Runes In League of Legends Explained

If you're just starting out in League of Legends, you might be scratching your head over those mysterious symbols called 'Runes.' What are they, and how do they work? Let's break it down in simple terms.

If you're new to League of Legends, understanding runes can be a bit overwhelming, but don't worry—Riftfeed is here to help you make sense of it all!

League of Legends Runes Guide

What Are Runes in LoL?

Runes have been a part of League of Legends since 2009, and they've evolved over time. Essentially, runes allow you to customize your champion's powers and enhance their abilities beyond just buying items. When used correctly, runes can significantly boost your gameplay.

During the champion select phase, you have the opportunity to choose your runes. You can opt for custom rune paths, follow recommended paths, or use your pre-made rune pages. We'll delve deeper into these options shortly.

Before we continue, here's where you can find the rune selection in champion select:

If you forget to pick runes, LoL will automatically assign a rune page for you, so don't fret if you're caught off guard during champion selection.

It's important to note that the choice of runes should align with the champion you intend to play. The meta for runes can change, so staying up-to-date and adapting your rune choices accordingly is key to success.

If you're unsure about the best runes for your champion, websites like u.gg and op.gg can provide insights into popular rune choices and their effectiveness.

How To Use Runes in League of Legends

When selecting runes, you'll choose two types of Rune Paths from five available options. The first is your Primary Rune, and the second is your Secondary Rune—easy to remember, right?

These are the five primary rune types:

• Precision
• Domination
• Sorcery
• Resolve
• Inspiration

Each primary rune can branch into different paths, allowing for further customization. Your Primary Rune choice includes your Rune, Keystone, and three additional slots. Your Secondary Rune consists of a Rune, two slots, and three Shard slots, which vary depending on your chosen primary rune.

The Keystone you select plays a vital role in your rune choices, as it can greatly impact your champion's performance. We'll provide an overview of each rune type and their respective keystones.

Precision Runes

Precision runes are all about enhancing your champion's attacks and sustained damage.

Key Keystone choices in Precision runes include:

• Press The Attack: Vulnerabilizes enemy champions, dealing bonus damage, and increasing damage from all sources for 6 seconds after landing 3 consecutive hits.
• Lethal Tempo: Grants attack speed upon attacking an enemy champion (stacks up to 6 times). At maximum stacks, it extends your attack range and removes the attack speed limit.
• Fleet Footwork: Accumulates Energy stacks through attacking and moving. At 100 stacks, your next attack heals you and boosts your movement speed.
• Conqueror: Gains adaptive force stacks when attacking enemy champions. Upon reaching 12 stacks, you heal for a portion of the damage dealt to champions.

Taking the Precision Path allows you to choose from 3 rows of secondary runes. You get to choose 1 per row.

Row 1:

• Overheal: Converts extra healing into a shield
• Triumph: Heals you after getting a takedown and gives you extra gold
• Presence of Mind: Damaging an enemy grants you extra mana regeneration. Getting a takedown refills 15% of your maximum mana.

Row 2:

• Legend: Alacrity: Gives you stacking attack speed up to 18%.
• Legend: Tenacity: Gives you stacking tenacity up to 20%.
• Legend: Bloodline: Gives you stacking lifesteal up to 5.25% and 85 maximum health.

Row 3:

• Coup de Grace: Deals extra damage to enemies below 40% HP.
• Cut Down: Deal increased damage to enemies with more max health than you.
• Last Stand: Deal more damage when you are below 60% health.

Domination Runes

Domination runes focus on dealing burst damage and gaining access to high-value targets.

Notable Keystone options in Domination runes are:

• Electrocute: Inflicts bonus adaptive damage upon hitting an enemy champion with 3 separate attacks or abilities in 3 seconds.
• Predator: Adds an active effect to your boots, granting a significant movement speed boost and bonus adaptive damage on your next attack or ability use.
• Dark Harvest: Deals adaptive damage to low-health champions and collects their souls.
• Hail of Blades: Offers a substantial attack speed boost for the first 3 attacks against enemy champions.

Taking the Domination Path allows you to choose from 3 rows of secondary runes. You get to choose 1 per row.

Row 1:

• Cheap Shot: Deal bonus true damage to crowd controlled enemies.
• Taste of Blood: Heals you after damaging an enemy. 20 second cooldown.
• Sudden Impact: Damageing an enemy after dashing grants 9 lethality or 7 magic penetration.

Row 2:

• Zombie Ward: Killing an enemy ward summons a Zombie Ward that gives you extra vision and extra stats.
• Ghost Poro: Whenever a ward runs out it summons a Ghost Poro that gives vision and extra stats.
• Eyeball Collection: Gives you stacking lifesteal up to 5.25% and 85 maximum health.

Row 3:

• Treasure Hunter: Gain extra gold with up to 5 takedowns.
• Ingenious Hunter: Gain item haste with up to 5 takedowns.
• Relentless Hunter: Gain out of combat movespeed with up to 5 takedowns.
• Ultimate Hunter: Gain ability haste with up to 5 takedowns.

Sorcery Runes

Sorcery runes empower your champion's abilities and assist with resource management.

Key Keystone choices within Sorcery runes include:

• Summon Aery: Sends Aery to a target with your attacks and abilities, damaging enemies or shielding allies.
• Arcane Comet: Hurls a damaging comet at an enemy champion upon damaging them with an ability.
• Phase Rush: Grants a burst of movement speed upon hitting an enemy champion with 3 separate attacks or abilities.

Taking the Sorcery Path allows you to choose from 3 rows of secondary runes. You get to choose 1 per row.

Row 1:

• Nullyfing Orb: Getting hit by a magic damage ability while under 30% health gives you a small magic shield.
• Manaflow Band: Hitting an enemy grants you bonus mana up to 250.
• Nimbus Cloak: Gain movespeed after casting a summoner spell.

Row 2:

• Transcendence: Grants ability haste at level 5 and 8. At level 11 scoring a takedown decreases the cooldown of your basic spells by 20%.
• Celerity: Increases the efficiency of all movement bonuses and gives 1% movement speed.
• Absolute Focus: Grants you adaptive force when you are above 70% health.

Row 3:

• Scorch: Deals extra damage to enemies below 40% HP.
• Waterwalking: Deal increased damage to enemies with more max health than you.
• Gathering Storm: Deal more damage when you are below 60% health.

Resolve Runes

Resolve runes offer durability and crowd control capabilities to help your champion endure.

Key Keystone options in Resolve runes are:

• Grasp of the Undying: Enhances your next attack on a champion every 4 seconds, dealing bonus magic damage, healing you, and permanently increasing your health.
• Aftershock: Activates after immobilizing an enemy champion, providing defenses and dealing burst magic damage in your vicinity.
• Guardian: Shields allies you cast spells on and those nearby when either you or a guarded ally would take damage based on level.

Taking the Precision Path allows you to choose from 3 rows of secondary runes. You get to choose 1 per row.

Row 1:

• Demolish: After 6 seconds next to an enemy tower deal extra damage on your next hit.
• Font of Life: CCing an enemy champion marks them. If allies hit marked enemies they heal.
• Shield Bash: When you have a shield on you, your next attack deals bonus damag.e

Row 2:

• Conditioning: Gives you extra armor and magic resist at 12 minutes.
• Second Wind: After getting hit your health regeneration is increased for a bit.
• Bone Plating: When enemies hit you it procs boneplating and the next 3 damage instances deal reduced damage.

Row 3:

• Overgrowth: Grants you infinetly stacking HP when minions or monsters die near you.
• Revitalize: Grants extra heal and shield power. Increases heal and shield power on allies below 40% hp.
• Unflinching: Gain extra defensive stats when crowd controlled.

Inspiration Runes

Inspiration runes provide unique tools and unconventional strategies to outsmart your opponents.

Key Keystone choices in Inspiration runes include:

• Glacial Augment: Slows nearby enemies and reduces their damage to your allies upon immobilizing an enemy champion.
• Unsealed Spellbook: Allows you to swap Summoner Spells while out of combat, with faster swap rates for unique Summoner Spells used.
• First Strike: Deals extra damage for 3 seconds and earns gold based on damage dealt when initiating champion combat.

Taking the Precision Path allows you to choose from 3 rows of secondary runes. You get to choose 1 per row.

Row 1:

• Hextech Flashtraption: After using the Flash summoner spell you get a temporary Hexflash that needs to be charged. It runs out when Flash is back up.
• Magical Footwear: Gives you a free pair of magical boots at 12 minutes. This time decreases by 45 seconds with every takedown.
• Triple Tonic: Grants you 3 potions at Level 3,6 and 9. Elixir of Avarice(3) makes you deal more damage to minions for 60 seconds. Elixir of Force(6) grants you adaptive force for 60 seconds. At level 9 you get a skill point potion.

Row 2:

• Futures Market: Allows you to go into debt for items.
• Minion Dematerializer: Gives you 3 Minion Dematerializers that instantly kill a minion and increase your damage towards that minion type.
• Biscuit Delivery: Grants you 3 Cookies that give mana and health at 2,4 and 6 minutes.

Row 3:

• Cosmic Insight: Grants 18 summoner spell haste and 10 item haste.
• Approach Velocity: Move faster towards crowd controlled targets.
• Time Warp Tonic: Instantly restores 30% of any potion or biscuit but would then tick slower. Gives you additional movespeed while its active.

What Are Rune Pages?

If you're confident in your knowledge of runes, you can customize your own Rune Pages to suit your playstyle. This way, you won't need to manually select your preferred Rune Paths every game.

Rune Pages become available at level 10, with each player initially receiving 3 pages. You can expand your collection up to 25 Rune Pages, though additional pages require purchase, each costing 590 RP or 6300 BE.

For beginners, this might seem a bit pricey, especially while unlocking new champions. However, if you wish to fine-tune your Rune Pages extensively, the option is there for you.

We hope this comprehensive League of Legends runes guide has provided clarity on this intricate system. 

For more articles on LoL and gaming mechanics, look no further:

• LoL Essence Emporium Returns Soon According To Data Miners
• LoL Patch 13.24 Patch Notes: All Changes On The PBE Server