League of Legends Runes Guide: Paths, Keystones, Shards

This League of Legends runes guide starts with the short version. A rune page is a set of free boosts you choose before each match: one primary path with a keystone and three smaller runes, two runes from a second path, and three stat shards. Choose the primary path from what your champion does in a fight, then adjust the rest to the opponent you will meet in lane.

How do runes work in LoL?

Runes cost nothing. They are not bought with RP or Blue Essence, and every player has all of them from the start. What you choose is the combination.

You build pages in the client under Collection, in the Runes tab, or during champion select. Changes are possible until the match begins. After that the page is locked for the whole game.

One page holds nine choices:

• The primary path: one keystone and three lesser runes, one from each row.
• The secondary path: two lesser runes from another path, taken from two different rows. No keystone here.
• Three stat shards: small plain stats, one from each of three rows.

In champion select the client also suggests ready pages for your champion and role. They are a fair place to start.

The five rune paths and what each is for

• Precision is the path of basic attacks and long fights. It suits marksmen and many fighters.
• Domination is burst damage and hunting one target. Assassins, and mages who kill with a single combo, live here.
• Sorcery makes abilities stronger and helps with mana and movement. It suits mages who hit from range and supports who shield and heal.
• Resolve is toughness and crowd control: the path of tanks, and of anyone who must survive a hard lane.
• Inspiration bends the rules with unusual tools that touch items, summoner spells and gold. Most players take it as a secondary path.

Keystones: the rune that shapes how you play

The keystone is the strongest rune on the page, and each path offers a few. Ask what your champion does again and again in a fight.

• Conqueror (Precision) grows stronger the longer a fight lasts, and at full strength heals you for part of the damage you deal. For fighters who stay in long fights, such as Garen.
• Electrocute (Domination) adds a burst of damage when you hit a champion with three separate attacks or abilities in a short time. For fast combos, such as Annie's.
• Summon Aery (Sorcery) sends a small spirit to damage an enemy you hit or to shield an ally you help. Supports such as Soraka like it.
• Arcane Comet (Sorcery) drops a comet on a champion you hit with an ability. For mages who hit from range, such as Lux.
• Grasp of the Undying (Resolve) makes one attack every few seconds of combat hit harder, heal you and add a little permanent health. For tanks who trade hits in lane.
• Aftershock (Resolve) makes you tougher for a moment after you immobilize an enemy, then damages those around you. For tanks who start fights, such as Leona.

The same champion can take different keystones for different jobs. Malphite often takes Arcane Comet in a lane where he can hit a melee opponent from a distance, and Grasp of the Undying or Aftershock as the front line of his team.

The secondary path and the shards

The secondary path fills a gap the primary one leaves. Two lesser runes are not much, so choose them for a clear reason:

• Resolve for safety. Second Wind restores some health after an enemy champion damages you, which helps against constant poke. Bone Plating weakens the next hits after an enemy champion strikes you, which helps against a sudden all-in.
• Precision for fights. Triumph restores some health after every takedown, and that often decides a close fight.

The shards are the last step. The first row is offense, the last is defense, and the middle one can lean either way. They hold plain stats such as attack speed, adaptive force, ability haste and health. Adaptive force becomes attack damage or ability power, whichever your champion relies on.

The League of Legends runes guide in three questions

Ask these in order, every time you build a page:

1. What does my champion do in a fight? Long fights with basic attacks point to Precision. One fast combo points to Domination. Hitting with abilities from range points to Sorcery. Starting fights and absorbing damage points to Resolve. This decides the keystone.
2. Who is my lane opponent? Against a champion who pokes you from range, add Second Wind. Against one who jumps on you with everything at once, add Bone Plating. Against an opponent who cannot hurt you early, take runes that grow with time.
3. What will I buy? Runes and items should push in the same direction. A tank who buys health gets more from Grasp of the Undying, which adds health too.

Then check the page again in champion select, every game. Seeing the enemy team often changes one or two runes.

Look at the selected page before the countdown ends. A mage who loads in with a tank's page is a classic champion select accident.

LoL runes explained: frequent questions

Do runes cost RP or Blue Essence?

No. Every rune is free and open from the start. RP is for cosmetic content such as skins, and has no effect on runes.

Can I change runes during a match?

No. You can edit the page until champion select ends. Once the game loads, it stays as it is until the match is over.

What are the best runes in LoL?

There is no single best page. The best runes fit your champion's job, your lane opponent and your items. Start from the page the client suggests.

Runes are free, skins are what RP is for

Runes change how your champion fights and cost nothing. How the champion looks is the part RP pays for: skins are bought with RP, the game's paid currency, and change appearance only. Mas4Games sells League of Legends RP codes for accounts on the Türkiye server. The code is shown on the order's page in your account and sent by e-mail.

If you are still choosing who to play, see our list of the best League of Legends champions for beginners.