This is my first attempted at a build to be published and is still a work in progress, as such any notes, corrections, advise or useful information will be greatly appreciated. Riven is a high damage output AD champion with no need of mana or AP she is best if you are looking for an AP champion you should look elsewhere. This is not intended to be a quick reference as to how to build Riven, and if you are serious about being good you will check out other guides as well. I have two different builds that function in their own way the first is more focused on Rivens abilities the second is more focused on dps. Before playing realize that these builds cost a lot and you might be able to find cheaper items that get the job done.

- I always tend to get this because it has saved me so many times from dying.

- Useful however with it's nerf to 2.5 seconds it might not be the best.

- This is ideal for those times when you are told to solo a lane and can't leave your lane for long. I tend to use this spell a lot even when I do have a lane partner because it allows for quick returns and fast aid where needed.

- IMO the better choice then Exhaust it damages the opponent slows their heal and often can turn the tides of a 1v1

If you use to use riven to jungle you know that riven was great however with the installment of the Volibear patch I can no longer say that jungling is the best idea for riven. If you are building riven for for abilities you should have maxed or near maxed CDR fairly early in the game making blue buff useless for her and with the nerf on red buff as well as the halving of xp from jungle camps riven is no longer a great champ for the jungle. I'm not saying that you can't do it but if you don't spend most of your time in lanes you will more then likely be under leveled within ten or fifteen minutes. So as things currently are I can not say that jungle riven is the best idea.

If you use to jungle as Riven it is no longer the same. With the Volibear patch jungle Riven just arguably got nerfed. It use to take 3 camps to reach level 3 now it takes 5 and the gold given is not enough for you to get useful items to stay comparable to everyone else you can try and rush Wriggle's Lantern to improve you chances in the jungle but even then it might not make up for the lack of xp. If you jungle you will more then likely end up under leveled within ten minutes I will try out anything that someone suggest to make jungle riven a great option once again but as of now it is probably best to stay in lane.

This is the part that can be a bit tricky, there are many items and some work great in one game and will leave you hanging in another. Often your build should be at least slightly influenced by the other teams build. Regardless of you plan to be Riven there are a couple items that should be obtained as soon as possible.

Size=15 (start) don't underestimate this item it does more then you think

(if you get this as your starting item instead of Doran's Blade then get 3 health potions with it)




These items should be the main focus early game because they provide you with speed, life steal and a bit of attack which will greatly increase your chances of survival. After you have these items your boots should be upgraded to what best fits your situation.

- these are best used if you are having to lain against ap or cc champions that are causing you problems if you are not having issues with either of these then other boots would be a smart idea.

- These are what I usually get because of the 15% cooldown reduction. Riven isn't a 2.5X dps champ her real power is in her abilities which also increase her damage when used.

I have never got these boots on riven however I have met a couple avid Riven players that love them and they have a use against dps champs as well as the chance to get away because of a little bit of dodge.

I can't say that I recommend any other boots besides these that would help with anything that Riven can't already get out of.

After you have your boots upgraded it is more a matter of what you want but here are some items which are often used for on Riven.

I can't advise for or against this item it has it pros but it also has no real effect on Riven's abilities.

This item is great for Riven with it's CDR. It also can allow for greater dps or a better chance to escape when activated.

This item is best used against opponents who have large amounts of armor. Riven is not a champ that can change to AP in order to deal with a team that has high armor that is why the 40% armor penetration that this item provides makes it a fairly cheap and useful item for riven against heavily armored foes.

If you plan to stay out of your base for more then a couple minutes lifesteal is a must and it isn't unheard of for Riven to have two or three bloodthirsters due to their ability to stack they may not be cheap but it should be a focus to get at least get one.

This item is a major part of any serous damage build. It takes most of what riven does and improves it however it is not the cheapest item and stacking is not the best idea because other items provide more damage or more critical strike chance. The real reason that this item is so great is the UNIQUE passive which increase in critical damage % by 50.

Think of this as a cheaper bloodthirster it is useful for solo lanning because it provides endless sight wards which if used right can allow you a greater chance to escape a gank.

I can see why many people love to use this item on Riven, but I am not the biggest fan. Attack speed, crit chance and movement speed are all out done by Phantom dancer and the 30 AP and 250 mana are useless for Riven. The real question is if the 1225 additional gold needed for trin force over Phantom dancer is worth the 25% less attack speed, 15% less chance of crits, 3% less movement speed +30 damage and the 150% attack damage after an ability is used.

This item is best used when having to go against ap champions or a team in which everyone has thornmail otherwise you are wasting gold.

This is the best all around choice for when you have to deal with ap, ad or true damage I usually get this item because it is reliable in providing a greater chance of survival in any situation but no amount of armor can make up for a good amount of caution.

Only use this in games where 4+ opponets are AD and you don't fear someone with AP causing problems it allows for Riven to 1v1 AD champs with a higer chance of survival regardless of if a kill is made.

I don't tend to use this much but it does have its place if you are looking for a part defensive part offensive item or something to increase your chance to kill that enemy that is trying to run away look no farther.

Regardless of how you plan to use Riven one thing that I can't stress enough is running away, if you see a fight that you know you can't win, flee. Riven has three abilities that can help her get away from a fight and when things are not good use them for your advantage. Ki Burst stuns while Broken wings and Valor should allow you to get out of range of many attacks remember that every time that you get away alive is one less time the opponent is fed. This is not however a reason to leave an ally to die in a fight which could be won or to not do your best to help them get away with you.

Harass, harass, harass - If you want to be good with Riven you have to get good at harassing. If used right Riven can pop up next to an enemy having a protective shield using Valor, stun them with Ki Blast, attack them a couple times with Broken wing/basic attack and flee with the third strike of broken wings doing this early and often is effective against melee and tanks early game.

Ranged is your weakness - I have had several games where I had to solo against ranged units and there was little to nothing I could do against them other then turret hug. If you find yourself having to lane against ranged try to get a lane change or regular ganks. It is far better to make a request to your team and try to put yourself in a good situation then to feed the enemy or be under farmed in silence.

Have fun - If you fail in this why are you playing? It is just a game and regardless of if you are new or playing in a championship if you fail at this then you are not playing right.