Hello! I am Nicky and I am a 1.6k Elo player on the League of Legends NA server. Even though there are so many Riven guides I noticed that there were no Jungle Riven guides so I decided I would take this opportunity to make one!

Riven is by far my favorite champion as well as one of my most played ones. She is a very strong champion that can easily snowball games out of control. She is more commonly played top lane but I prefer to play her in the jungle. As a jungler Riven excels at ganking from behind and when done correctly you are almost guaranteed a kill even if the enemy is up.

In Noxus, any citizen may rise to power regardless of race, gender, or social standing - strength is all that matters. It was with committed faith in this ideal that Riven strove to greatness. She showed early potential as a soldier, forcing herself to master the weight of a long sword when she was barely its height. She was ruthless and efficient as a warrior, but her true strength lay in her conviction. She entered battles without any trace of doubt in her mind: no ethical pause, no fear of death. Riven became a leader amongst her peers, poster child of the Noxian spirit. So exceptional was her passion that the High Command recognized her with a black stone rune sword forged and enchanted with Noxian sorcery. The weapon was heavier than a kite shield and nearly as broad - perfectly suited to her tastes. Soon after, she was deployed to Ionia as part of the Noxian invasion.

What began as war quickly became extermination. Noxian soldiers followed the terrifying Zaunite war machines across fields of death. It wasn't the glorious combat for which Riven trained. She carried out the orders of her superiors, terminating the remnants of a beaten and fractured enemy with extreme prejudice. As the invasion continued, it became clear that the Ionian society would not be reformed, merely eliminated. During one bitter engagement, Riven's unit became surrounded by Ionian forces. They called for support as the enemy closed in around them. What they received instead was a barrage of biochemical terror launched by Singed. Riven watched as around her Ionian and Noxian alike fell victim to an unspeakably gruesome fate. She managed to escape the bombardment, though she could not erase the memory. Counted dead by Noxus, she saw an opportunity to start anew. She shattered her sword, severing ties with the past, and wandered in self-imposed exile - on a quest to seek atonement and a way to save the pure Noxian vision in which she believed.

''There is a place between war and murder / in which our demons lurk.''

Pros:

+No cost champion
+Extremely mobile
+Both AOE and Single Target Clear
+2 Forms of Hard CC (Knock-up, Stun
+Easily 1v1 jungler
+Kills squishies
+Snowballs hard

cons:

- Needs good start Early Game
- Can Easily get CC'ed to death
- Item Dependent
- Squishy

When to pick Jungle Riven:

Your team has good initate Ex: Malphite Leona
At least 1 of your 3 lanes have some form of hard CC during laning phase Ex: Taric Morgana
Your team does not need someone tanky or a peeler
The enemy team is fairly squishy.

I use this 19/11/0 mastery page because it gives everything Riven needs for a fast and safe clear.
I take 4 points in Sorcery instead of Deadliness because the 4% CDR is more useful than the small amount of AD given by deadliness, especially for your first clear.

Riven has very good AOE and Single Target clear, as well as a shield that all scale with AD giving you a faster and safer clear.

As a Jungler you need Flat Armor to take less damage from jungle monsters.

Help you scale against magic damage later in the game. Can also run flat MR Glyphs against double AP.

Because Riven is very mobile she does not need MS Quints, making Flat AD Quints the best choice for clearing the jungle.

Explanation:

As a jungler you must always carry

You can also run instead of , but is a safer spell and you can do some pretty fun and unexpected initiations

Passive: Runic Blade

Riven's abilities charge her blade, causing her basic attacks to deal 5 / 5.59 / 6.18 / 6.76 / 7.35 / 7.94 / 8.53 / 9.12 / 9.7 / 10.29 / 10.88 / 11.47 / 12.06 / 12.64 / 13.23 / 13.82 / 14.41 / 15 (+100% of bonus attack damage) bonus physical damage. Riven's blade may be charged up to 3 times and expends one charge per attack.

Explanation:

Pretty straight forward. Very useful to help you clear the jungle quickly as well as provide extra damage for your ganks. You must abuse this passive as much as you can. Later in this guide I will show you how to utilize this with
to help you clear the jungle quicker on your first run.

Q: Broken Wings

Riven strikes out in front of her in a short line. This ability may be reactivated 2 additional times.

1st Use: Slashes forward, dealing 30/50/70/90/110 (+60% of bonus attack damage) physical damage to all units she comes in contact with.
2nd Use: Slashes forward, dealing 30/50/70/90/110 (+60% of bonus attack damage) physical damage to all units she comes in contact with.
3rd Use: Leaps into the air and slams the ground dealing 30/50/70/90/110 (+60% of bonus attack damage) physical damage and knocking nearby enemies away from the point of impact.

Cooldown 13 seconds

Cost none

Explanation:

A very fun spell that can be casted 3 times. It is a great gap closer and it helps you get around the jungle. The cooldown of the spell also starts after first cast making it available more often than you'd think. Later I will show you how to use the cooldown and to your advantage for your first jungle clear. Max this out last.


W:Ki Burst

Riven's sword emits a burst of runic energy that shocks nearby enemies, dealing 50/90/130/170/210 (+100% of bonus attack damage) physical damage and stunning them for 0.5 seconds.

Cooldown 11/10/9/8/7 seconds

Cost none

Explanation:

A very strong AOE stun. Helps clear camps very fast and when timed correctly can help you take a lot less damage in the jungle. When ganking, make sure to use this when they are in range of it. Landing this is what determines if your gank will be successful or not. Max this out first for the CDR.


E: Valor

Riven does a quick dash in the direction of your cursor and becomes shielded, blocking up to 40/70/100/130/160 (+100% of bonus attack damage) incoming damage for 2.5 seconds.

Cooldown 11/10/9/8/7 seconds

Cost none

Explanation:

This skill is very useful. Not only does it provide a gap close/escape it also provides you with a shield making you deceptively tanky. This helps you take very little damage in the jungle as well as make your ganks easier. You max this out second for the extra cooldown and durability.


R: Blade of the Exile

Riven's weapon surges with spiritual energy for 15 seconds, granting her 20% bonus attack damage, increased range on her damaging spells and attacks, and the ability to use Wind Slash once.

Wind Slash: Riven fires a shockwave that deals from 80/120/160 (+60% of bonus attack damage) to 240/360/480 (+180% of bonus attack damage) physical damage to all enemies hit, increasing based on how much health they are missing.

Cooldown 75/60/45 seconds

Cost none

Explanation:

An amazing ult that goes great with Riven's kit. The AD steroid and range buff makes all your other skills stronger and easier to land. On top of that, you get a very strong finishing move to the end of your combo. This skill is what makes you able to assassinate squishy targets very easily. Activate this right before going in to gank to greatly raise your damage output. Level it when you can.

Always take your first point in

Take your second point in

If you are ganking at level 2 take your second point in

> > >

If you are absolutely rolling the enemy team you can also max out before .

Starting Items

: Boots + your natural mobility makes traveling around the jungle very easy and makes ganking very easy.

: Help you sustain in jungle. You will not need all 3 of them for a jungle clear but they are still nice to have just in case you need to heal from a gank and such.

Early Game Items

x2: If you got a successful gank or have been clearing the jungle efficiently you should be able to afford 2 of these your first back. They will allow you to clear your jungle camps with no effort.

: If you are ahead (Got kills, assists, first blood) you can get the brutalizer instead of double dorans. CDR, Damage, and Armor Pen are all great on Riven.

sight ward: Try to always get 1 when you can.

Core Items

: You will want to get these boots almost every time. Riven is an assassin and because it is your job to kill the squishy targets the enemy team will most likely try to stop you with slows, stuns, silences, snares, etc.

: This gives you a whole lot of damage and lifesteal, making you very strong and tanky at the same time.

: This gives you magic res and damage. Useful especially since you will be diving into the enemy AD or AP carries very often. Get this as soon as you need it, whether you get it before your Bloodthirster, after your bloodthirster, or after your GA.

Gives you good armor and MR and a second life is always nice to have.

More Items

By the time you finish your core the game is most likely almost over. But if not
: Get this to deal a lot more damage.

: Finish this if you need more MR.

: If you need Armor. You can easily stick and kill the enemy AD carry with this item. CDR is nice too.

It is not uncommon for the Jungler to get an Oracles, but because Riven needs the early game advantage so she can quickly buy damage items to snowball, buying this can set you back a bit. Also because you are a squishy target and are usually in the fray during team fights, you are at a higher risk of dying and sporting an oracle just increases that risk. However, if you are struggling to get ganks off, are way ahead early, or need an oracle for Baron and your support doesn't get one, feel free to buy it.

Items not to get

: You do not need this. You do not need the armor. You do not need the sustain. You do not need the active. You clear jungle camps using AOE for the most part and you're better off buying wards with 2 .
: You should never get this item. Riven is extremely mobile and does not need another slow to catch her enemies. Your job is to kill the enemy squishies as fast as possible. This item will lower your damage output and there are much better choices if you need to become tankier.

Step By Step

Wolves:
Start your a little after 1:29. Try to wait as long as possible before using your again and again. When the wolves spawn you should have 3 stacks of and your will be up shortly. Make sure you auto attack in between casts of your This way you will fully maximize the usage of your

Blue:
Get a leash from teammate and use your and auto attacks to kill. Use smite. Use

Wraiths:
Start your at this spot and again wait as long as you can between each cast until your final cast is in range of wraiths. After landing your auto attack and then cast your to prevent damage. Continue to clear using your and

Wolves Second time:
Start your here and repeat the process for wraiths. After hitting level 3 use your as soon as your shield dies.

Note: You may not always land your Q on wolves and your passive stacks may not proc depending on how fast you cleared wolves and blue

Red:
Start your here and you know the drill. After landing your , auto attack, auto attack, when your shield dies use . Use when it comes off CD coupled with more Auto Attacks. Use

Wraiths(second time): Clear wraiths. Hit level 4. Gank.

Smiteless Blue Start:
Wolves -> Blue -> Wraiths -> Red -> Gank

Red Start Level 2 Gank:
Wraiths -> Red -> Gank -> Wolves -> Blue

Use the same trick on wraiths. Go to red buff. Get a leash, use your Q and auto attacks. Level up second. Gank lanes. Afterwards take wolves and blue buff.

To clear Jungle Camps the most efficiently after getting your all 3 of your skills you first turn on your -> AUTO -> -> AUTO -> -> AUTO ->

Riven is an extremely fun champion regardless if you play her top lane or in the jungle. She is very strong and can easily help you climb elo. Thank you for reading this guide and I hope it inspired some of you to try Riven in the jungle. Feel free to leave some feedback and I'll try to answer you.