I play League of Legends for more than 5 years now.
I went through all positions, all seasons and metas.
At the moment I am in Dia V on EUW, former Diamond 1 (S3) with my main Account: Peeeew Peeeew and I hope that I can help people with this Riven Guide.

My main lane is Top and i mostly play Renekton, Irelia and Riven, which offer a lot of potential to play aggressive in lane and need some mechanical skill to master.
My winrates on all 3 Champions are far above 60%, on Riven nearly 70%.
LoLKing: Peeeew Peeeew

It does not matter if you are new on Riven, feel that you need help with her itemsets, runes, masteries, combos, skill upgrading, behaviour in lane or teamfights or just want to know what can work against her, I will try to cover everything about Riven in my Guide.

Thank you all for viewing my guide. I nearly reached the 1.000.000 views and I will try to come up with some videos from me.
I'll see what my connection says to that idea, otherwise, if any of you can help me, feel free to Add me in game and we can talk about.
Again thank you all and gl with the bunny.

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.''

Runic Blade (Passive)

Riven's abilities charge her blade for 5 seconds, causing her to do 20/25/30/35/40/45/50% of her attack damage as bonus physical damage on her next basic attack. Riven can store up to 3 charges, and can only expend one at a time.

Broken Wings

Riven lashes out in a series of strikes. This ability can be reactivated three times in a short time frame with the third hit knocking back nearby enemies.
Riven strikes out in front of her in a short line. This ability may be reactivated 2 additional times.

1st and 2nd Use: Slashes forward, dealing 10/30/50/70/90 (+40/45/50/55/60% Attack Damage) physical damage to all units she comes in contact with.
3rd Use: Leaps forward and slams the ground dealing 10/30/50/70/90 (+40/45/50/55/60% Attack Damage) physical damage and knocking nearby enemies up.

This leap can cross unpathable terrain.Riven will target the unit your cursor is hovering over, or if no targets are present, Riven will simply strike the direction she is currently facing.

Ki Burst

Riven emits a Ki burst, damaging and stunning nearby enemies.
Riven's sword emits a burst of runic energy that shocks nearby enemies, dealing 50/80/110/140/170 (+100% bonus Attack Damage) physical damage and stunning them for 0.75 seconds.

Valor

Riven steps forward a short distance and blocks incoming damage.
Riven does a quick dash in the direction of your cursor and becomes shielded, blocking up to 70/100/130/160/190 (+100% bonus Attack Damage) incoming damage for 1.5 seconds.

Blade of the Exile

Riven empowers her keepsake weapon with energy and gains attack damage and range. Additionally, during this time, she gains the ability to use Wind Slash, a powerful ranged attack, once.
Riven's weapon surges with spiritual energy for 15 seconds, granting her 20% extra Attack Damage (+20% bonus Attack Damage), 20% increased range on her damaging spells, additional 75 auto attack range, and the ability to use Wind Slash once.

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

Riven is a Melee Fighter, mostly seen on the Top or Mid Lane.
Her extreme high mobility from Broken Wings and Valor, her high AD scaling and her insane burst potential make her very complex and flexible.

These attributes are supported by her gameplay which offers a lot of decision making, timing and needs some practice.



I would like to show you the strengths of Riven and how to take care of her few weaknesses.
In my following guide I will discuss everything about Riven, including Runes, Masteries, Items, Skill order, Pros/Cons, Matchups, etc.


Riven finally moves like a real lady...that doesn't fit. ._.

Pros + High burst dmg + Extreme mobility + Low cooldown shield + Scales only and very good with AD + Great kill potential + Really fun to play

Cons - Squishy in the lategame - No sustain in her kit. - Easy to shutdown with CC - Not a single ranged ability - Her sword broke and she has no insurance

I recommend Flash on Riven, because it is always good to have an escape or quick engage.
While most jungler and toplaner will have Flash as well, it is a lot easier to escape, while you have loads of mobility with Broken Wings and Valor, as stated before.



This should be your second Summoner Spell in most cases.
The explanation is quite simple: Damage. You want to burst your enemy down and additional damage helps you a lot.
Tip: If you know you can kill your enemy, use Ignite early. It will grant you more damage from Wind Slash, because it deals more damage if the enemy has lower health. That means you get more damage.



In the current Metagame Teleport is standard for nearly every toplaner. Because it's cooldown went down to 240 seconds, if you teleport to a turret it is very efficent in early game as well know. It helps you to get early into base and buy items frequently, without losing out on EXP or Gold. In the lategame it allows you to splitpush, another strength of Riven. I guess it is your decision wether you stay with Ignite or not in Solo Q.


I don't see any reason to go for Exhaust, Ghost or Barrier.

Exhaust is good for Champions with low/no crowd control ( Shyvana, Evelynn)or against Assasins. Riven is definetely none of them.

Ghost won't affect the travelling speed from Broken Wings or Valor. Furthermore it is only useful for Champions without gapclosers ( Nasus, Volibear). Riven is none of them as well.

Barrier is just the opposite from what you want. You don't want to be tanky, you want to kill and destroy.

Marks

Riven scales way too good with AD. You really want these.

Seals

Was standard on top, because it helped vs. Minions, Champions, Monsters and turrets.

Has to be considered as well, especially vs. Magic Damage toplaners e.g. Shyvana.

Glyphs

Take these if you play vs. AD toplaner like Renekton or Irelia.

You want them against AP toplaner like Rumble or Vladimir.

CDR is one of the most important stats for Riven, with 15% CDR you can get Mercury's Treads or skip Youmuu's Ghostblade. Do not take them versus Magic damage Champions.

Quintessence

Same as for the Marks. 610% Maximum scaling on Riven!

Offense Tree

These Masteries allow Riven to deal "tons of damage".
Double-Edged Sword , Spell Weaving , Blade Weaving , Warlord , Devastating Strikes and Havoc will increase your damage output by percentages, which is awesome.

Executioner Also helps a lot, it is also a real good damage boost for your Wind Slash.

Sorcery is great to get your 40% CDR!

Defense Tree

Block and Unyielding simply make it easier to trade in lane and teamfights.
The other points are selfexplaining in my opinion.

Here is the link to the calculator, maybe it helps you to have a better overview: Mastery Tree

We came to a point where some people start to argue, so I'll try to tell you my thought as simple as possible.

We have3 possible spells to max.
What are the benefits from leveling up?

Broken Wings gains in total +60 damage/lvl and scales with 180% bonus Attack Damage. No cooldown changes.

Ki Burst gains +30 damage/lvl and scales with 100% bonus Attack Damage. -1 second cooldown/lvl.

Valor gains +30 shield strength/lvl and scales with 100% bonus Attack Damage. -1 second cooldown/lvl.


When would you max Broken Wings?
In every lane, that i can possibly win. If i know, that I can outdamage the enemy now or soon I max Broken Wings. It offers 45 damage/lvl(and we didn't even count the better AD scaling) more than Ki Burst, if you hit it all three times.

When would you max Ki Burst?
I can actually not think about any siatuation or matchup where I would do that.

When would you max Valor?
There are matchups, which are really hard. A well played Renekton for instance is really deadly in the early lane phase. It can be key to survive the lane and outscale the enemy sooner or later.
It also helps versus harass Champions like Nidalee, Gangplank or Kennen.
You can usually kill them, but if you prefer to play save, max out Valor and you should have no problems.

I will list possible Items and explain wether if you should by them or not and why or in which situations.

Offense

This is one of Riven's key items. It gives you Attack Damage, CDR and Armor Penetration. It is a dream! If you can buy this on your first backport take it.

It is sadly enough outdated know. Before the changes to it, it was a key item for Riven. Know it is a situational lategameitm but I'd rather not build it anymore, because Ravenous Hydra offers a lot more damage and waveclear.

This item is a lot of fun to play and your waveclear gets insane. This is the new item filling the role of Bloodthirster. It gives you basically a free auto attack all 10 seconds. It is very good for splitpushing and 1v2s.

One of the two upgrades from The Brutalizer. It increases the dmg by a decent amount. I usually prefer Youmuu's Ghostblade, because of the additional mobility and Attack speed + Crit Chance. Whatever in lategame It is far better!

As i just mentioned I prefer this upgrade early on. You can use it offensively or defensively and it increases your damage output. It makes it nearly impossible to get away from Riven without using Flash and I also tend to crit a lot.

I usually do not buy this on Riven, because it is very expensive. Riven also doesn't benefit much from the slow effect, because she has enough mobility. It is not totally bad, but don't do it.

Again a standard item on Riven. It gives some AD and a lot of Penetration. Good midgame Item.

Well yes, it gives you 70 Attack Damage and the 25% Crit Chance + 50% more damage from crits, but it is very expensive. Furthermore you will rely a lot on your spell damage and Bloodthirster will do a lot more work for you here.

You simply have too low HP and you don't benefit much from the critical chance. It is a bad choice.

The holy grale of Phreak and I am sorry to say so, but bro, this Item has nothing to do on Riven. Trinity Force is too expensive and many stats are wasted on Riven, for example the Mana, the Attack Speed or the Movement boosts from Phage.

The Attack Speed is not what you want primary. Neither mobility boosts and low AD stats. Not a good choice on Riven.

Same as BotRK.

It is a decent item. It offers you some defense and quite good offense. I'd usually not run it, but if you play vs a heavy Magic Damage team it is fine to build it.

There are few situations where you want this one. An enemy Malzahar or Mordekaiser will cry if you buy Mercurial Scimitar, but psssht, I didn't tell you. ;)

Defense

The most standard defense-item for Riven, because it allows you to go All-in and come back after the first CC spells and the burst is gone. It is hard to kill a Riven twice with her Valor.
It also grants you a mental bonus, because enemies will cry, when they see that you have a Guardian Angel.

It is a good item if you only worry about AD Champions or if there are many Attack speed based Champions in the enemy team. Situational item.

It grants 20% CDR, which is great. Some Magic resist and even Health + the increased healing effects. I usually don't run this, because i prefer to get my CDR throughout Ionian Boots of Lucidity and The Brutalizer and it does not offer any AD, but for a tankier Riven it is really good.

I don't like it at all, because you often split and the Item will lose it's effect. Bad idea, better don't spend your money on it.

Boots

My favourite boots on Riven, because they offer you CDR and CDR on Riven means more damage, more mobility and more tankyness.

They work fine versus heavy CC based comps and hard Magic Damage teams. If you don't feel you need them, don't buy them.

They are fine vs. many autohitters like Aatrox, Caitlyn / co. A decent, situational pick up.

The Boots of Swiftness They actually give less mobility than Ionian Boots of Lucidity, so they are out of competition.

You still do not need the Attack speed, don't buy 'em.

Trinkets

To cut a long story short:
Stealth Ward is the best on toplane. Buy it, be happy. It allows you to play more aggressive.

Because people asked me several time why I'd run Youmuu's Ghostblade on Riven, I think it is time to explain it.

First at all we should see the stat difference between Youmuu's Ghostblade and Black Cleaver:

-30 Attack Damage -10% Cooldown Reduction -15% Crit Chance -20 Armor Penetration -Active: 20% Movement Speed + 40% Attack Speed

-55 Attack Damage -10% Cooldown Reduction -200 HP -10 Armor Penetration -5-25% Armor Penetration (belongs on how often you hit with Physical Damage)

Now you have the stats, but what to do with them?
You should ask yourself which one is better when and thinking a bit makes clear that Black Cleaver is a lot stronger in the lategame. It gives you percentage Armor Penetration, which has more effect in the lategame, because your enemies will have more armor, that means the % gets more use.
The other points where Black Cleaver is better than the Youmuu's Ghostblade are 25 Attack Damage and 200 Hp. That is some tankyness, but seriously you will not need it on lane.

If we now look at the benefits from Youmuu's Ghostblade we will see the following: 10 Flat Armor Penetration, 15% Crit Chance, 20% Movement Speed and 40% Attack speed for 6 seconds.

Well yes, the flat armor pen gets worse from time to time.
But the other benefits are awesome!
The movement speed gives you the opportunity to delay your boots, you can easily chase people down or escape with the active. The Attack speed allows you to trade more efficient and a bit longer.
The Crit chance is really annoying, because IF you crit once with your passive it will hurt really really really much.

There is one more minor thing: Youmuu's Ghostblade is cheaper than Black Cleaver.


I do not say, that you should buy Youmuu's Ghostblade in every situation, but it will be your core item in 8/10 games. If you want to use it, when you use it...that is your decision, but I really love it.

After Riven received her nerf ( Broken Wings damage lowered and Valor duration decreased) it is a lot harder to dominate in the early game.

Furthermore your base AD was lowered, but the AD/lvl increased, which also weakens your early level.

Try to be a bit more pacient in the early game, farm a little bit more and try to outplay your enemy over time, since your burst is somewhat bad until six.

As Riven you should usually just last hit the Minions until you hit Level 2.
When you have Broken Wings and Valor it is hard for most Champions to outtrade you.
After Level 2 you can permanently engage and trade with your Combo:
Valor -> (AA) Broken Wings -> AA -> Broken Wings -> AA -> Broken Wings -> AA -> Ki Burst -> AA

Always take a look on your Minions to see, when the enemy wants to lasthit. This is the best opportunity to engage for you. But do not forget: Minions are strong in the early game. Always be sure not to fight in a big minion wave!

This is your most standard combo and cancelling the auto attacks in the right moment will make the Combo faster.
After level 6 just add your Wind Slash to the combo.
You should be able to kill many top laners pretty easy right now
There are different places for this spell and you should usually use it after your own thinking.
But there is one good Tip:
Add your Wind Slash after your second activation of Broken Wings and use your third activation right after it.
Your will Throw your Wind Slash while performing your Salto.

Here are some more combos you can use, but remember: they are all situational.
Get experience with Riven and you will have benefits.
Play Video

You have usually different options and you have to decide.

Option 1: Split push
Riven is really strong in a 1v1 and if you are fed even in a 1v2. Your Valor makes you very tanky later on in small skirmishes. There are only few Champions that can beat you in a 1v1 later on.
If you split push Ravenous Hydra is a good item, as well as Youmuu's Ghostblade. This will increase your split push potential by a lot.
However, if your team is not pushing at all and is not creating pressure, there might appear more than one or two enemy Champions.
Tell your team to push the botlane or to take Dragon.

Option 2: Teamfight
To be honest Riven does not have the best teamfights, but if you can burst one of the carries with your combo after you used Flash it can be a easy fight.
You should try to reach the enemy carries in most cases, Guardian Angel will help you a lot if you have to overcommit.
Just be careful not to engage on your own versus heavy CC, because you will have no usage as Riven if you are stunned.

Another keypart for Riven and it deserves an own topic as well.

First at all keep in mind that Riven is still a very spellbased Champion.
You gain a lot of mobility with Broken Wings and Valor as I meantioned before, your shield comes up more often, what makes you tankier and you have more CC with Ki Burst.
Furthermore you have a very short time, where your Blade of the Exile is not activated. (15 seconds)
If you rely on your spells that much, it is awesome to have them up again faster.
I will show you the difference from no CDR to 40% CDR on level 18.

No CDR - Broken Wings 13 seconds cooldown. - Ki Burst 7 seconds cooldown. - Valor 6 seconds cooldown. - Blade of the Exile 50 seconds cooldown.

40% CDR - Broken Wings 7,8 seconds cooldown. - Ki Burst 4,2 seconds cooldown. - Valor 3,6 seconds cooldown. - Blade of the Exile 30 seconds cooldown.

Here is a good trick that you can do with 40% CDR, explained by BoxBox: Play Video

||| = Easy Matchup ||| = Medium Matchup ||| = Hard Matchup

Maokai

It can be quiet tricky because of His good sustain due to his passive. Also don't underestimate Maokai's early game damage. His ability to set up ganks is also dangerous, so be extremely careful. But you will reach a point with Ravenous Hydra and The Brutalizer where you can easily 1v1 him.

Dr. Mundo

You really need to kill the doctor early on and pressure him a lot. Once he gets more tanky is it insanely hard to kill him, because his Infected Bonesaw will deal a lot of damage while his Maximum Dosage will keep him healthy. Try to dodge the cleavers with good Valor's.

Lissandra

Her harass with Ice Shard can be very annoying. Try to dodge these and do not stay behind the creeps. Her damage potential in an all in is not that great in the early game, so try to do exactly that. Level 6 is tricky, because she can either Frozen Tomb herself or you. She can also set up ganks pretty good. If you have problems with her harass build an early Vampiric Scepter or put 2 points in Valor.

Aatrox

Aatrox can be hard if he has his Blood Well stacked. You will win short trades, but lose over time + he has good sustain. Try to trade him on lvl2 and 3 and zone him away from the creeps. From there on you can snowball it. But be carefull, Aatrox is strong and 1 gank could turn the tide.

Akali

Akali is quite easy. Just Valor when she tries to harrass you with her Mark of the Assassin. She is a lot squishier than you and her Damage is lower than yours. Create short trades and go away from her Twilight Shroud. At level 6 you should be able to oneshot her with a full combo and Ignite.

Cho'Gath

I like this setup, because Cho'Gath needs to land his Rupture to be effective or a danger. You can easily juke it with your Valor or Broken Wings. But be careful, his level 6 damage is really high, due to Feast. Try to kill him from time to time to keep him on low stacks.

Shyvana

In my opinions this is one of the trickiest matchups. Shyvana does great with waveclear and secondary damage Burnout. She deals a lot of mixed damage and is able to go different routes with her build. She can either go full damage Blade of the Ruined King or tanky Sunfire Aegis, Randuin's Omen. It is extremly important to be careful with your engages, because you can't escape from her Burnout once your abilities are on CD. Try to farm up till level six, get sustain early, afterwards focus on CDR. NEVER underestimate her damage, it is huge.

Irelia

Irelia is a hard opponent. She deals true dmg, has a gapcloser and CC + sustain.
You can outtrade her in the early game, but after she leveled her Hiten Style up she will outdmg you, while it is active. Try to avoid trades when Hiten Style is active and attack her afterwards if possible. Another method is to get a lot of sustain and wait until she is oom. After she has no Mana she will be very weak.

Renekton

Renekton is arguable the hardest Matchup. The problem is, that he has an escape ability with Slice and Dice and high sustain because of Cull the Meek. He will probably deal the same damage, but he will outsustain you. Try to wait until he wastes a spell and engage him then, because his cooldowns are quite high in the early game.
You can also just max your Valor and try to farm.

Kennen

Kennen is not too hard, if you wait for level 3. You can start level 1 with Valor to avoid some of his harrass. Be sure to have all 3 skills on lvl 3 and start to engage him, when he autoattacks. With a good timing you can stun him in his his Lightning Rush, so Kennen loses his mobility. Nevertheless Kennen is still strong and take care about the stacks from Mark of the Storm and the passive effect from Electrical Surge.

Darius

He can be tricky and really hard, because he can build full tank and still deal a lot of damage. Get some HP early on with a Doran's Blade or Doran's Shield. If Darius wastes his Decimate you can engage on him. Be carfeul to not get all stacks from Hemorrhage, because it deals a lot of Magic damage. At level 6 he can kill you really fast with Decimate, Noxian Guillotine and Ignite. Be careful!
The most important thing is to remember that he has no mobility or sustain. This is you advantage.

Garen

Garen is a AD bruisertype caster, just like you. His problem is, that he can't auto attack during his Judgment. So just man up and trade him meanwhile and you should win the trade.
One more thing to take care of is his Courage. Wait until the effect ends and trade him after it. The last thing and this one is really annoying, is his Demacian Justice. It deals Magic Damage based on how much health you are missing, just like Wind Slash. Try to use Valor when you think he will ult, it will absorb some damage and might secure you.

Jax

This matchup is actually not that hard, but you need to be careful. After level 6 Jax deals enormous damage with Grandmaster-At-Arms and Empower. He will win longer fights, so try to create short trades. Pre 6 you easily win trades, especially if you juke his Counter Strike with Valor or Broken Wings. You probably can't oneshot him at level 6 so trade him once or twice before you go all in with Wind Slash and Ignite.

Shen

The only thing Shen can do to you is being annoying. His Vorpal Blade has low cooldown, but low range. If he wants to poke you just engage on him. He can't win a trade early on.
When you have some Cooldown reduction from Ionian Boots of Lucidity and The Brutalizer + some Lifesteal from Bloodthirster or Ravenous Hydra, he has no chance to kill you alone. Your Valor and lifesteal will be enough to stay in lane forever.

Nasus

Basically a easy matchup. He has low damage early in, no mobility and his Wither is nearly useless versus Riven. Just don't overstay and try to zone him. You should be fine then.

Tryndamere

Not the hardest matchup because you outdamage him for a long time. Get early lifesteal and try to zone him. If he builds up his Battle Fury]] he might be stronger than you. Be careful then. Make sure to not use your Wind Slash too early, because he can simply activate Undying Rage. After Statikk Shiv he has a big damage spike, don't overextend then.

Vladimir

Vladimir is very easy. You can just trade him whenever you want. If you don't want to trade him use Valor to absorb his poke from Transfusion. You can build a Hexdrinker to be more tanky. Important: Take care of his level 9. His Transfusion has low cooldown and high damage by then.

More Matchups are coming soon, I am really tired right now.

Riven is not a Champion that you play once and you handle her.
Try to improve, maybe even in Co-Op-games.
Practice Wall-jumps, Skill Combos, Auto Attack cancelling, the ability ranges etc...
Watching streams can also help.

Streams I can recommend: BoxBox (flosd) here, Best Riven NA Here.

Some Fun Riven plays: Play Video Play Video /league-of-legends/champion/riven-83