Introduction
Riven is one of the most iconic champions in League of Legends. She combines mobility, explosive damage, and a learning curve that rewards players who dedicate time to mastering her. Her complexity makes her challenging to pick up at first, but when played correctly, she can be a true carry machine capable of turning the tide of a game.In this guide, I'll cover all aspects of Riven's gameplay, from runes and items to combos and strategies, to help you dominate the top lane and secure victories.
Riven's Abilities
Before diving into runes, items, and combos, it’s crucial to understand Riven’s kit. Every one of her abilities plays a key role in her aggressive playstyle, and using them efficiently will maximize her potential.Passive - Runic Blade
Riven charges her blade with energy after each ability cast. Her next basic attack consumes a charge, dealing extra physical damage. Riven can store up to three charges at a time, and they last for 5 seconds. Mastering the weaving of auto-attacks between abilities is crucial to maximize damage.Q - Broken Wings
Riven’s signature ability. This ability allows Riven to perform up to three dashes, each dealing physical damage to nearby enemies. The third cast of Broken Wings knocks up enemies within a small area. It’s a core part of her burst damage and mobility. Each cast of Q briefly resets her auto-attack, making it essential to weave in basic attacks between each cast.W - Ki Burst
Riven deals a shockwave around her, damaging and stunning nearby enemies for 0.75 seconds. This is her only crowd control tool aside from her third Q and is crucial for both locking down enemies and extending combos.E - Valor
Riven dashes a short distance and gains a shield that absorbs damage for a short period. This ability serves as both a mobility tool and a key defensive spell, allowing Riven to dodge skill shots or negate incoming damage. Timing this ability well is critical for outplaying opponents and surviving in fights.R - Blade of the Exile (Ultimate)
Riven empowers her sword, increasing her attack damage and range on her basic abilities and auto-attacks. While active, she can cast Wind Slash—a powerful cone attack that deals more damage to low-health enemies. This ultimate is what allows Riven to execute enemies from a distance and turn fights in her favor.Runes for Riven
Riven benefits greatly from runes that enhance her burst damage, mobility, and sustain in lane. Here are the best runes for Riven:Main Rune Path: Precision
- Keystone: Conqueror
Conqueror is the go-to keystone for Riven. It provides stacking attack damage and healing once fully stacked, which complements her extended trades and combo-heavy playstyle. - Triumph
Triumph restores a portion of Riven’s health after takedowns, helping her sustain in teamfights. It also provides bonus gold on kills or assists. - Legend: Tenacity
Tenacity reduces the duration of crowd control effects on Riven, which is invaluable since she relies heavily on her mobility to navigate fights. - Last Stand
Last Stand increases your damage output when you’re low on health, allowing Riven to turn around close fights, especially in clutch situations where her shield and healing come into play.
Secondary Rune Path: Inspiration
- Magical Footwear
This grants free boots at 12 minutes (earlier with takedowns) and gives additional movement speed, which is great for Riven’s aggressive roaming and mobility. - Time Warp Tonic
Time Warp Tonic enhances the effectiveness of your health potions, making your early laning phase more sustainable and allowing for extended trades.
Build and Itemization
Riven’s build focuses on items that provide attack damage, cooldown reduction (Ability Haste), and survivability. Here’s a recommended core build:Core Items
- Goredrinker
Goredrinker is an essential mythic item for Riven, offering sustain through its active ability, allowing her to heal for a portion of damage dealt to nearby enemies. The Ability Haste and health it provides synergize perfectly with her playstyle. - Black Cleaver
Black Cleaver grants Riven armor shredding and more Ability Haste, making her even more effective against tankier targets. The movement speed bonus when dealing physical damage also aids in sticking to opponents during trades. - Ravenous Hydra
This item offers wave clear and sustain through its lifesteal passive. The extra healing allows Riven to stay in fights longer, and its AOE damage helps with both clearing minion waves and damaging multiple enemies in teamfights.
Situational Items
- Death’s Dance
Provides healing from physical damage dealt and converts a portion of incoming damage into a damage-over-time effect. This is great for allowing Riven to stay alive in extended fights and recover health from kills. - Guardian Angel
This item gives Riven a second chance at life, allowing her to play aggressively without worrying too much about dying. It's particularly useful in the late game when one death can swing a fight or game. - Sterak’s Gage
Provides a large shield when your health drops below a certain threshold, giving Riven extra survivability in teamfights. The bonus health and attack damage also make her more tanky while increasing her damage output.
Boots
- Plated Steelcaps
Use these if you’re facing a heavy AD comp or a champion that relies on basic attacks (like a Yasuo or Tryndamere). - Mercury’s Treads
These are useful against teams with a lot of crowd control and magic damage.
Riven Combos
Riven is known for her complex combos, which can be overwhelming for new players. Here are a few essential combos you need to practice:Basic Trade Combo: Q-Auto-Q-Auto-Q
This is the bread-and-butter combo to use in lane. Each cast of Q resets your auto-attack timer, allowing you to get more damage in a short time. Weaving auto-attacks between each Q cast maximizes damage output.Burst Combo: E-Q-W-Auto-Q-R-Q
This combo is effective for all-ins. You engage with Valor (E) for the shield and immediately follow up with a Q and W for crowd control. Finish with an empowered auto, and then follow through with your remaining Q casts and ultimate to secure the kill.Flash Combo: E-W-Flash-Q-R
This combo is great for surprising opponents. The key here is to cast E and W, and then immediately flash towards the enemy to catch them off-guard. Follow up with Q and R for the finishing blow.Animation Cancels
Riven excels in animation canceling, which allows her to deal damage faster. Key animation cancels include:- Q into Auto-Attack: Cancel the animation of your auto-attack by using Q.
- W into R: Use W, then immediately R to cancel the animation of Wind Slash.
Laning Phase
In the early game, Riven excels in short, aggressive trades thanks to her mobility and shield. Here’s how to approach the laning phase:- Level 1: Start with Broken Wings (Q). At level 1, you should look to poke your enemy with short Q-auto trades. Keep moving in and out of range using your mobility.
- Level 2 Power Spike: At level 2, unlock Ki Burst (W). Now, you can engage with Q, stun the enemy with W, and follow up with another Q combo. This is a strong moment where Riven can look for kills or gain lane control.
- Laning Strategy: Use your Valor (E) to block key abilities and dodge skill shots. Focus on building Conqueror stacks by using short trades, then all-in when you have your ultimate.
Mid and Late Game Strategy
Riven shines in the mid-game once she has her core items. Here’s how to play Riven effectively as the game progresses:- Split Pushing: Riven is a fantastic split-pusher due to her mobility, wave clear, and dueling potential. Look to apply pressure on side lanes while your team groups, and be ready to teleport or roam for teamfights.
- Teamfights: In teamfights, Riven should flank enemies and look to engage onto the backline. Use Valor to dodge key crowd control abilities and engage with your Q-E combo. Try to save your ultimate’s Wind Slash for the execute, dealing maximum damage when enemies are low.
