Anyone who has been playing League of Legends (LoL or simply League) for quite some time knows that Rune and Mastery systems were among its most problematic features, especially to first-time players. To them, it is a massive barrier to entry due to the hassle of accumulation, which could only be purchased from the Riot Store with Influence Points.
Thankfully, League’s world-renowned developer and esports organiser, Riot Games, has adhered to players’ concerns by simplifying Rune and Mastery systems. Now called ‘Runes Reforged’ since its introduction in Pre-Season Eight (2017), it merged them into one and easy system available for free to all players.
So, if you are a first time League of Legends champion, Bitcasino happily walks you through the game’s Runes Reforged system. Learn all you can about their pages and paths for different playstyles and positions (across jungle, top, mid, and the bot lane).
Runes explained: How important are they?
Gaming discussion websites often have queries from novices regarding what League Runes are and how important they are to the overall gameplay. Before the Runes Reforged, they weren’t required as they were only used for stats.
Now, on the other hand, runes serve as enhancements that add new abilities to your champion before heading over to the arena. In fact, the Keystone, often known as the most powerful rune and the centrepiece of the game, can determine how strong you will be in different situations.
About Rune Pages
Before understanding what Rune Paths are, you must first know the importance of having and uniquely setting up Rune Pages. They are, as what they are directly called, pages in the LCU that keep all of your runes. It is where you choose to combine at least two of the five Rune Paths for your champion before entering a match.
The good thing with Runes Reforged is that you can have a maximum of 25 custom rune pages that are entirely not connected to the five preset rune pages that can’t be edited nor deleted. However, take note that if your level is between 1 to 9, you are not allowed to create nor edit them. Newly-made accounts, on the other hand, are given three empty pages, where additional ones can be bought in the store for 590 RP or 6,300 Blue Essence.
Another interesting feature you can do with rune pages is to change their default names (e.g. Rune Page 1 and/or Rune Page 2) into something you prefer. Overall, the important reminder to keep in mind is that it is not possible to enter the arena without an active and valid rune page.
About Rune Paths
League Runes are divided into five different categories called ‘Paths’. Each of which focuses on various aspects of a champion’s gameplay and player’s style. Meaning, you can only show your potential gaming skills and what your champion has to offer by looking into the runes that genuinely and exactly fit the role.
As you sift through the options, bear in mind that each rune page contains runes from two paths: one primary and one secondary. The former consists of one keystone and three lesser runes, whereas the latter has two lesser runes. Here are the five following paths you need to know about:
- Precision: Become a Legend
Precision runes can simultaneously improve your attacks and protect from damage.
Keystone
- Press the Attack: Makes an enemy champion weak with three consecutive basic attacks
- Lethal Tempo: Attack an enemy champion extends the effect to 6 seconds.
- Fleet Footwork: Energised attacks heal you for 3 to 60 and grant +20% movement speed for 1 second.
- Conqueror: This grants 2 to 6 Adaptive Force (based on level) for 2 seconds and can stack up to five times.
Slot 1: Heroism
- Overheal: It becomes a shield with excess healing.
- Triumph: Restores 12% of your missing health and grants extra 20 gold.
- Presence of Mind: Restores 20% of your max mana and refunds 10% of your ultimate’s cooldown.
Slot 2: Legend (Takedowns on enemy champions grant the following)
- Alacrity: permanent Attack Speed
- Tenacity: permanent Tenacity
- Bloodline: permanent Lifesteal
Slot 3: Combat (These runes deal more damage to the following kinds of enemy champions:)
- Coup de Grace: to low health enemy champions
- Cut Down: to enemy champions with more max health than you
- Last Stand: to enemy champions when you are low on health
- Domination: Hunt and Eliminate Prey
Domination runes help you target access with stronger burst damage.
Keystone
- Electrocute: Deals bonus adaptive damage when hitting an enemy champion with three separate attacks.
- Predator: Add an active effect to your boots, causing your next attacks to deal bonus adaptive damage.
- Dark Harvest: Deals adaptive damage when hitting an enemy champion with below 50% of their max health, allowing you to harvest their souls.
- Hail of Blades: Attack an enemy champion for up to three attacks, and you will gain 110% Attack Speed.
Slot 1: Malice
- Cheap Shot: Deal bonus true damage to an enemy champion with impaired actions.
- Taste of Blood: Heals you when you damage an enemy champion.
- Sudden Impact: After you use a dash, leap, blink or teleport, you will gain a burst of Lethality and Magic Penetration.
Slot 2: Tracking
- Zombie Ward: Delivers bonus magic damage when you damage an enemy champion after you destroy a ward.
- Ghost Pro: This grants vision for 60 seconds, but it only appears when your ward expires.
- Eyeball Collection: For every eyeball you collected from enemy champion takedowns, you will gain an adaptive bonus of 1.2 Attack Damage or 2 Ability Power.
Slot 3: Hunter (These runes grant the following after every unique enemy champion takedown)
- Ravenous Hunter: permanent healing from ability damage
- Ingenious Hunter: permanent Active Item CDR
- Relentless Hunter: permanent out of combat MS
- Ultimate Hunter: lowered ultimate cooldown
- Sorcery: Unleash Destruction
Sorcery runes empower your champion’s skills with magical abilities like resource manipulation.
Keystone
- Summon Aery: Damages enemies or shields allies.
- Arcane Comet: Damages an enemy champion by damaging a comet at their location.
- Phase Rush: Grants a burst of MS and Slow Resistance when you hit an enemy champion with three attacks.
Slot 1: Artifact
- Nullifying Orb: Gives you magic damage when health is low due to magic damage.
- Manaflow Band: Damage an enemy champion with a spell, and you will get up to 250 mana.
- Nimbus Cloak: Gives you a burst of decaying movement speed shortly after you cast your Ultimate.
Slot 2: Excellence
- Transcendence: Reach level 10, and you will gain 10% CDR.
- Celerity: Gives you 7% movement speed bonuses.
- Absolute Focus: Gives you extra adaptive damage even if you have over 70% health.
Slot 3: Power
- Scorch: Your first ability hit every 10 seconds burns champions.
- Waterwalking: Gives you MS and AP/AD when you’re in the river.
- Gathering Storm: Gives you increasing amounts of AD throughout the game.
- Resolve: Live Forever
Resolve runes increase your durability and keep things in order.
Keystone
- Grasp of the Underlying: Increases your health for every 4 seconds your next attack on an enemy champion deals bonus magic damage.
- Aftershock: You gain defences after you freeze an enemy champion.
- Guardian: Cast spells on and those near you, and you will be both hasted and granted a shield.
Slot 1: Strength
- Demolish: Charge up a powerful attack against a tower while near it.
- Font of Life: You and your allies heal when you impair the movements of enemy champions.
- Shield Bash: Grants bonus armour and magic resistance while shielded.
Slot 2: Resistance
- Conditioning: Grants +9 Armor and +9 Magic Resist after 10 minutes.
- Second Wind: You can heal back whenever you take damage from an enemy champion.
- Bone Plating: For players between levels 1 to 18, enemy champions next three spells or attacks against you deal only 30 to 60 less damage.
Slot 3: Vitality
- Overgrowth: Gain extra permanent health when minions or monsters die near you.
- Revitalize: Heals and shields increase by an extra 10% on low health targets.
- Unflinching: Cast a Summoner Spell, and you will gain Tenacity and Slow Resistance for a short period.
- Inspiration: Outwit Mere Mortals
Inspiration runes grant you creative tools against enemy champions.
Keystone
- Glacial Augment: Slows down enemy champions (i.e. a lingering slow zone).
- Unsealed Spellbook: When you are out of combat, you have the option to change one of your equipped summoner spells to a new and single-use summoner spell.
- Kleptomancy: After your first attack, the next two basic abilities of an enemy champion will grant bonus gold.
Slot 1: Contraption
- Hextech Flashtraption: Hexflash replaces when Flash is on cooldown.
- Magical Footwear: Gives free boots for 10 minutes. They come 30 seconds sooner for every takedown you make.
- Perfect Timing: Gives a free Stopwatch, which has a one-time-use Stasis effect.
Slot 2: Tomorrow
- Future’s Market: This allows you to enter debt to buy more items.
- Minion Dematerializer: You can start the game with 3 Minion Dematerializers.
- Biscuit Delivery: Gives a free Biscuit for every 2 to 6 minutes.
Slot 3: Beyond
- Cosmic Insight: Gives +5% CDR, +5% Max CDR, +5% Summoner Spell CDR, and +5% Item CDR.
- Approach Velocity: Gives bonus MS towards nearby allied champions with impaired movements.
- Time Warp Tonic: This last League of Legends rune grants 50% of your health and mana, thus increasing your movement speed.