So you're here, looking for a quick guide to get a better feel with Orianna. So, because of that, I don't feel there's a need to post her history in any attempt to look professional or dazzle you with walls of texts and rich backstories. You're not here because you care about League of Legends' lore. You're here because you want some guidelines on how to play Orianna, perhaps better or differently.

So that's what you're going to get, a quick little guide on how I successfully build Orianna! Try it for yourself after reading (or just build the items in the order I put them in) and try to have fun.

Pros

Great Support Character
Can Hit hard Mid and Late Game
Can Help Teammates escape/Save them from Dying
With Arch-Angel's Staff, can spam abilities without too much worry about Mana

Cons

Incredibly Squishy Early Game
Scary Early Game, but not entirely effective against tougher enemies
Melee Characters can destroy her 1v1. Be mindful of them.

First of All...

Orianna works best as a Support Champion. Don't focus on trying to kill champs or out-farming your teammates or the enemy- just focus on keeping your teammates alive.

In my last two days of experience, despite her being a relatively new champ (at the time of this posting anyway) I've found that too many players try to take mid-lane and carry with her. She's not a fantastic carry, I don't care what anyone else says- you're only going to cause you team to perform sub-par if you try and be the damage-dealer that Orianna isn't.

Getting Arch Angel's Staff is the first thing you need to do (you can even forgo getting boots early if you're confident enough in spamming your W abilities to speed you out of a nasty situation), this allows you to spam spells and support your teammates quicker. A few seconds is all it takes for the tides to turn, and I can't count how many times I've saved the lives of early-level teammates using level 1 E.

Remember to STAY BACK from the enemy team; Orianna is squishy- she doesn't have any natural defenses against harsh DPS toons like Yi and Trynd, and early game she can easily be vulnerable from mana starvation and the player's own sillyness! Orianna has incredible range with her ball, and even an indicator to dictate how far you can go before the ball threatens to return to her side. Use this to your advantage, you can keep the enemy at bay while farming with your auto-attack. Most players going against Orianna are actually quite scared of her DESPITE the low damage and high mana cost starting out of Q. Use that to your advantage.

For Longer Living... avoid Mordekaiser if you can. If he's in your lane, request a switch. He can take everything Orianna has to dish out early game, and can practically ignore her late game if he has some MR.

If you're going to mid, even though I'm happily advising you not to, BEWARE OF ANNIE. A good player with Annie's leash will completely and utterly destroy Orianna early game.

The Second build is completely optional (and currently experimental), but I've found Mejas, because of Orianna's high survivability, works fantastic on her. Get it if you're doing well, but otherwise avoid it. You're better grabbing an AA and stacking mana and direct ability power items.

Focus! Orianna as a support toon needs to be aware of the map as often as she can be, and take care in not over-extending lanes by herself. While her W can hastily help her and teammates escape a dangerous situations, it's over as quick as it begins, meaning enemies can still easily overwhelm the group if they're absolutely determined (and smart enough to avoid the ball's slows).

Make sure to shield your teammates whenever possible; since E has a pretty quick recharge time (even more so if you decide to bear it out with cooldown runes) every little bit helps, even early on. Most support players I've met have a tendency to save their shields/support abilities until teammates are low on health- DO NOT DO THIS. Spam these abilities as much as possible early game, especially with the quick cooldowns, but be mindful of W, it has a lengthier cooldown than the rest.

As I learn more, I'll continue to build upon this and perhaps even add alternate builds with longer descriptions in the running. While at the moment this build has done nothing but serve me well, it might not be suitable for others or their play style. I love being support, and because of this, I also love being cautious and careful when I play. When I do take risks, it's only if I'm sure I can handle the consequences. Your play style might be different!

And please remember - Try to have fun! It's only a game, and a positive attitude can go a long way- even so much as helping you and your team play better. No one likes a troll.

Also, please post any constructive criticism you have, I'd love to hear it and even give it a try, but don't encourage me to try another wildly different build, this is for AP and Mana!

<3 Bunnies.