Understanding lethality in league of legends

In the ever-evolving world of League of Legends, itemization plays a key role in how players strategize and adapt during a match. One important stat that primarily benefits AD assassins and some marksmen is lethality. To learn more about what lethality really means and how it works, check out this in-depth guide on Lethality in League of Legends.

What Is Lethality?

Lethality is a flat armor penetration stat designed to reduce the effectiveness of the enemy's armor. Instead of reducing a percentage of the target's armor like traditional armor penetration, lethality removes a flat amount, which scales based on the attacker's level. This makes it particularly effective against targets with low to moderate armor values, especially during the early to mid game.

How Lethality Is Calculated

The formula for lethality application is as follows:

Lethality applied = Lethality × (0.6 + 0.4 × level ÷ 18)


At level 1, approximately 60% of your total lethality is converted into flat armor penetration. As you increase in level, this conversion scales up, eventually reaching 100% effectiveness at level 18.

Why Lethality Matters

Lethality is primarily favored by champions who rely on high burst damage to eliminate squishy targets quickly. These typically include AD assassins such as Zed, Talon, and Miss Fortune in her lethality builds. Since lethality focuses on flat penetration, it has significant impact earlier in the game when enemies have lower base armor values.

Ideal Champions for Lethality

  1. Zed: A classic AD assassin who benefits from lethality to burst down fragile carries.
  2. Talon: Capable of roams and quick kills, especially with high lethality measured in his kit.
  3. Miss Fortune: Commonly run with lethality builds to maximize poke damage with her Q and ultimate.
  4. Varus: Lethality builds allow him to deal massive poke damage before fights even begin.

Top Lethality Items

Several items in the game provide lethality and additional effects that complement a burst-heavy playstyle. These are staples in most lethality-based builds:

Core Lethality Items

  1. Duskblade of Draktharr: Grants invisibility on takedown and high burst potential on first strike.
  2. Prowler's Claw: Enables a dash toward an enemy and amplifies your follow-up damage.
  3. The Collector: Adds lethality and executes enemies under 5% HP, synergizing with high-burst combos.
  4. Serpent's Fang: Reduces enemy shield strength, particularly effective against shield-heavy teams.

When to Build Lethality

Lethality is most effective when the enemy team is composed of champions with little to no armor, especially before they begin building defensive items. If your team is lacking magic damage and the enemy starts stacking armor early, lethality may lose value compared to critical strike or armor penetration (percentage-based) builds.

Game Phase Considerations

In early to mid game, lethality is exceptionally potent. Champions with an early power spike can secure kills and snowball leads using lethality-based items. However, if the game progresses into the late phase and enemies build armor or gain levels, lethality starts to lose its edge.

Conclusion

Lethality is a valuable stat for aggressive, burst-centric playstyles aiming to control the early and mid game tempo. Understanding how it scales and when it is most effective can help players better adapt their item builds and champion picks. Whether you are a Zed main or an ADC experimenting with lethality Varus, mastering this stat can elevate your gameplay and help dominate the Rift.