Understanding Runes in League of Legends: A Comprehensive Guide
Welcome, summoners! Today we embark on a journey into the ancient world of runes in League of Legends (LoL). Runes are powerful enhancements that can greatly influence your gameplay, allowing you to customize and optimize your champion’s abilities and playstyle. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the history, types, and strategies behind runes in LoL, helping you unleash their full potential on the Rift.
Table of Contents
- History of Runes in LoL
- Types of Runes
- Rune Essence and Collection
- Building Your Rune Page
- Optimizing Your Rune Pages
- Rune Strategies for Various Roles
- Conclusion
History of Runes in LoL
Runes were first introduced to League of Legends in the pre-Season One. Originally, players could purchase individual runes using Influence Points (IP) or Riot Points (RP) and customize their rune pages to enhance various aspects of their champions’ attributes. However, with the arrival of Season Eight in 2018, runes underwent an overhaul with the introduction of the new system known as the Rune Reforged System.
The Rune Reforged System shifted away from the previous individual rune purchases and brought a more streamlined approach. Now, players have access to five different paths, each offering unique rune options to enhance different playstyles. This change diversified the rune system, allowing for more experimentation and strategic choices for players.
Types of Runes
Within the Rune Reforged System, there are five primary paths, often referred to as keystones:
- Precision
- Domination
- Sorcery
- Resolve
- Inspiration
Each of these paths contains a variety of minor runes that can be combined to create unique rune pages. Let’s explore each path and the rune options within them:
Precision
The Precision path focuses on enhancing stats related to precision, attacks, and sustained damage. Some of the key runes within this path include:
| Rune Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Press the Attack | Enhances your team’s damage against a marked target after three consecutive attacks. |
| Lethal Tempo | Temporarily increases your attack speed after attacking an enemy champion. |
| Fleet Footwork | Grants bonus movement speed and heals you after damaging enemy champions. |
Domination
The Domination path is all about burst damage and domination on the battlefield. Key runes within this path include:
| Rune Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Electrocute | Provides bonus damage after hitting an enemy champion with three separate attacks or abilities. |
| Dark Harvest | Harvests the souls of enemies, dealing bonus damage based on their missing health. |
| Predator | Empowers your boots to enhance mobility and deal burst damage when targeting an enemy champion. |
Sorcery
The Sorcery path empowers mages and focuses on raw magical ability and utility. Notable runes within this path include:
| Rune Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Arcane Comet | Summons a comet to strike enemies after hitting them with abilities, dealing bonus damage. |
| Phase Rush | Temporarily increases your movement speed after hitting an enemy champion with three abilities. |
| Aery | Sends Aery to shield or enhance your allies, or damage enemies based on your abilities. |
Resolve
The Resolve path is ideal for tanky champions, offering enhanced survivability and crowd control. Noteworthy runes within this path include:
| Rune Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Grasp of the Undying | Empowers your attacks to steal life from enemies, increasing your maximum health. |
| Guardian | Protects your allies with a shield after casting a movement-impaired ability near them. |
| Unflinching | Increases your tenacity and slow resistance based on missing health and summoner spells used. |
Inspiration
The Inspiration path encourages creative strategies and unique gameplay styles. Key runes within this path include:
| Rune Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Glacial Augment | Slows enemies when you hit them, enhancing crowd control and utility. |
| Unsealed Spellbook | Allows you to change summoner spells more frequently, providing greater versatility. |
| Kleptomancy | Grants bonus gold and consumables when you hit enemies with abilities or basic attacks. |
Rune Essence and Collection
Now that we have explored the different paths and their respective runes, let’s dive into the mechanics behind acquiring and collecting runes in LoL. Rune essence is the currency used to unlock and upgrade runes. You can obtain rune essence by playing games and earning experience points (XP).
As your account levels up, you receive rune essence, which can be spent in the rune collection interface. From there, you can unlock new runes and upgrade existing ones to enhance their power and effectiveness. Additionally, completing specific milestones and achievements in LoL can also reward you with rune essence, allowing you to further expand your collection.
Building Your Rune Page
Creating an effective rune page requires a deep understanding of your champion’s strengths, playstyle, and the current meta. Each champion benefits from different rune combinations, so it’s crucial to tailor your rune page to suit your desired playstyle and role.
When building your rune page, start by selecting the main path that aligns with your champion’s primary attributes. Next, choose a keystone rune that complements your playstyle. Keystone runes are the most impactful and provide powerful effects. After selecting your keystone, fill the remaining slots with minor runes that enhance your champion’s abilities and strengths.
Take the time to experiment and test different rune combinations. Don’t hesitate to reference high-level gameplay, professional players, or popular LoL websites for inspiration and guidance. The more you understand your champion and the current meta, the better equipped you’ll be to build optimal rune pages.
Optimizing Your Rune Pages
While building your own rune page is essential, it’s equally important to adapt and optimize your rune choices based on the matchups, team compositions, and roles of your game. Flexibility is key in LoL, and adjusting your rune pages can provide a significant edge over your opponents.
Keep an eye on the champion select phase and analyze the enemy team’s composition. If you notice multiple champions with crowd control abilities, consider selecting runes from the Resolve path to enhance your durability and tenacity. Alternatively, if your team lacks crowd control or initiation, choosing runes from the Domination path might provide the burst damage necessary to secure kills.
Remember, optimizing your rune pages requires ongoing evaluation and adaptation. Stay informed about balance patches and meta shifts to ensure you are utilizing the most effective runes for your champion and role.
Rune Strategies for Various Roles
Now, let’s explore some specific rune strategies tailored to different roles on the Rift:
Top Lane
In the top lane, sustain and durability are crucial for extended trades and surviving ganks. Runes like Grasp of the Undying and Conditioning from the Resolve tree provide tankiness and resilience. Additionally, Keystone runes like Conqueror and Aftershock can empower fighters and tanks respectively.
Jungle
For jungle, runes that enhance clearing speed, sustain, and movement speed are vital. Opting for Predator or Dark Harvest from the Domination tree can boost your ganking potential, while runes from the Precision tree like Conqueror can strengthen your dueling capabilities.
Mid Lane
Mages in the mid lane benefit from rune choices that amplify their burst damage or utility. Arcane Comet from the Sorcery path is a popular choice, providing reliable poke damage. Electrocute and Phase Rush are equally valuable options, offering burst damage and mobility respectively.
ADC (Attack Damage Carry)
For ADCs, maximizing damage output is essential. Precision runes like Press the Attack, Lethal Tempo, and Fleet Footwork empower your sustained damage and kiting potential. Additionally, runes from the Sorcery path like Arcane Comet or Summon Aery can boost your overall damage output.
Support
Support champions often prioritize utility and protection for their team. Runes like Guardian or Aftershock from the Resolve tree provide protective shields or increased resistances. Alternatively, runes from the Inspiration tree like Glacial Augment or Unsealed Spellbook can offer unique utility options.
Conclusion
Congratulations, summoner! You have now explored the vast world of runes in League of Legends. By understanding their history, types, and strategies, you are now equipped to create custom rune pages that suit your champion’s strengths and playstyle.
Remember, runes are a dynamic part of the game, constantly evolving with balance patches and shifts in the meta. Stay informed, experiment with different rune combinations, and adapt your choices based on the game at hand. Mastery of runes can provide a significant advantage in your matches, helping you climb the ranks and achieve victory on the Rift.
Go forth, summoner, and may your rune pages bring you glory!
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