You must first comprehend the game’s many statistics to climb the LoL ranked ladder. One crucial metric is lethality. We’ll discuss Lethality in League of Legends, what it is, how it works, and how it’s computed.
Lethality is an essential stat for attack damage champions. Therefore, you should be well-versed in it. Understanding lethality will allow you to construct more efficiently.
What is Lethality in LoL?
In LoL, lethality is an important ability for attack damage champions since it helps them successfully breach opponent champions’ armors. Lethality was added to the game in 2017, replacing the old percentage-based armor penetration mechanism with a more straightforward flat rate.
Lethality calculates a champion’s armor penetration depending on their build and level, not simply their items. By boosting their Lethality, players may improve their champion’s ability to damage opposing champions, making them more deadly on the battlefield.
How is Lethality calculated?
League employs an internal method to calculate the amount of armor penetration you can receive by adding Lethality to your build. While playing, you may also use this formula to determine whether you need to increase Lethality versus a composition with heavy armor.
- The formula for Armor Penetration is Lethality x (0.6 + 0.4 x level ÷ 18).
You will have less Thrashing in the game’s early stages, but as you reach level 18, it will increase to its full capacity. The goal of Thrashing is to allow players’ armor penetration to acquire value as the game’s tempo rises gradually.
Furthermore, Lethality works well against squishy champions, making it more straightforward for players to burn through their armor. Enemies with less armor are prone to being killed by bursty assassins and AD carriers.
Also read- Best supports to pair with Jhin in League
All Lethality Items In LoL
- Serrated Dirk (1,100 gold, 10 Lethality)
- Umbral Glaive (2,300 gold, 50 AD, 13 Lethality, 15 Ability Haste)
- Serpent’s Fang (2,600 gold, 55 AD, 15 Lethality)
- Edge of Night (2,900 gold, 50 AD, 10 Lethality, 325 HP)
- Youmuu’s Ghostblade (3,000 gold, 60 AD, 18 Lethality, 15 Ability Haste)
Lethality vs Armor Penetration
Lethality is flat, whereas armor Penetration is dependent on a percentage. Lethality might be referred to as “negative armor.” A champion’s lethality is proportional to the quantity of armor taken from his adversary. League of Legends Lethality displays one type of armor mitigation stat. There are other types, such as:
- Lethality and armor penetration may appear to be the same thing, but they are really somewhat distinct metrics. They allow you to itemize using a specific method based on what is needed in that particular game or situation.
- Armor penetration decreases the percentage of an opponent champion’s armor compared to a fixed quantity of armor penetration, as lethality does.
- For example, Black Cleaver can stack up to 6 times, boosting the item’s armor penetration by 5% each time for 30%. This implies that a victim with 100 armor loses 30 of it, while an enemy champion with 400 armor loses 120 of it.
When Should You Choose Lethality Above Armor Penetration?
When you develop lethality and armor penetration items, they differ significantly. For example, armor penetration items pierce some of the target’s armor, making them perfect for dealing with champions that stack armor.
Tankier champions often do this, either by creating tanky items like Thornmail or Iceborn Gauntlet or by naturally accumulating armor at a higher rate from their kit, such as Malphite’s Passive or Sejuani’s Passive.
Lethality is much more effective when targets have very little armor because everything beyond the armor they have becomes actual damage, eliminating a fixed amount
What Are Different Lethakity Items In LOL?
Lethality is a stat that does not appear on many items in the game, as it is a B-tier stat akin to the ability haste. In contrast to attack damage, ability power, armor, magic resistance, and health, these characteristics are rarely the primary concern when creating an item. Lethality things are perfect to build together therefore, we’ve listed every item in League of Legends that offers you lethality:
- Axiom Arc
- Duskblade of Draktharr
- Eclipse
- Edge of night
- Hellfire Hatchet (Arena only)
- Lifeline (Nexus Blitz only)
- Prowler’s Claw
- Serpent’s Fang
- Serrated Dirk
- Spectral Cutlass(Nexus Blitz only)
- Sword of the Divine (Nexus Blitz only)
- The Collector
- Umbral Glaive
- Youmuu’s Ghostblade
Is Lethality in League superior to Percentage armor Penetration?
It depends on the circumstances. If your goal is to take down squishy carry, like as an assassin, you’ll desire the lethality stat. If tanks like Malphite are providing you with problems, it is better to obtain the % armor penetration instead. On AD carriers, it’s typically best to grab a little of both to maximize your damage against all of your opponents.
Is Lethality effective against tanks?
Lethality has a limited effect on well-armored champions. Take the [Duskblade of Draktharr](/item/6691/), for example. It has around 20 lethality. If you use it to lower Rammus’ armor, which may be 320, you will only put a little dent in it. Furthermore, considering the declining rewards of armor stacking, the difference between 320 and 300 armor is nearly imperceptible. You’d be better off stacking AD or a critical chance to deal with that threat.
Conclusion
Lethality sounds quite strong. However, it could be more effective because of considerations such as cost and the amount of armor your foes may and should have. It can be convenient, but it is not a way to altogether avoid armor.
The primary purpose of Lethality is to penalize opponents who do not acquire adequate armor. It is highly effective for Assassin Champions, as it appears out of nowhere and decimates mid-laners or ADCs who lack the necessary armor to counter it.
Lethality is a challenging answer to your issues. When starting out in Lethality, a common item to purchase is the Serrated Dirk, which costs 1100 Gold and gives 10 Lethality.
