LoL: What is Lethality and how does it work?

To climb the ranked ladder in LoL, it is important to have a good understanding of the game's various statistics. One such important statistic is Lethality. Here, we will discuss Lethality in League of Legends, what it is, how it works, and how it is calculated.

With Lethality being a key stat for attack damage champions, you must know everything about it. Understanding Lethality will help you build more efficiently.

So, let’s find out everything about Lethality in LoL.

What is Lethality in LoL

Lethality in LoL is a key attribute for attack damage champions, as it allows them to penetrate enemy champions' armour effectively. Introduced to the game in 2017, Lethality replaced the previous percentage-based armour penetration system with a simpler flat rate.

With Lethality, a champion's armour penetration is calculated based on both their build and level, rather than just their items alone. By increasing their Lethality, players can boost their champion's ability to deal damage to enemy champions, making them more formidable opponents on the battlefield.

How is Lethality calculated?

To determine the amount of armour penetration that you can gain through the extra Lethality in your build, League uses an internal formula. You too can use this formula on the go to decide if you need to add more Lethality against a composition that has heavy armour, while you are playing your games.

The formula for Armor Penetration is: Lethality x (0.6 + 0.4 x level ÷ 18).

Credit: League Lab

You will have less Lethality in the early stages of the game, but as you get closer to level 18, you will ramp up to its full potential. The purpose of Lethality is to let players' armour penetration slowly gain value as the pace of the game increases.

Moreover, Lethality is effective against squishy champions since it makes it easier for players to burn through their armour. Enemies with less armour are particularly vulnerable to being executed by bursty assassins and AD carriers.

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)
• Youmuu’s Wake (3,100 gold, 75 AD, 26 Lethality, 20 Ability Haste)
• The Collector (3,000 gold, 55 AD, 20 percent Critical Strike chance, 12 Lethality)
• Axiom Arc (3,000 gold, 55 AD, 18 Lethality, 25 Ability Haste)
• Duskblade of Draktharr (3,100 gold, 60 AD, 18 Lethality, 15 Ability Haste)
• Draktharr’s Shadowcarver (3,100 gold, 75 AD, 26 Lethality, 20 Ability Haste)
• Eclipse (3,100 gold, 60 AD, 12 Lethality, 15 Ability Haste)
• Syzygy (3,100 gold, 80 AD, 20 Lethality, 20 Ability Haste)
• Prowler’s Claw (3,100 gold, 60 AD, 18 Lethality, 15 Ability Haste)

Best Lethality items in LoL

Duskblade of Draktharr

Duskblade of Draktharr is one of the three Mythic items that provide Lethality. The item contains 18 Lethality and provides additional ability haste and movement speed to all other Legendary items in your build. Furthermore, after achieving a kill, your champion becomes invisible for a short period, making it ideal for slippery assassins such as Zed and Master Yi.

Eclipse

Eclipse is one of the most potent Lethality items in League, largely due to its Mythic passive, which grants bonus armour penetration to your Legendary items. The item provides the highest amount of raw damage among Lethality items, thanks to its active component, Ever Rising Moon, as well as a shield, which offers a little bit of survivability.

Axiom Arc

Axiom Arc is a unique item that was introduced to League in the 2022 preseason. The item only provides 10 Lethality but is mainly taken for its passive effect, which refunds your ultimate ability's cooldown by 20% every time you get a kill or assist within three seconds of damaging an enemy champion. The item is particularly effective on champions like Zed, Miss Fortune, and Pyke, whose ultimates can be especially powerful in team fights.

The Collector

The Collector is primarily a situational item since it executes champions below 5% HP with any basic attack or ability that would bring your target below that threshold. The Collector is a solid choice for champions like Sivir, Jhin, Senna, and others whose abilities and attacks can chip away at enemies (and whose ultimates can be relatively game-changing).

Best champions to build Lethality on LoL

Although it's not a definitive statistic, building Lethality can help certain champions scale into the late game. For instance, Assassins like Zed and Qiyana can benefit from items like Duskblade and Eclipse due to their naturally high burst damage.

Additionally, long-range AD champions who scale well into the late-game, such as Miss Fortune and Senna, can also benefit from extra Lethality. Senna, in particular, is a great candidate for a Lethality build since her Piercing Darkness (Q) scales with Lethality.

This was everything you need to know about Lethality in League of Legends. We hope this article answered all of your questions, and that it made it easier to understand what is Lethality and why it's so important in LoL.

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