Click to open network menu
Join or Log In
Mobafire logo

Join the leading League of Legends community. Create and share Champion Guides and Builds.

Create an MFN Account






Or

MOBAFire's first Mini Guide Contest of Season 14 is here! Create or update guides for the 30 featured champions and compete for up to $200 in prizes! 🏆
Not Updated For Current Season

This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page

x
Riven Build Guide by 08211112

Riven-As she is meant to be played (Pure AD)

Riven-As she is meant to be played (Pure AD)

Updated on October 2, 2011
2.8
0
Votes
7
Vote Vote
League of Legends Build Guide Author 08211112 Build Guide By 08211112 0 7 11,172 Views 13 Comments
0 7 11,172 Views 13 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author 08211112 Riven Build Guide By 08211112 Updated on October 2, 2011
x
Did this guide help you? If so please give them a vote or leave a comment. You can even win prizes by doing so!
Vote
Comment

You must be logged in to comment. Please login or register.

I liked this Guide
I didn't like this Guide
Commenting is required to vote!
Would you like to add a comment to your vote?

Your votes and comments encourage our guide authors to continue
creating helpful guides for the League of Legends community.

Spells:

LoL Summoner Spell: Exhaust

Exhaust

LoL Summoner Spell: Ignite

Ignite

Introduction

Riven has been out for a few weeks now, and doesn't seem to be quite a well liked champion. Which is good, as she is really powerful but since most of the people that play don't seem to play her right and she gets built into a tanky dps, a burst damage with trinity force, or some kind of strange hybrid with ap...even though none of her skills scale off it...

As a result, there is a lot of QQ in the forums, which is good, as she will be getting buffed. This guide is for your, the few decent Riven players that want to try a new play style, hopefully the unskilled will try and then QQ more, giving the decent players more buffs, but I digress.

At first, I built her fairly tanky with some cdr and a smattering of ad and lifesteal, however, I thought to myself...why not just go straight out AD with some health? I tried it, and it has worked wonders...for me anyway.

Give the guide a go before voting please, if down-voting, please give constructive criticism,

BTW
It seems that some BB codes don't work and the picture does not pop up so the words are Bolded.
Which hasn't worked well but I'm too lazy to change.
Back to Top

Pros and Cons

Pros
High damage
Useful broken wings
Valour shield is useful
High mobility
Passive now gives absurd burst
Ult boost gives an op steroid and finisher
Has enough hp to survive
More importantly has enough life steal to survive

Cons
Quite squishy
If chain CC'd...goodbye stacks
Requires a heck of a lot of farm
Really bad early game
Easily Kited
That's pretty much it...
Back to Top

Pure ad vs Hybrid vs Tanky DPS vs CDR Riven

First of all, hybrid sucks regardless.
AS is useless on Riven, she is squishy and unless built like a tanky dps won't last long enough and most as items do not give enough bonus AD, which is needed for a successful Riven. is wasted on her, 30 AD is meh, the movement speed whilst useful is not really needed, health is alright but the wasted stats, mana, AP, slow (I get a ) means that only half of the Trin force is used. The passive, 150% ad on next attack looks good, however, during fights you should be jumping around like a banshee, not standing still trying to time auto's with the passive proc. And on Riven...why build a gunblade for spell vamp and wasted AP when you can build an item with more ad and the same amount of lifesteal for less? So you say that Gunblades base stats are about the same but gives spell vamp as well? The items that build into it is useless, so you will have deadweights until you finish it, even then, it is worthless next to a fully stacked BT.

I've seen a lot of tanky dps rivens, with an Atmas Impaler and warmogs/ /both, but that means 2-3 item slots taken up for too little ad. Some survivability is needed, so I take a , however I don't waste the remaining slot on an Atmas. Tanky DPS Riven sacrifices face melting damage output for survivability...and still doesn't survive well... Every single time I face a tanky dps Riven I smash them into the ground, life-stealing all the damage I take back

Whilst CDR may be usefull, Riven's abilities already have low enough CDR, if CDR is desired, go take a blue, the enemies preferably, your own if you mage is too scrub to take it. CDR items often do not have good AD, the two normally taken are CDR boots and the Ghostblade. CDR boots gives you good cd, but then mobility is sacrificed. [icon=Ghostblade size=32] gives CDR, mediocre AD, some useful ar pen and a good movement speed active (AS, is useless), however, I feel that a BT (More damage) and boots of swiftness (more speed) is better.
Back to Top

Farming

The build I endorse needs lots of gold, so farming effectively is needed. Surprise, surprise, Riven farms like a boss once you get even a minuscule amount of AD. 2 AOE abilities on low CD and shield to absorb harassment and minion aggro.

Laning against squishy melees? AOE minions and laugh all the way to the bank
Laning agaisnt tanks/tanky dps early game? Tower farm and then laugh all the way to the bank
Laning against ranged? Get a few lvs, then go jungle or if jungle taken/no one can solo sidelane, towerfarm. No laughing to the bank this time as farming is quite hard against ranged. Get an early vampiric spectre and hope for the best.
Midgame? AOE minion waves in seconds...and then walk to the item shop...and buy more ad

The key to farming with Riven, is to make use of her AOE's. Broken wings can pretty much take out a whole creep wave once on lv 5, Ki shout gives a AOE stun every few seconds. Abuse it.

Wait till most minions are nearly dead, then spam Q's and W's and escape with E, or spam before hand and abuse passive to last hit the minions. Farming is quite simple, and if you jungle in between, gold flows in fast, I have normally finished with my full build, if they don't surrender/our team surrenders.
Back to Top

Masteries

I go 21/0/9

Traditional ad attack tree, except 4 goes into sorcery for CDR and only 2 goes into alacrity.
is essential and must be grabbed.

I go for the experience boost in the utilities section, but that can be switched into defensive if you feel that the minuscule bonus armour and mr is worth it.
Back to Top

Runes

I personally use:
9 Greater Mark of desolation- A bit of a counter for the lack of armour pierce
9 - Less squishy early game
9 - 24 mr at lv 18 is needed for survivability
3 Greater Quintessence of Desolation or flat ad quints or ar pen- Flat ad gives additional bonus damage which would help early game, ar pen gives more late-game power

I find that with these runes, I don't end up instagibbed in team fights and the ar pen runes ensures that I don't need additional ar pen items unless they really stack armour after I kill them multiple times ^ ^
Back to Top

Summoner Spells

I normally take Exhuast and . Exhaust for additional CC and slow, Ignite for additional damage.

Apparently is good, but Riven can escape well with her dash/shield and her Q's, you QQ then turn back on the third Q for the knockback, W stun, Dash shield then run and repeat till you are safe or you think you can take them out.

might be alright early game, but leave that for the supports unless you really feel like you need it.

may be used if you really think 410 movement speed and 2 CC's and gap closers isn't enough

The rest are pretty much useless, escape for Clairvoyance, but again, leave that to the support
Back to Top

Skill Sequence

I normally go:
then then then [icon=Valor size=32] for my first 4 (Valorinterchangeable with second Broken Wings if having a hard time)
Lv up order then goes > > > or = to Valour choose depending on situation.

I normally lv up R
Op 20% steroid and >1k AOE ult finisher every 40'ish seconds? Yes please!

Q is much maligned, "It has less damage than an auto attack! Its weak! It sucks!". Well, once Q can be used 3 times, and it has got great ad ratios (0.7 per slash) and is completely AOE. Great for farming, great for burst, great for escaping, great for charging passive...what more could you need?

I then lv up W short stun on short CD with great damage
(1:1 ratios) I normally spam this whilst farming/chasing/running from melees, makes all three much easier. The range is quite low, so make sure they are in range before using it, or you look like a ****** for a few milliseconds.

E [icon=Valorsize=32] is leveled up as needed, depending on situation. If I'm having a difficult time farming, I normally lv this up faster than as it helps to keep me alive. If I'm having an easy/normal time I level up faster than [icon=Valorsize=32]. Personal choice really, level as you see fit.
Back to Top

items (and why I chose)

Now, when you first looked at my item build you must've thought:
"This troll is really putting a lot of effort into snaring scrubs"

Hear me out first:

The reason I build Riven with 3 [icon=The Bloodthirstersize=32] (Optional fourth) is that Riven is meant to be built as a pure ad, not some weak hitting tanky dps or hybrid. She is a high risk/skill high reward champ. Most of the complaints about her being UP right now, is because she is built as a tanky dps and remains squishy without any damage at all. All her abilities have at least 1:1 bonus AD to damage and her passive gives an additional 0.5 bonus attack damage (around 179 extra) on top of the 432 normal ad auto (without 20% bonus with ult). So why not build all out ad if you can hit for 600s without ult, QQQ for ~ 800 stun for about ~500 and shield damage for ~400?

Survivability you say? That is why I build a 700 bonus health, some extra AD and a great slow effect. Brings up health to 2662, which is enough, considering your fully stacked [icon=The Bloodthirster size=32]'s which gives you 75% lifesteal. Fully built and stacked, I heal faster lifestealing than I do at the fountain.

Aha! Gotcha now! Mobility, mobility, mobility, Riven is slow!Phantom dancers and Trinity forces FTW! Up yours AD nut! This is why I build gives me a total of 410 movement speed, more than enough to chase/run away. Combined with and [icon=Valorsize=32] you can chase/run away from anything and anyone, unless they time a really really good gank, or if they sneaky bastard flashes away.

So right now I have 5 of the available slots filled up for a total of 13250 gold, which is expensive, but with Riven's farming ability easily gettable. So now for the 6th item. What to get?
I normally fill it with a defensive item, we now have enough AD and the bonus survivability is a final kick in the balls for the opposing team.
I get either a if they are ad heavy or if they are caster heavy. Thornmail gives armour and a nice 30% damage return for those annoying Tryndamere's, FoN is a slap in the face for any AP's.
If I'm going absurdly well I get either a [icon=Warmog's Armoursize=32] or an additional [icon=The Bloodthirster size=32] for ***** and giggles. Pretty much unkillable once you get your 5 item build (unless you get really cocky) once you get 6 items its either GG they surrender, time to solo baron (You can actually do it with 5 items) or storm their base yourself and get pentas unless your team-mates deny you the glory :(
Back to Top

How to engage (And win)

So I have established that Riven deals lots of damage yet is squishy...well...I hope I have at least...
As with all squishy high damage champs, you will be focused...a lot. So you don't dive in, and soak up damage. You WILL die You wait for the correct moment, let your tank, tank, let your tanky dps do what he/she does. You wait until most of the CC has been used up, then jump in with your ult up and wreck havoc. Your ult gives your AOE's additional range. If they can't CC you if they can't focus you, they can't CC you if they are all on CD they can't CC you, if they are all on low health and stunned themselves. In short, you have a free reign to screw up their structure and kill their squishies.

Ah, you say why not just use Master Yi or Xin? If they do the same thing they can kill their squishies easily as well. Riven has ****loads of AOE, my argument is very valid indeed. Aoe the heck out of everyone, Ult up QQ auto Q W Auto Auto E away Windslash will kill at least one squishy, if not 2/3/4/5. Remember, using windslash does NOT end your ult steroid, that lasts for 15 seconds regardless, so use it when you can kill someone to turn it into a 5V4. Your AOE damage and CC will damage and disrupt the enemy and will often lead to a victory.

This is something that other, lesser Riven's can't do. They have no damage, their abilities are laughable, all they can do is soak up some damage and run away. Pure AD Riven laughs at their damage, heals up from lifesteal and then windslashes them all to oblivion.

Quite a lot of fun.
Back to Top

Summary

Riven is a fun character to play that can dish out enormous amounts of damage if played like a man. Whilst she hopefully won't be growing some in the near future, you however, do. Build her pure AD, throw survivability to the winds and time your entrances into the teamfights. Laugh at their squishyness. Laugh as they run away when your take off half their health in 1-2 abilities. Laugh as they run on low health whilst you have healed up everything they have thrown at you, and then ult them for fun.

Good luck, and hopefully, only a few of you manage to make this work...or the nerfbat will hit hard...
Download the Porofessor App for Windows

League of Legends Champions:

Teamfight Tactics Guide