The pre-game lobby in League of Legends can be pretty overwhelming, especially if you’re a newbie. With so many icons and features, most players struggle to determine what is required of them. Perhaps the most convoluted part of the menu is runes, which play a significant part in your champion customization.

At first glance, runes might seem like enhancers that provide minor stat boosts. However, there’s so much more to them as they can completely change your in-game strategy. For example, based on your selection of runes, you might already know which role you wish to perform. Although there’s some room for in-game adjustment, you’ll likely be stuck with what you’ve chosen.

In this article, we’ll explain the system and its benefits to you. On top of that, we’ll share a few strong strategies that will help you maximize the runes’ efficiency.

What Are Runes?

Runes are a pre-game customization system that grants your champion unique abilities and statistical advantages. They are organized into five distinct categories, each one focusing on a specific role.

First, you need to choose your primary path with three lesser runes. After that, you select your secondary path that gives you access to two additional lesser rune bonuses. The final part of the selection process involves stat shards, which enhance attributes such as armor and attack speed.

Runes are available to all players from the very start. You can experiment with different builds until you find the one that suits you the best.

Understanding Different Rune Paths

Each rune path allows you to specialize in a certain role or tactic. For example, some of them enhance your AD, while others increase shielding. Generally speaking, players always use rune paths that are suitable for their mains or roles.

1. Precision

The precision path is ideal for champions who rack up a high number of kills during the game. It allows you to better scale attack damage over time, while achieving higher sustainability. Precision is optimal for marksmen and duelists who deal high-damage auto-attacks.

Playstyle: Sustained damage, attack speed, and in-combat survivability.
Best For: ADCs and Fighters
Keystone Runes:
- Press the Attack: Three consecutive attacks on a champion leave them vulnerable, taking increased damage from all sources.
- Lethal Tempo: Provides a massive surge of attack speed after damaging a champion, making it optimal for champions with attack procs.
- Fleet Footwork: Grants a combination of self-healing and a burst of speed. The keystone rune is optimal for prolonged fights.
- Conqueror: Increases your AP or AD with subsequent attacks, while also healing the champion at maximum stacks.

2. Domination

Domination is much better suited for stealthy characters, making it an excellent choice for assassins who scale with attack speed and damage. Domination increases your burst damage and ensures you deal swifter, deadlier initial strikes.

Playstyle: High-impact burst damage and aggressive roaming.
Best For: Assassins, Burst Mages, Aggressive Junglers
Keystone Runes:
- Electrocute: Bonus lighting damage after a three-hit combo. Great for swiftly disposing of enemies.
- Dark Harvest: Deal extra damage against champions below 50% health. Collects souls to permanently increase your damage.
- Hail of Blades: Increases your attack speed for the first three attacks. Excellent choice for champions that want to get damage out quickly.

3. Sorcery

Sorcery is always a good choice for casters, as it enhances spells with additional damage, while also providing utility and resource management bonuses. Besides burst damage champions, it works really well for support.

Playstyle: Empowered abilities, resource management, and poke damage.
Best For: Control Mages, Enchanters
Keystone Runes:
- Summon Aery: Your attacks and abilities send a pixie to damage foes or shield allies. The keystone rune is quite versatile and can be utilized in various situations.
- Arcane Comet: Hurls a damaging comet at your opponent after landing a spell. A fantastic choice for increasing your overall spell damage and gaining an additional source of damage.
- Phase Rush: Combining three damaging actions against an enemy champion provides a burst of movement speed.

4. Resolve

The Resolve path is best-suited for tanks, but just about any champion can benefit from these runes. Besides increasing your durability, it helps you against crowd control and various other negative effects.

Playstyle: Maximum durability, crowd control, and team protection.
Best For: Tanks, Engage Supports
Keystone Runes:
- Grasp of the Undying: Every few seconds while in combat, your next attack deals bonus magic damage, heals you, and permanently increases your health.
- Aftershock: After immobilizing an enemy, you gain a massive increase in armor and magic resist. The effect is followed by a damaging shockwave.
- Guardian: Protects nearby allies you target with spells, granting both of you a shield. An excellent choice for supports who prioritize survivability.

5. Inspiration

Inspiration gives you a little bit of everything. It is great as a secondary choice, after selecting the first rune pathway. While Inspiration doesn’t specialize in anything, it does provide some extra gold, crowd control, and adaptability. So, if you’re lacking in any of these areas, you might consider this choice.

Playstyle: Utility and gold
Best For: Utility Supports, specific niche champions, or anyone looking to experiment.
Keystone Runes:
- Glacial Augment: Your immobilizing effects also create icy zones that slow enemies. It is a powerful tool for controlling teamfights.
- Unsealed Spellbook: Allows you to swap one of your summoner spells for a new one throughout the game. This is a great choice if you need to adapt to a specific in-game situation.
- First Strike: Hitting an enemy first grants you bonus gold and a brief damage amp. The keystone is perfect for aggressive players.

Choosing Your Path

Rune Path	Core Identity	Ideal Champion Archetypes
Precision	Sustained Damage & Dueling	Marksmen (ADCs), Fighters, Skirmishers
Domination	Burst Damage & Assassination	Assassins, Burst Mages, Roaming Junglers
Sorcery	Empowered Spells & Utility	Control Mages, Poke Champions, Enchanters
Resolve	Durability & Crowd Control	Tanks, Wardens, Engage Supports
Inspiration	Creative Tools & Rule-Bending	Utility Supports, Niche Strategists

Building Your First Rune Page: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to craft your own? The process is more intuitive than it appears.

Select Your Primary Path: This is the foundation. Choose the path that best defines your champion’s core identity (e.g., Precision for an ADC).
Choose Your Keystone: Pick the keystone that aligns with your intended game plan (e.g., Lethal Tempo for a high-attack-speed build).
Fill the Primary Slots: Select three lesser runes from the same path. We recommend that you choose the ones that offer the most synergy with other runes and your champion.
Select Your Secondary Path: Choose a second path to complement your primary choice. Here, you get much more flexibility for experimenting.
Pick Two Secondary Runes: You’ll select two lesser runes from this secondary path.
Fine-Tune with Stat Shards: At the bottom, you have three shard slots. These offer small, flat stats. A typical setup is one for speed/damage, one for adaptive force, and one for defense (armor or magic resist).
Name and Save: Give your rune selection a name to differentiate it from other choices.

Matching Runes to Your Role

While you can experiment as much as you’d like, some pairings simply work better than others. So, if you’re looking to win as many games as possible, here are a few of our suggestions:

ADCs: Most players start with the Precision path as it offers the best sustained damage.
Mages & AP Assassins: These characters should prioritize Domination for burst or Sorcery for control and poke.
Tanks & Engage Supports: The best choice for tanks is Resolve tree, often adding Inspiration for tools like Biscuit Delivery or Hextech Flashtraption.
Fighters & Bruisers: Most players prioritize Precision’s Conqueror or Resolve’s Grasp of the Undying to increase their dueling potential.
Enchanter Supports: Typically opt for Sorcery’s Summon Aery or Resolve’s Guardian to maximize their protective capabilities.

The Insider’s Edge: Tips for True Mastery

Knowing the runes is one thing; mastering them is another. Here are a few final pieces of advice to improve your game.

Study the Pros: Use community sites. See what high-level players are running on your favorite champion and, more importantly,
Adapt to the Matchup: Don’t use a single go-to rune page for every game. Facing a heavy poke lane? Consider taking Second Wind from the Resolve tree as a secondary. Need more magic resistance? Swap an armor shard for a magic resist one.
The best way to understand a rune is to test it in action. Head into the practice tool to see how a keystone like Phase Rush or First Strike actually functions.
Stay Informed: The game is constantly changing. A rune that is dominant in one patch might be adjusted in the next. Keep an eye on patch notes to stay ahead of the curve.

Runes are your personal signature on the game of League of Legends. They are a declaration of how you intend to win. Take this knowledge, step into the lobby with newfound confidence, and begin crafting your legacy on the Rift.

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