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Caitlyn Build Guide by Guest

VERY Detailed Guide: DPS master

VERY Detailed Guide: DPS master

Updated on August 23, 2011
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1,815 Views 0 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Caitlyn Build Guide By Guest Updated on August 23, 2011
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Writer's Note

She's the best person to play in LOL and I hope this guide will help you maximize her potential as Caitlyn.

I know it's long but please bear with me ^_^
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Introduction

It’s not easy to appreciate Caitlyn. She’s the champion where you have to think or be killed. In short, you need brainpower to maximize the full potential of Caitlyn (unless, of course, you’re naturally gifted).

So what makes her special? First, she’s got this insanely high dps which, I’ve learned, is perfect for melee types. Second, she can hit much further than normal range champions. This, by the way, is perfect for harassing and kill-before-being-killed kind of attacks. Third, it’s fun to lure other champions to their doom. Most of the time, they think Caitlyn is a weak-*** little champion. Well, they’re wrong. In this guide, I will share some techniques that are fun to use against other champions. This guide will help maximize Caitlyn’s potential not just with items, masteries or runes but during the game play itself.
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Purchase Order

Doran's Blade
Berserker's Greaves
Phantom Dancer
Phantom Dancer
Bloodthirster
Infinity Edge
Trinity Force/ Atma's Impaler
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Caitlyn's Roles in the Game

Now this is an important section. It is important to know that, like most women, Caitlyn is very flexible. Depending on the situation, she can be the killer sheriff, the assist, lane pusher or the creepsweeper.

So, you’re wondering, why do you need to know these as Caitlyn? Well, depending on the situation, you need to know how Caitlyn can help your team win. Now, if you’re just battling AI, forget these roles. But say you were in a game where your enemy is damn smart or it’s a 3v5 where sadly, you’re in the group where you’re 3, it’s important to know how you can maximize Caitlyn’s skills enough for you and your teammates to turn the game around.


1.) Killer Sheriff
Now, this speaks for itself. But really, there are different ways for Caitlyn to kill.

One, you kill because you’re so damn smart in using Caitlyn’s skills to kill an enemy (tips will be told later on). THIS is the fun part. THIS is why I love being Caitlyn.

Two, you steal other champion’s kills. How? Caitlyn has a high dps. In short, she deals the final blow faster than anyone else. Long time ago, I used to do this until I realized it’s more fun to lure enemies to their doom. In short, lesser kills but more satisfaction in knowing that you used your brain in luring a poor unsuspecting champion into the deadly gun of Caitlyn.

Three, we have a kill-before-being-killed attack. The best way I can think of to describe this is to share something that happened. It’s Caitlyn vs. Yi. Our lives are VERY low. Caitlyn runs to the tower and the Yi, being Yi, chased after her. If Yi hits Caitlyn, she’s one-hit-ko. Instead of running, Caitlyn faced Yi, fired her net (which slowed Yi and decreased his life) and fired her normal shot. Yi died. Caitlyn lived. Why? That’s the power of being a ranged champion with cool dps. She hits the final blow first.
Four, she kills, what I call, TINY life Champions. Were there times where you or your team are killing some champion and that champion still survives with just a tiny, TINY fragment of life left? It’s annoying to others but not to Caitlyn. Her Ace in a Hole not only has a high damage but has a range of 900; therefore, that poor champion can run…. But will not escape from Caitlyn’s gun.

2.) The Assist
In this section, we’ll discuss how Caitlyn can best assist, defend and save.

Assist: when chasing an enemy, use your net. By slowing the enemy, you allow your team to reach that champion and kill it. The Yordle trap is useful as well. (Detailed discussion later on)

Save: Caitlyn has a job to save fellow champions from being killed. Why? If your teammate dies, the enemy becomes stronger. Now don’t go thinking that you’re the savior because you aren’t. Saving means if Caitlyn and a fellow champion is running away or she sees a fellow champion trying to run away from an enemy, it is Caitlyn’s job to go in front of the enemy (provided that the enemy CAN be slowed down) fire the net to slow the enemy and allow time for her and her teammate to escape.

Defend. Caitlyn is a perfect defense against attacks to towers. This will be discussed under Yordle Trap.

3.) Creep-killer
Sadly, there are times you have to do this. It’s when your base is breached and your other champions need time to push to destroy the enemy’s base. So while your fellow champions are killing and pushing the enemy’s base, you’re walking around YOUR base using her cool attacks against the creeps trying to destroy the base. Sucks but that’s life.
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Abilities

Passive: Headshot
Every basic attack (attacks while in brush count as 2), Caitlyn will fire a headshot, dealing either 150% damage to a champion or 250% damage to a minion.
Q key: Piltover Peacemaker
Caitlyn revs up her rifle for 1 second to unleash a penetrating shot that deals physical damage (deals less damage to subsequent targets).
W key: Yordle Snap Trap
Caitlyn sets a trap to find sneaky yordles. When sprung, the trap immobilizes the champion, reveals them for a short duration, and deals magic damage over 1.5 seconds

E key: 90 Caliber Net
Caitlyn fires a heavy net to slow her target. The recoil knocks Caitlyn back.

R key: Ace in the Hole
Caitlyn takes time to line up the perfect shot, dealing massive damage to a single target at a huge range. Enemy champions can intercept the bullet for their ally.
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Skill Sequence

Now choosing the skill depends on which lane and what champion Caitlyn is facing. It is always advisable to start with the Peacemaker. It’s meant to harass at the early point of the game.
If noticed, the skills are leaning over to the Net. To be honest, I believe in the power of net. In Caitlyn’s life, it’s always good to remember that the longer the enemy stays within your range, the more damage you do. Think of it. Caitlyn has a range of 650, which as far as I know is the longest range. She has a high damage per second. Now imagine slowing a champion. Caitlyn can shoot at her leisure because no matter what the enemy does, he/she will not escape her gun!
The next step is really a matter of balancing between the Peacemaker and Yordle Trap. Peacemaker is used if, during the beginning of the game, the champion in your lane is too smart to get caught in your Yordle Trap. On the other hand, if the enemy champion on your lane is greedy, better stack up on the Trap. Trust me, I’ve caught and killed so many with my handy-dandy trap. (Details on how to catch unsuspecting Champions later on)
For the Ace in the Hole, always remember it shows up at level 6, 11, 16.
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Summoner Spells

Cleanse:
For some reason, other champions like to stun or taunt etc her. Get this.
Flash:
1.) Handy for escaping
2.) Handy for final kill. Despite her long range, there are times when a champion still gets away. To lessen the space between her and an enemy champion, use the flash to get there and deliver the final blow.
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Masteries

MASTERIES
RED: Armor penetration (the more she hits, the faster they die)
Blue: Magic Resistance (don’t forget you are squishy)
Yellow:1 Dodge and Mana (everything else)
Quintessence: Critical Chance
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IMPORTANT TIPS

1.) Be aggressive when you can – but not too much. Always remember that while Caitlyn can deal a high amount of damage, she can get hurt too! Don’t forget that it’s not just her breasts but her life that’s squishy.
2.) Never EVER push a lane by yourself – any experienced lol player understands that Caitlyn is squishy. In simple terms, yes she needs a chaperone. You are a magnet to any Champion. They. Will. Hunt. You. Down.
3.) Be wary if your life is less than half. Based on experience, if her life is less than half, she becomes a warning light. She’s a roast turkey. She’s a sitting duck. She’s a fat big bullseye. Don’t think. Don’t ask. Run.
4.) Always position yourself in such a way that you can escape quickly. Place Yordle Traps in your escape routes. Always have a spare Net available to slow down an enemy. Position yourself to the nearest escape route. If you are with a champion, especially if melee, use them as your shield. Think of places where you can be ambushed (especially by Ezreal -__-) In every place you go, always look for escape routes.
5.) Caitlyn dominates the grass. Use your yordle trap to trap unsuspecting champions. Hide in the grass to deal more damage to creeps or champs. The grass is YOUR PROPERTY. Dominate it.
6.) Farm during your spare time. Caitlyn has spare time? Yes. There are many times during a game when her fellow Champions are all in the base or sadly, dead. While waiting for someone who can chaperone her (and if you read the previous lines, remember she must NOT stay alone), she must farm. Why? Money to build a better, more powerful sheriff.
7.) EVERY SHOT MUST COUNT! It takes time for mana to regen and if the mana regen is fast, the cooldown takes too long (well it FEELS like it’s long). To solve this, better make ALL shots count. Don’t waste a single shot.
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WHICH LANE?

Most people prefer Mid. The game play is simple. Attack and push. If she can’t push, farm once in a while.
But the real fun is at the sides: Top and bottom. Before the creeps spawn, go with a fellow champion inside the grass. If there’s someone there, immediately fire the peacemaker and continually fire with normal shot. You’ll be surprised to see that they will back off with their life at half or less than half.
The nice part about the sides is that there are multiple combinations that you can do. There are traps, lanes etc. The landscape is at your disposal. So what should you do?
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MAXIMIZING YOUR ABILITIES

MAXIMIZING PEACEMAKER
1.) Harass. It may sound ironic to the name (peacemaker) but she’s got a job to do. It’s perfect for decreasing life or dealing a final shot.
2.) Unlike the net, this one has a much longer range. Sadly, the damage decreases whenever it passes through a minion or champion. So how to maximize it? Stay in the grass or position her so that she can directly attack the enemy champion. Don’t forget the important tip: NEVER WASTE A SHOT.
3.) Creep killer. Kill the creeps to earn money. Only use this technique sparingly because you may never know if you need the mana for something else.


MAXIMIZE ACE IN A HOLE
It’s pretty obvious. Fire to kill.


MAXIMIZING YORDLE TRAP
A seemingly harmless trap can stun an enemy for a short duration plus deal damage.

Don’t forget that she can set up to 3 traps at a time. If a fourth is set up, the first trap set will disappear.

This applies when pushing the lane at the sides. Place these traps in the grass especially at the first parts of the game. This technique works with the greedy. Lure them inside the grass. Act like a poor innocent little girl and run inside the grass. The enemy champion follows you, thinking they can catch you when suddenly – tchack! – they are trapped by your trap. Fire your peacemaker to deal a high damage. Fire the net to slow down the champion in case he/she tries to run and keep firing with the normal shot. Within a few seconds, he/she is dead.

Another technique is defending a tower. Caitlyn should place all three traps in front of the tower. They should be spaced as equidistant from each other as possible. Why? This serves as your defense. If an enemy champion steps on it, they are stunned for a few seconds. This provides time for you and your team to focus fire on the trapped champion IN THE SAFETY OF YOUR TOWER. As a result, it ends up with a psychological fear with your traps. Believe me, I battled a Caitlyn who loves placing traps and let me assure you that those traps have negative psychological effect. Take advantage of those traps to defend. So how good is this technique? There was this one time where it’s 3v5. We were 3 they were 5. It took our enemy approximately 30 minutes before they could breach the tower.


MAXIMIZING THE NET
Ehrm, well I won’t share everything with this. It’s my favorite skill and I’ve worked hard (and died many times) to gain knowledge on this. But let me share a few quickies.
1.) During your ganks, use the net to slow an enemy. That gives time for your other teammates to catch up with the champion you all want to kill.
2.) This net is handy when escaping unless you are dealing with a superhuman Yi or Tryndamere (a superhuman Yi or Tryndamere is someone who can still catch up to kill you even after using a flash and the Net twice). If it’s not Yi or Tryndamere you’re dealing with, fire the net to the champion. The net will slow you down and knock you back; therefore, creating a huge distance between you and your killer.
3.) If your flash was already used up and you need to chase an enemy, use your net to push yourself TOWARDS the champion you are chasing. That means you fire the net away from the direction you want to go.
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GAMEPLAY

FINALLY: GAMEPLAY
Level 1: Before the creeps are summoned
Get Doran’s Blade. You get bonus in attack (useful for harassing) and 5% lifesteal. Lifesteal will be important because while harassing others, you will get harassed too. It is important to get lifesteal so that she can stay longer in the game.
As much as possible, pray you are with a melee or high damager.
Stay either at the top or bottom.
Caitlyn and your fellow champion should enter the grass. If there is anyone there, immediately fire peacemaker. You’ll be surprised at how damage peacemaker can do. Fire with a normal shot. Decrease enemy’s life considerably before going back to the safety of your tower.
If, during this clash, your life goes less than half, run to your tower and teleport back to your base. Heal and follow the creeps as they are being spawned.
Level 2-5
Harass. Use the advantage of grass as your cover. Dominate the grass by placing yordle traps to ensure a safe escape route and to lure unsuspecting champions. Don’t go back until you have 1200 to 1500 gold.
Don’t forget to not be too aggressive. I’ve seen too many aggressive Caitlyns die early. Don’t waste those precious seconds. Take advantage of your range of 650. That means, you should be hitting them and they should not be able to hit you.
This is where the net and trap enters. The net and yordle trap is useful for escaping and trapping. Read section on Maximizing Net and Maximizing Yordle Trap for more information.
Level 5-11
Immediately buy Berserker’s Greaves. If you have gold for Phantom Dancer, get it. This is your magical weapon.
By now, the tower in your lane should’ve been destroyed. It’s time to focus on growing. Go and support the mid lane. During your spare time, farm, farm, farm.
Remember Caitlyn needs a chaperone to go out (unless you are battling with AI or against weak *** summoners). Never be by yourself.
Level 11-12
Time to make Caitlyn grow. At this point, no matter what the status of the game is, focus on killing to get more gold. More gold is equal to better items.
As much as possible, do not join clashes yet (unless you’re dealing with weak *** champions). In the event you are fighting with smart and strong champions, stay within the limits of your tower. Farm near your tower. Defend your tower. Read section on Maximizing Trap to gain more information on how to protect your tower.
Level 12 and above
At this point, focus on getting one more Phantom Dancer. Save a little bit more to get the Bloodthirster. Why? The Phantom Dancer is important to deal more critical damage to your enemy (it drives them nuts) while the Bloodthirster is important because at this point, your opponents start to hurt.
Don’t forget that this is the most crucial point of the game. Almost everyone is at it’s peak capacity. Read section on Important Tips to be reminded of the things a Caitlyn user must remember.
I’ve read a guide by Cm2n and I agree when he said,
“People start nuking like crazy, and you can die within 1 second if you make the wrong move”
Although you are strong enough to join clashes, remember to always plan your escape routes no matter where you are. In most normal games I’ve played, other champions love to make her their first meal. Even if she has a net, cleanse or flash to get away with, if you as the summoner do not have a escape route, Cait will be killed by an assassin hiding in the bushes. So don’t forget: ESCAPE ROUTE…
Take advantage of your range. Make sure you hit the enemy without the enemy hitting you.
If you played her well, she should be a champion your opponents should fear.
The last item should either be Trinity Force or Atma’s Impaler. Most people prefer Last Whisper but I’ve computed the damage and it’s nothing compared to having Atma’s Impaler or Trinity Force.
Buy Atma’s Impaler if the game is so tight to the point that it’s hard to find gold for a Trinity Force. By getting Atma’s Impaler, you will get insanely high dps. If the game lasts long enough, get the Trinity Force.
Always remember you are perfect for destroying Buildings and Towers. Because Caitlyn can shoot so fast, the tower is destroyed before all your creeps are destroyed by the tower.
So how to kill the enemy? Always continue to have the principle of:
“The longer a champion can stay in the range of Caitlyn’s Gun, the faster she can kill.”
When approaching a Champion, fire the Net to slow him down. Set up a Trap on his possible escape route. Use peacemaker to decrease life. Do normal attack until Net and Peacemaker cools down. Repeat process whenever necessary. If he’s still alive and out of our normal range, attack using Ace In a Hole. Within 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… BOOM! He/She is dead.
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HOW TO KILL...?

CAITLYN’S FOOD
Melee during the first few levels. Her favorite is Jarvan, Xin and Garen. I have no idea how their build is like but for whatever reason, the damage is big.



FIGHTING AGAINST GAREN TIPS
His spinning technique might be scary to others but not to Caitlyn. Once he comes spinning at you, fire your net. It will SLOOOOW him down. Keep firing with peacemaker and normal shot. He’s dead.



FIGHTING AGAINST JARVAN TIPS
Some people fear his crater. Don’t be.
Did you know that if you fire your net, you’ll get out of Jarvan’s arena in one piece?
So while you’re out and he’s in, keep firing at him with all the love and gory your gun can bring. He’s dead.



FIGHTING AGAINST JAX,YI OR STUNNERS
These characters would either stun you or stun you and be beside you (like Jax). They are two champions that most people fear. But do not fear. There are ways to escape.
If you are fighting a Jax or Yi or anyone related to them, always place a Yordle trap near you. Keep your net available.
When Jax or Yi suddenly goes near you, immediately fire your Net at the direction of Jax or Yi. It will slow them down.
Run towards the direction of your Yordle Trap. Most champions follow the path you just ran and get caught in the trap. Now it’s their turn to be stunned.
Now it’s your choice to run or attack.



FIGHTING AGAINST EZREAL
Weak Ezreal? Potato Chips.
Strong, smart Ezreal?
-_________- (sigh)
KILLING FAIL
Sadly, as I have not yet perfected Caitlyn, I still have my killing fails. Her Ace in the Hole is perfect however there are numerous occasions where, after firing ace in the hole, the champion is still alive with a MINI MICRO fraction of a life left. Dang.
To prevent this from happening to you….. well don’t shoot if you’re not sure. You’d be wasting your precious ace in a hole.
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FINAL NOTE

I know it’s long but for those who took the time who read it, I hope it was helpful.
I’ve been striving to perfect Caitlyn and would appreciate it if there is anyone who could share their own tips in playing her.
I hope you guys enjoy Caitlyn because she’s so much fun to summon!
BOOM! Headshot!
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