Mobile Legends Boots Guide: Which Pair to Buy and When

The short version of any Mobile Legends boots guide is this: every pair makes you faster, so the real choice is the second stat. Buy defensive boots when the enemy's damage or control is aimed at you, and buy the pair that feeds your own hero when it is not. The rest of this page shows how to tell which case you are in.

Why boots deserve an item slot

Movement speed decides small things all match long. You reach the Turtle fight before the enemy, you step out of a skill shot, you get back to your turret when three enemies appear on the map. Boots give that speed for less gold than any full item.

The speed of two pairs does not add up, so one pair is all a hero ever carries. That leaves two questions: which pair, and how early.

Boots are also the first place where you answer the enemy draft. A full defense item takes a long time to afford. A pair of boots with the right defense is ready in the first minutes, when lane fights are decided by small margins.

Mobile Legends boots, pair by pair

Each upgraded pair adds one thing to your movement speed. The names below are the ones the in-game shop shows.

• Warrior Boots: physical defense. They gain more physical defense for a short time whenever a basic attack hits you, so they are strongest against marksmen and other heroes who fight with basic attacks.
• Tough Boots: magic defense, and they shorten control effects that land on you, such as stuns.
• Magic Shoes: cooldown reduction. Skills come back sooner, which suits heroes who fight with skill combos.
• Arcane Boots: magic penetration. A mage's skills cut through more of the target's magic defense, and the difference shows most in the early game.
• Swift Boots: attack speed, for heroes whose damage comes from basic attacks.
• Demon Shoes: mana regeneration. They also return mana when you kill minions or take part in a hero kill, so a hero who empties the mana bar in lane can stay longer.
• Rapid Boots: the highest movement speed of all, but the extra speed drops for a few seconds whenever you deal or take damage. They are for crossing the map, not for fighting.

If you play jungle or roam, your boots also carry the jungle or roam blessing. Choose the pair by the same rules, then add the blessing.

Which boots to buy in MLBB: read the enemy team

Look at the five enemy heroes on the loading screen and ask two questions. Who will be hitting me? What will they hit me with?

1. Count the damage types. Marksmen, most fighters and most assassins deal physical damage. Mages, and some supports and tanks, deal magic damage.
2. Count the hard control: stuns, knock-ups and other skills that stop you from moving. Two or more long ones is a lot.
3. Find the hero who will really reach you. A backline mage is rarely touched by the enemy tank, but the assassin hunts for that mage all match.

After that the choice is short:

• Mostly physical damage, much of it from basic attacks: Warrior Boots.
• Heavy magic damage, or several control skills that will be aimed at you: Tough Boots.
• Nobody dangerous can reach you early: take the pair that helps your own hero (Magic Shoes, Arcane Boots, Swift Boots or Demon Shoes).

An example. You play a tank, and the enemy has a marksman, a physical assassin and a fighter: Warrior Boots. Same tank, but the enemy has two mages and a support with a long stun: Tough Boots.

Mixed teams are the hard case. Choose against the hero who is ahead in gold or the one who dives onto you, and let the rest of your build answer the other damage type. If you want practice at reading five picks, the guide to counter picking and reading a draft goes deeper.

The right pair for each role

• Marksman: Swift Boots when your hero grows with attack speed. Against an assassin or a burst mage who kills you in one combo, defensive boots are the better buy. A dead marksman deals no damage.
• Mage: Arcane Boots for more damage, Magic Shoes if your hero needs skills back quickly, Demon Shoes if mana is what sends you back to base.
• Fighter: usually Warrior Boots or Tough Boots, chosen by the lane opponent first and the enemy team second.
• Tank and roamer: Tough Boots or Warrior Boots by the enemy's damage. Some roamers take Rapid Boots to move between lanes faster, and accept being slower once the fight starts.
• Assassin and jungler: a damage or cooldown pair when you are ahead, a defensive pair when the enemy's first combo keeps killing you.

If roles are still new to you, start with the six roles explained.

When to buy boots and when to change them

Most heroes buy the basic Boots early and finish the upgraded pair as their first or second item. Delaying boots for a faster damage item looks good on paper, but you arrive late to every fight and every objective.

You are not locked in. If the enemy mage gets far ahead after you bought Warrior Boots, sell them and buy Tough Boots. Selling returns only part of the gold, so do it when the threat has clearly changed, not after one bad fight.

In a very long match with a full inventory, some damage dealers sell their boots for a sixth full item. Treat it as a last step, for the stage when fights happen in one place and crossing the map quickly matters less.

Before every match, look at the enemy team first and your saved build second. The saved build does not know who you are playing against.

Common mistakes with boots

• Buying the same pair every match because it is in the recommended build.
• Warrior Boots against a team whose damage is mostly magic, or Tough Boots against a team with no mage and no control.
• Rapid Boots on a hero who is always in combat. The extra speed is switched off most of the time.
• Staying on basic Boots until the middle of the match to rush damage.

Frequently asked questions

Which boots are best in Mobile Legends?

No pair is best in every match. The best pair is the one that answers the heroes hitting you or, when you are safe, the one that adds to your hero's damage.

Should a marksman always buy Swift Boots?

No. Swift Boots are the usual choice for attack-speed marksmen, but against a team that dives the backline, Warrior Boots or Tough Boots keep you alive long enough to deal damage.

Do Tough Boots make me immune to stuns?

No. They shorten how long control effects hold you. You still get hit, so your position matters as much as before.

Are boots the only MLBB movement items?

Boots are the only items built around movement speed. A few other items add a little speed as a side stat, but none of them replaces a pair of boots.

Gold buys boots, diamonds buy the rest

Boots are bought with the gold you earn inside a match, so nothing outside the match changes them. Diamonds are for what stays on your account, such as heroes and skins. If you top up, Mas4Games loads Mobile Legends diamonds by player ID and server ID, for accounts of the Türkiye region. The store asks only for those two numbers, never for your password, and the help center has live support if an order needs a hand.