I personally felt like there are currently no good Riven guides. I like Riven, she is fun to play & she is under rated. She can be very hard to kill, as she is elusive.

This is currently my first guide, please vote and comment if you like it! Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Pros:
+elusive
+good damage
+shield ability
+No mana
+Great KSer with ult
+One of the best top lane soloer

Cons:
-Uses a broken weapon
-hard to aim with broken wings
-has to be close to do damage(except ult)
-easy to counter(all physical)
-She starts to fall off late game

VS

The difference on leveling up broken wings or ki burst is damage and cooldowns. I prefer broken wings cause it does more damage per lvl, which helps farming and killing heroes. Ki burst cd goes down but its damage doesnt go up as high as broken wings. Each lvl reduces the cd by 1 except. u have cd reduction so its so its less than 1. When comes down to it more damage or .7 cd reduction per lvl? Plus I saw SOONER use my skill sequence :)

I begin by maxing out Broken Wings because it is a very effective skill when leveled up. It is great for farming, chasing and escaping. Broken Wings over Ki Burst because Broken Wings does extra 120 damage compare to Ki Burst and in early game that can make all the difference and the more damage you do the more your ult does. Now I know that Ki Burst cd goes down as you lvl it up but with CDR its only like .6 sec reduced per lvl compare to more damage and bigger ult damage in early game.
Ki Burst and Broken Wings are great for farming when combined.

I max out Ki Burst before Valor because Ki Burst is AoE. Your choice is to hit 3 people for 210 damage versus protecting yourself from 160 damage. However, both skills have the same cool down and AD ratio.

Deciding on runes for Riven was simple.

Greater Mark of Desolation for the penetration because her spells are based on physical damage.

Greater Seal of Armor for survivability.

Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction because she has no mana so you can her spam spells.

Greater Quintessence of Desolation is for more penetration, or you can get Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed for the movement speed which is very useful in my opinion. Great thru out the entire game & for running down enemies or running away.

Van down by the Riven River Play Video Play Video

HER SWORD GROWS WTF O.O

I was 50/50 with masteries. Depends on your team, if you have a tanky team go 21-9-0, if you have squishy team go 9-21-0.

All of Riven's spells is based on ad, so like to think like she is an ap carry except you get ad. In the begining you can get Doran's Shield or Doran's Blade. I prefer to getting boots though.
Avarice Blade is for the gold. Bloodthirster gives lots of damage for Riven's spells and nice lifesteal. Warmog's Armor and Atma's Impaler is great combo especially when you have to get close to do any damage. Black Cleaver removes armor so spells do more damage, plus it has good damage and decent attack speed. And Youmuu's Ghostblade I think was made for her :) cd reduction, armor pen, damage, attack speed and ms boost. The goal though is get as much damage as possible for your spells, so you dont want to try to max out in attack speed. I also want to mention my last 2 item are attack speed item cause as ppl get more tankyer your going to have to auto attack till cds or run away and jump back in when spells are up.

Items optional to get:
Frozen Mallet is feasible if you need the bonus 700 hp. Includes 14 damage from impaler, and the slow can be useful if you find yourself auto attacking a lot.

Last Whisper is a good item. Possible replacement to Ghost Blade.

Sword of the Occult get this if your pwning in the beginning.

Bloodthirster second one is ok if you want to go for massive damage

Hexdrinker Good item (underrated) I would get this if they have alot of magic damage.


Situational:
Mercury's Treads is a must have if they have multiple Crowd Controllers.

Thornmail for playing against team mostly ad, Force of Nature for playing against team mostly ap, DO NOT GET BOTH you are not a tank you just want some surivalability


Items not optional to get:
Sheen is a no, the ap and mana is just waste the bonus damage is just not worth the 1260 gold might as well save for b.f. sword which would help all spell damage and the overall attack damage.

Infinity Edge is a no, crit is not useful for riven since she doesnt auto attack much and it doesnt help her spells even though damage is nice just not worth the price.

Wriggle's Lantern this is amazing item but not for riven, how often would you get that bonus 500 damage, when you have no mana and lots of cd reduction(spell spamming).

Trinity Force not worth it, damage, bonus damage, and ms would be the only useful thing on it for 4070 gold.

Madred's Bloodrazor if you get this item im going to slap you. this item is for DPSers against hp *****s. So no.

Laning stage: Last hit as much as possible (obviously) but if getting harrassed alot do not be afraid to lvl up valor, its very nice especially if your laning against nunu you can use valor right before the ice ball hits you.

other stages: Your not a tank so dont initiate. When in fights use ult right away then broken wings with ignite, auto attack once then use ki burst, if they try to run away valor to them then hit them and ult for the kill, and repeat if still alive, and always auto attack after using your spells cause of riven's passive.

Flash Great, when your like, oh sh**, and you gtfo out of there.

Ignite Amazing for lifestealing *****es and fleeing enemys

Ghost "Cant catch me" hehehhe

Exhaust "your going nowhere" definitely with yi burst and broken wings

Cleanse Great against CC

Teleport I only get this if you were the only person on the team with teleport.

Smite Use only, if you are jungle.

Clarity Use only, if you are trollololol. :)

Revive Um no and you should know why.

Heal This is only for noobs.

Clairvoyance You are fighting not sitting back healing ppl (this is for supports).

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. Now she seeks atonement and her own way to serve the pure Noxian vision in which she believed.