Hecarim Build Guide : Hecarim - Carrying Your Team in S3

Lore and Introduction

"Since his first sighting on the northwestern shores of Valoran, the towering, armored specter known as Hecarim struck a chilling fear into the hearts of all who laid eyes upon him. No one had ever seen anything like his titanic, ethereal form before, and the mystery of his sudden arrival was deeply unnerving. When Hecarim began to march eastwards, leaving a trail of desolate, lifeless ground behind him, the villagers of the plains fled their homes for the safety of nearby Demacia. In the city's now-overcrowded taverns, rumors about this inhuman phantom spread in hushed whispers. Some claimed that he was the vengeful shade of an ancient warrior, intent on destroying all living beings; one man insisted that they had seen him leading an entire legion of spectral cavalrymen; others still believed him to be the creation of some hateful necromancer. One Demacian commander, seeking to dispel the terror that had gripped the city, assembled a few of his finest soldiers and rode out to turn back or destroy Hecarim.
The commander led his soldiers to stand in Hecarim's path and braced for his assault. As the apparition bore down on them, an overwhelming sensation of dread gripped the warriors. The men, frozen in fear, could only scream as the ghostly titan ran them down, tearing them apart and trampling them beneath his iron hooves. Hecarim turned to the crippled, cowering commander and uttered a chilling statement: "This is merely the beginning. No mortal army can withstand the might of the Shadow Isles." With that, Hecarim departed, resuming his grim march. Driven to insanity by his nightmarish experience, the commander stumbled back to Demacia, where his dire warnings were dismissed as the ravings of a madman. While Hecarim's origin and intent were still a mystery, his destination became clear when he reached the Institute of War and, in a voice both ominous and commanding, demanded entry into the League of Legends."

is a tank jungler with great initiation and damage. He scales amazingly into late game and can easily carry teams to victory. In teamfights he is an absolute monster, dishing out tons of AoE damage and healing off any damage he takes. Even after the nerfs, is still an amazing jungler that provides a lot to a team. He's currently my favorite champion because after playing many games I still enjoy playing him due to how much he can impact any game.

Why you should play Hecarim (Pros and Cons)

PROS

CONS

Pretty good clear
Has sustain
Deals good damage with few damage items
Amazing initiation
Great late game
Extremely hard to kill in teamfights
Great mobility
Easy Baron steals
Has CC

Weak early
Melee
Easy to shut down early
Needs a lot of farm
Mana intensive if you spam Q
First clear can be bad
Slows will reduce his damage, but not by much
AD ratios aren't good

Runes

The runes you'll be using for most of your games

Greater Mark of Armor Penetration - Due to Hecarim's low AD scalings, I have realized that armor pen runes are actually the better choice. You'll be doing more damage with these, especially in the late game.

- These give you the durability you need to survive the jungle, they also give you a slight edge in tanking vs. any physical damage.

- These glyphs give you magic resist (duh) for tanking magic damage, which you'll probably be doing sooner or later. You could either take flat or scaling.

- Since movespeed is practically what Hecarim is known for (outside of insane self heals and pro initiation), you should get these. If you're starved for IP, you can get armor pen or attack damage.

Masteries

These are the masteries you will be using for most of your games.

You can do something like 0/21/9, 0/9/21, 21/9, etc, but it depends on the situation. For the purpose of the guide, I recommend these masteries. I have tried other setups, but for me they were all undesirable due to lack of early damage or lack of early defense.

Summoner Spells

OPTIONS

This may look like a lot to choose from, but the choices are pretty clear. You're going to definitely want so you can secure jungle objectives, so that only leave you one thing left. Typically, this will be which is great with Devastating Charge for chasing or fleeing, but there are other spells you might want to consider.

will help your ganks out a ton. If there are a lot of high damage people on the enemy team, you could take this.

will help you secure kills, or its something to take if you're playing top lane .

can help you come in from surprise locations, and if you have homeguard, the result can be hilarious. A spell to consider for top lane or jungle .

Skill Explanation and Skill Sequence

WARPATH

's passive. It gives you a little bit of AD from your items and potential movespeed runes and masteries. This passive is not worth building around (unless you're trolling), as the AD you will get from it after you have your "OP Movespeed build" will be barely noticable. It's not the best passive in the world, but it is still good because it allows you to ignore unit collision and gain a little bit more AD during .

RAMPAGE

's main damaging ability. This is what gives a lot of his AoE damage, and this is also what makes an amazing item, as it allows you to activate it very frequently. During your early jungle clears and some team fights, you should be cautious about the overuse of this ability. While the mana cost is low, the low CD can trick you into spamming it, which will eat away all of your mana pool. I recommend maxing this ability first for its damage output.

SPIRIT OF DREAD

's sustain ability. This makes extremely hard to kill in teamfights depending on how much damage you and your team can do. After its nerfs, you wont be healing for as much, but it is still a wonderful ability. You probably wont be noticing the damage this spell deals (unless you are playing AP , it's got an 80% AP ratio!), the heal can be gamebreaking in teamfights. If you can position yourself to where the enemies that are taking the most damage are in the aura of , then your enemies will have an extremely hard time trying to take you down. I take a point in this ability at level one, but I max it second, after .

DEVASTATING CHARGE

One of 's mobility abilities. This allows to chase, flee, and gank extremely well. has synergy with itself, because the more you move during the charge, the more damage you are likely to do, combined with the extra AD you get from the bonus movespeed. Since you will be trying to position yourself to where you can knock your target into your team, you will have to move more, and therefore you will end up doing more damage. Combined with your ultimate, this makes an excellent tool for initiation.

ONSLAUGHT OF SHADOWS

One of the greatest initiation spells in the game. This allows to charge an INSANELY long distance into the enemy team, and fear everyone around him, splitting them up and allowing your allies to pick them off. This spell also comes in handy for pulling off drive-by buff/dragon or even baron steals. in, , and then if you can, and right on out of there. Of course, if escape is not an option (it probably isn't if it was a Baron steal), then you shouldn't use , and instead just die for the good of the team like the true (horse-)man you are. If you use this for ganking, then the ideal combo would be to start , in behind the target, knock your intended target into your team, and then finish them off. This also has a pretty good AP ratio if you're interested in AP .

My recommended skill build is as follows

I start with a point into , and then I will put a point into at levels 2, and if I don't plan on ganking right away, then I will delay a point into to level 4 so I can put another point into . Obviously, with such an amazing ultimate, you will want to put points into it at 6, 11, and 16. I max first, second, and third. I have tried maxing second over , and I have to say it can work because of the decreased CD and increased damage, but I'm not entirely a fan, because you give up sustain due to the fact you are stuck with 60 HP heal from minions per while jungling.

Item Builds

On , it's critical to build the right items so that you can maximize your effectiveness throughout the game.

CORE ITEMS

This item has become probably the most popular jungling item. If you look at the stats, its clear why. CDR, Health, Tenacity, and then spirit stone bonuses are all good things for a tank jungler. The tenacity is amazing because it allows you to safely buy boots other than Mercury Treads, expanding your boot options. It's also very gold efficient, similar to it's other spirit stone item counterparts. You want this for most of your games.

Before this item, was the thing to build on Hecarim. This is because, with Rampage, you can activate Sheen very easily and maximize your damage output. However, Iceborn Gauntlet has become a more favorable alternative, due to the fact that it makes you tanky, provides an AoE slow and gives you CDR and mana. This makes 's already high AoE damage output get even stronger. Also, after the mana cost increase on Q, you're probably going to want the mana. You can still buy , as it is by no means bad, but you should be opting for most of your games.

This is more of stating that you will need some sort of upgraded boots. You will probably buy or for most of your games, but there are other options seen below.

WHICH HORSESHOES TO BUY

These boots go very well with the tenacity from . You will be able to further ignore CC effects (okay, just slows with these, but still). Also, the less you are slowed, the less AD you lose. I'd suggest getting these in most of your games.

These boots are for when you end up skipping . You don't want to waste gold buying TWO tenacity passives, so if you did get ancient golem, you shouldn't be picking these up. Of course, you still can, its not just optimal. If you're going for the more carry-oriented lizard elder + other stuff build, then you're gonna want these, but other wise, pass them up.

If you're not picking up , you're probably gonna be picking up these. If you want to be tanky and dont feel like the movement speed bonuses from , then these are the boots for you. AD Carry's are pretty pesky in the current meta, so the damage reduction and armor can be very helpful.

A real man's ganking boots. These are better now that you're not missing the tenacity from Mercury treads. Pick them up if you want to gank a lot. I don't buy these boots much, just because I don't like buying in general due to the lack of any sort of defense you get (the same could be said for swiftness, but they give you slow reduction!) If you buy these and the game goes on long enough for you to complete your build and have money left over, sell these and either buy or .

OPTIONS FOR ARMOR

You are probably going to encounter some sort of AD damage on the enemy team, so you are more than likely going to end up buying at least one of these items. is the best option in my opinion, it grants you a large sum of health and armor, which are both great. The passive and active slows can be crippling to any autoattacker such as the enemy ADC. can be very useful, and it will even slightly boost your AoE damage, but I will always go for first and then buy this later. is a great item, but the CDR will be wasted if you have your other important items. It also provides no health, which is very important in the current state of the game. is very cheap armor that doesn't really give you anything else. The passive is nice, but anyone that is going to take significant damage from autoattacking you will probably have lifesteal. Like , it provides no health.

OPTIONS FOR MAGIC RESIST

Odds are, you're going to be against at least one source of magic damage. Even if you aren't, you will probably want to buy a because it will give you incredible heals and it will also get you CDR capped so you can have on a 60 second cooldown. is a fantastic item that I will buy if no one else is currently building it or has said that they are going to build it. is an item I used in Season 2, but have given it up in favor of other things. It's still a good item that provides you with an okay amount of MR and gives you good AD, as well as a nice magic damage shield. is... well, not the best choice. It's expensive, and I doubt you will ever need to cleanse, but if you really want it, then go for it. It will give you a lot of damage and MR, similar to .

OTHER CHOICES (OBSURDLY NICHE)

This item will take you over 40% CDR, but it allows you to speed boost your team for chasing/escapes and even for intiating a teamfight. It has the added bonus of building out of Philosopher's Stone, which will increase your gold income early. I don't get this much, but it is in no way a bad choice.

I never buy this. However, it does give you AP (you have good scalings!) and magic resist. It also lets you catch targets off guard, and it can increase your ganking potential. I'd imagine its very upsetting when you realize you got killed by a with , so that's a plus. I've never actually tried this item, but I've heard word of it and considered it.

is an item that will give you even more sustain as well as damage. It also has a ranged slow, which can help you keep up with fast moving targets. I have never bought this, but if you really have to carry your team in damage, then it could be beneficial.

is a fantastic item if you think your resistances are fine and you need the straight health. It's strength is also a weakness, because a lot of health just causes % of health damage from champions like , and . As previously mentioned, this item's downfall is that it's PURE HEALTH. Nothing else. (ok, health regen. you got me.)

Jungling and Ganking

Your initial jungle route should look something like this. After your first clear, you should either gank if there is a good opportunity and you aren't too low on health, or go back and buy and .

As an alternative route, which might be slower, you will probably have more health by the end of it, would look like this. This route involves taking Wolves and Wraiths multiple times as well as ignoring Double Golems, so you will probably have to wait a tiny bit for each camp of Wolves and Wraiths to spawn when you get there. This leaves Double Golems for your bot or top laner, and lets you stay at a higher health during your clear, so ganking would be easier.

Another route you could do if your teammates are willing to give you smiteless would be as follows,
Wolves -> Smiteless Blue Buff -> Wraiths (optional) -> Red Buff -> Gank
This route allows you to clear fast, but Hecarim's true ganking power comes from the + combo, so I normally don't do this.

As far as early game jungling goes after your first clear, you should go Double Golems (smite) -> Wraiths -> Wolves. This is the most effective way to farm the jungle, and it should keep you at good health. Just remember while jungling, don't spam Rampage, you need mana for any potential ganks or duels. After each clear, you can either gank or go back. I believe that should really focus on clearing his jungle early in the game until he has and , in which case you should start ganking when your ultimate is up. If you gank too much, then you will starve yourself of experience and even gold if the ganks are not successful. It is beneficial to your team in the late game to farm so you can keep up with everyone, and remain relevant lategame. However, if a golden ganking opportunity presents itself, then you should always take it.

Teamfighting and the Late Game

This is where shines. When your team is ready, begin and then into a group of enemies, ideally slightly behind them so they are feared into your team. After this happens, you can either try to zone out the enemy carries, which can be risky but rewarding, or you can stay near the targets that are taking a lot of damage so you can heal from it. Don't spam too much, and always keep up when possible. Save for chasing down fleeing enemies. If all went well, then you won the fight, and you are ready to take objectives such as Towers, Inhibitors, Dragon (if early/midgame), or even the Nexus.

Baron is a good option for when your team is ready to fight but the enemy is making it difficult to fight. If you begin a baron, the enemy will more than likely try to stop you, and then you turn around and fight them. This can be risky, as is you fail, you will give up a free baron. If it succeeds, you can win a teamfight, take baron, and take towers.

Stealing baron can be easy for as long as you have your ultimate up and smite. All you have to do is wait for it to get low (1500-3000 health, depending on how fast the enemy is killing it), in, , and try to get out of there. Hopefully, you didn't failsmite, so you secured Baron for your team. Also you could end up killing a low health member of the enemy team, to equalize the fact that you're probably going to die unless your team is nearby to follow up.

Summary and Closing

To summarize this guide, is a tanky jungler with very strong teamfighting and initiation. He is almost always worth picking, as he brings a lot to a team. While he has a weak early game, as long as he keeps farming you can become an unstoppable force in the late game. Building the right items is key on , and you should focus on a little bit of damage as well as a lot of tankiness. Don't let recent nerfs discourage you, is currently one of the strongest jungle picks in the game.

If you liked this guide and found it helpful, please upvote it to support me. If you have any suggestions on improving this guide, please tell me in the comments. Also, if you spot any misspellings or bbcode errors, please tell me so that I may fix them. Any questions you have I will be happy to answer in the comment section. If you didn't like this guide, please tell me why so I can improve. This is my first guide on Mobafire, so it is very much a learning experience for me. I hope you found this guide useful, and if you did, get out onto the Fields of Justice and start carrying your team in Season 3!

By the way everyone, thanks so much for supporting my guide. We're at 74% right now, the 2nd highest rated Hecarim guide. I truly appreciate the support, keep up the constructive feedback because I am always open to suggestions. Thank you again, and good luck in your future battles in the Fields of Justice!

ONE MORE THING! If you spot outdated information that doesn't seem to fit with the guide, please make a mention of it in the comments.

Changelog/Guide History

3 March 2013 - Released!
15 May 2013 - Changed the recommended marks to armor penetration from attack damage. Added this section as well as patch history section.
24 July 2013 - Got rid of patch history section, didn't like it, updated build

Hecarim - Carrying Your Team in S3

Hecarim - Carrying Your Team in S3

Recommended Items

Spells:

Ghost

Smite

Items

Ability Order

Warpath (PASSIVE)

Rampage (Q)

Spirit of Dread (W)

Devastating Charge (E)

Onslaught of Shadows (R)