An Extensive Guide on Learning Hecarim
An Extensive Guide on Learning Hecarim:
Get ready to conquer the opposition with Hecarim!
Summoner Spells/Runes:
For summoner spells, you will be taking either ignite or ghost. When you need to stop an opponents healing (ex: Mundo, Soraka, Fiora, etc.) ignite is a must. If you’re not in need of ignite’s healing reduction, then ghost should be your priority.
Conqueror vs. Predator is a debate that many Hecarim players used to struggle with. Although predator is a fair choice, it’s now common knowledge that conqueror is superior. This is due not only to the extra AD you’ll receive, but also from the insane healing that conqueror provides. That being said, your primary runes should be as follows: Conqueror, Triumph, Tenacity, and Coup De Grace.
Your secondary runes I’ve broken it down into two situations for you. You can go for the inspiration tree when you’re taking ignite and run Magical Footwear and Cosmic Insight. If you decide to run a ghost, you should go for the sorcery tree and take Celerity and Waterwalking. These runes will give you the most optimal results that you’re so desperately searching for!
Build:
Before we even get into any gameplay tips and tricks, we should make sure you have the correct items to set you up for success!
To keep your choice of boots simple, if the opposing composition is mainly AD/Auto-attack based, go Ninja Tabi’s. If the enemy team has mostly AP damage and a lot of CC lockdown, go Mercury’s Treads.
Summoners often question which smite item is best for our pony, Hecarim. In a brief answer, take warrior 90% of the time, especially when you’re ahead. Only result to cinderhulk when your team needs a tank and you are significantly behind the enemy jungler/the enemy team. Blue smite will serve you well in most scenarios, as using it will steal 20% movement speed from the enemy. This smite will not only slow down your opponent, but also stacks well with Hecarim’s passive which allows him to gain AD equal to a percentage of his movement speed.
Past the jungle item, your core items are going to be Tri-Force and Sterak’s Gauge. These items are going to be your main power spikes, so look to make plays once you’ve completed them. To round-out your build, you can finish with any two of the following: Spirit Visage, Thornmail, Deadman’s Plate, Guardian Angel, Randuin’s Omen, or Youmuu’s Ghostblade. Spirit Visage will be your best option into AP heavy teams. Thornmail will do well if you want to stop an AD heavy comp that specifically involves a lot of healing. Randuin’s Omen will serve best into Crit-Heavy comps. Deadman’s and Guardian Angel do well into AD comps (non-healing), and both will give you a damage increase compared to Thornmail or Randuin’s Omen. Use your best judgement and with time, you will be able to use these items in different situations
Gameplay/Mechanics:
Even though I’ve set you up for success with flawless rune choices and the perfect build, you’ll still need to understand how to use Hecarim to his full potential.
To start, get used to smashing Q until your pinky is sore because you need to abuse Hecarim’s low cooldown on his Q. You also need to realize that almost all of Hecarim’s outplay potential stems from his W. Although this spell won’t do shattering amounts of damage, it WILL heal you.. like.. a lot. You’ll feel like Wolverine. To get the full use of Hecarim’s W, make sure you do not cast it when you’re full health. The best time to use the pony’s W is when you’re in the middle of a team fight, as it will AOE heal for a portion of the damage that the enemies take from ANY source!
Ganking efficiently on pre-6 Hecarim is as simple as getting behind your opponent, activating your E, and pushing them towards your team. Upon reaching level 6, your main combo for ganking will be to activate your E as you run at your opponent, R behind them so they’re feared backwards, and then finish your E pushing them even closer to your allies.
In team fights, Hecarim can shine big time if he’s played correctly. Similar to your post-6 ganking routine, your objective should be to R behind a carry and E them towards your teammates. The main difference is that you also should be on the look-out for when the enemy team is all grouped in a tight space together, as you can then spam your ultimate on top of them. Your ult’s fear duration is extended based on your distance traveled, so get a huge fear onto the enemy team in the middle of a team fight if you’re able to.
Written by: Drake (Kross) Farster for DOJO Digital, a Bristol Digital Marketing Agency
