Warwick Build Guide : Top Lane Warwick: An in Depth Guide to Crushing Dreams

Introduction

Hello, My name is GrayF0x. I have been playing League Of Legends since the game came out (off and on) and also played D.O.T.A previously from about patch 5.84. I am the type of player who hates to sit back and farm all day, just so I can stand in the back trying not to die.

I don't play to win. That is petty and unsportsmanlike like. I play to CRUSH DREAMS

While a good AD Carry is a necessity, you are more or less relying on a good team to keep you alive.
while only having one Crowd Controlling (CC) skill, can make a team fight swing one way or the other. He has ability to chase players down, jungle, off-tank, and instantly take down squishy carries. A good top lane can crush dreams and following this guide can help make that happen.

Keep in mind, guides are guides. They are not etched in stone for gameplay.

This is an in depth guide, and the average 14 year old will not sit and read it. For those that do, you will a step ahead of the game.

This is my first guide, and intelligent comments are appreciated. Please don't forgot to Vote!

Pros / Cons

All Champions have Pros / Cons. Your job is to minimize the weakness's and capitalize on the strengths.

SPACE
+ Great Lane sustain
+ Fast, Very fast
+ Hard to stop once ahead in lane
+ A great Ganker (especially to mid)
+ Core build can adapt to any enemy team

SPACE

SPACE
- Susceptible to Crowd Control
- Can run into Mana problems
- Weak Gold Farmer
- Early game is low in armor
- He has a unquenchable thirst for blood (Pro or Con?)

The biggest down side to both these builds are that you are extremely vulnerable to damage lvl 1. So try and wait until your first gank, or lvl 6 before getting too ballzy.

Runes

I have played hundreds of games. I have been trying to perfect my rune selections to maximize lane Sustainment, and Magic Penetration. The longer you can stay in your lane, the more exp you will have up on other players.
Runes should be focused on early game. The more advantage you have in the early game, will put your enemies behind. They will not be able to farm as much, which will make your team stronger in the long run.

Runes

Precision

Press the Attack

Electrocute

Lethal Tempo

Predator

I have no idea why when I built this guide it would not let me add - ... (Any help on this?)

I would substitute with on the utility build.

- x9

Maximizing Magic Penetration

greater seal of replenishment - x5

To help aid in early Mana regen issues

greater seal of vitality - x4

The increased HP per lvl helps keep you alive, while waiting for the CD on .

- x9

Cool downs are where it is at for and

***If you find you are having problems with mana early, I would suggest replacing 3 for 3 greater glyph of celerity.

Skillz

Ability Sequence
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18

- Every attack dealsMagic Damage and heals for the same amount. The damage also heals for the same amount and stacks up to for times. The higher your level the damage increases.

This is great for added damage and health regeneration

- Strikes an enemy for a base damage + a % of the targets health (both increase as you level) dealt as Magic Damage.

's bread and butter.

So the more Magic Penetration you have, the damage increases as well as the amount healed.

Please don't use for last hitting a creep that only has 20 hp left.

- lets out a howl which increases attack speed by 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 %.
The attack speed buff effects friendly champions for half the amount within a 1200 radius.

A great buff increasing you and your allies attack speed.
Also great on towers!!

- When an enemy Champion is below 50% HP, he is revealed and gains 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 % movement speed.

Who likes chasing down???

Just because you can chase down, it does not mean it is always a good option... Don't leave your squishy carry and team behind.

ULTIMATE

- A lunge about the ranged of a in which suppresses the target for 1.8 seconds. damages the target 5 times (in .33 second intervals). During this duration there is a 30% Life Steal bonus.

is a suppression. Which means that the target is unable to cast, move, attack, or use summoner spells. will not remove this effect, however does.

Spell Vamp

I have not found a citation that affirmatively agrees on the effects of Spell Vamp on this skill. My own personal opinions on the matter go as follows.

Spell Vamp does not effect on hit effects such as or . Spell Vamp only effects castable skills.

So the on hit effects of your that effects your Ultimate do not give you life back. However the base damage that scale off of your attack damage do.

Here is an example of the damage being dealt:

5 strikes for 50 damage + a 0.4 per bonus attack damage (ultimate level scalable) as Magic Damage

Spell Vamp effects

5 strikes of the dealing 40 Magic Damage per hit.

No Spell Vamp

5 strikes Basic Attacks - Based of your Attack Damage

Life Steal effects

Masteries: Utility vs Offense

Utility Tree
SPACE
+ 10% CD redux = more harras'ing
+ Ignite CD - 153 sec
+ Flash CD - 213 sec
+ Increased Exp
- Zero Armor Penetration
- Less damage late game

SPACE

Offense Tree
SPACE
- Only 4% CD Redux
- Ignite CD - 180 sec
- Flash CD - 250 sec
+ Hybrid penetration - AD & Magic
+ 3% Life Steal
+ 4% Attack Speed

Both of these tree's have the a basic Mastery page of:

The Blue pill: 9-0-21 The Road Less Traveled

You have chosen Wisely my friend.

The 9-0-21 Mastery build can be a WTF build to the naked eye. This is my preferred mastery build. I can not stress enough how much, , and makes a huge difference. Your Cool downs are awesome lvl 1. When you kill a player or he has to buy your experience will greatly be higher than his. It puts you above the lane enemy. Try it out, before you knock it.

But come follow me, and see how far the rabbit hole goes.

This build focuses on dominating early. The increased cool down reduction is epic. It will allow you to spam your like there is no tomorrow. Your will be off cool down before the opponent in your lane, and your Ultimate will be available a lot sooner.

Timing is everything. Players who have faced a Lanewick before have a general sense (if they realize it or not) of how much you can Harrass \ Heal. Throwing that timing off can catch your enemy off guard; leaving him saying WTF?

Offense Tree:

-

While your Ignite is off cool down your [hungering strike] and Atk Damage is increased by 5. I would take this over a permanent +1 to Ap or Atk Damage any day.

-

To help aid in last hitting. You will not be building attack damage early game and have no AOE spells. I don't care how pro you think you are, this will help.

+ - Increased Cooldown reduction and maximizing Spell Pen.

Utility Tree:

-

15% Cooldown reduction on your . You will be ganked, and expect to use this ability to quickly return to your tower. Also having your up, works great with .

-

To help in Mana issues due to the increased use of

-

was nerfed from 100% down to 80%. Time to help it back up. Also while the on hit effect's of do not add to your health with Spell Vamp, the base Magic Damage does.... further aiding in your overall Health Regen.

-

5% experience bonus over your enemy in top lane can make a huge difference. Once you are ahead on experience, this will make it very hard for your enemy top lane to catch up. The experience lost while buying, is not as great either.

- More Cooldown Redux

-

Allows you to use your and more often. The decreased cool down is a huge advantage in a 1v1 lane situation.

The Red pill: 17-0-13 Hybrid Penetration Domination

So my friend, you have chosen the Red pill.

The 17-0-13 Mastery page is a great option for those who like to be top wolf late game. Enemies who are stacking Magic Resist will not fully counter your build. You will also be imposing your will via Atk Damage as well.

Your ability to stay up during a fight will be talked about through the ages. As long as you are still attacking, it will be hard to take you down.

Attack Speed, Life Steal, Spell Vamp = Rage Quit

Offense Tree:

-

While your Ignite is off cool down your [hungering strike] and Atk Damage is increased by 5. I would take this over a permanent +1 to Ap or Atk Damage any day. Also since you chose the Red Pill, your Ignite will be on CD longer, which makes this point even more effective

-

To help aid in last hitting. You will not be building attack damage early game and have no AOE spells. I don't care how pro you think you are, this will help.

+ -

Increased Cooldown reduction and maximizing Spell Pen.

+ -

Maximize Atk speed, and Armor Penetration

-

3% more life steal out the gate never hurts

Utility Tree:

-

15% Cooldown reduction on your . You will be ganked, and expect to use this ability to quickly return to your tower. Also having your up, works great with .

-

To help in Mana spamming

-

was nerfed from 100% down to 80%. Time to help it back up. Also while the on hit effect's of do not add to your health with Spell Vamp, the base Magic Damage does.... further aiding in your overall Health Regen.

Item Selection

Item Sequence

I wouldHIGHLY recommend to always have these items. Along with some sort of Armor item or .

-

Always buy as your first item. You need more Mana Regen and you are very squishy for the first 3 levels. Plus your deals 15 more damage = more life for you.

-

Your , ,and all deal magic damage.

-

In combination with it will obtain all 4 stacks. Once you Ult on an enemy Carry, be sure as **** that they will try and nuke you down. This item gives great damage, attack speed, and the more you hit, the more Magic Resist you have.

Other Item Choice's

-

An overall great item on Warwick. It not only gives you more health and magic resist, but also gives you 10% more cooldown redux, and increased healing\regeneration effects on you. This last passive improves your mana\health regen, and LIFE STEAL & SPELL VAMP!!!! Your gives a 30% Lifesteal to you. With this Item it buffs to 34.5%. Also if you decide to get more lifesteal and spell vamp it makes it more effective.

***Special note on Spell Vamp****

Spell Vamp also works on Summoner Spells such as: Ignite and Smite{/indent]

-

Expect to be disabled when you use . This counter acts someone from stunning you. An enemy team normally doesn't have more than 2-3 CC's, if they use 1-2 on you trying to stop your ULT.... then your carries are in good shape!

-

Pesky AD auto attacking fool's bothering you and your team? This item is great for that.... it also has a bonus of 20% CD redux!

-

Inconjuction with it stacks 4x reducing enemy magic resistance by 24. It also will damage 5x for a total of 20x5= 100 damage. You get more attack speed, and a 25 AP boost!

philosopher's stone -

Helps with Mana Regen & Health Regen as well giving you a 5 gold per 10 seconds. It is a great passive which is nice to have early game.

-

Don't want to sell your philosopher's stone??? You can make this item and also increase your Cooldown Redux by 15%, and be able to chase down mofo's or help your teammates escape in dire situations.

-

Also another viable upgrade to philosopher's stone. It gives you a unique passive of 35 Tenacity, which helps counter enemy slow and stun duration.

-

More damage, Life Steal, and Spell Vamp all help you sustain yourself in team fights.... works well in conjuction with . Also gives you an activatable exhaust like slow (without the debuff) that does 300 damage.... oh what type of damage??? Magic damage..... which is also Spell Vamp'd and works great Spell Pen.

-

More move speed.... Check, More Attack Speed.... Check, Crit Strike??? Check.... But really you do not get the full benifit's unless you have built a Attack Damage item like the .

-

I build this item from time to time after my , It helps when I have not been doing so well because the items are cheap to piece together.... It aid's in armor problems, gives 12% Life Steal, and free wards! The passive proc to seal 425 damage to minions help you farm faster, and thus getting back into a good spot. Just because your Jungler has one, it doesn't mean you can not help ward as well.

Not so great items

-

Now I know it is a normal item on but, it really doesn't get the best effects unless the enemy has a ton of HP.... which deals 4% of it as Magic Damage. My question to you is.... why would you be focusing on tanks??? It is expensive and IMO your gold can be spent elsewhere.

-

It does give armor and HP. It does do 35 magic damage per second to units with in a 400 range.... which isn't that far. This means you need to be pretty darn close to be doing this damage. To give you an idea how far 400 range is... has a 400 range.

-

You are not playing an auto attack Warwick early game. Your attack's and harassment will be from which benefits from and possibly 1 auto attack (which in that case you don't need the second hit to be refreshed fast, because u will be out of the way)

Lane Game Play: Blue pill Utility

Your cool downs are awesome right out the gate. I would suggest Spamming on your enemy at level 3.

A trick I like to use is with the decreased Cooldown on . I may Ultimate on a player and instantly hit him with when it is over. This will leave them very low health. At this point you can stand in front of the enemy creep waves and force him out of experience range. At the bare minimum he will not be able to farm.

This will give him three options:
1. Go back and heal, which further aids in you out leveling him

2. He stays losing valuable exp and Farm
If he stays, use every chance you get. Even when under a tower, because you will get the life back from a successful strike (watch out for a stun though). Repeat until he is low, and ignite. If need be, you can always flash out.... wait for your CD on on a creep.... and proceed to out level and out farm your enemy.

3. He calls for a gank---
He is already low health. Many times the Gank will come when your is back up. Wait for the stun to hit you (if any), then Ult on the Lowest HP enemy. While is going, you can throw on him. Then Q for the kill if needed. Then it is a 1v1. Fight if need be or run back to the tower. Even if you die, the lane enemy died too. Which leaves you at the same point you were (which is still above in level).

I think now you get the point of why and how the Utility tree is an awesome option for a Solo Top Lane Warwick. Even if you do get behind in a lvl because of a gank, once your team helps with a gank.... you will be ahead and earn the experience faster, due to .

Lane Game Play: Red pill Hybrid Penetration

Now the same strategies apply as above, but your , , , and will not be available as fast. It is a big difference having that experience advantage once you kill your enemy.

However, if your opponent is melee. You can stand and brawl. Attack until you feel you are too low, then run in and out of the brush while he chases you. Then once is back..... BAM he loses more health.... and your back whooping that fool.
This is very easy to do because, of . You should be one fast pain in his neck.

Top Lane Warwick: An in Depth Guide to Crushing Dreams

Top Lane Warwick: An in Depth Guide to Crushing Dreams

Choose Champion Build:

Spells:

Ignite

Flash

Ability Order

Eternal Hunger (PASSIVE)

Jaws of the Beast (Q)

Blood Hunt (W)

Primal Howl (E)

Infinite Duress (R)

Spells:

Ignite

Flash

Ability Order

Eternal Hunger (PASSIVE)

Jaws of the Beast (Q)

Blood Hunt (W)

Primal Howl (E)

Infinite Duress (R)

Introduction

Pros / Cons

Runes

Runes

Skillz

Masteries: Utility vs Offense

The Blue pill: 9-0-21 The Road Less Traveled

The Red pill: 17-0-13 Hybrid Penetration Domination

Item Selection

Item Sequence

Lane Game Play: Blue pill Utility

Lane Game Play: Red pill Hybrid Penetration

League of Legends Champions: