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Akshan Build Guide by

[25.S1.2] In-Depth Akshan Guide [Mid/Top]

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League of Legends Build Guide Author SanyGame

Build Guide By 21 5

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21 5

70,257 Views

0 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author SanyGame

Akshan Build Guide By Updated on

Guide Discussion More Akshan Guides

Choose Champion Build:

Runes: DPS // INSPIRATION

1 2 3 4

Precision

Press the Attack

Presence of Mind

Legend: Alacrity

Cut Down

Inspiration

Magical Footwear

Triple Tonic

Bonus:

+10% Attack Speed
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+10-180 Bonus Health

Spells:

1 2

AGGRESSIVE

Flash

Ignite

Items

CRIT #1

CRIT #2

ON-HIT

STARTING ITEMS

NORMAL

ITEMS

BOOTS

CRIT

NON-CRIT

LETHALITY

ON-HIT

DEFENSIVE

Ability Order NORMAL

1 2

Akshan Passive Ability

Threats & Synergies

Threats

Synergies

Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny

Show All

None Low Ok Strong Ideal

Extreme Threats

Ideal Synergies

Anivia

Extreme

Synergies

Ideal Strong Ok Low None

More Akshan Counters

Champion Build Guide

Champion

xPros & Cons
xAbilities

Setup

xItems
xRunes
xSummoner spells

Gameplay

xGame Plan

Combos & tricks

xCombos
xTips & Tricks

Pros

→ Low Ban Rate & Pick Rate
→ High skill expression, allowing for outplay potential
→ Flexible pick (Mid, Top)
→ Excellent roaming
→ Strong early game and can snowball effectively
→ High mobility
→ High build diversity (Crit, on-hit, and lethality builds)
→ [W] passive allows you to revive teammates

Cons

→ Vulnerable to crowd control (CC)
→ Relies mostly on snowballing to be relevant
→ Falls off in late-game if behind
→ Can be difficult to pick up for new players

PASSIVE
ABILITY

Dirty Fighting (Passive): After each auto-attack, fires a weaker shot. This can be canceled, granting a brief decaying boost to Movement Speed.

's auto-attacks and abilities apply stacks to targets for 5 seconds. Upon reaching 3 stacks, all stacks are consumed, dealing magic damage. If the target is a champion, gains a shield for 2 seconds (with a cooldown).

Akshan stands still while firing his second shot.
The second shot applies on-hit and on-attack effects at 100% effectiveness and can critically strike.
Akshan has one of the lowest Attack Speed ratios (0.4) in the game, so Attack Speed is less impactful compared to other champions. However, it is still viable to build it as he ahoots twice and Heroic Swing scales with it.
The shield granted by this passive is powerful — use it to take short trades when possible, and play more cautiously when it’s on cooldown.
The Movement Speed boost from this passive is essential for chasing low-health enemies, so use it wisely to secure kills or escape dangerous situations.

Avengerang (Q): throws a boomerang that increases its range with each enemy it strikes before homing back. Upon hitting an enemy champion, gains a decaying Movement Speed boost.

Avengerang is a strong poke and trade ability, as it applies Dirty Fighting 2 times. Use [Q] on enemies, gain bonus movement speed, and land another [AA] to proc Dirty Fighting and back off with a shield.
Avengerang is Akshan's main wave-clear ability, as it can hit all minions twice and apply 2 stacks of Dirty Fighting to each of them. It deals reduced damage to minions early, so max it out first for better wave-clear.
Gives brief vision around the projectile, making it useful for checking bushes.

Going Rogue (W Passive): marks enemy champions who have recently killed his teammates as Scoundrels for 1 minute (refreshes with each kill). Securing a takedown on a Scoundrel within 3 seconds of damaging them grants 100 gold and revives all of 's teammates slain by the marked Scoundrel, returning them to the fountain and removing the Scoundrel mark from all other champions.
(W Active): gains camouflage for 2 seconds that refreshes indefinitely near terrain or inside brushes. While camouflaged, detects trails leading towards Scoundrels within 5000 units, gaining bonus Movement Speed and Mana Regeneration while moving towards them. The camouflage effect ends immediately upon recasting the ability or using auto-attacks/abilities.

Akshan can't trigger Going Rogue's passive while dead.
Camouflage can't be cancelled by CC or damage, making it a great escape tool.
Prioritize enemies correctly, as the Scoundrel mark is removed from all other champions once you secure a takedown.

Heroic Swing (E): fires a hook that embeds into the first terrain it collides with. Once attached, Akshan can recast the ability to swing around the terrain, making him shoot at the nearest visible enemy. The ability ends when recast, when colliding with an enemy champion, or when hitting terrain. Scoring a takedown on an enemy champion reduces the cooldown to 0.5 seconds.

The indicator range is shorter than the actual range of the ability, meaning it has a longer range.
Akshan prioritizes enemy champions with Dirty Fighting stacks, then those recently damaged by abilities/spells (like Ignite or Comeuppance) in the last 4 seconds, and then the nearest enemy. Start with Avengerang, auto-attacks, or Ignite before engaging with this ability.
The shots can critically strike for bonus damage and apply Life Steal at 100% effectiveness. They also apply on-hit effects at 25% effectiveness per shot.
The fire rate is not affected by Attack Speed, but it does increase ability damage.
You can swing around terrain indefinitely, as long as you don’t collide with an enemy champion or terrain (with a small leeway for movement).

Comeuppance (R): targets an enemy champion and channels for up to 2.5 seconds, loading bullets into his weapon. After 2.5 seconds or upon recasting, he fires all stored bullets, damaging the first enemy hit, including minions or structures. Damage is increased based on the target's missing health.

This ability is mainly used to execute low-HP enemies after a fight.

Heroic Swing can be used during the channel, allowing you to shoot while swinging and avoid obstacles like minions or towers.
You can move freely during the channel, but can't move when shooting bullets (unless swinging with Heroic Swing).
Executes minions, making it useful for fast-pushing if enemies are nearby.
Comeuppance enters a 5-second cooldown if the channel is canceled (except after Akshan’s death during channel).
Applies Life Steal at 100% effectiveness.
Reveals the target during the channel and for 2 seconds after, making it effective against champions like Akali or Talon.
Does not apply on-hit effects, but its damage is increased by Crit Chance and Crit Damage, making it strong in crit builds.

This tree is good for DPS and combat power.

is the BiS keystone rune for . Thanks to , Akshan's double-shot passive applies two stacks with each auto attack, and applies one stack per shot. This rune offers strong damage potential and excels in short trades, such as [AA] > [Q] > [AA], which deal high burst damage while gaining a shield to disengage.

is a solid choice for poke matchups, particularly against mages. It provides sustain and crucial movement speed for kiting. Its synergy with and allows to stack energized effects more quickly. However, due to numerous nerfs, this rune has become niche compared to .

is a good option if you don’t need the mana regeneration from . It offers reliable sustain during early all-ins and skirmishes, making it ideal for aggressive plays.

is the primary choice for , as his kit consumes a lot of mana. It allows for better wave clearing with and lets him cast multiple casts after takedowns.

provides valuable , which synergizes with 's bonus movement speed and ’s damage scaling. Since ’s builds rarely prioritize items outside of on-hit builds, this rune becomes a strong and consistent choice.

gives you lifesteal, but it’s been heavily nerfed, so it’s not as strong as . Still, if you’re feeling like you want some lifesteal, it can be worth trying out.

helps you burst down low-health enemies quicker.

works well for poking down enemies to get them in combo range. It's on the same power level as and depends on personal preference.

can be useful, but it’s a bit less suited to ’s playstyle since he’s all about quick engages and disengages. You usually want to assassinate your target before taking too much damage, so this is more of a situational pick.

What about other runes?

This tree is great for extra survivability.

can be useful early on for quickly taking down tower plates, especially if you’re in the top lane.

works really well with . It provides extra damage and survivability after you get a shield, making you harder to kill in fights.

doesn’t kick in early, but it gives you a solid buff later in the game. It pairs nicely with tankier items like , , , and , or defensive runes like .

is a good option for surviving early all-ins. It’s a bit weaker against ranged champions who can easily trigger its cooldown, but it can still provide a lot of protection in close-range trades.

works well against poke-heavy matchups, especially if you're up against ranged champions. It pairs nicely with for sustain during the laning phase.

is like — it doesn't do much early on but provides extra survivability later in the game.

What about other runes?

This tree is great for snowballing.

is a solid rune for preventing overextending. It works especially well against poke champions or when you're playing aggressively.

can deal a surprising amount of damage in the early and mid-game, synergizing well with both and .

is great for placing deep wards. It significantly extends ward duration, which is super useful in the toplane for avoiding ganks. It can also be situationally helpful in midlane.

is a solid snowballing rune. It requires you to take down 5 different champions to max out, so it’s more effective in the midlane and less so in toplane.

is a great option for midlane who wants to roam and make plays across the map.

What about other runes?

This tree is good for free gold and stats

is a situational rune that can work in certain matchups, especially against unkillable tanks in the toplane. It grants free gold when you have range advantage, though it’s rarely a top-tier pick.

provides free boots, saving you 300 gold. It also gives a slight movement speed boost, which can help with kiting. This is especially useful for players who often delay buying boots.

is an alternative to , offering less gold early but more value as you buy legendary items later on. It’s a matter of personal preference.

is a solid rune for early game. The first tonic helps with last-hitting, and the second and third provide nice power spikes.

offers extra sustain during the early game, which is helpful against poke-heavy matchups.

is an underrated rune, providing Summoner Spell and Item Haste. It works well with items like or and summoner spells like .

is easy to stack on . You can reach 5 stacks by purchasing basic items like and . For 10 stacks, it involves buying and items like . The downside is that the Ability Haste from this rune is generally wasted on , making it a bit mediocre overall.

What about other runes?

This tree is good for scaling

isn’t as good as , but it can still be a viable option if you’ve chosen instead.

pairs well with runes like or , offering a nice damage boost.

is a great early-game rune for harassment and poke.

is an excellent late-game scaling rune, granting a significant amount of AD that helps in the later stages of the game. It compensates for his weaker late-game power.

What about other runes?

When choosing rune shards for , it’s pretty straightforward. Always take , since you’re an auto-attack champion. is also a must for that extra damage. As for the third shard, you can go with or depending on your preference—personally, I prefer .

Press the Attack/ Fleet Footwork

That's probably his best and only viable rune page. is his strongest option, as it procs easily with your double attacks and (in tough poke matchups, it can be swapped with , but this rune has been heavily nerfed). is generally the best choice since you're mana-hungry when using and (though you can swap it with , but in my opinion, it's less effective). provides valuable and is likely the only choice in that row (though is an alternative, I personally dislike it). For the third row, you can take either or for increased damage.

The secondary tree is quite flexible, and I'll cover it next.

Resolve

This tree is great for extra survivability. excels in short trades and synergizes well with the shield (it can be swapped with against poke, but I would prefer taking instead). For the second rune, you can choose either for more health or for even stronger early trades.

Inspiration

This tree provides great value with the free boots from (which can be swapped for ) and the small power spikes from (which can be swapped for in poke-heavy matchups).

Domination

A solid tree for extra damage from (which can be swapped for , though I find it worse) and additional from . is also a good pick for tracking the enemy jungler.

FLASH

is essential on . It gives you mobility for both aggressive plays and escaping tough situations.

IGNITE

is usually your go-to spell, as it offers extra pressure early in the game and helps you snowball faster. Plus, enemies with Ignite are prioritized by , making it easier to go for all-ins.

TELEPORT

is a better pick in more difficult matchups where you might not be able to snowball as easily. It’s especially useful in the late game and to avoid overextending early, which helps you maintain your EXP and CS. However, due to recent changes in 2025, its early game power has been nerfed a lot.

Starter Items

is the optimal starting item for Akshan, as it provides 100 Health and 3.5% Lifesteal, which is highly beneficial for staying in lane a bit longer and better trading.

grants sustain, helping you stay in lane for longer periods. By using s efficiently, you can force enemies to overextend, creating opportunities for trades or all-ins.

is better suited against poke-heavy champions. It’s a good option to buy after an early recall but not as a starter, as offers better value than early on.

Boots

are a situational but solid choice, especially against champions that rely heavily on AD or auto-attacks.

are situational and a solid choice against heavy AP or CC.

are great for and Slow Resistance. They give you more safety during teamfights and make it easier to move around the map. is pretty OP because it boosts any you have, including and .

are a good option if you don’t need defensive boots, especially in crit builds that lack . They’re also good for snowballing, but defensive boots are usually safer in those cases. feel a bit underwhelming compared to other options, so keep that in mind.

Non-crit items

works really well with 's kit. It provides waveclear (allowing you to max first), some poke, and resets on takedowns, letting you proc it with every in teamfights. The main downside is that it doesn’t provide crit chance, delaying your crit powerspike ( + ).

used to be one of the best items for because of its strong snowball potential, missing health damage, and solid stats. However, it’s been nerfed several times, so it’s not as strong as it once was. You can still consider it in some situations (mainly in on-hit builds), but there are usually better options now.

Crit items

is a core item for all crit builds (just like for most crit marksmen). It provides a high amount of AD and Crit Damage%, amplifying , , and auto-attack damage effectively, while scaling further with Crit Chance%.

isn’t the strongest item overall but is still the best choice in most games. Its is useful for ability-oriented champions, and the execute makes it easier to finish off low-health enemies.

synergizes very well with . It allows you to auto-attack enemies from extended range while using , marking them with and enabling an all-in play. It also provides a decent amount of , which is particularly valuable in AD Crit builds that usually lack .

is an amazing item and should be bought in most games. As the game progresses, champions' base armor gets significantly higher, making Armor Penetration% valuable even against squishies. It's also essential against enemies stacking , including tanks, bruisers, or squishy champions building defensive items like or .

is an alternative to . While it offers slightly less damage output, it’s crucial against champions like , , , and others with strong healing. It’s especially useful if your team neglects to buy anti-heal or if you find yourself 1v1ing a lot.

seems promising as a rush item due to its high gold efficiency when stacked and its decent . However, or are usually better options for rushing in most situations.

On-hit items

On-hit items are pretty weak in the current meta, so I wouldn’t recommend building these unless the enemy team has 3 or more tanks.

is the core item for on-hit builds. It’s great for fighting HP stackers (tanks, bruisers, and battle mages), provides a slight slow for sticking to enemies, and synergizes well with 's passive (BotRK deals current HP% damage, making it less effective for finishing low-HP targets). Its stats are solid overall. It can occasionally be used in crit builds for better tank busting, but it delays your crit powerspike.

is an excellent choice for on-hit builds for , as he can easily stack it using or a few double auto-attacks. While it has less Armor Penetration% compared to , it offers better survivability with its resistances, making it a more defensive option.

is a defensive on-hit item that’s effective against heavy AP or CC champions. I would say it's pretty niche and should be a rare item to purchase.

enhances on-hit effects from items like , , , and . However, its stats are somewhat underwhelming, so it’s not recommended to buy this item too early in the game.

Defensive items

is my personal favorite for the last slot in most builds. It provides a ton of healing, with the high AD and shield passive as excellent bonuses. This item shines in extended fights where sustain is crucial or for healing off minions/monsters when you’re low HP.

is a situational purchase against heavy burst damage. Its lifeline passive can save you in critical moments, buying time to escape or turn fights in your favor.

is a very situational defensive item and an alternative to . It’s particularly useful against heavy AP teams with deadly CC abilities like or .

offers minimal damage but is invaluable against AD champions and in late-game teamfights. Its revive effect makes you significantly harder to kill, which is especially useful with for reviving teammates and potentially ending the game.

is a pure defensive item that works well with ' passive, providing substantial resistances. However, it’s not recommended until the late game, as it sacrifices a lot of damage for survivability.

Early Game

Level 1

thrives in the early game and should play aggressively. Always unlock first, as it allows you to focus on short trades with the [Q]>[AA] (or [AA]>[Q]) combo. Your goal is to lower the enemy’s HP without wasting your ability for nothing. Focus on gaining a level advantage by consistently hitting minions.

Level 2

Once you unlock , you'll be able to deal massive damage. Look for opportunities when your enemy’s primary ability is on cooldown, and if they are low enough, you can engage with [Q]>[E]>[AA] to delete their HP. Extended trades with auto-attacks can finish off your opponent, or you can dive if the opportunity arises.

Level 3+

It’s typically not recommended to unlock at Level 3, as you gain more combat power from upgrading other abilities. However, once unlocked, you can use it to shove minion waves and look for roam opportunities. Assist your jungler with Scuttle or fight in the enemy jungle, or roam to the bot lane if a chance arises. If the enemy is playing passively and you can’t secure a kill, fake a roam to get a trade with active. If you're in the top lane, delaying this ability is an option since your roams will generally be limited to the Baron pit.

Level 6

Though ’s ultimate isn’t particularly powerful, it can still be a game-changer to finish off escaping enemies. Just make sure you're positioning yourself well to make the most of it.

Mid-Late Game

Remember, you're not a standard marksman. In teamfights, avoid mindlessly engaging enemies. Save your for the perfect moment. Prioritize poking and whittling down enemy health before jumping in to clean up low-health targets or finish off the scoundrels.

You're also very effective at split-pushing. With maxed-out for wave clear and and for escapes, you can control the side lanes efficiently. Additionally, you can assassinate squishy targets who wander alone.

In the late game, your damage output becomes pretty high, but you’ll also become more vulnerable once the enemy team completes their builds. Be cautious. Stick with your allies using , and be mindful of your passive revive ability, which becomes increasingly valuable as the game progresses (since respawn timers are much more higher).

Short trade combos

These are your bread-and-butter combos for short trades. They let you proc your passive once, gain a shield, and get a movement speed boost. This makes it easier to either back off or continue trading with auto attacks (useful for procing ). Pay attention to the cooldown of your shield, as it can help you win most early trades.

All-in combo

> >

Since prioritizes the nearest enemy (including minions), you need to mark the enemy with stacks to avoid this. The easiest way to do this is to mark the enemy with before going in with . Once you land the swing, you can continue auto attacking or back off, depending on the situation. If you're unsure whether you can finish off your opponent or if you're worried about enemy junglers, you can use a defensive [E] to retreat.

All-in combo 2

>> >

This is another variation of the previous combo, but it works best when there are no minions around. If there are minions in the way, you can simply either use this combo in the river or use to force to prioritize the enemy champion.

Ambush combo

> >> >

This combo works well for ambushing enemies while you're in stealth. If you're not sure whether you can secure the kill, you can stop after landing [Q] > [AA] and check the enemy's HP. If you have , you can go for [AA] > [Q] > ... or even just [AA] > ... to poke or engage.

Avoiding obstacles with Comeuppance

While using , you can cast during the channeling to avoid obstacles such as minions, towers, or other champions. This allows you to reposition or dodge.

Avoiding turrets with Comeuppance

Since you're unable to damage T2/T3 towers before destroying T1, you can bait unaware enemies into thinking they’re safe. You can deal damage through the tower with , catching them off guard.

Using Heroic Swing correctly

Wrong

Right

To maximize your swing distance, avoid using your hook perpendicular to the wall. Instead, aim for the farthest point of terrain within your reach to cover more distance with .

Heroic Swing indicator

The range indicator is slightly shorter than the actual range. After reaching the maximum range, the ability checks for terrain within a small area around the hook (roughly 50 units). Keep this in mind to swing further than the indicator suggests.

More Akshan Counters

SanyGame Akshan Guide

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[25.S1.2] In-Depth Akshan Guide [Mid/Top]

TABLE OF CONTEST

PROS & CONS

ABILITIES

RUNES TABLE

SUMMONER SPELLS

ITEMS

GAME PLAN

COMBOS

TIPS AND TRICKS

[25.S1.2] In-Depth Akshan Guide [Mid/Top]

[25.S1.2] In-Depth Akshan Guide [Mid/Top]

Choose Champion Build:

Recommended Items

Runes: DPS // INSPIRATION

Spells:

Flash

Ignite

Flash

Teleport

Items

Ability Order NORMAL

Dirty Fighting (PASSIVE)

Avengerang (Q)

Going Rogue (W)

Heroic Swing (E)

Comeuppance (R)

Dirty Fighting (PASSIVE)

Avengerang (Q)

Going Rogue (W)

Heroic Swing (E)

Comeuppance (R)

Threats & Synergies

Ahri

Akali

Anivia

Annie

Aurelion Sol

Aurora

Azir

Brand

Cassiopeia

Corki

Diana

Ekko

Fizz

Galio

Gragas

Heimerdinger

Hwei

Irelia

Jayce

Kassadin

Katarina

Kayle

Kennen

LeBlanc

Lissandra

Lux

Malphite

Malzahar

Naafiri

Neeko

Orianna

Pantheon

Qiyana

Ryze

Swain

Sylas

Syndra

Taliyah

Talon

Tristana

Twisted Fate

Veigar

Vel'Koz

Vex

Viktor

Vladimir

Xerath

Yasuo

Yone

Zed

Ziggs

Zoe

Recommended Items

Runes: DPS // RESOLVE

Spells:

Flash

Ignite