This Guide will give you insight in what Roaming is, why it is useful and why Taric is so perfectly suited for the Job. It provides Guidelines and Tips and Reasoning for Flexibility, because every game is unique. I can / will not provide you with a 100% Straight-Up Build. A 10% Build, at most.

Your Team

Will love you
Will get loads of kills
Will dominate the Laning-Phase and -through the farming advantage- also the Late-Game
's carries will get a significant LVL/Gold advantage
Will not lose any early turrets

You

Won't get kills (maybe 1 or 2, accidentily)
Will have a lvl disadvantage
Will not get loads of farming
Need to understand this concept to make it work

Your Job

Roam through and check the river
Throw out stuns at everyone you see
Scare the sh*t out of the enemy team
Support your lanes by constant ganks, healing your teammates, taking over lanes while they Bluepill
Help push towers
Prevent Enemy Ganks
Toss out wards, save your team money

First of all, I would like everyone who read this guide and tried it out to give me Feedback on the guide. What I mean by that is, I offer you insight in my -thus far rather successful- build and adding some tips on the way, but expect you to vote reasonably. Dont just judge w/out trying or DV because you failed in your first game. Taric is not a carry. You will/should NEVER EVER EVER aim to get the most kills in a game. You will just waste a good 20-30mins of your life, because it's not gonna take much longer for that 4-1 Surrender vote on your side.

Taric, and in particular this build, is not about DPS'ing the Hell out of the other team. Thats what you got Xin,Tryn or Vayne for. It's about supporting you teammates by helping them get kills/survive/keep lane dominance/keep them out of trouble.

Some people might not be familiar with the concept of Roaming, so I added this section to give a little more insight in what it is, why it is used and when it is useful. I'll try to put this as simple as possible.

What does a Roamer do

A Roamer does not have 'a lane' like top,mid or bottom. As a Roamer you walk up and down the River and show your presence in every lane every now and then. You basically give up your active Farming and Leveling. But when you score assists, or take over a Lane for your Teammate who needs to /b, you obviously gain enough Gold and Exp to not fall behind too far. In a regular Game you will be around Level 8 when your Teammates are around 10. But the good thing is, that your enemies will not have reached Level 10 either. More on that later. You are of best use if you and the enemy team have a Jungler. You will be able to help out your Jungler so much by ganking their's. Detaisl on that in the 'Playstyle' Section.

Who is a good Roamer?

A Roamer needs to be able to gank properly with early ranks. That would include a Level 1 Stun or a decent Taunt/Slow. Some of them are:

Taric Level 1 distant stun, Good Heal that does not require AP, Armor Reduction.
Alistar Level 1 stun, 2 Immobilizers in Headbutt and Pulverise, Minor Heal, Great Towerdiving
Evelynn Level 1 stun, Invisibility

Benefits of Roaming / Why it is used

Your team will get at one more Solo-Lane.
But that means someone has to fight against 2, that stupid!
It really isn't.

Your Solo-Laner will get more XP and Gold than Duo-Laners, because neither the XP nor the Gold is shared. This will be VERY useful in mid-game, when your carries are 2-3 Level higher than theirs and have better CS than any of theirs.

You might remember playing games where you had a Jungler and your Top-Lane had to go 2v1 and you lost the Tower before the 10min mark. While this is a bad scenario, this is unlikely to happen with a Roamer. While your Jungler is mainly focussed on getting his Jungle Buffs/XP he will hardly ever come to help you out in your lane. As a Roamer with +5 Boots, you will be in every lane atleast once every 2minutes, preferrably more often. The enemy will not dare to push, because if they do - You come in when their in Tower Range, throw in a stun and you and your Mate will rip him apart. Let's see how often they wanna do that again?

Having a Roamer AND a Jungler brings even more benefits. You basically get 4 Solo-Lanes and your Jungler doesn't even have to bother helping out in a Lane and can RAPE YOUR JUNGLE and Gank. If the Roamer AND the Jungler gank the same Lane, it's a guaranteed Kill, if you go 3v2, you will most definately kill both and be able to push HARD

When to have a Roamer?

You just read all of the above and tell yourself, I AM GONNA ROAM IN EVERY GAME NOW. Don't. Roaming only makes sense if you can assure that your team has any idea how to Solo. If they go all-out and die 3 times in 10 Minutes, you will basically spend all your time helping out that lane and therefore not do much roaming.

Roaming is mostly recommended for Pre-Mades. You can still try to roam in Normal Solo-Queues, but if you are unsure after 50secs in the ChampionSelect, it's highly unlikely that they will grasp it in the last couple of secs.
But other than that, it is more than recommended to have a roamer in every team you play in.

In comments, people mentioned that Alistar or Evelynn might be better Roamers than Taric. I'll just point out why I consider Taric the best one and am happy to discuss it further with you guys.

In my previous section I elaborated what is needed from a Roamer, a stun and some sort of help that you can provide for your Team.
Evelynn. The reason she is considered a decent roamer is that she can sneak up invisibly and stun. She might have more of an impact on the Late-Game than Taric has. However, she does not have any 'Support' abilities that can help out your lane. And it is hard to get the stun off, if people put Vision Wards in the Lane.

-Why is Taric better?-

Taric has a distance-stun, which does not require him to get into AA range of the Enemy. This is a HUGE advantage. Also, while both might be affected by Sight Wards in bushes (only until you get an Oracle and destroy them), Vision Wards are usually placed into the lane and don't have a much bigger range than Taric's Stun.

Alistar

He has a 'gap-closing' ability in Headbutt, which -if properly used- can destroy the Enemy by knocking him towards your Tower/Teammate. Also, he has got a 2nd immobilizer in Pulverize. He has also got a Group Heal. I would consider him a more viable option than Evelynn if you talk about Roaming. His Ulti also allows him to Towerdive properly!


-Why is Taric better?-

Taric's Stun does not require any specific kind of positioning, which is very helpful against passive enemies. But the main reason why I consider Taric a better Roamer is, that his heal does not require any AP to be considered significant. Alistar's on the other hand is rather non-noticeable without any proper AP items, which you won't have the money for. Also, in order to heal properly with Alistar you'd have to spend a significant amount of time in the lane, what you do not want!

Pro's

An extra solo lane, meaning a lvl advantage for your team
Support all your teammates
Enemies will not have a chance / not dare to push their lanes
Constant fear of a gank
Ruining their jungler's life

Con's

Your enemies will not 'OMFG GTFO' when they run into a 1v1 with you - NO DMG WHATSOEVER
Clear Lvling disadvantage for yourself as you should not be spending any quality on a lane
Player needs to understand his purpose
Requires Teammates with a double-digit Game IQ

This is really all up to your Team Setup. I will explain why I chose Clairvoyance and Exhaust and offer viable Alternatives.

Clairvoyance

One of your wards ran out and you quickly want to check for a Gank? -Clairvoyance
They got Pinks/Oracles and destroyed your Baron/Dragon? -Clairvoyance
Want to steal blue or and up a ward, but are too afraid to check their Jungle? -Clairvoyance

If you got a full-time-support like Janna/Sona/Soraka on your Team, feel free to drop this. But your team should always have one of these.

Exhaust

Perfect for Ganks and Teamfights. It reduces the enemy's MovementSpeed,Attackdamage and Ability Damage. It will help your team survive and it brings you a little step further towards the Kill.

Ghost

Also nice for Roaming, as it allows you to cross the map WAY faster and can also be used to innitiate a Gank. Great Escape Mechanism as well.

Flash

Okay for Gank Innitiations, but less viable during the whole Roaming process, as it only allows you a short-term advance.

Clarity

You do have tons of ManaReg and should be able to spam your Stun and Heal when necessary. The only time I would consider it useful is when spamming your Ulti in a Teamfight or during a Towerpush, but your Manapool is plenty big for that IMO.

Teleport

Gets you around the Map quicker than Ghost or anything else, but lacks the much needed edge in Ganks. Optional but not recommended.

Fortify

See a Tower getting pushed and can't get there in time? Fortify! About to get Towerdived? Fortify! Teamfight near one of your Towers? Fortify!


All the other's I don't see useful as you got your own Heal and a Stun which allows you to deal more Damage than Ignite. The only way I see Ignite useful is to reduce massive heals like Mundo's Ulti or Tryn's Lifeleech.

These are almost as flexible as your Late-Game-Build.
This is again, all up to you. If you are going to take CV, feel free to skill 0-9-21 for the +'s in CV and Ghost/Teleport. If you don't feel like these are necessary, go 0-21-9, providing you with even more survivability. 9-xx-xx is also possible, but never put Points in anything else than the Exhaust mastery and the CD+MagicPen. I mixed things up in my Initial Build, because I find all the Masteries very useful additions to my summoner spells.

Well, the skill lvling, like most of my Guide, is very flexible. The most important thing is to get the LvL1 in Dazzle and don't invest in it until you can't put points anywhere else. Shatter is more important for your own survivability should you run into their jungler or get ganked somehow. It all depends on how your teammates do. If they get harassed a lot, focus more on Imbue. If you get to gank a lot, or people start to focus on you, focus on Shatter. Both are useful in their way and you should always assess the game situation. Just make sure that you don't leave one of the skills too far behind, as both will have their uses frequently.

About the Shatter use in Teamfights:
My personal opinion is that you should try to keep your Shatter active as long as needed. The reason why you could use it, is not because of the DmG it deals, but because of the ArmorReduction it gives- BUT: By the end of the game, your AD's should have plenty of ArPen and need your ArmorBoost more than the ArmorReduction.
Should the Teamfight spread out and you find yourself with your AD Carry vs an ArmorHeavy Tank or their AP Champ, you should pop Shatter, because the AD Damage the Armor would prevent is minimal.

In Ganks, however, you are free to pop Shatter if your Teammate is out of danger to increase your DmGOutput.

Pre-Creep Time

(0:00-1:30)

Cruise around in the river, check brushes for 5v1 Mid/Jungling Ganks

Early FB Time

(2:00-3:00)

Pick your FB lane
Here you need to evaluate on which lane you will have the best chance for a FirstBlood. Do they have a Jungler/ Do you have a Jungler?
Who will run their solo(s)?
Who is squishy?
Who (on your team) will deal early damage?
Double Stun?


Cool Ally Lane
Xin Zhao, Tryndamere, Sion, Vayne, Olaf, Nocturne, Miss Fortune, ...

Not-Cool Enemy Lane
Whenever you are outnumbered
Anyone with high-HP,stuns,Ghost+Flash

- Note, that it is still more than possible to get a FB on a Sion or alikes, but since you have the choice, always go for the squishies :)

Early Game

(3:00-10:00)
Walk up and down the river, stunning an enemy here and there. Throw a Shatter in, if possible. Heal your allies and take over their lane if they need to bluepill. Dont steal any of their farm while they are on your lane, but make sure to get the creeps that would get wasted. After some assists, you should have enough money for your Philosopher's Stone, your Heart of Gold and your Mobility Boots. Now your Usain Bolt, with a Mike Tyson stun, a Kenyan Marathonrunner's Stamina, a gold income Donald Trump can only dream of and also a nice little Heal :).

-If the Enemy has a Jungler-
Here is what you should do. They will probably protect their Jungler and leash his Blue. If this is the case, try to make it to their Red before 03:30 and place a ward in the bush. Go back to your roaming sequence and wait for the Enemy to pop up at the red. Ping and wait for your Jungler or Laner (whoever gets there first) and steal the Buff and kill their Jungler. That will set them back A LOT. Check your Red-Camp frequently now - or place a ward- because their Jungler will most likely try to get your's now. From that point on, just keep warding out their Jungle and try to Protect your Jungler.

Mid Game

(10:00-20:00)
Thanks to -mostly- you, your teammates should have a significant advantage in one, two or all of these areas by now:

Kills
Creep Farming
Towers
Buffs
Awesomeness

From now on you just stick with your team, push lanes constantly and keep on healing/stunnning/warding wherever needed. Adjust your 'Tank' items according to your enemy's damage output. There should be someone better suited to initiate a teammfight on your team, so save your stun for turning a devastating Katha or Nunu Ulti into a harmless Soraka-AA.

Late Game

(22:00-XX:XX)
If, for some peculiar reason, the other team has not surrendered yet, all you can do is keep up what you've been doing so far. Grab more support/tank Items and keep healing the sh*t out of your team and stunning/shattering the same out of theirs.

Basics

There are 2 kind of wards: Sight Ward and Vision Ward. You will mostly use/buy Sight Wards, because they are cheaper and fulfill their purpose. Unless they got an Eve, then the occasional Vision Ward is highly recommended. They both last 3 Minutes and can only be destroyed when seen with a Oracle Elixir or another Vision Ward through 3 AA's.

Why Wards?

Well, what are you most afraid of when planning a gank or pushing a lane? That someone might show up from somewhere with some skill that might kill you. TOO MUCH UNCERTAINTY. You want your carries to solely focus on their gameplay,farming,harassing,killing and not getting ganked.

Where?

Ward locations assuming you are starting at the Blue Nexus.



Your First Ward, if they have a Jungler, in order to secure the kill/buff. Can be renewed every now and then.
24/7 Wards. Make sure these positions are warded as well as possible.
Occasional Wards. If you need protection while pushing/ganking or to get a reading on their Jungler these are the spots to go for. Use these spots to protect your jungler as well.

There is no need to ward out the whole map, because a) 1 Oracle and about 750Gold have been wasted. And b) You have the most important spots covered with these Wards, and you still got your CV if you see Olaf's icon blink up on the minimap.

What You need to understand is that, a Roamer only has a very limited Core Build, and it is highly unlikely that You will ever have more than Two 1,500+ Gold Items. This is due to the fact that you spent your money on wards,wards,wards; so your Xin does not 'waste' 1000k on them, which he could've used on a Zeal or BF Sword.

What you need

Boots

You are roaming. You need to get from A to B as quickly as possible to surprise your enemy/help your ally as often as possible. Since Riot gave us a couple of Tenacity items, Mercury Threads are not an option anymore. You go for Mobility Boots. ALWAYS

Sight Ward

Explained in the previous section


Why are ganks so dangerous?
Because you don't see them coming.

Why don't you see them coming?
It's called Fog of War.

How to get rid of it?
One single,simple word that makes your Ashe feel as excited and satisfied as last night.

Wards.

But Wards don't only protect your teammates from enemies, it also helps your team to spot a little veigar strolling helplessly through your river. Cya 30sec's later, Veig.!

1 Ward costs 75 Gold, and there are always places to put them, because they only last 3Minutes. So never leave your base without atleast 2 of these honeys.
So, to summarize: Buy Wards.

When you /b and buy, you need to make sure to atleast have 1 item slot open for wards. In fact, I always buy 2 Wards first and then check what else I can afford.
This is especially important if a game is running late. Your teammates will use up all their Slots for whatever Item they can get, but you need to make sure to always have a slot open for 2 or more wards.

A Quick Item Explanation

Philosopher's Stone

GREAT for you. You regenerate more than enough mana for enother Stun+Shatter while simply walking from Top to Mid. You regenerate health, which allows you to not waste mana on healing yourself.

(Which, by the way, you should hardly ever do anyways. Yea, you do get healed 140% when healing only yourself. But unless you are able to prove that 200% is smaller than 140%, quit being selfish and focus on what's important.)

Also, it gives you 5 Gold/per 10, which basically gives you a new Ward by the Time you ran up and down the River. Ideal!


Heart of Gold

Used to be a lot more useful with the extra Armor, but it still grants you more Survivability through Health and 5 Gold/per 10, which only helps your farming scarcity.

Also builds into Randuin's Omen, a genious Item in Late-Game.


Aegis of the Legion

The item with the best Value-for-Price ratio in the whole game. 5vs5 it will basically grant

18 Armor + 12*5 Armor = 78
24 MResist + 15*5 MResist = 99
8*5 Damage = 40
(+270 Health for Yourself)

So, show me another Item that grants 78 Armor,99 MResist and 40 AtkDmg (+270 Health) for 1925 and I'll be happy to discuss the alternative.


Warden's Mail

Gives Randuins the SAVAGE passive of reducing the Attacker's Movement+Attackspeed by 35% by simply standing there. Lets see what Ashe's Escape tactic is now?...
Also, gives nice Armor and HealthRegen.


Randuin's Omen

As previously mentioned, it is unlikely that you will ever build High-Tier Items like this, but if it's the case - Randuin's the #1 thing for you being useful in Teamfights.
The passive's advantage has been explained before, on to the active. Your as Taric have LOADS of Armor and survivability. Just walk in the middle of the Fight, pop the active and walk out.


Eleisa's Miracle

New Item, and very suiting for my Build because of the following reasons:

-It gives your Philosopher's Stone a late-game purpose
-It allows you to pick Boots of Mobility without any remorse of not getting Merc's
-Stats noticeably useful, even in late-game.

Frozen Heart

The only CDR Item, I'd actually recommend, as it gives you Mana and Armor as well - allowing more Stuns,Heals,Longer Ulti. It is, however, fairly expensive - so make sure you REALLY want it before spending that Gold.


Banshee's Veil

If you somehow get the Big Bucks, why not invested in this neat thing, raising your survivability to a whole new Level.

Keep in Mind. These Items can be swapped for whatever is useful/affordable to you in the current situation.

It is highly recommended to keep the 5Gold/10 Items non-upgraded as long as bearable, as the passive will vanish with the Upgrade.

CDR

I've been asked why I put in CDR runes but don't buy any CDR items.
I find that the 10%CDR you get of your Runes is enough to get your Level 1 Dazzle cooled down by the time you travelled from Top to Mid. That means you don't have to spend any of your precious money on CDR Items.
I have added Frozen Heart to my Item list, as it is fairly viable if you have the money.

If your game runs late and you feel like you don't need the +5 Mobility any more, feel free to get CDR Ionian Boots of Lucidity for more Heals and Stuns.

MagicPens only help your Shatter and Dazzle, but Dazzle is usually always on MaxRange/MinDmg and your is not really there to deal a lot of DmG. Your survivability through MResist is much more useful.



Selling the boots when it comes to late-late-late-game is a recommendable idea. Which one you go for depends on the rest of your build and what the Enemy has got. Tenacity does not stack so if you already have a tenacity item, don't go for Merc's. If - for some reason - you don't have any Tenacity yet, get Mercs. Others would be CDR Boots or Ninja Tabi. They have more use than Sorcs or Berzerks.

As for the Tenacity Item: you should get it, whenever teamfights become frequent because that's when you need it most. Also, during Ganks the enemy will be more anxious about GTFO than getting you down. Getting CC'd inhibits your part in the gank, but you should always be able to throw out your stun first.

What to do with the 1st Ward?
What to do with it when the Enemy team has a Jungler is explained in the 'Early-Game Playstyle' Section. If they don't have a Jungler, put it in the bush between your Mid and their 2v1 Lane, to protect your MidChamp. Dont put it there at 0:30 but don't wait until 06:00 either. Just whenever you feel your Mid is unprotected and there is danger awaiting.

Thanks for bearing through my terrible set-up until the very end. I hope you enjoyed my Guide, will try it out and deliver me some valuable Feedback!

Please make sure to a reasonable explanation for your Vote, whether it is Up or Down so I can improve/stick to things in the future :)

Ich bin eh der Geilste.

5/22/11 Guide published

5/23/11 Fixed broken Item's section
Added 'Roaming' Section and 'Why is Taric the best Roamer'

5/24/11 Added FAQ's
Added 'Wards' Section
Added CDR Boots to Item's list