League of Legends: Jungle Pets

Confused about the changes to Smite and the new jungle pets? We've got you covered!

We have a lot of changes to the jungle this preseason - bigger and tougher monsters, buffs and nerfs to some classical jungle champions - but perhaps the biggest of them all is the change to the jungle items. The Emberknife and Hailblade have followed the venerable Hunter's Machete into the shadow realm and instead, taking Smite allows you access to three new starting items, each of which spawns a small critter eager to help you in the jungler. The Gustwalker Hatchling, Scorchclaw Pup and Mosstomper Seedling are eager to be your friends on your adventure across the Rift!

Let's start with the basics. All three pets are summoned by their respective items costing 450 gold and requiring having the Smite spell. The companion goes with you on the map and give you +20% bonus damage versus monsters in your half of them map, as well as extra experience from large monsters (150 from the first one and 60 from subsequent ones). With a jungle pet, you also recover health and mana after killing large monsters and have bonus mana regeneration in the jungle or river. The pet itself attacks any monster that attacks you and its damage scales with your level, damage, AP and health, and you get some of it back as health regeneration (something especially handy for camps with multiple monsters like the razorbeaks),

• League of Legends: The Best Junglers for Beginners

The three pets - Gustwalker, Scorchclas and Mosstomper - are at first mechanically identical. They evolve as you feed them treats, which you get from killing large monsters and passively at the rate of one per minute (once per 90 seconds once the pet is fully evolve). You will also get extra gold from feeding you little buddy after you kill large monsters. At 20 treats, they have their first evolution, increasing your Smite damage from 600 to 900 and letting it affect champions (though doing less to them). At 40 stacks, the totally-not-Pokemon reaches its final form increases your Smite damage again, making it deal 1200 to the target monster and 600 to all near it, making the jungle take 30% less damage from epic monsters when at least 2 allied champions are in range, and unlocking an unique bonus different for each one:

• Gustwalker: you get a 45% bonus move speed when you enter a brush,which decays over 2 seconds after you leave it. Killing a large monster gives you a 60% decaying move speed instead. Somewhat of a niche ability, it will still be priceless if you are coming out of the brush for a gank or need to escape and gets even nicer on an ocean soul map where there are more bush patches.
• Mosstomper: after killing a large monster or being out of combat for 10 seconds, you get a shield for between 75 and 330 HP depending on your level. When shielded and for 3 seconds afterwards, you also get 20% tenacity and slow resist. A mini mountain soul just for you is always going to be handy.
• Scorchclaw: with a fully evolved scorchclaw around, you get 3 Ember charges every half second and directly go up to 100 when you kill a large monster. At 100 stacks, you expend them all the next time you damage an enemy champion to inflict a 30% decaying movement speed slow and a damage over time effect doing 4% of their max HP over four seconds. Both effects also apply to anyone standing close to the main target. Essentially, it's a chargeable red buff effect.
  

Read More about the Preseason:

• League of Legends: The Best Junglers for Beginners
• LoL PBE Patch 12.23 | All Changes on the PBE Server Right Now
• Abusing the Jungle Changes is the New Meta
  

It sounds like the jungle is going to be spicy - and hopefully your teammates will be nicer to the guy or girl with the fancy new animal (or plant) companion. Just in case, though - be nice to them back!