Wild Rift 7.3 Patch Preview: Hwei and Major Changes

Article Summary

Explore Wild Rift 7.3 test server changes: Hwei, the ADC overhaul, new items, jungle rework, turret plates, and China's Season 23 dates.

Wild Rift 7.3 is testing changes to nearly every part of a match. The September 2 Chinese test server update introduces Hwei, raises normal critical strike damage to 200%, rebuilds large parts of the item shop, and changes how junglers earn gold and upgrade Smite.

Wild Rift 7.3 is testing changes to nearly every part of a match. The September 2 Chinese test server update introduces Hwei, raises normal critical-strike damage to 200%, rebuilds large parts of the item shop, and changes how junglers earn gold and upgrade Smite. Turrets also gain permanent plates and a new crystal mechanic that rewards pushing with a minion wave.

This is a test server preview, reviewed September 3, 2026. The details below come from an English translation of the official Chinese 7.3 announcement, checked against the original. Numbers can change before release. Dates and cosmetic systems announced for China should not be treated as a global rollout schedule.

What Are the Biggest Wild Rift 7.3 Changes?

• Hwei joins the test server: a ranged mid-lane mage whose spell combinations cover damage, control, and utility.
• Crit and attack speed change: normal crit damage rises from 175% to 200%, and the standard attack-speed cap rises from 2.5 to 3.0 attacks per second.
• ADC builds need another look: new and returning items arrive, while familiar purchases such as Bloodthirster and Infinity Edge change substantially.
• Jungle progress becomes more structured: Conservation stacks provide bonus camp gold and unlock Smite upgrades at eight and 20 stacks consumed.
• Turret damage becomes a team opportunity: permanent plates and Crystalline Growth make successful wave pushes valuable across the map.
• Support items change their tradeoffs: several become cheaper and offer stronger ally buffs, while losing health or other personal stats.

Read the detailed explanation for your role:

• ADC changes, crit damage, and new items.
• Jungle rework, Smite upgrades, and Conservation gold.
• Turret plates, Crystalline Growth, and pushing changes.
• Support items, Echoes of Helia, and Crown of Songs.

Is There a Confirmed Global Wild Rift 7.3 Release Date?

The Chinese announcement confirms a September 2, 2026 test server update. It also gives dates for China's ranked season and passes. Those dates do not, on their own, confirm when the complete 7.3 update reaches every live region.

At this article's September 3 review, the official English Wild Rift news page lists 7.2d as its latest patch notes. Use a regional live announcement to confirm availability before changing your ranked plans or making a pass purchase.

Hwei in Wild Rift: What Has Been Announced?

Hwei is the new champion named in the 7.3 test server notes. The announcement describes him as an Ionian painter, a ranged mage intended for mid lane, and a champion with ten combinable spells across Disaster, Serenity, and Torment.

His listed strengths include long-range poke, area control, shields, and healing. That gives him a broad toolkit on paper, but the announcement's introduction is not a complete Wild Rift ability reference. It does not provide enough detail to establish his best build, skill order, or strongest matchups.

For mid laners, the useful preparation is to expect a champion with several ways to influence a fight. His actual lane pressure will depend on the mobile implementation, cooldowns, mana costs, and final tuning. A PC League build should not be assumed to work unchanged in Wild Rift.

Why the ADC Overhaul Matters Beyond Dragon Lane

The change from 175% to 200% normal crit damage affects the foundation on which crit items and champion abilities are balanced. Infinity Edge then raises that new baseline to 230%. The update also assigns each champion an individual attack-speed ratio.

Those system changes arrive alongside reductions and redistributions in many champion kits. For example, Jinx loses some AD growth and ultimate scaling, while Vayne gains base AD and Tumble damage but loses part of Silver Bolts' fully ranked maximum-health damage.

Crit users outside Dragon lane also receive adjustments, including Yasuo, Yone, Tryndamere, and Viego. A higher crit baseline is therefore only one part of judging a champion's strength. The ADC and item preview explains the build implications and separates direct changes from early predictions.

Jungle and Turret Changes Could Reshape Map Decisions

Smite users gain a recurring true-damage burn against active monsters. It scales with bonus AD, AP, bonus armor, bonus magic resistance, and bonus health. The developers' stated aim is to make a wider range of junglers viable and reduce the pressure on tanks to buy a particular damage item just to clear camps.

Camp rewards also depend more heavily on Smite. Conservation stacks grant bonus gold, and consuming enough stacks upgrades Smite from 600 to 1,000 and eventually 1,400 true damage. Laners receive reduced monster experience, while junglers face lane-income penalties.

Across the map, Crystalline Growth stores damage on attackable lane turrets. An attacking champion can detonate the crystals with a basic attack when an allied wave is under the turret. The damage scales with the attacking team's average level, making even a brief opening to hit a turret potentially useful.

Our early read is that these systems increase the value of converting pressure into a camp, a wave, or turret damage. They do not establish that every match will be shorter: turret health and defensive rules are changing at the same time.

Rune Changes: Lethal Tempo, Legend: Haste, and Demolish

Lethal Tempo is redesigned around six attack-speed stacks and an adaptive-damage projectile at full stacks. Its extra damage scales with bonus attack speed, tying it more closely to the rest of a sustained-damage build.

Legend: Haste replaces Legend: Tenacity, offering up to 15 ability haste. Ingenious Hunter is temporarily removed. Players who rely on those runes will need to reconsider the full setup rather than copy an old rune page.

Demolish changes to activate after three basic attacks against a turret. Its bonus physical damage is 85 plus 28% maximum health for melee champions, or 50 plus 20% maximum health for ranged champions. It remains a separate effect from Crystalline Growth, which deals true damage and uses team-level scaling.

Season 23: China Dates, Milio Skin, and Five Bans

The announcement schedules Ranked Season 23 for September 23, 2026 at 11:00 Beijing time, or 03:00 UTC, with an expected end in January 2027. The ranked reward skin is for Milio; its final English name is not established by the translation.

Platinum and above gain five bans per team. Platinum through Diamond previously had three. The rule that disabled five bans during the first two weeks of a season is also removed.

If these draft rules carry over to your region, having a backup pick becomes more useful when your preferred champion attracts bans. Our champions to one-trick guide can help you think about the kind of champion pool you want, while the in-game ranked screen should remain your reference for regional dates.

Wild Pass Changes and New Cosmetics

China's next main Wild Pass is scheduled for September 22, 2026 at 08:00 Beijing time, or 00:00 UTC. The translated theme is “Pencil Sharpener,” featuring Kog'Maw and an upgraded pink Jurassic variant. These are translated names, not confirmed global English product names.

The proposed reward changes include:

• The premium pass skin moves to level 1, making it available immediately on purchasing the premium pass. The random-skin chest moves to level 20.
• Main-pass token rewards increase from 250 to 330 by level 75. Mini Pass rewards increase from 100 to 140 by level 50.
• All main-pass tokens move into the first 75 levels, and the Elite pass adds 200 tokens immediately.
• Newly returning pass skins become selectable alternatives to the current pass skin.
• The Wild Pass shop is removed in favor of the collection-set exchange system and spending milestones.

Returning rewards include skins for Thresh, Amumu, Kayle, Renekton, and Urgot. A Smolder “Christmas Reindeer” Mini Pass is scheduled for December 3 in China. Membership bonuses, token conversion rules, and exchange systems described in the announcement may differ by region.

Other Changes to Watch

The Practice Tool shop becomes usable from anywhere on the map. A counter-build assistant recommends important items based on enemy champions and purchases, with explanations for its suggestions.

The notes also preview a five-faction team-fight mode without minion waves or turrets, and give September 10 as the expected opening for Rune ARAM in China. These mode announcements belong to the same test server context.

There are also broad durability adjustments, including health and armor changes across many champions. Those numbers matter alongside the new items and jungle rules. We are not assigning a new 7.3 tier list from this first test update; use the current tier list and champion guides for the patch they explicitly cover.

Wild Rift 7.3 Preview FAQ

Is Hwei confirmed for the 7.3 test server?

Yes. Hwei is explicitly listed as the new champion in the September 2 Chinese 7.3 test server announcement. That announcement does not establish his exact global release time.

Is every ADC getting a buff?

No. Normal crit damage and the standard attack-speed cap increase, but many champion abilities and item stats are being adjusted alongside them. The net result depends on the champion, build, and stage of the game.

Are these the final Wild Rift 7.3 patch notes?

No. This article covers the Chinese test server update. Global live notes may change the numbers, names, release dates, or available systems.

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