Tired of guessing which item to build next in League of Legends? Mastering itemization is crucial, as choosing the right items can swing a close game in your favor. Understanding the nuances of league of legends all items, their stats, and how they synergize with your champion is key to climbing the ranks.
At a glance:
- Quickly understand the item categories and their general roles.
- Learn how to filter items based on champion needs and game state.
- Discover how to use in-game tools and external resources effectively.
- Grasp the importance of adapting your build based on the enemy team.
- Identify common itemization mistakes and how to avoid them.
Decoding League of Legends All Items: A Categorical Overview
The sheer volume of items in League of Legends can feel overwhelming. Breaking them down into categories makes it easier to navigate. Items are broadly categorized by their tier (Basic, Epic, Legendary, Mythic), source (Shop, Jungle), and primary effect (Damage, Tank, Support).
- Starter Items: Cheap items to kickstart your laning phase (e.g., Doran's Blade, Doran's Ring, Doran's Shield). Think of these as investments in early game power.
- Basic Items: These build into more powerful items. They offer smaller stat boosts (e.g., Long Sword, Ruby Crystal, Cloth Armor).
- Epic Items: A significant upgrade from basic items, offering more substantial stats and often unique passives (e.g., Sheen, Caulfield's Warhammer, Negatron Cloak).
- Legendary Items: Powerful core items that heavily define a champion's playstyle. These usually have strong actives or passives (e.g., Infinity Edge, Rabadon's Deathcap, Zhonya's Hourglass).
- Mythic Items: Each champion can only equip one Mythic item. These items are designed to be build-defining and offer a Mythic passive, buffing other Legendary items.
- Consumables: Potions and elixirs that provide temporary buffs or healing (e.g., Health Potion, Control Ward, Elixir of Iron). Don't underestimate the power of a well-timed potion.
- Boots: Movement speed is essential. Boots are a mandatory purchase (e.g., Mercury's Treads, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Berserker's Greaves).
Finding the Perfect Item: Filtering by Champion Needs
Not every item is good on every champion. Understanding your champion's role, playstyle, and scaling is critical when choosing items.
- Identify Your Champion's Primary Role: Are you a mage, marksman, fighter, tank, or support? This will narrow down the item pool significantly. A mage will generally prioritize Ability Power (AP), while a marksman will focus on Attack Damage (AD) and Attack Speed.
- Consider Your Champion's Scaling: Does your champion scale better with AD, AP, Health, or Armor/Magic Resist? Champions like Veigar scale infinitely with AP, making items like Mejai's Soulstealer and Rabadon's Deathcap extremely valuable.
- Analyze Your Playstyle: Are you an aggressive laner who wants to snowball, or a more passive player who prefers to farm and scale? Aggressive players might prioritize early damage items, while scaling players might focus on items that provide sustain or utility.
For example, if you’re playing Zed (an AD assassin), you'll primarily be looking for items that grant Attack Damage, Lethality, and potentially some Ability Haste. Conversely, if you're playing Lux (an AP mage), you'll want Ability Power, Magic Penetration, and Mana Regeneration or Ability Haste.
In-Game Tools and External Resources: Mastering Item Information
League of Legends provides in-game tools to help you choose items. The item shop includes filters for different item types and recommended items tailored to your champion. However, these recommendations aren't always optimal, so understanding the stats and passives of league of legends all items is important.
- In-Game Item Shop: Use the search bar to find specific items or filter by category (e.g., "Attack Damage," "Magic Resist"). The recommended items are a good starting point, but always consider the specific game situation.
- Practice Tool: Experiment with different item builds in the Practice Tool to see how they affect your champion's damage output and survivability.
- LoL Item Builder (Pillar Link!): For more advanced build crafting and theory-crafting, utilize a LoL Item Builder. These tools let you visualize full builds, calculate effective stats, and compare item combinations. Create Dominating LoL Builds.
- League of Legends Wiki: A comprehensive resource for detailed information on all items, including their stats, passives, and build paths.
- Mobalytics/OP.GG/U.GG: These websites offer champion-specific build guides, win rates, and item usage statistics. Use this information to identify popular and effective item choices.
Adapting Your Build: Countering the Enemy Team
A static item build won't work in every game. You must adapt your item choices based on the enemy team composition and their item builds.
- Identify the Biggest Threats: Who is dealing the most damage on the enemy team? Are they AD or AP? Build defensive items accordingly. If the enemy team is heavily AD-based, consider building armor items like Randuin's Omen or Dead Man's Plate. If they are AP-heavy, consider building magic resist items like Spirit Visage or Force of Nature.
- Counter Specific Items: If the enemy team is building items like Guardian Angel or Zhonya's Hourglass, consider building items that can counter them, such as Quicksilver Sash or grievous wounds items.
- Consider Crowd Control: If the enemy team has a lot of crowd control, consider building Mercury's Treads or Quicksilver Sash to reduce its duration.
- Grievous Wounds: If the enemy has sustain or healing, you should have a champion on your team build grievous wounds.
Example:
You're playing an AD carry, and the enemy team has a fed Zed and a fed LeBlanc. You need to build items that will help you survive their burst damage. Consider building Guardian Angel for a second life, or Maw of Malmortius if they are mostly AP damage.
Common Itemization Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)
Avoid these errors to optimize your item builds:
- Sticking to a Single Build: Being inflexible with your builds is a major mistake. Always adapt to the game's circumstances, team compositions, and enemy item choices.
- Ignoring Defensive Items: Even if you're playing a damage-focused role, you'll need some defensive items to survive. Neglecting armor, magic resist, or health can make you an easy target.
- Building Too Much of One Stat: Diminishing returns are a factor in League of Legends. Stacking too much of one stat (e.g., armor penetration without any AD) can be inefficient. Diversify your build.
- Not Prioritizing Boots: Movement speed is crucial. Upgrade your boots early to improve your positioning and ability to dodge skillshots.
- Forgetting Control Wards: Vision control is essential for winning games. Buy Control Wards regularly to deny enemy vision and protect yourself from ganks.
Practical Playbook: Itemization Decision Tree
Here's a simplified decision tree to help you choose items:
- Identify your champion's role and scaling. (Mage = AP, Marksman = AD, etc.)
- Analyze the enemy team composition. (AD heavy? AP heavy? Crowd control?)
- Choose a Mythic item that complements your champion and playstyle. (Consider stats and Mythic passive.)
- Select Legendary items to address specific needs. (Damage, survivability, utility)
- Adapt your build based on the game's progress. (Counter enemy items, build defensive stats as needed.)
- Always buy boots and control wards. (Movement and vision are essential.)
Remember, this is a simplified guide. Experience and experimentation are key to mastering itemization in League of Legends.
Quick Answers: Common Itemization Questions
Q: Should I always build the recommended items?
A: No. The recommended items are a good starting point, but they aren't always optimal. Consider the specific game situation and adapt your build accordingly.
Q: How important is it to build defensive items?
A: Very important! Even if you're playing a damage-focused role, you need some defensive stats to survive.
Q: What are diminishing returns?
A: Diminishing returns mean that the more you stack a particular stat, the less effective each additional point becomes. Diversify your build.
Q: When should I buy potions?
A: Buy potions early and often, especially during the laning phase. They can help you sustain and survive ganks.
Q: What are Control Wards used for?
A: Control Wards provide vision and deny enemy vision. They are essential for controlling objectives and preventing ganks.
Take Action Now: Craft Your Ideal Build
The world of “league of legends all items” can seem intimidating at first glance because of the many options. But with practice, you can master item builds, adapt to every game, and drastically improve your win rate. Start experimenting with different items and builds in the Practice Tool, and analyze your games to see what works and what doesn't. Knowledge is power, and in League of Legends, the right item can be the difference between victory and defeat.