking a jungle camp therefore has a different opportunity cost for a laner and for the team's jungler.

Scuttler, Monster Levels, and Epic Objectives

The first Rift Scuttler spawns at 1:30 in this test update. That is worth checking when rehearsing an opening route: a clear planned around the old spawn can arrive at the wrong time.

Monster levels now follow the average level of all champions, replacing time-based level growth. Their health and defenses are retuned around that system. For example, the listed ranges include:

• Elemental Dragon, levels 5–15: 4,900–10,900 health.
• Rift Herald, levels 5–15: 7,100–11,100 health.
• Baron Nashor, levels 9–15: 14,000–18,500 health.
• Elder Dragon, levels 11–15: 19,000–20,200 health.

Baron also applies a stacking debuff that lowers armor and magic resistance by 0.5 per stack, up to 100 stacks. Remaining in a long Baron attempt can therefore make the champions tanking it increasingly vulnerable.

A stronger Smite improves the size of the final damage burst available to a progressed jungler. It does not guarantee an objective secure against enemy burst, another evolved Smite, or crowd control that stops you from acting. Compare both junglers' progression and keep coordinating your finishing damage.

Which Junglers Could Benefit?

Tank junglers are an obvious testing priority, because health and resistances now contribute to the burn. Amumu and Rammus fit that question, but it is too early to call them the strongest 7.3 junglers. Their own durability, items, and competing champions are changing as well.

For current champion fundamentals, see the Amumu jungle guide and Rammus jungle guide. Their existing builds should be read for the patch displayed on those pages, not as tested 7.3 recommendations.

When trying the new system, compare the health and time remaining after a clear, how often you sit at three stacks, and whether your route gets you to the river before the relevant contest. Those observations will tell you more than the burn formula alone.

The reward for winning an objective also depends on how your team pushes afterward. Read the 7.3 turret and wave changes before judging how easily an early Baron can turn into structures.

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