Top 7 Best Runes for ADCs in League of Legends

Summary

Marksmen have the highest damage output and scaling potential in League.
Select runes based on early game viability and scaling capabilities.
Runes like Presence of Mind, Magical Footwear, and Legend: Alacrity are crucial for ADCs.

In the various positions and character types within League, Marksmen characters have the most potential for high damage output and scaling, especially in the later stages of the game. Initially slow in the early game, ADC (Attack Damage Carry) champions rapidly increase their power, becoming swift attack-speed machines capable of dealing massive damage from a distance. These powerful beings often become the main focus during intense late-game team fights. Choosing the right combination of items and runes can be tricky because there are numerous seemingly strong choices, but many may underperform when considering the overall game context.

Rune selection for an ADC (Attack Damage Carry) character is primarily influenced by two key aspects: their performance during the early game, which aids them in navigating the challenging laning phase, and their potential to scale, determining the maximum damage output they can achieve. Some runes offer straightforward boosts to enhance player strength from the outset, while others provide utility that remains beneficial throughout the match, allowing players to significantly influence skirmishes during the laning phase as well as team fights in later stages of the game.

8. Presence Of Mind

Keep Those Spells Coming

Passive: Scoring a takedown against an enemy champion restores 15% of your maximum mana or 15% of your maximum energy after a 1-second delay.
Damaging an enemy champion restores ( 6 − 50 / 4.8 − 40) (based on level)

In any League game, the laning phase is a critical aspect, significantly influencing the match’s result. Therefore, selecting appropriate runes becomes crucial during this nerve-wracking stage of the game. Runes like Presence of Mind are invaluable as they help manage mana, an essential resource for most champions. Whether it’s casting spells to clear waves or dealing damage to opponents, mana is vital, and mastering its management can be a mini-game on its own. For many ADCs who lack mana-boosting items, Presence of Mind’s bonus is not just handy but potentially lifesaving due to its straightforward activation condition.

The effectiveness of this rune tends to diminish fairly rapidly since most players will either acquire a blue buff or won’t require thousands of mana for team fights later in the game. However, its power does increase over time, which can be beneficial for prolonged battles and provide a few additional spells that might not otherwise be available. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s strong enough to make it worth considering on champions like Sivir or Jhin who have heavy spell kits.

7. Magical Footwear

A Little Bit Of Extra Speed

Passive: After 12 minutes (reduced by 45 seconds whenever scoring a takedown against an enemy champion), you gain Slightly Magical Boots, which grant an additional 10 bonus movement speed and can be upgraded into normal tier 2 boots at the same cost.

One crucial element in the game is how gold management shapes a champion’s abilities, both restricting and enhancing their maximum potential. In its absence, some characters may seem virtually useless; however, upon completing the full set of items, they can turn the tide decisively against opponents. Special shoes that imbue magic aid in easing early game annoyances caused by having to spend additional 300 gold for mobility purposes. By eliminating this concern, players are free to concentrate on their fundamental build and reach their item milestones more swiftly due to the slight enhancement offered by this rune.

As a gamer, I’ve found that these magic boots offer an added perk – they slightly boost my movement speed. It may not seem like much at first, but over the course of a game, that extra speed can be crucial for dodging spells and returning to the fray quicker. However, if you’re a character who prefers to rush into battle, these boots might not be your best choice. For those who prioritize damage output, scaling runes might be a better fit. But for marksmen who value mobility, these boots can really enhance our gaming experience, making us feel agile and ready for most games.

6. Legend: Alacrity

An ADC’s Best Friend

Passive: Gain 3% (+ 1.5% per Legend stack) bonus attack speed, up to 18% at maximum stacks.
Legend: Gain Legend stacks for every 100 points earned, up to 10:
100 points for champion takedowns, 100 points for epic monster takedowns, 25 points for large monster kills, and 4 points for minion kills

ADC (Attack Damage Carry) champions favor three key statistics: damage output, critical hit chance, and attack speed, with the latter often serving as a game-changing factor that significantly amplifies a player’s overall influence in the game. Enhancing this aspect noticeably is an obvious choice for any champion aiming to strike swiftly, and a fully stacked 18% increase can be quite remarkable, offering ongoing rewards with each additional item acquired. The rune’s greatness lies in its predictability. Although the stacking process can be accelerated through kills and dragons, players need not concern themselves about missing out on the bonus; they can continue farming at their leisure until the rune is fully prepared for use.

Additionally, since the bonus becomes active from the onset of the game, starting items such as Berserker’s Greaves seem significantly influential and may contribute to additional auto-attacks that could prove decisive in a battle. It operates subtly yet effectively, enhancing the player’s strength without any flashy displays; an ideal rune for a marksman aiming to boost their power with minimal fuss or complications.

5. Gathering Storm

Scaling Forever And Ever

Passive: Gain increasing Adaptive Force every 10 minutes that grants a total of 0 / 4.8 / 14.4 / 28.8 / 48 / 72 / 100.8 / 134.4 / ∞ (based on minutes) bonus Attack Damage or 0 / 8 / 24 / 48 / 80 / 120 / 168 / 224 / ∞ (based on minutes) Ability Power.

For a marksman, scaling is an indispensable ally. After 30 minutes of farming and building up power, a fully-equipped champion with 100% critical hit chance, high attack speed, and immense damage can swiftly dismantle any team in mere seconds. The ability called Gathering Storm significantly amplifies this power over time, growing every 10 minutes and occasionally offering surprising increases in damage that opponents won’t anticipate. In terms of gold value, the raw power just keeps increasing, potentially granting the player an additional item’s worth of damage from a single minor rune alone.

The advantage lies in the fact that this aspect aligns perfectly with an ADC’s strategy for the game. They aim to reach a point where they can engage effectively, which frequently necessitates a good deal of patience and time. Receiving a reward for patience is satisfying, and the damage the player can inflict later on is difficult to surpass with any other rune. However, during the initial 10 minutes, it’s essentially inactive, and even afterward, it takes quite some time to make a noticeable impact. But if given enough time, it can shift the battle’s momentum in your team’s favor, as the damage steadily increases until the enemy’s base is destroyed.

4. Fleet Footwork

Speed And Sustain All In One

Unique – Energized: Moving and basic attacking generates Charges, up to 100.
At 100 Charges, become Energized, empowering your next basic attack to heal you for ( 10 – 130 / 6 – 78) (based on level) (+ ( 10% / 6%) bonus AD) (+ ( 5% / 3%) AP) and grant ( 20% / 15%) bonus movement speed for 1 second. Against minions, the healing is 15% effective.

In League of Legends, sustaining health is crucial for survival as even strategic positioning can only minimize damage intake so much. Eventually, players will be targeted (dived) and need ways to recuperate their health to keep the battle going. Fleet Footwork is an ideal rune for this purpose, as it’s activated just by attacking enemies. Over time, a single auto-attack could heal more than 100 health points, and when combined with lifesteal, it becomes difficult to significantly deplete the marksman’s health bar before it swiftly regenerates to full.

The main function of this rune is to provide healing in lanes that are heavily focused on poking early in the game, as well as situations where the player needs additional survivability. While move speed may be a secondary benefit, it remains useful and can determine whether a player escapes an enemy gank or not. Since its healing scales, this rune maintains its utility throughout the game, even though other keystones might offer more damage output. It’s a good choice to consider for lanes that are typically challenging due to excessive frustration.

3. Conqueror

Now The Real Damage Begins

Passive: Dealing damage to enemy champions grants stacks of Conqueror, lasting for 5 seconds, refreshing on subsequent damage against champions, and stacking up to 12 times. Gain (2 /1) stacks from basic attacks and 2 stacks from abilities, spells, and item actives.
Each stack of Conqueror grants 1.08 − 2.4 (based on level) bonus Attack Damage or 1.8 − 4 (based on level) Ability Power (Adaptive), up to 12.96 − 28.8 (based on level) bonus Attack Damage or 21.6 − 48 (based on level) Ability Power (Adaptive) at maximum stacks, at which you also heal for ( 8% / 5%) of the post-mitigation damage dealt against enemy champions.

In a team battle, an ADC’s (Attack Damage Carry) primary goal is to stay safe initially, allow teammates to shield and protect you, and then, at the optimal moment, release a heavy burst of damage onto the enemy team once they’ve used up their significant cooldown abilities. Prolonged team fights can be decisive in determining victory, and Conqueror is an excellent rune for this purpose. In the heat of battle, it’s not difficult to deal 12 instances of damage swiftly, particularly since ADC champions have high attack speeds that enable them to continue dealing damage without constraints like cooldowns or mana exhaustion.

As a fan, I can’t emphasize enough how crucial this rune is for me as a player, especially when it comes to boosting my damage right from the get-go. The added bonus of substantial healing potential once fully stacked can transform certain champions into formidable raid bosses, given enough time to reach their peak. Champions like Ezreal who excel at initiating fights with early-game poking find this rune particularly appealing since it allows for continuous poking and stacking before the actual engagement takes place. It’s an excellent tool for hyper-scalers who know they’ll be dishing out a lot of damage later on, and it offers a nice edge in close fights with its additional health bonus during early skirmishes.

2. Lethal Tempo

A Basic Attacker’s Dream

Passive: Basic attacks on-attack against enemy champions grant a stack for 6 seconds, refreshing on subsequent attacks and stacking up to 6 times. Gain ( 6% / 4.8%) bonus attack speed for each stack, up to ( 36% / 28.8%) at maximum stacks.
At maximum stacks, basic attacks are empowered to fire a bolt at the target on-attack that deals them ( 9 – 30 / 6 – 24) (based on level) bonus adaptive damage upon arrival, increased by ( 1% / 0.66%) per 1% bonus attack speed.

An ADC (Attack Damage Carry) could be referred to as an Attack Speed character for most roles, as this attribute is crucial for many characters. Lethal Tempo, a rune, can be challenging for new players to master, but for skilled ones, it provides an exceptional level of power that’s hard to match elsewhere. By building up attack speed early in a fight, the player can unleash a substantial DPS (Damage Per Second) output that outspeeds and overwhelms opponents. For enemies with limited armor, multiple hits deal more damage, eliminating their resistance, making it essential to defeat them swiftly.

Enthusiasts of characters like Jinx particularly appreciate this rune, as its integrated extra attack range allows her to take down enemies from quite a distance. Moreover, her passive, when activated, amplifies all other percentage attack speed bonuses, transforming her from a fragile damage dealer into an inescapable barrage of pain. The advantage of this rune is that players don’t have to fully stack it to reap the benefits; instead, the buff begins immediately and if they manage to accumulate stacks, their offensive power becomes overwhelming, making it challenging to compete against a well-fed marksman who is primed and ready for action.

1. Press The Attack

Simple And Consistent

Passive: Basic attacks on-hit against enemy champions apply a stack for 4 seconds, refreshing on subsequent applications, expiring upon attacking a new champion, and stacking up to 3 times. The third stack consumes all stacks to deal 40 – 160 (based on level) bonus adaptive damage and grants you 8% increased damage against champions until you are no longer in combat with them.

Simplicity frequently elevates a rune to greatness, and Press The Attack stands out with its straightforward condition and impact that is remarkably potent and more reliable than other keystones within the Marksman class. Champions in this category typically engage in numerous attacks, making them ideal for zeroing in on a single target, which is the most effective strategy to win team fights. Consequently, a significant boost to damage output against specific characters provides consistent damage output from the initial laning phase and throughout any subsequent encounter.

As a gamer, I can’t help but appreciate the power of runes like PTA (Press the Attack) that amplify my favorite champions’ abilities. For instance, Vayne and Akshan with their built-in three-hit combos already shine, but PTA makes them even more formidable. But it’s not just about them; there are numerous characters who thrive on extra damage, and this rune delivers that perfectly. The condition is straightforward to meet and the payoff is immense when it triggers. It’s a no-brainer for me to choose PTA over other runes in its category due to its impressive scaling, effective laning phase, and overall performance. In my opinion, PTA stands head and shoulders above the rest, being one of the best and most reliable runes in the entire game.

2025-04-19 10:35