KAY/O

• CFRAG/mentdamage

  EQUIP an explosive fragment. FIRE to throw. ALT FIRE to lob. The fragment sticks to the floor and explodes multiple times, dealing near lethal damage at the center with each explosion.

• QFLASH/driveflash

  EQUIP a flash grenade. FIRE to overhand throw. ALT FIRE to lob a weaker version that explodes quickly. The flash grenade explodes after a short fuse, Blinding anyone in line of sight.

• EZERO/pointtrap

  EQUIP a suppression blade. FIRE to throw. The blade sticks to the first surface it hits, winds up, and Suppresses anyone in the radius of the explosion. Enemies can destroy this blade.

• XNULL/cmddamage

  INSTANTLY overload with polarized radianite energy that pulses from KAY/O in a massive radius. Enemies hit with pulses are Suppressed for a short duration. While overloaded, KAY/O gains Combat Stim and can be re-stabilized if downed.

Riot's notes from patch 1.01 to 13.06 change KAY/O in 7 patches. The latest is patch 11.08, published 2025-10-14.

1. Patch 11.082025-10-14

   NULL/CMD

   • Reload time modifier: 0.9
   • Firing rate modifier: 1.1
   • Weapon draw time modifier: 0.9
   • Spread recovery modifier: 1.1

   ZERO/point

   • Cooldown increased from40s→to60s

   FLASH/drive

   • Underhand maximum flash duration increased from1.5s→to2.25s

   NULL/cmd

   • Updated to match Stim standardization
   • Increased fire rate reduced from15%→to10%
   • Added standardized weapon draw time for Stims
   • NEW: Increased weapon draw speed by 10%
   • Added weapon recovery speed for Stims
   • Weapon recovery speed increase by 10%
   Why, in Riot's words

   We're also aiming to create more consistency across the game's various debuffs, making it easier to build muscle memory when playing with or against effects like Nearsight, Concuss, and Stims.

   Flashes have always been a critical tool for challenging angles, and in a world with less frequent signature abilities, we want them to retain the power needed to start fights. To support that, we've increased the strength of Initiator flashes so they remain reliable tools for setting up engagements.

2. Patch 10.062025-04-01

   FLASH/drive

   • Upon bouncing, flashes will now start a 0.8 second windup and then pop.
   • This windup has unique audio and visuals when triggered.
   • The bounce windup will not be triggered if it is already less than 0.8 seconds from popping, so it won’t increase the total max time from throw to pop.
   • Underhand maximum flash duration1.25s→to1.5s
   • Increase VO callout range of KAY/O’s “flashing” voice line20m→to50m
   • Unequip time0.85s→to0.6s
   • A minimap indicator has been added to the flash for teammates only.

   NULL/cmd

   • Ally resurrection time3s→to1.5s
   Why, in Riot's words

   We’re also reducing his resurrection duration on his ultimate to reinforce the potential for teamplay to pick up an ally KAY/O.

3. Patch 6.072023-04-11

   • Critical danger indicator added to FRAG/ment (C)
   Why, in Riot's words

   In an effort to consolidate and make consistent our use of UI indicators throughout our roster, we’ve updated some abilities to have or not have UI indicators.

4. Patch 5.122022-12-06

   EZERO/POINT

   • Health increased1→to20

   CNULL/cmd

   • Ultimate points increased7→to8
   Why, in Riot's words

   We're back again with small Harbor buffs. It is hard to learn a new Controller smoke style and we hope these changes make it easier for Harbor's vision block to last long enough to finish executing with their team, while also providing wall smoke duration that’s on par with Viper. We’ll continue to monitor Harbor’s strength and see if we need to make any more waves. Chalo!

5. Patch 5.072022-10-04

   QFLASH/DRIVE

   • Underhand (right-click) flashbang max duration decreased2s→to1.25s
   • Overhand (left-click) flashbang max duration increased2s→to2.25s
   • Unequip Delay out of both flashes increased .6s→to.85s
   Why, in Riot's words

   KAY/O’s underhanded FLASH/DRIVE (right-click) has been overperforming relative to other “pop” flashes (example, Phoenix's flash or Yoru’s flash). And we feel as though labbed out left-click overhand throws aren’t generating a powerful enough reward for the mastery required to get them to pop in the right place. This tuning weakens the right-click when compared to pop flashes from Duelists, with the belief that KAY/O should pay a cost for his versatility.

6. Patch 5.012022-07-12

   CFRAG/ment

   • Zone diameter reduced10m→to8m
   • Damage now applies without needing line of sight

   XNULL/cmd

   • Now, only allies will hear the full channel audio of reviving KAY/O, while downed
   Why, in Riot's words

   KAY/O hasn’t had much of a quality of life pass since we’ve last had some changes so we wanted to reduce some pain and help you access more parts of the kit that haven’t felt as accessible.

   We’ve noticed a lot of inconsistencies with how the FRAG/ment is communicating the actual damage zone on the ability. We wanted to be consistent with how the visuals were showing the damage zone, so we’ve removed the line of sight requirement to apply damage.

7. Patch 3.062021-09-21

   FLASH/drive

   • Duration of windup telegraph reduced0.5s→to0.3s
   • Duration of windup telegraph reduced on Right Click1s→to0.3s
   • The audio attached to the in-flight projectile has been removed

   NULL/cmd

   • Does not stop pulsing after being downed
   Why, in Riot's words

   These changes should help reward those of you that put in additional effort to throw clever pop flashes. As far as the ultimate goes, we wanted to increase the baseline value of the ultimate by ensuring a longer suppression window for those explosive site takes.

What role is KAY/O?

Initiator. Riot describes the role: “Initiators challenge angles by setting up their team to enter contested ground and push defenders away.”

What are KAY/O’s abilities?

C — FRAG/ment, Q — FLASH/drive, E — ZERO/point and X — NULL/cmd, the last being the ultimate.

What does KAY/O’s ultimate do?

NULL/cmd, in Riot’s words: “INSTANTLY overload with polarized radianite energy that pulses from KAY/O in a massive radius. Enemies hit with pulses are Suppressed for a short duration. While overloaded, KAY/O gains Combat Stim and can be re-stabilized if downed.”

When did Riot last change KAY/O?

Patch 11.08, published 2025-10-14 — the latest of 7 patches that change KAY/O in Riot’s notes from 1.01 to 13.06.

Is KAY/O changed in patch 13.06?

No. Nothing in Riot’s patch 13.06 notes names KAY/O.

Which other Initiators are there?

6 more in Riot’s current roster: Breach, Fade, Gekko, Skye, Sova and Tejo.