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Changes in 5.13: Nothing major. Turbo Chemtank is now mediocre for Hecarim so I lowered the score of it in the item section.
Changes in 5.12: Every patch, I present to you some important changes regarding Hecarim. So what's different? There were a lot of changes in this patch BUT not for our horsey friend here. I use 21/9 masteries which hasn't changed much. HOWEVER our Enchanted Armor has been moved so in place of it is the Swiftness . I would take two points in Recovery but the new mastery is currently being tested.



Hey guys, my name is 5tuntm4n, a Platinum Hecarim Top main. Since the rise of the tank meta, Hecarim has seen play from Top and Jungle although I prefer Top the most. His movement speed and Rampage spam can easily deal tons of damage in little time due to his stickiness factor. My favorite way to play Hecarim is to (depends on which side of the map you are on) tax either Gromp/Golems, back, and come back to lane using Teleport. This way, you are ahead of your laner by 1-2 creeps.

With this guide, you will learn how to lane, teamfight, and itemize effectively. If you enjoy the guide be sure to comment and leave a Like :)!

PROS:

• Extremely mobile
• High DPS
• Huge power spike after Trinity Force completion
• Tons of mid game damage
• Good engage and disengage with Onslaught of Shadows and Devastating Charge
• Hard to chase, hard to escape
• Lots of wave clear

CONS:

• Weak early game, loses to ranged champs and lane bullies like Riven
• Hard to catchup when behind
• Mana hungry early game
• Enemies can capitalize if you use Devastating Charge to farm or deal extra damage to towers

Ignite: Unlike most champions, Hecarim does not rely on Flash or Ghost to get away. This way, he can take Ignite as well for an edge in lane without you falling behind in the late game. Although some might say Ghost is better, you are fast enough and it only provides a slim AD boost. 8/10 PRIORITY



Teleport: An essential spell to all top laners, especially for our magical pony here. Teleport gives Hecarim the opportunity to roam to mid lane and come back top without missing CS or falling behind. Also, you can Teleport bot lane for an easy gank with Enchantment: Homeguard. 9/10 PRIORITY



Ghost: Now, I don't prefer Ghost because it does not benefit you as much as Ignite would. Ignite can deal a good amount of true damage early and mid game while Ghost (an unnecessary escape tool) provides around 10-20 AD depending on level. It's good, but not good enough. 6/10 PRIORITY

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT THE OTHER SPELLS. THEY ARE USELESS TO YOU.

Who is Hecarim?

Hecarim is an extremely mobile champion with two extremely useful escape or engage tools: Devastating Charge and Onslaught of Shadows. His (Q), Rampage is a spammable harass tool that can be used to last hit, kite, or trade in lane. It is good to note that taking an E-aa-Q trade in lane is almost always worth it. Just do not overextend when trying to make the trade. Early game, your (E) is your only escape tool.

Abilities

Warpath: Hecarim perpetually ignores unit collision and gains bonus attack damage equal to 15/17.5/20/22.5/25/27.5/30% of his bonus movement speed.
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This passive is pretty strong; not at early levels but in the mid game. 45 MS with regular boots gives Hecarim about 7 attack damage at level one and 14 at level 16. That is fairly weak so I don't recommend itemizing around it. However, taking Enchantment: Homeguard is really good because it give up to 200 AD with Devastating Charge. This passive can be related to Rammus's Spiked Shell because of the attack damage increase except his scales off armor.


Rampage: Hecarim cleaves nearby enemies, dealing physical damage.

If Hecarim damages at least one enemy unit with this attack, he gains a stack of Rampage for 8 seconds, reducing the base cooldown of this ability by 1 second. This effect can stack up to 2 times.
RANGE: 350 COST: 32/34/36/38/40 MANA COOLDOWN: 4
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This is Hecarim's bread-and-butter ability. This is what makes Hecarim an incredible lane pusher and harasser. With its cooldown being so low (lower with Spirit Visage and Frozen Heart!), and its mana cost (although increased in patch 5.9) can be spammed to trade and fight effectively. Note that this doesn't count as an auto attack meaning that you can aa-Q-aa or E-Q-aa in little time. Be careful early game, as spamming this ability too much to farm or trade evenly might not be worth it. Dude got mana probs.


Spirit of Dread: ACTIVE: Hecarim surrounds himself with the spirit of dread for 4 seconds, dealing magic damage per second to all enemies within its reach.

Hecarim is healed for 20% of the damage dealt by any source to enemies within the area (capped against minions or monsters).
RANGE: 525 COST: 50/60/70/80/90 MANA COOLDOWN: 22/21/20/19/18
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This is a good ability to sustain in the jungle or in lane. It is good to note that it is only capped with minions and monsters; NOT CHAMPIONS. In teamfights, this ability, along with Spirit Visage gives Hecarim infinite sustain. ALSO, HE DRAINS HP FROM ANY SOURCE OF DAMAGE, NOT JUST HIS (W). Although the spell is strong, its scalings are weak and the healing ability it gives are not increased.


Devastating Charge: ACTIVE: Hecarim gains 75% movement speed over the course of 3 seconds, starting with initial 25% upon cast, and ending one second afterward.

While Hecarim is charging, he gains 150 extra attack range (325 total). His next basic attack Airborne icon knocks back the target, dealing physical damage based on how far Hecarim has traveled during Devastating Charge's duration.

If Hecarim's target is beyond narrow terrain, Hecarim will leap over the terrain to his target.
COST: 60 MANA COOLDOWN: 24/22/20/18/16
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This might just be the best non-dash escape in the game. It is, actually. Hecarim gains up to 75% movement speed, which at 400MS (boots + trinity force + runes), gives Hecarim 700 MOVEMENT SPEED. That's a mini-homeguards that can be used outside of base. It also has the added knockback effect which is really good to catch out of positioned champions. It is good to know that if you run past your enemy just barely, it will still knock them forward due to animation bugs. You need to stay at least 1/2 an auto attack in front of your opponent to knock them back 100%. Max this second because of the cooldown reduction and damage increase. The faster the furious..er?


Onslaught of Shadows: ACTIVE: Hecarim summons spectral riders and charges forward with them in a line, dealing magic damage to enemies in their path.

Enemies within range of where Hecarim stops will flee in terror for 1 second. The wave of spectral riders will travel the maximum distance possible in the direction of the cast, regardless of where Hecarim himself stops.
RANGE: 1000 COST: 100 MANA COOLDOWN: 140/120/100
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This ability is really strong when roaming, teamfighting, and escaping. It flees the area where Hecarim landed so here are a few things to keep in mind:

- If you have room, make sure to predict the enemy movement to ult IN FRONT of them. This way, they will flee backwards and will give you time to do free damage.
- In teamfights, use your ult to catch out of position carries or to split up the enemy team.
- When you ult, for about .5 seconds you cannot cast other abilities so make sure to use it at the correct time!

BEST ITEM TO RUSH!!!
Mercury's Treads: This is the item to rush if you want you and your team to get ahead in lane. This, along with Homeguards provides easy ganks and can catch your opponent off guard. Tell your bot lane to ward the bush furthest to their tower so you can gank the enemies with ease. Here are the tips:
- Around 8-10 minutes, this item should be completed; otherwise just start on your Trinity Force before you get too behind
- If you can, save Teleport before you buy boots so you can back, buy the Homeguards, and immediately gank bot lane
- YOU DON'T HAVE TO FIRST BACK THIS, you can back to buy boots first then finish your Merc Treads or Homeguards if you can afford it
- Buying this item alone won't make you strong, do not try to fight champions like Irelia or Lissandra, they can still beat you in lane.
- BUY Ninja Tabi IF THEIR TEAM HAS Vayne, Zed, or other basic attack reliant champions

BEST ITEM TO RUSH AFTER BOOTS!!!
Trinity Force: Arguably the best item for Hecarim. The reasons are simple:
- Zeal provides attack speed and movement speed, both of which benefit Hecarim greatly
- Sheen provides an auto attack steroid after a spell cast which is amazing for your spammable (Q), Rampage
- Phage provides health and stickiness with the passive
This item, once gotten, is amazing and you can burst almost any carry.

BEST ITEM TO RUSH AFTER TRINITY FORCE IF YOU ARE LANING AN RANGED AP BULLY!!!
Spirit Visage: This item is good to sustain the lane, CD Reduction, and Magic Resist. It is not core, and should not be taken if their team has lots of AD.
- Your (W), Spirit of Dread will benefit off this item
- 10% Cooldown Reduction

BEST ITEM TO RUSH AFTER TRINITY FORCE IF THE ENEMY TEAM IS MOSTLY AD!!!
Frozen Heart: Great item. It provides Mana, CD Reduction, and Armor, all of which are really good for Hecarim. Additionally, its passive slows all enemy champion's attack speed by 15% in a range quite similar to your (W). Try to get in the middle of teamfights to do the most damage and zoning.
- Mana is great for your early game struggles
- 20% CD Reduction will put you at 35% if you follow the standard build
- Passive can allow you to duel champions like Riven if she hasn't snowballed yet

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ITEMIZATION, MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A COMMENT AND I'LL PROVIDE A DETAILED EXPLANATION ON IT!!!

For players just taking up Hecarim, be sure to know the best combo:

Devastating Charge (stacked; deals more damage the longer it's been activated) --> Onslaught of Shadows --> Rampage while Devastating Charge animation is happening (Q gains passive bonus while Devastating Charge is active) --> Spirit of Dread for extra damage and sustain.

This uses all your abilities but you can drop an Ignite if you feel necessary. This should do at least 65% of a squishies (little-no HP bonus) health but if you did the combo right, you should be right next to/in front of your target. Continue to aa- Rampage-aa to maximize damage and efficiency.

Hecarim has a strong level 1 with the low cooldown of your (Q). When your laner is coming in for CS (melee), make sure to harass them with Rampage and back off to avoid taking excess minion damage.

At level 2, take your (E) and go for another trade. You should still be farming but find openings to find good trades. Depending on your playstyle, you can choose to play safe and farm or harass your opponent out of lane. Both of which are good.

At level 3, take your (W) and fight near minion waves. Their minions will act as first aid kits as Spirit of Dread will drain all their life ALL damage dealt. This will win you a trade 80% of the time but avoid trading with Riven or AP ranged bullies (unless they're in melee range).

At level 6, you've hit your power spike and hopefully some boots. Don't be afraid to take risky trades if your lane is warded because your can use your ult last, to deal damage and stall for more damage, or use it to escape. This is loooooong dash so don't be afraid of your enemy catching up to you (unless it's like Master Yi or something).

FARM AVERAGE @ 10min - 80 CS against melee/60 CS against ranged
I hold myself to this standard and come quite close or above these goals in lane. Remember, 2 waves of farm is worth more than an actual kill.
HOWEVER, if you are winning lane hard, you should get 10cs per minute (1 per 6 seconds) which can be achieved if you farm 5-6 creeps a wave. 6-7 if its a cannon wave.

ROAMING

THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB Hecarim must do in order to succeed. Refer to the Mercury's Treads notes for ganking bot lane. However, you can also gank mid lane. Tell your mid laner to overextend a little for farm but don't make it obvious that you're there. Then, charge up your (E), Devastating Charge before going in. Don't use your ult unless you need to. You have to bait their Flash before using all your dashes and movement speed steroids because once they flash, you cannot catch up. Usually, the path furthest away from your mid turret is the best route because most elos will only ward the middle of the bush.

There are many ways Hecarim can be played:
- Greed splitpush:
This is a decent way to play the mid game because of your endless wave clear but if you're team is conflicted, you better be sure you're close by or have wards. It's also nice to have a good pair of eyes on the map. A good tip is to use your (E) on towers to trigger Sheen and it also does more damage naturally. However, make sure this won't lead to your inevitable death. Rampage in between auto attacks to trigger Sheen.

-Group/Siege:
This is a good way to play the mid game and take objectives BUT make sure you make the right calls. If you guys are mid with 1 wave of minions but bot lane has 4 waves pushing to their tower, rotate. Due to popular bronze belief, grouping mid game all game won't win you the game. It will probably lose you the game. It's not ARAM guys.

-Pick/ADC Farming:
This is what I love most about Hecarim: his mid game damage. Use this along with your movement speed to roam the map looking for easy kills. Mainly the carries; make sure it is warded so the enemies won't collapse on you. If they do, tell your team to push other lanes and don't bother helping unless they're really close.

TEAMFIGHTS:

YOU ARE THE FRONTLINER. YOU ARE THE POWER FORWARD TO YOUR BASKETBALL TEAM. THE LIONEL MESSI TO YOUR BARCELONA. THE BEAST MODE TO YOUR SEAHAWKS. You can use your mobility to flank or lead the way. You will probably be the main engager for your team so make sure to ult their carries first. You can zone carries from their tanks and create an easy opportunity for your carries to do easy damage. The important thing is that you zone their carries. Focus them and make sure they focus you.

Damn...your Trinity Force power spike is gone. You're job now is to group with your team and tank as much damage as possible. If you built correctly, you should have ~4k HP and ~180 AD. 300/150 armor and magic resist is best. Remember to use your (W) to soak as much damage as possible and sustain the damage. Focus the carries and zone them away from the tanks. Your ult should always go to the backline unless their ADC is melee form Mortal Kombat X style. Even then you're team can just delete the ADC with ease.

You can splitpush but your damage hasn't changed from when you first got your Trinity Force besides the AD scaling per level so don't expect Master Yi type tower shreds. Also, remember to ward with a Greater Stealth Totem so you do not get caught.

You become even more useless at 50 minutes when the enemy team has full build and the carries have some sort of armor ( Guardian Angel is a great example). Your burst will probably do 35-45% of the enemy carries HP but they'll be grouped by then. They also have some sort of lifesteal to bring their HP back up so don't be all super saiyan. You're just a pony at this point.

Thanks for reading my Hecarim guide on becoming a better pony! Be sure to leave a like and comment if you learned or liked something in this guide.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or PM me and I will gladly answer them. If you have any Hecarim success because of this guide, be sure to tell me and I'll add it! :)

Have a great day and good luck on the rift!

Feel free to add me @ '5tuntm4n' on NA