A guide to the items in Arena of Valor, detailing the stats and passive effects of each while discussing which heroes they are best suited for.

Item Guide Overview

Choosing which items to purchase prior to or in the middle of a match can be difficult, especially if you’re using a hero you’re not fully comfortable with. Item builds can tell you what items to use for particular heroes in the most common circumstances, but they often don’t include situational items or explain why or when certain items should be bought. Here, we’ve listed all of the items at the top of their item trees, then provided explanations on how they work, and when and for whom they should be used. Items are separated into their functional categories, rather than the categories in the game, because an item like Spear of Longinus is more similar to Mantle of Ra than Slikk’s Sting, to give one example.

See our tier 1 items guide, our tier 2 items guide, take a look at our full item list, or read about items basics, including stat caps and calculating percentages for more information.

Item Builds

Pure Attack Items

Curse of Death

Curse of Death Attack Damage +100

Life Steal +10% Soul Prison: On dealing damage, reduces target’s HP regeneration by 50% for 1.5 seconds. If this is triggered by normal attacks, the duration is extended to 3 seconds.

Curse of Death’s Unique Passive feels like a reminder to players to never blindly follow a preset item build: it’s extremely strong in very specific situations and nearly worthless in others. Against a Taara, for instance, constant auto-attacks could easily deny 3000+ HP of healing from Steeled Focus. Keep in mind that Soul Prison works against all regenerative effects, so if your marksman counterpart has been stacking life steal items (or if the tank has equipped Gaia’s Standard or Crimson Banner), Curse of Death can stop them in their tracks. Without a good reason to buy it, however, Curse of Death is a less effective, more expensive version of The Beast.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Equip when facing Taara, Peura, Lu Bu, Kil’groth, or another hero whose kit revolves around healing and self-sustain. Check to see if the enemy team has multiple heroes with the Heal talent or if they’ve been stacking items with regenerative effects. Though this item is generally for marksmen and assassins, it can be powerful when used by other classes as well (just check that your allies haven’t already equipped it).

Fafnir’s Talon

Fafnir’s Talon Attack Damage +60

Attack Speed +30%

Life Steal +10% Dragon’s Breath: Normal attacks deal additional damage equal to 8% of target’s current HP. SG Note 1: The additional damage is displayed separately and is reduced by armor

2: The target’s HP is calculated after the damage from your attack is dealt, which means the 8% isn’t doubled on a critical blow. Dragon’s Breath adds a maximum of 80 damage to minions and monsters.

Fafnir’s Talon is a decent attack damage item, thanks to the bonus attack damage, attack speed and life steal it gives its wielder. What separates Fafnir’s Talon from other offensive items, however, is its percentage-based damage, making it very effective against tanks or heroes who buy items that bolster their HP. Getting this item on your team’s marksman or offensive warrior will help take down the opposing team’s tanks easier. Just keep in mind that the 8% refers to the target’s current HP, so Fenrir’s Tooth may be necessary to counter the diminishing returns.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Get this item when facing tanky heroes who build HP items. These are typically Grakk, Taara, Chaugnar, Arthur, Thane, and the like. Have your marksman get Fafnir’s Talon so that they can shred the enemy tank’s HP from a safe distance. Likewise, melee heroes who have good attack speed can also increase their damage output with Fafnir’s Talon.

Abilities that enhance attacks like Violet’s Tactical Fire benefit from Fafnir’s Talon, as does Yorn’s passive ability (albeit just 70% of 8%).

Because Dragon’s Breath is affected by opposing armor, items that pierce armor will enhance Fafnir’s Talon’s effects.

Claves Sancti

Claves Sancti Attack Damage +90 Gift of the Swift: After dealing a critical hit, movement speed increases by 3 per hero’s level. Lasts for 1.5 seconds (only effective when using a ranged hero). Increase critical damage by 50%. Critical Chance +25%

Claves’ Sancti is a go-to item for marksmen. It is the only item in the game that boosts both attack damage and critical chance, two attributes that synergize extremely well with one another. Furthermore, both boosts are huge: +25% critical chance and +90 attack damage. It’s such a powerful combination that Claves’ Sancti’s critical chance was purposely made a unique passive so that players couldn’t buy multiple Claves’ Sancti to quickly stack it. Conversely, you can buy multiple Slikk’s Stings or Devil’s Handshakes if you just want to increase critical chance.

The increased movement speed is yet another bonus for marksmen, though the item is still worth picking up as a melee hero as well.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Marksmen and assassins in general benefit from equipping Claves Sancti, while heroes who have abilities that enhance normal attacks can find use for it as well. In particular, it’s a must have for Violet, who can double crit off of one tactical fire, and for Yorn, who has multiple crit opportunities with every burst shot.

Muramasa

Attack Damage +75

Cooldown Speed +10% Armor Pierce +45%

Muramasa is a situational attack item which is typically bought by marksmen and some warriors and assassins. It gives decent attack damage and cooldown speed, and its armor pierce, while strong, is best against heroes who stack armor items (read more about calculating pierce damage or how pierce percentages are calculated). Pay close attention to the enemy team and determine whether they are building mostly armor or HP items. This will help you figure out if getting is worth it, or you’re better off buying other attack items.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Marksmen and some melee heroes get this item to take care of tanks and support heroes who stack armor items.

The Beast

The Beast Attack Damage +100

Life Steal +25% (physical and magic) None

The Beast is a good second item for most marksmen, it giving a nice flat +100 attack damage and 25% life steal. This makes your normal attacks heal you, allowing you to live longer during skirmishes or clashes, while oftentimes eliminating the need to go back to your base to heal.

That said, The Beast becomes better after you’ve bought items that increase your attack speed and critical chance. Pairing The Beast with one or two attack speed and critical strike chance items bolsters your survivability as long as you tag opponents with normal attacks.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Heroes who have good attack speed will benefit further by getting The Beast, particularly marksmen. Kil’Groth and other warrior heroes who rely on normal attacks can also get this item, so that during clashes they can heal whatever HP they lose as they keep up their attack.

Slikk’s Sting

Slikk’s Sting Attack Speed +35%

Critical Chance +25%

Movement Speed +7% Blessing of the Wind: Increase own resistance by 35 for 2 seconds after a critical hit

Marksmen rely on getting attack speed items to press the attack against opponents. Slikk’s Sting provides this, as well as increased critical strike chance, movement speed, and bolstering the damage of critical strikes by 50%.

Pairing this item with Claves Sancti is a good idea, the items complement each other well, giving you massive critical chance and moderate attack speed, attack damage, and great movement speed.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Slikk’s Sting works best when equipped to marksmen, they benefiting the most from a high rate of fire. You can also try to use this on melee heroes who rely on dishing out punishment with their normal attacks like Kil’Groth, but typically, you’ll get this item for him during the latter stages of a match.

Fenrir’s Tooth

Fenrir’s Tooth Attack Damage +200 Fenrir’s Tooth: Increases all damage dealt with 30% when the target’s HP is below 50%. SG Note: Extra damage applies to towers

Fenrir’s Tooth is a great closing item for physical damage heroes. Fenrir’s Tooth gives the most bonus attack damage in the game at +200, doubling all those tied for second place. Moreover, its passive allows its user to mow down enemies who are low on health. Because heroes like Taara and Thane oftentimes thrive at low health, you can eliminate some of their greatest advantages before they have time to react.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Marksmen should purchase this as their last Tier 3 attack item due to its steep price, despite the great effect. Getting this item increases their firepower significantly and makes them much better at finishing enemies. Exceptions to this rule are heroes like The Joker, who are mostly concerned with attack damage because they want to maximize damage on their abilities.

Blitz Blade

Blitz Blade Attack Damage +50

Attack Speed +35%

Movement Speed +5% Chain Lightning: Every 4 seconds, the next normal attack triggers a chain lightning that deals 102 (+7 per level) magic damage (effect doubled for ranged heroes). Each normal attack reduces cooldown by 1 second on hit. SG Note: If the hero’s hands are glowing white, then the next attack will be enhanced by Chain Lightning.

The maximum number of targets damaged by one Chain Lightning is four.

Chain Lightning will bounce to the next target if it is within roughly 600 units.

The same Chain Lightning cannot damage the same target twice.

The version 16 change to Blitz Blade instantly made it a must-have for attack speed-based marksmen. Blitz Blade offers the highest attack speed boost of non-jungle items, a passive that adds significant additional magic damage on a very short cooldown, and decent auxiliary attack damage, life steal, and movement speed stats for the super cheap price of 1780 gold. Recommended Heroes and/or Situation: As it offers the cheapest power spike among attack items (arguably among all items), Blitz Blade should usually be built first. Valhein makes by far the best use of Blitz Blade, but other attack speed-focused marksmen like Slimz and Tel’Annas benefit a great deal as well.

Devil’s Handshake

Devil’s Handshake Attack Speed +30%

Critical Chance +20%

Movement Speed +5% Flame Wrath: Normal attacks increase attack speed by 10% for 2 seconds. Stacks up to 5 times.

Devil’s Handshake is similar to Slikk’s Sting in terms of stats. What sets the two apart is Devil’s Handshake’s effect, increasing the wielder’s attack speed up to five times each time they attack. This makes it a nice alternative, focusing more on ramping up your attack speed rather than the critical strike focus of Slikk’s Sting.

Pairing this with Slikk’s Sting or The Beast allows you to become a critical strike-inducing or life stealing machine, so long as you’re able to continually pepper opponents with normal attacks.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Marksmen benefit greatly from Devil’s Handshake since they benefit most from a high attack speed. Just like with Slikk’s Sting, some melee heroes like Zanis or Kil’Groth can get this item, but it is at the expense of defense, which they rely more heavily on than marksmen.

Rankbreaker

Rankbreaker Attack Damage +110 Windwalk: Increases movement speed by 10% after exiting battle. Break: Increases armor pierce by 100 (+10 per level).

By the time most heroes pick up Rankbreaker, the piercing effect should be around or above 200. This makes it a great item for melee heroes who can penetrate the opposing team’s front line to strike down their carries. Since most carries focus more on damage than armor, using Rankbreaker to blugeon them with normal attacks or physical abilities will cut right through their pedestrian armor and swiftly eliminate them as a result (read more about calculating pierce damage or how pierce percentages are calculated).

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Melee heroes like Ormarr, Wukong, and Lu Bu are effective users of Rankbreaker as their abilities scale with physical damage. The same goes for marksmen, but they will need proper positioning to fully take advantage of Rankbreaker’s passive when dealing with enemy carries. On the off chance that the opposing frontliners don’t buy much armor, you can purchase Rankbreaker to eliminate them quickly as well.

Bow of Slaughter

Bow of Slaughter Attack Damage +90

Life Steal +10%

Critical Chance +20% Bloodthirst: Increases Life Steal by 90% for 3 seconds. 60-second cooldown. Only usable by ranged heroes.

Bow of Slaughter, introduced in patch 14, is the first to offer both life steal and critical chance in the same item. It is also only the second item to increase critical chance while also providing an attack damage boost. Further, the Bloodthirst active is an incredible tool for marksmen – particularly immobile marksmen – to sustain themselves after getting jumped. In fact, it nearly eliminates the need for other life steal items like The Beast or Omni Arms, freeing up crit-building marksmen for items like Frost Cape, which provides utility and defense. Put it all together, and Bow of Slaughter is nearly a must-pick for marksmen utilizing a critical chance-based build.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Almost all in the marksman class who rely on their auto attacks will greatly benefit from this item. Marksmen without a built-in escape such as Yorn, Valhein, and Tel’Annas are easy choices for Bow of Slaughter since Bloodthirst can act as a panic button when jumped on. This is especially effective on heroes like Yorn, whocan hit multiple targets at once with hir normal attacks.

Bruisers can combine Bow of Slaughter with Slikk’s Sting for the life steal and resistance along with the substantial damage boost, even without Bloodthirst.

Attack and Defense Hybrids

Uriel’s Brand

Uriel’s Brand Attack Damage +100

Max HP +600 Magic Guardian: When hero’s HP falls below 40%, Uriel’s Brand grants +200 magic defense and summons a Shield that absorbs (500+hero’s level*100) magic damage for 5 seconds. 75-second cooldown.

Uriel’s Brand gives its wielder a nice shield that soaks up enemy magic damage. This is especially useful against enemy teams that predominantly deal magic damage. Uriel’s Brand’s attack stats are nothing to scoff at either – +100 attack damage and +600 max HP are two bonuses that warriors, assassins, and even marksmen can benefit heavily from.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Warriors, assassins, and marksmen should take this item when the enemy team has a strong mage like Raz, Zill, or Natalya. This will allow them to survive getting hit by the enemy’s combos and pokes throughout the game.

Death Sickle

Death Sickle Attack Damage +60

Cooldown Speed +5% Divine Intervention: Prevents damage from a potential killing blow, then increases movement speed by 20% for 1 second. 90-second cooldown. SG Note: The wielder is invulnerable for the length of the increased movement speed effect

Death Sickle is a great item for players who have a knack of getting quickly finished in team fights thanks to its unique passive, Divine Intervention. Having momentary invulnerability allows players to pick off essential targets, be they a highly-contested objective like the Abyssal Dragon or Dark Slayer or executing the enemy team’s carries. It can also be very useful for escaping fights at low health, the hero gaining a movement speed boost while they are invulnerable.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Since most assassins have to get into the thick of fights whenever they dive the enemy carries, having this item gives them some leeway in landing the killing blow on their intended targets before disengaging. This item is effective against heroes who deal burst damage like mages.

Another amusing late-game strategy is to equip Death Sickle while Ancestral Glory’s passive is on cooldown, switching between the two passives so that the player is able to withstand multiple killing blows.

Spear of Longinus

Spear of Longinus Attack Damage +80

Cooldown Speed +15%

Max HP +400 Shatter: Decreases target armor by 50 on hit for 5 seconds. Stacks up to 5 times. SG Note 1: any damage taken from any ability will trigger Shatter. For example, a single cast of Zephys‘ Death’s Flurry or Ormarr’s Walking Tall can trigger all five stacks. Abilities that enhance attacks, like Arthur’s Righteous Fervor, automatically stack twice.

2: Unlike Veera’s passive, the armor reduction is applied after damage calculation rather than before.

This item gives your beefy front liners the ability to weaken the opposing tanks while improving their own tankiness at the same time. Spear of Longinus’ wielder’s normal attacks and abilities remove enemies’ armor, effectively giving your entire team a pierce effect (read more about calculating pierce damage or how pierce percentages are calculated). Its high cooldown reduction also allows its wielder to cast their abilities more consistently.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Generally warriors and front liners who deal physical damage like Ormarr, Thane, and Arthur (surprisingly, we found in testing that Ormarr’s Unstoppable consistently removed 150 armor in one hit, though we’re not sure if that’s intended). An enemy can not go above five stacks of armor reduction, even if multiple heroes on the team use the item. As a result, check your teammates’ items before blindly purchasing the spear.

Omni Arms

Omni Arms Attack Damage +70

Attack Speed +15%

Life Steal +10%

Cooldown Speed +10%

Max HP +500 Pentapower: After using an ability, the next normal attack within 5 seconds deals 100% more physical damage. 2-second cooldown.

SG Note 1: Does not stack with Frost Power or Elemental Power.

2: There is a five-second window to activate Pentapower after using an ability, during which time the hero’s hands will glow red

3: The 2-second cooldown begins once an ability is used, so Pentapower can be activated twice in a row so long as 2 seconds passes between use of the first ability and the second attack

4: The second cast of abilities (eg Lu Bu‘s Red Stallion or Nakroth‘s Jury Fury) can activate Pentapower

5: Additional damage is not enhanced by other effects, like critical hits or Maloch’s Plunder

Omni Arms’s Pentapower empowers its wielder’s next normal attack after he or she casts an ability. This, along with its nice overall stat boosts, make for a solid Tier 3 Attack item for melee heroes and most marksmen who want to play aggressively while keeping their HP relatively high at the same time.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Omni Arms is a strong item to get for heroes who regularly use abilities before pelting their opponents with normal attacks. This includes marksmen like Yorn, Violet, and Valhein, as well as melee heroes like Zanis, Ormarr, and Zephys. The biggest downside of Omni Arms is that its passive can’t be combined with Frost Cape’s amazing passive.

Mail of Pain

Mail of Pain Armor +300

Max HP +1200 Riposte: 15% of the physical damage taken is deflected to the enemy as magic damage (calculation is based on damage before damage reduction).

This item is typically situational since its effectiveness depends on the enemy team composition. Its Riposte effect is a good deterrent when facing a team that deals mostly physical damage and moreso against heroes that rely on their basic attacks. Opposing marksmen and assassins need to be careful whenever they attack heroes equipped with Mail of Pain because having a portion of their damage redirected to them will do a lot to their limited HP pools.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Most tanks, warriors, and some support heroes can make good use of this item, especially when the enemy team is comprised mostly of attack damage heroes. It can additionally help counter particularly fed marksmen.

Hercules’ Madness

Hercules’ Madness Attack Damage +50

Armor +180

Magic Defense +150 Berserk: Increases attack damage by 40 and gains a shield for 8 seconds when HP is below 40%. 90-second cooldown. SG Note: Shield seems to be roughly 30% of current maximum HP

Hercules’ Madness is both an offensive and defensive item in one convenient package. It gives good attack damage, armor, and magic defense to bolster its user’s constitution. In addition, its Berserk passive gives its bearer even more survivability thanks to the massive shield it grants. The bonus attack damage is another great perk, especially for tank and warrior heroes whose abilities scale with physical damage.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Offensive tanks such as Taara, Arthur, and Thane, and warriors like Ormarr, Maloch, and Kil’Groth benefit the most from Hercules’ Madness. Since these heroes are generally tanky, Hercules’ Madness’ shield and attack damage bonus will further bolster their survivability and keep them fighting.

Be careful not to buy Hercules Madness when under 40% HP or needlessly drop below 40% due to minion/monster damage as the cooldown is fairly long.

Odin’s Will

Odin’s Will Armor +200

Max HP +1200 Adrenaline: Increases movement speed by 2% and deals 2% additional damage after taking damage. Stacks up to 5 times. SG Note: The hero glows red when Adrenaline is activated.

Heroes who have high HP can opt to get Odin’s Will to improve their damage whenever they lose HP. In terms of stats, Odin’s Will gives decent bonuses to attack damage and max HP. Its Adrenaline passive, however, is much more impressive. These boosts enable its wearer to easily stick to their targets while dealing large amounts of damage.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Taara benefits greatly from Odin’s Will, it synergizing well with her kit. Other offensive tanks and warriors who have high HP like Arthur, Maloch, Thane, and Xeniel can also use this to further increase their durability and damage during team fights.

Mantle of Ra

Mantle of Ra Attack Damage +80

Armor +330 Burn: Deals 100 (+4 per level) magic damage to nearby enemies every second.

(Bonus: Deals 100% bonus damage to minions and monsters) SG Note: “Nearby” = 150 units in this case

Mantle of Ra is good both offensively and defensively, granting both attack damage and armor. After obtaining Mantle of Ra, you’ll have a damaging aura good for pushing lanes or damaging heroes in tight team fights. The burn hits opponents every second so long as you’re able to stick close to them.

The biggest downside to Mantle of Ra is the lack of extra HP; if you equip it, make sure to eliminate your enemies before they eliminate you.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Heroes who need to stick close to enemies or stay in the thick of team fights like Mina, Arthur, Ormarr, and Maloch make good use of this item. It provides them both durability and damage, greatly increasing their presence in team fights.

Frost Cape

Frost Cape Cooldown Speed +10%

Armor +200

Max HP +800 Frost Power: After using an ability, the next normal attack reduces movement speed by 30% and deals 150 physical damage (20 additional damage for each level gained) to an area. 3-second cooldown. SG Note 1: Does not stack with Pentapower or Elemental Power.

2: There is a five-second window to activate Frost Power after using an ability, during which time the hero’s hands will glow blue

3: The 3-second cooldown begins once an ability is used, so Frost Power can be activated twice in a row so long as 3 seconds passes between use of the first ability and the second attack

4: The second cast of abilities (eg Lu Bu‘s Red Stallion or Nakroth‘s Jury Fury) can activate Frost Power.

Frost Cape is a premiere defensive item that also offers great offensive utility by empowering a normal attack to slow enemies. In terms of stats, Frost Cape provides cooldown reduction, armor and an HP boost. These give its wearer some tankiness, particularly against heroes who deal physical damage.

That said, you get Frost Cape for its Frost Power passive, letting you stick to your intended target whenever you tag them with a normal attack after casting an ability.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Most tanks can use this item as a follow up to their initiating abilities. Examples include Thane, Arthur, Taara, and Ormarr. It is one of the few defensive items – and the only one that boosts both HP and armor – to also boost CDR. Some marksmen like Violet can use Frost Cape to empower their normal attacks, allowing them to either chase or escape enemies more easily.

Basically, any hero that uses both abilities and auto attacks frequently can make good use of Frost Cape.

Hyoga’s Edge

Hyoga’s Edge Armor +100

Magic Defense +100

Max HP +1200 Biting Cold: Normal attacks increase the wearer’s movement speed by 10% and reduce target’s movement speed by 25% for 2 seconds.

Hyoga’s Edge is a good alternative to Frost Cape. It gives its user good overall defense with armor, magic defense, and HP bonuses. Furthermore, its Biting Cold passive empowers its user’s normal attacks by giving them an additional movement speed debuff on enemies hit while boosting the user’s speed. This allows heroes wielding the item to stick close to their targets as they attack.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Tanks like Taara and Chaugnar, or warriors and assassins who rely on normal attacks for damage like Zanis, Kil’Groth, and Arthur use the item well. Hyoga’s Edge’s overall defensive stats provide good coverage against most lineups. The biggest downside of Hyoga’s Edge in comparison to Frost Cape is the lack of CDR or any form of damage boost.



Pure Defense

Shield of the Lost

Shield of the Lost Armor +360

Max HP +1200 Spirit Bond: Reduces the attack speed of nearby enemies by 30% SG Note: “Nearby” = 200 units in this case

Shield of the Lost helps address enemy team compositions that focus on their normal attacks or marksmen whose overall damage output is getting out of hand. Stats-wise, it’s the premiere defensive item when it comes to stopping physical damage, but the Spirit Bond passive regrettably only extends to melee range. Knight’s Plate‘s passive is actually much better, which means you’re often better off just getting Knight’s Plate and starting work on another item rather than immediately building all the way to Shield of the Lost.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Tanks and warriors who can stick to their enemies should get this item to lower the opposing heroes’ attack speed. In addition, heroes who benefit from the extra stats (think Superman or Xeniel) can get Shield of the Lost; otherwise the passives from The Aegis and Mail of Pain are far superior.

Gaia’s Standard

Gaia’s Standard Magic Defense +240

Max HP +1200

Movement Speed +5% Regenerate: When taking damage, restores 8% HP over 2 seconds. 10-second cooldown.

Gaia’s Standard is one of two purely magic defense items. The item is well suited for when you know you will be in lane for a while and don’t want to go back to base much. You can intentionally take damage from minions or monsters to recover lost health, though this is more effective when your hero doesn’t require mana. It is also useful when you know that fights will drag on for a while and allow for Regenerate to trigger several times. Gaia’s Standard works particularly well against mages who prefer building tanky and spamming abilities.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Frontliners that thrive in long fights love Gaia’s Standard. Most tanks will want to purchase Gaia’s Standard, Medallion of Troy, or both in order to counter the enemy team’s magic damage.

Medallion of Troy

Medallion of Troy Cooldown Speed +10%

Magic Defense +360

Max HP +1000 Blessed: Gains a shield that absorbs 300 (+50 per level) magic damage every 18 seconds.

Medallion of Troy is a good alternative to Gaia’s Standard if you’re simply looking for as much magic defense possible. In addition to large amounts of magic defense, Blessed provides a 450 point shield from magic damage, making it extremely tough for mages to take you down. Just bear in mind that the shield won’t protect you from physical damage. This sounds like stating the obvious, but it’s easy to get used to the white shield indicator and assume it will protect you from that last bit of damage. The large HP and CDR boosts the item provides round the item out to be an excellent defensive pick.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Tanks, warriors, and assassins benefit can benefit more from Medallion of Troy than Gaia’s Standard, since the shield gives them some help whenever they dive into fights and rush toward their intended target.

Crimson Banner

(Patched out in Winter 2018 update)

Crimson Banner Armor +200

Max HP +1500 Bloody Battle: Restores 20% HP over 5 seconds after earning a kill or assist. 10-second cooldown.

Crimson Banner, with its armor and max HP buffs, is a rather situational defensive item. It is a good item for those who can quickly eliminate enemies like assassins – the 20% HP heal over 5 seconds after a kill or assist is rather nice, and the bonus armor covers damage from enemy marksmen and most assassins.

During team fights, Crimson Banner can save its wearer in a pinch via its heal, so long as he or she gets a kill or assist.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Assassins and offensive warriors like Airi, Zanis, Batman, and Zephys can grab this item, especially if the enemy team composition focuses on attack damage. Support heroes can also get this item to make them harder to kill, since assists will proc Crimson Banner’s HP replenishment as well. Finally, if you find yourself in need of as much HP as possible, Crimson Banner has the second highest boost in the game.

Ancestral Glory (Patched out in version 16)

Ancestral Glory Max HP +1000 Resurrect: Revives wearer 3 seconds after death with 40% HP. 3-minute cooldown.

Ancestral Glory is often picked up for its Resurrect passive. Heroes that can perform well with a low HP pool like Zephys or Butterfly can increase their presence in team fights with this item. Additionally, carry heroes can take this item if they are being focused by the opposing team in skirmishes or team fights. The Max HP boost is also a great addition to a hero’s survivability.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Carry heroes like Violet, Airi, and Murad benefit quite a bit from taking this item since they are often enemies’ priority target during team fights. Heroes with high life regeneration or heroes that do well at low life like Taara, Zephys, Lu Bu, and Butterfly also utilize Ancestral Glory well.

Amulet of Longevity

Amulet of Longevity Max HP +1800

HP Regen +50 / 5 sec Restores 2% of max HP and 1% of max mana every second after exiting combat. SG Note: “Healing” includes all regenerative effects, like life steal and the “Regenerate” unique passive.

Getting this item significantly boosts its user’s HP and health regeneration. This is particularly strong for tanks, as it will make them even harder to bring down. That said, once the opposing team notices that you’re building this item, they might counter it by purchasing Curse of Death, Fafnir’s Talon, or Tome of the Reaper.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Most tanks and support heroes can benefit from this item. This allows tanks to help their team by either soaking up more damage and providing a beefy front line, while fragile support heroes can get this item to make them more hefty and more able to take some punishment from opponents. Grakk and Xeniel, in particular, have traits that allow them to benefit from more than just the increased HP. Amulet of Longevity also synergizes with items like Gaia’s Standard and heroes like Peura.

Rock Shield

Rock Shield Armor +150

Magic Defense +150

HP +1000 Rock Shield: 3 seconds after activation, gain a shield equal to 30% of the damage taken within those 3 seconds (+12% of Max HP). The shield lasts for 3 seconds. The player’s damage output is reduced by 70% for 3 seconds after gaining the shield. Cooldown: 75 seconds

Rock Shield is the only item other than Hyoga’s Edge (though you could make an argument for Asterion’s Buckler) to provide armor, magic defense, and HP all in one package. The active is what makes this item valuable to meat-shield heroes, giving the wielder a massive shield if used adeptly.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Heroes that get into the thick of fights are the best suited to Rock Shield. For example, Mina’s ultimate taunts enemies around her. Having this item, along with the effect of this ultimate, will make her survive the initial fight. You can also get this if you are the team’s initiator. The shield will help you stay alive while asobing the initial burst of health after initiating.

Blade of Eternity

Blade of Eternity Armor +120 Fighting Spirit: Increase damage dealt by 10%

Nirvana: Resurrects wearer 2 seconds after death with 2000 + (hero level * 100) HP. This effect has a 150 second cooldown and can only be triggered twice in the same match. SG Note: Fighting Spirit works exactly as written: all damage of all types, including “additional damage” and item auras, is increased by 10%

120 armor surpasses 1000 HP in terms of Effective HP at 5000 HP, so Blade of Eternity compares favorably stats-wise with the item it replaced, Ancestral Glory. However, instead of receiving a percentage of maximum health upon revival, the hero receives 3500 at level 15. Comparing various heroes at level 15 shows that 3500 is more than half the HP of marksmen and mages but ends up being less than 30% for tanks and warriors who buy 3-4 HP-boosting items. Add to that the fact that Fighting Spirit significantly aids marksmen and mages alike, and it becomes clear that Blade of Eternity is clearly geared toward damage dealers rather than damage soakers – though clearly anyone can purchase it.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation: Marksmen and Mages will have a lot better time with this item than Ancestral Glory, as it boosts their damage while reviving them at a reasonable health total. Bruisers can also make decent use of the armor and damage, though tanks who play in a purely supportive role will likely want to stay away from Blade of Eternity, as the lack of stats and revival at tiny amounts of HP will be difficult to overcome. That said, heroes that thrive at low health can certainly take their chances with it, and either find a way to escape or continue to contribute to the fight after being resurrected. Good items to switch to during the 150-second cooldown or after both revivals have been exhausted are Hercules Madness for physical damage dealers and Rhea’s Blessing for mages.

Pure Ability Power

Staff of Nuul

Staff of Nuul Ability Power +180

Cooldown Speed +10% Magic Pierce +40%

Staff of Nuul is a somewhat situational item in that its percentage-based magic pierce is most useful when your opponent stacks multiple magic defense items which are relatively rare to begin with (read more about calculating pierce damage or how pierce percentages are calculated). Against opponents with low magic defense, it adds roughly the equivalent of 100 ability power, which you can potentially get with other items, and doesn’t compare with the effect of Soaring Aura when facing squishies. That said, sometimes it’s difficult to reach your opponent’s backline as a mage, so making sure you can damage the easy targets in the front makes sense.

The ability power it offers is decent, as is the cooldown speed, though CDR is a bit more common among magic items.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Slow mages who have a hard time getting to the opposing backline can play it safe and pick on frontliners with Staff of Nuul. It’s also obviously very useful against multiple tanks who stack magic defense items.

Virtue’s Necklace

Virtue’s Necklace Ability Power +160

Cooldown Speed +10%

Mana +30 / 5 sec Magic Pierce+75

For a while between the May and August patches, the only tier 3 raw magic pierce item was Soaring Aura, meaning many players would build into Spoopy Mask and only switch to something else at the end of the game. Virtue’s Necklace was also mostly a useless item, as The Aegis was almost always simply better if players needed 20% CDR. So they tweaked Virtue’s Necklace, giving it the magic pierce that was lacking in the game. Unfortunately, Virtue’s Necklace doesn’t have the raw ability power that Hecate’s Diadem once had, so you’ll have to start memorizing numbers if you want to know the best item to choose between it and Staff of Nuul (see below). Otherwise, trying to mix mana and magic pierce is not the greatest idea, as most supports don’t need magic pierce and most mages don’t need mana in the late game, when their mana and mana regen scaling far outweigh the mana cost of abilities.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation: A lot of the time, you’re better off with Staff of Nuul, Soaring Aura, or The Aegis. That said, if you’ve built Spoopy’s Mask and have invested into Enchanted Kicks as well, then Virtue’s Necklace’s magic pierce will be more effective than Staff of Nuul’s as long as the target has lower than 263 magic defense. If you have 10 Flurry and 10 Violate as well as Enchanted Kicks, then that number goes to 350.

Tome of the Reaper

Tome of the Reaper Ability Power +240

Max HP +500 Soul Prison: On dealing damage, reduces target’s HP regeneration by 50% for 1.5 seconds. If this is triggered by normal attacks, the duration is extended to 3 seconds.

Tome of the Reaper is a situational item, but definitely delivers during matches where you need it. It gives its user considerable ability power and moderate max HP as well as a unique passive in Soul Prison which reduces a target hero’s HP Regeneration by 50% whenever he or she is tagged with a normal attack or a damaging ability. This is extremely useful when the opposing team has good HP regeneration, or if their carry is running with lifesteal items like The Beast.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Get Tome of the Reaper when the enemy team has an exceptionally beefy front line that also has good health regeneration. It is particularly useful against Taara, greaty diminishing her ultimate. During team fights, damage them to hinder their ability to soak up damage for their team. Mages who have good area of effect abilities like Diao Chan, Azzen’ka and Natalya are good candidates to get this item for their team.

Boomstick

Boomstick Ability Power +240 Explosion: Ability hits trigger a small-area explosion that deals 50 (+50% ability power) magic damage. 5-second cooldown. SG Note: Explosions hit enemies roughly 200 units away. There is no explosion indicator, just the damage number that appears.

Boomstick is a magic item that significantly empowers its wielder’s ability power damage. It gives a large amount of ability power and its passive, Explosion, deals additional damage when abilities strike. This greatly increases the mage’s burst damage, making them extremely dangerous for squishy heroes.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Boomstick is a good item for mages whose abilities hit multiple times, like Veera does with her ultimate. Similar to Hecate’s Diadem, Boomstick’s effectiveness increases with more ability power, so make sure you build offensively when choosing Boomstick so that you make full use of its passive.

Hecate’s Diadem

Hecate’s Diadem Ability Power +240 Warlock: Ability Power +35%

Hecate’s Diadem is the premiere offensive magic item in Arena of Valor. Once you hit 500 ability power, Hecate’s Diadem offers more additional ability power than Holy of Holies. Despite its lack of other stats, the amount that it pumps upthe wearer’s ability power can make it exceptional.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

The damage potential that Hecate’s Diadem offers makes it an invaluable pick to nearly all offensive mages. Supports can benefit from it as well, the ability power making their heals and shields all the more effective.

Arctic Orb

Arctic Orb Ability Power +200 Impervious: Immune to all effects for 1.5 seconds. Unable to move, attack, or use abilities. Cooldown: 90 seconds

Arctic Orb will take the wearer out of combat for a period, forcing enemies to shift focus. This is especially useful in team fights, allowing the usero defend themselves when quickly focused.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

This is a great pickup when regularly focused and picked off at the very beginning of fights. Mages wielding Arctic Orb can join the initiation of fights without fear of immediate death rather than waiting to join with the back lines.

Ability and Defense Hybrids

Orb of the Magi

Orb of the Magi Ability Power +140

Cooldown Speed +10% Bide: Gains 12 ability power and 110 HP every 30 seconds. Stacks up to 10 times.

From the Ashes: When the hero gains a level, 20% of HP and mana are restored over 3 seconds.

One of the best HP items in the game after charging, Orb of the Magi grants bonus ability power and HP incrementally over the course of a match. This gives mages a bit of survivability and staying power in lane while still empowering their abilities. That said, some mages prioritize other immediately-effective items after gaining the From the Ashes passive from Phoenix Tear. If you’re using a mage and feel that your game will take longer than normal, it is wise to invest in Orb of the Magi early.

Though CDR is common among magic items, the CDR of Orb of the Magi is often forgotten when considering the upgrade from Phoenix Tear. Considering Magic Ring by itself costs 430 gold, it’s worth remembering.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Determine whether you’ll get Orb of the Magi on mages during the early game – the bonus Ability Power and HP this item gives allows them to endure some focus fire from enemies while increasing the damage of their abilities, especially as the game progresses. Take note of the composition of the enemy team so that you can either get Orb of the Magi early or other ability power items instead.

Rhea’s Blessing

Rhea’s Blessing Ability Power +140

Cooldown Speed +10% Life Shield: Gains a shield that absorbs 450 (+50 per level) (+40% ability power) damage when HP falls below 40%. The shield lasts 4 seconds and has a 75-second cooldown.

Magic Life Steal +25%

Rhea’s Blessing gives mages some additional ability to survive team fights, so long as they are able to keep hitting enemies with their abilities. This is the magic life steal the item provides, healing mages a percentage of the damage they deal to enemies. It also envelops its user with a shield that absorbs damage when his or her health drops below 40%. As such, having this item is essential if you’re getting focused down by the enemy team. As for stats, it gives decent ability power and cooldown reduction to boot.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Get Rhea’s Blessing for Raz, Gildur, and Zill as they need to get close to their targets as they fight. Other mages can also benefit from grabbing this as one of their defensive items, the shield able to save them in certain situations. Just keep in mind that both the shield and magic life steal increase as your ability power increases, so you’ll experience negative synergy if you build too defensively.

Frosty’s Revenge

Frosty’s Revenge Ability Power +140

Max HP +850

Movement Speed +5% Chill: Abilities that deal damage will also reduce enemy movement speed by 20% for 2 seconds.

Frosty’s Revenge is a good utility item for mages thanks to its Chill passive. This gives all of their damaging abilities a slowing effect. The 20% slow enables mages to line up their combos and more easily hit their intended targets. In addition, the slow effect stacks with ability effects, practically rooting heroes when used with abilities like Alice’s Hissy Fit or Azzen’Ka’s Sand Wraith. During team fights, Frosty’s Revenge is a great item to use to keep enemies from escaping. The stats that the item provides also give its user some durability against enemy mages.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

If you’re having a hard time hitting your opponent with your abilities or they are able to escape before you can finish them off, you can opt to get Frosty’s Revenge to help keep them in place and vulnerable to your assault. In particular, Frosty’s Revenge is a great item for heroes that can poke from afar (Krixi, Kahlii) or heroes with large AoE abilities (Alice, Azzen’Ka).

Berith’s Agony

Berith’s Agony Ability Power +140

Cooldown Speed +10%

Armor +225 Torture: Deals magic damage equal to 3% of the target’s current HP per second for 3 seconds (up to 80% against monsters)

Berith’s Agony is a good item for dealing with enemy teams that primarily deal physical damage. 270 armor is a ton – more than all but the most defensive of items. Decent ability power along with cooldown speed and a useful passive means you’re not sacrificing too much for the extra durability. In addition, since the Version 16 Update, Torture’s usefulness has been vastly upgraded, giving users a powerful poison-like effect on all abilities.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation: Berith’s Agony is nice when you’re having a tough time staying alive long enough to deal any damage. It’s a nice compromise between fully offensive items that leave you vulnerable, and fully defensive items that make you feel like you’re working with a nerf gun. Also, now that the effect has been buffed, Torture makes Berith’s Agony a reasonable purchase to combat health-stackers like Xeniel and Arum.

Soaring Aura

Soaring Aura Ability Power +140

Max HP +1050 Protection: Reduces magic defense of enemies within 800 units by 75(+5 per level).

Soaring Aura provides a whopping 150 AoE magic pierce, an effect that would be broken if it existed as armor pierce (read more about calculating pierce damage or how pierce percentages are calculated). To put it in perspective, enemy heroes that don’t buy magic defense items (like marksmen) have their magic defense reduced from 22% to 3% by Soaring Aura. 800 units is roughly the radius of Diao Chan’s ultimate, so the majority of abilities are within range, though Krixi’s first ability and Gildur’s second ability are decidedly not. The bonus HP stat is more than some defensive items, and allows its bearer to take some damage at close range.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

The magic pierce is very nice if you’re against squishies or players who have neglected magic defense. It goes without saying that if you have more than one mage or magic damage-dealing hero on your team, one of you should pick it up. Soaring Aura is much less useful for mages who typically poke from a distance, like the aforementioned Krixi and Gildur.

Holy of Holies

Holy of Holies Ability Power +400 Enlightenment: Increases maximum HP by 1400

Holy of Holies offers the largest flat ability power boost in Arena of Valor. Meanwhile, its HP boost is 3rd most in the game, only lagging behind Crimson Banner and Amulet of Longevity, two purely defensive items. That said, Holy of Holies is rather expensive and is usually among the last items a mage builds. If you’re looking for an item that bolsters both your defenses and ability strength at the same time, look no further than Holy of Holies.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Grakk, Gildur, and Xeniel are among the heroes that make the most out of this item. This is due to their role of absorbing some of the enemy’s damage in fights and their reliance on ability power for their damage. Holy of Holies is usually one of the last items a hero buys, the large ability power and HP boosts too good to pass up. This is especially true for the many mages who lack much in terms of HP. This will help them soak up some damage so they can dish out their own or run away.

The Aegis

The Aegis Cooldown Speed +20%

Max Mana +400

Armor +360 Spirit Bond: When taking damage, reduces the attacker’s attack speed by 30% and movement speed by 15% for 3 seconds.

The Aegis has the best defensive passive in the game, bar none. Any damage that comes your way will leave the attacker sputtering along for three seconds, and attacking much more slowly. In fact, the extra utility provided from the superior passive will often provide the hero more survivability than Shield of the Lost‘s extra 1200 HP does. The 20% cooldown reduction is also massive, solving most heroes’ cooldown issues in one item. Add in the fact that 360 armor is tied for most in the game, and it’s no wonder The Aegis is very commonly picked. The 400 mana is a nice little bonus for heroes that have mana issues (typically The Aegis is built as the third item, and heroes can opt for Lapis Ring over Light Armor when building to it), but you can pick up The Aegis on heroes who don’t even have a mana bar.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

As long as the hero’s kit doesn’t rely on building HP, The Aegis is one of the best possible defensive items, as well as a good choice for heroes needing CDR. Tanks and Mage-Assassin hybrids are the most common users of The Aegis.

Ability Power and Attack Damage Hybrids

Zweihander

Zweihander Ability Power +180

Max Mana +400

Movement Speed +8% Rapid Blade: Normal attack hits increase attack speed by 50% for 4 seconds. 10-second cooldown.

The Light: Normal attacks gain additional magic damage equal to 20% of the hero’s ability power.

Zweihander is a unique item that allows mages to deal some decent damage with their normal attacks. In terms of stats, Zweihander grants decent ability power, mana, and movement speed. However, its two passives, Rapid Blade and The Light, are the real reason mages want this item. The two synergize well together, Rapid Blade giving bonus attack speed each time the user attacks, while The Light buffs normal attacks with 20% of the hero’s ability power as additional damage. Since every mage will have been bolstering their ability power, a single Zweihander-empowered normal attack can pack a lot of punch.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Kahlii and Preyta are prime candidates for this item. The Rapid Blade effect makes the most out of Kahlii’s Damnation passive and Preyta’s Disciple of the Plague ability by empowering their normal attacks. Other magic auto attackers could find this item quite useful as well.

Fun fact: Zweihander boosts base movement speed the most in the game outside of movement items (plus it’s not a unique passive), so look no further if you want to troll your opponents and allies by hitting the maximum movement speed.

Apocalypse

Apocalypse Ability Power +200

Cooldown Speed +10% Elemental Power: After using an ability, the next normal attack deals additional magic damage equal to 30% of attack damage (+80% ability power). 2-second cooldown. SG Note 1: Does not stack with Frost Power or Pentapower.

2: There is a five-second window to activate Elemental Power after using an ability, during which time the hero’s hands will glow purple

3: The 2-second cooldown begins once an ability is used, so Elemental Power can be activated twice in a row so long as 2 seconds passes between use of the first ability and the second attack

4: The second cast of abilities (eg Lu Bu‘s Red Stallion or Nakroth‘s Jury Fury) can activate Elemental Power

Apocalypse is a good magic and physical damage fusion item for mages who want to have a bit more burst damage potential. It gives a considerable amount of ability power and some decent cooldown speed, making abilities hit harder and allowing them to be cast at a quicker rate. In addition, its Elemental Power passive gives its user’s normal attack some added potency after he or she casts an ability, further empowering their burst damage.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Raz, Zill, and Grakk benefit from this item quite a bit. Being mage assassins, Raz and Zill need the burst damage whenever they approach their target in order to quickly execute them. Apocalypse helps them with this by empowering an attack with extra magic damage. This can make their combos especially dangerous for squishy heroes.

Grakk’s unique kit makes him dish out burst damage to a single target thanks to his Devil’s Chain ability. Equipping him with Apocalypse allows him to deal some heavy additional damage to whomever he snags with his hook.

Defense and Support Hybrid

Asterion’s Buckler (Patched out in version 16)

Asterion’s Buckler Max HP +1000

HP +60 / 5 sec War Cry: Increases damage dealt and damage reduction of nearby friendly units by 5% and 10%, respectively. SG Note: Getting within 200 units of an ally will trigger War Cry for 2-3 seconds

Asterion’s Buckler is a unique item intended more toward assisting the wearer’s team than the wearer themselves. While the wielder will benefit from the aura it provides, there are numerous other items that give stronger effects that Asterion’s Buckler. That said, the aura it gives the team can greatly enhance their power in team fights and give your team a solid edge in the match.

Update: Upon testing, we found that you have to get very close to allies (nearly melee range) to proc War Cry, but once you do, it applies to that ally for 2-3 seconds. Therefore, you should jump to an ally that’s being attacked for a moment before getting away, particularly if you’re playing a squishy support like Peura.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Supports and tanks would do best with this item, they needing to stay near teammates and benefitting the most from the stats it provides. If a tank holds it, the team’s front line will grow much solider. Conversely, in the hands of a support, Asterion’s Buckler can harden the team’s squishier heroes as it improves the damage they deal.

Movement

Sonic Boots

Sonic Boots Armor +110 Movement Speed +60

Reduces normal attack damage taken by 15%.

Sonic Boots is a situational upgrade that addresses enemies who deal physical damage. This includes marksmen, assassins, warriors and several tanks. Its bonus movement speed, armor, and normal attack damage reduction are good coverage against these heroes, especially for squishy heroes like mages and marksmen.

Warriors and tanks can also get Sonic Boots to soak physical damage whenever they clash with the enemy front liners. Most front liners’ abilities scale with physical damage.

The damage reduction Sonic Boots offers additional effects any attack-enhancing items or abilities. This includes items like Omni Arms and Zweihander, or abilities like Kahlii’s passive or Zanis’ ultimate.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Get these boots if the opposing team is comprised mostly of physical attack damage dealing heroes. Its armor and damage reduction can help you take some punishment from enemies.

Gilded Greaves

Gilded Greaves Magic Defense +110 Movement Speed +60

Resistance +35%

Arguably the best upgrade for boots in the game, Gilded Greaves gives its wearer magic defense, movement speed and resistance. On the surface, these allow the wearer some added protection from magic damage abilities. That said, its 35% resistance is what separates it from the other boots upgrades. Resistance decreases the duration of control abilities. For example, if you were to be hit by an ability that would typically stun for 1 second, Gilded Greaves would reduce the stun’s duration to 0.65 seconds. This is especially useful in team fights, helping prevent heroes from getting locked down by control effects.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Most heroes can get this item, since the resistance is too good to pass up. That said, the usefulness it provides to your hero will depend on your playstyle. Gilded Greaves is a defensive boots upgrade, so if you’d rather play more offensively, you can get the War Boots or Enchanted Kicks to increase your damage output.

Flashy Boots

Flashy Boots Cooldown Speed +15% Movement Speed +60

Flashy Boots increases its wearer’s utility, raising their cooldown speed and thereby allowing them to cast their abilities in a more consistent manner. Typically, support and some mage heroes get this item so that they can quickly spam their abilities.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Get Flashy Boots if you’re playing a support or mage who needs to regularly spam abilities. This boots upgrade will enable you to cast your offensive or supportive abilities more frequently, which can be crucial during team fights. Keep in mind, however, that many magic items already have CDR, for which there is a cap at 40%.

Enchanted Kicks

Enchanted Kicks None Movement Speed +60

Magic Pierce +75 SG Note: Magic Pierce stacks with Hecate’s Diadem

Enchanted Kicks are the go-to boots for mages due to the ability power and magic pierce they provide. Magic pierce allows mages’ abilities to ignore a portion of the target’s magic defense to deal even more damage (read more about calculating pierce damage or how pierce percentages are calculated).

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

If you have a tanky front line, or your support is already keeping you alive during team fights, you can opt to get Enchanted Kicks. This will help you deal more damage to opponents and thereby help plow through them more quickly.

War Boots

War Boots Attack Speed +25% Movement Speed +60

Similar to how Enchanted Kicks suit mages, War Boots are the go-to boots upgrade for marksmen due to the attack speed they provide. Marksmen rely on pelting enemies with normal attacks quickly and War Boots aids to that end.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Marksmen usually get this boots upgrade to help raise their normal attack rate and overall damage against opponents.

Hermes’ Select

Hermes’ Select None Swift: Increases movement speed by 60 after exiting battle. Movement Speed +60

Hermes’ Select is another utility-based boots upgrade. Its Swift passive gives the wearer high mobility outside of battle, which is essential if you’re going to gank lanes, secure objectives or rush in to save a teammate with a well-timed ability. If you’re confident with your map awareness, you can choose this upgrade to increase your lane pressure and ganking ability.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Hermes’ Select is best on jungling and support heroes. This allows them to zip about the map to assist with various objectives throughout the game.

Jungling

Loki’s Curse

Loki’s Curse Ability Power +120

Cooldown Speed +10%

Grants Frostbite talent Curse Power: After using an ability, the next normal attack deals additional damage equal to 35% attack damage (+45% ability power). 2-second cooldown. SG Note 1: There is a five-second window to activate Curse Power after using an ability, during which time the hero’s hands will glow blue

2: The 2-second cooldown begins once an ability is used, so Curse Power can be activated twice in a row so long as 2 seconds passes between use of the first ability and the second attack

4: The second cast of abilities (eg Lu Bu‘s Red Stallion or Nakroth‘s Jury Fury) can activate Curse Power

Hunter: Deals 90(+5 per level) magic damage to nearby enemies every second. Deals 100% bonus damage to minions and monsters.

Seek and Destroy: Gains 8 ability power and 30 mana for every monster killed. Stacks up to 15 times

Loki’s Curse is the premiere ability power jungling item in Area of Valor. It allows mages to clear out jungle minions and secure objectives like the Dark Slayer and Abyssal Dragon with the Frostbite Talent. Frostbite can also be used on enemy heroes to slow them down. You can then follow up by putting a hurt on them with your normal attacks and abilities.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Raz and Zill are prime candidates for this item if they choose to Jungle. Its Curse Power and Destroy passives increase their damage output, making them both amazing at bursting down enemy heroes.

Leviathan

Leviathan Armor +100

Max HP +750

Grants Frostbite talent Flame Magic: Deals 90(+5 per level) magic damage to nearby enemies every second.

Hunter: Deals 30% extra damage to monsters and receives 35% more experience from killing monsters.

Wild: Increases maximum HP by 70 for every monster killed. Stacks up to 15 times. SG Note: Flame Magic has a range of roughly 150 units

Leviathan is the primary jungling item for warriors and tanks. It increases the holder’s max HP as well as the Frostbite talent which helps secure vital jungle monsters like the Abyssal Dragon and Dark Slayer.

Leviathan is primarily a defensive jungle item, its Flame Magic and Wild passives attesting to this. The former gives you an aura that damages surrounding enemies, while the latter grants you more HP up to fifteen times whenever you kill a monster. This is a very useful source of some durability for whenever you engage in team fights.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Warriors like Kil’Groth, Zanis, Zephys, and Lu Bu can get this item to help beef them up for team fights. The Flame Magic passive also helps them clear the jungle monsters and increases their presence in fights.

Soulreaver

Soulreaver Attack Damage +60

Cooldown Speed +15%

Life Steal +6%

Grants Frostbite talent Hunter: Deals 30% extra damage to monsters and receives 35% more experience from killing monsters.

Wild: Increases attack damage by 3 for every monster killed. Stacks up to 15 times.Next ability or normal attack on a hero deals an additional (300 +20 per level) magic damage, and damage output is increased by 7% for 3 seconds (melee combat only) (30 second cooldown)Soul Taker: Next ability or normal attack on a hero deals an additional (300 +20 per level) magic damage*, and damage output is increased by 7% for 3 seconds (melee combat only) (30 second cooldown). *Upon testing, the increased AD doesn’t apply to the ability/attack that triggers the effect

Soulreaver is the jungle item of choice for physical damage-dealers who need the extra AD to pump up their abilities. Compared with Scorching Wind, which provides life steal and extreme attack speed, Soulreaver pumps up attack damage the 2nd most in the game behind Fenrir’s Tooth, while also providing a juicy 15% CDR.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Ability-focused damage dealing assassins like Butterfly or Batman benefit heavily from the attack damage and cooldown reduction. The same goes for poking marksmen like Violet and The Joker (who can still go to the mid-lane and utilize Soulreaver effectively).

Scorching Wind

Scorching Wind Attack Damage +15

Attack Speed +20%

Life Steal +10%

Grants Frostbite talent Fire Storm: Normal attacks place a mark on the target, dealing 15 additional magic damage each stack (+1 per 3 levels), up to 6 stacks.

Hunter: Deals 30% extra damage to monsters and receives 35% more experience from killing monsters, killing monsters increases its attack speed by 2%, up to 15 stacks. SG Note: Only one support item is allowed per team. Wind Shield can be cast on self. Range: 900 units

Scorching Wind is an essential item for jungle heroes who heavily rely on their auto attacks. This jungle item provides attack speed, lifesteal, and damage which can help squishier heroes in surviving team fights and clearing jungle camps. The Fire Storm passive also gives its wielder greater offensive presence and kill potential.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation:

Heroes like Fennik, Slimz, and Lindis may benefit a lot from this item. Do take note that these heroes have a form of steroid when attacking one target, so stacking their passive with the passive of Scorching Wind can open opportunities for an easy kill.

Building this item on melee heroes like Zanis or Kil’Groth may also work, though it will make them squishier compared to going for the Leviathan path.

Support

Essence of the Wind

Essence of the Wind Armor +250

Health +600

Movement Speed +5%

HP per Second +40

Mana per Second +15 Wage: Gain 5 gold and experience every 3 seconds if your gold or experience is the lowest on the team.

Distinction: Gain 30% more gold and experience after a kill or assist

Provide nearby hero with the lowest HP a (800 + Hero Level x 80) point shield and 30% movement speed boost for 3 seconds. 45 second cooldown

Essence of the Wind provides a healthy amount of defense (pun intended) for its cost, significantly beefing up its user before even getting to the three unique effects. As with the other wind items, the ability to play purely as a roaming support and keep up in gold is a huge plus. Wind Shield seems like a fantastic active ability at first, offering a sizable shield and speed boost at a reasonable cooldown. However, the fact that the shield automatically goes to the hero with the lowest HP makes it a bit unwieldy. Oftentimes, you’ll want to put it on the hero initiating the fight, only to find it sent to a damage dealer who’s not in any real danger. That said, it’s great for chaotic fights, when everyone’s mashing buttons – with damage flying everywhere, the shield is bound to help someone. Another decent time to use it is when there aren’t any allies around other than the one you’re trying to save, meaning the shield will find the correct target.

Recommended Heroes and/or Situation: Wind items are to be taken over water items when your hero is heavily focused on roaming: gaining vision of the enemy for your team while setting up ganks. Wage helps gain back some of the gold and experience lost by roaming, while Distinction rewards successful ganks. Essence of the Wind should be taken over Ring of the Fiend when playing a more conservative style, as the significant defensive stats will keep you alive during fights, and Wind Shield could help you or an ally either escape or continue the fight. Ring of the Fiend Ring of the Fiend Ability Power +90

Cooldown Speed +15%

Movement Speed +5%

Mana per Second +30 Wage: Gain 5 gold and experience every 3 seconds if your gold or experience is the lowest on the team.

Distinction: Gain 30% more gold and experience after a kill or assist

Eye of the Fiend: Gain vision of the nearest enemy for 4 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds. SG Note: Only one support item is allowed per team. Range 1200 units Ring of the Fiend is less of a support item and more of a standalone item, its heavy stat package offering a gold efficiency nearing 100% before even considering any of its three unique effects. In fact, even non-supports (who happen to deal magic damage) could make good use of this item as a comeback tool if they have a particularly rough early game (assuming no one else on the team has taken a support item). That said, Eye of the Fiend is a fantastic support tool, granting all-important vision on a relatively short cooldown. Recommended Heroes and/or Situation: Wind items are to be taken over water items when your hero is heavily focused on roaming: gaining vision of the enemy for your team while setting up ganks. Wage helps gain back some of the gold and experience lost by roaming, while Distinction rewards successful ganks. Ring of the Fiend is for the ultra-aggressive support, offering the ability power, cooldown speed, movement speed, and vision to hunt down unsuspecting enemies as you roam the map looking for blood. Tidecaller’s Mark Tidecaller’s Mark Armor +200

Health +600 Devotion: Gain a stack of Dedication Buff every 30 seconds. Stacks up to 2 times. If a unit dies within 800 units, consume a stack of Dedication Buff to grant the nearest ally 15 extra gold and 40 experience.

Tidal Force: You and nearby friendly heroes (within 600 units) receive 20 (+1 per level) HP and 10 (+1 per 2 levels) mana per second.

Tidecaller: Increase damage of nearby allies by 5% and damage reduction by 10%. SG Note: Only one support item is allowed per team. Getting within 200 units of an ally will trigger Tidecaller for 2-3 seconds Of the two tier 3 “water” items, Tidecaller’s Mark is the more consistently effective, as simply sticking to your allies will proc Tidecaller, while Purification requires a high skill floor and can only be used every 90 seconds. That said, you’re giving up quite a bit of CDR for increased defense on yourself. If CDR is important but you insist on Tidecaller’s Mark, then getting The Aegis could recover some of the lost CDR. Recommended Heroes and/or Situation: Water items are to be taken over wind items when your priority is protecting your damage dealer(s) at all costs. Devotion mitigates some of the gold lost by your ally when they have to share bounties with you, and Tidal Force will keep nearby allies topped off, reducing the need to teleport back to base. The Tidecaller passive allows you to provide a service to your team just by existing near your allies. Add in the heavy defensive stats and lack of CDR, and it’s clear that supports choosing Tidecaller’s Mark over Purifying Bracers should be heroes who are durable but don’t rely as much on their abilities to be effective. Purifying Bracers Purifying Bracers HP +500

Cooldown Speed +15% Devotion: Gain a stack of Devotion Buff every 30 seconds. Stacks up to 2 times. If a unit dies within 800 units, consume a stack of Devotion and grant the nearest ally 15 extra gold and 40 experience.

Tidal Force: You and nearby friendly heroes (within 600 units) receive 20 (+1 per level) HP and 10 (+1 per 2 levels) mana per second.

Purification: Immediately remove any control effects from a nearby allied hero, and restore 160 + (level x 30) HP and increase their movement speed by 20% for 1 second. The affected hero is immune to slows for the next 2 seconds. 90 second cooldown. SG Note: Only one support item is allowed per team Players cannot have more than one unique active available Range: 600 units Choosing Purifying Bracers over fellow “water” support item Tidecaller’s Mark means giving up a lot of defensive stats in exchange for a hefty amount of cooldown reduction and an extremely powerful “panic button” in Purification that can single-handedly save an otherwise doomed ally. The massive 90-second cooldown is a significant drawback, however. Recommended Heroes and/or Situation: Water items are to be taken over wind items when your priority is protecting your damage dealer(s) at all costs. Devotion mitigates some of the gold lost by your ally when they have to share bounties with you, and Tidal Force will keep nearby allies topped off, reducing the need to teleport back to base. Purifying Bracers in particular is great for supporting a fragile damage dealer, as the CDR will keep your CC abilities off cooldown and Purification will save them from even the most sticky of situations. That said, you’ll be giving up a lot of defense by foregoing Tidecaller’s Mark, so we recommend Purifying Bracers for very skilled support players who can make the most out of Purification. Also, support players who need lots of CDR can approach the cap with just Purifying Bracers and The Aegis, focusing the rest of their build on utility or hefty defense.

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