Mobility is a great asset for any champion in League of Legends. A highly movable champion will be able to assist accross lanes and return to the fray faster. Walking time is wasted time, so whatever diminishes it is worth considering.
Items that increase movement speed (MS) can be divided in two categories: boots and other items. Boots increase MS by a flat amount while other items increase it by a percentage. To see which items provide the highest increase to MS for the least gold we’ll check their cost effectiveness: cost divided by the boost provided. The cost effectiveness is the cost of each unit of the boost: one MS or 1% bonus MS.
| Name | MS | Other Bonuses | Cost | Cost/MS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berserker’s Greaves | 70 | +25% AS, UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 2. | 920 | 13 |
| Boots of Mobility (EM 2) | 70 | UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 2, Passive: when out of combat for 5 sec. the effect of these boots is increased to Enhanced Movement 5 | 1000 | 14 |
| Boots of Mobility (EM 5) | 130 | UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 2, Passive: when out of combat for 5 sec. the effect of these boots is increased to Enhanced Movement 5 | 1000 | 8 |
| Boots of Speed | 50 | UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 1 | 350 | 7 |
| Boots of Swiftness | 90 | UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 3 | 1000 | 11 |
| Ionian Boots of Lucidity | 70 | UNIQUE Passive: 15% CDR, UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 2 | 1050 | 15 |
| Mercury’s Treads | 70 | +25 MR, +35 Tenacity, UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 2 | 1200 | 17 |
| Ninja Tabi | 70 | +25 Armor, +12% Dodge Chance, UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 2 | 850 | 12 |
| Sorcerer’s Shoes | 70 | +20 Magic Penetration, UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 2 | 1100 | 16 |
The boots that give the most cost effective bonus are the Boots of Speed. Unfortunately, it is also the boots that grant the smallest boost to MS. Second comes Boots of Mobility, if the Passive boost is being used.
In case the champion is frequently fighting Boots of Mobility is not a very good item. Therefore, roamers will find much to like but other champions have to look at other boots.
When it comes to flat MS bonuses Boots of Swiftness is a stable and effective item. The remaining boots have smaller bonuses but both Ninja Tabi and Berserker’s Greaves are quite cheap in case Enhanced Movement 2 is sufficient.
| Name | MS | Other Bonuses | Cost | Cost/MS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Force of Nature | 8 | +76 MR, +40 Hp5, UNIQUE Passive: restores 0.35% of your champion’s health every second | 2610 | 326 |
| Lich Bane | 7 | +80 AP, +350 Mana, +30 MR, UNIQUE Passive: 100% chance when an ability is used that your next physical attack deals an additional 100% of your AP in damage. This effect has a 2 sec. CD | 3470 | 496 |
| Phantom Dancer | 15 | +55% AS, +30% CS | 2845 | 190 |
| Shurelya’s Reverie | 40 | +330 Health, +30 Hp5, +15 Mp5, UNIQUE Passive: 15% CDR, UNIQUE Active: nearby champions gain 40% MS for 3 sec. (60 sec. CD) | 2200 | 55 |
| Sword of the Occult | 15 | +10 AD, UNIQUE Passive: Your champion gains 5 damage per stack, receiving 2 stacks for a kill or 1 stack for an assist. This effect can stack 20 times; you lose a third of your stacks if you die. At 20 stacks, your champion’s MS is increased 15% | 1369 | 91 |
| Trinity Force | 12 | +30 AD, +30 AP, +30% AS, +15% CS, +250 Health, +250 Mana, UNIQUE Passive: 25% chance on hit to slow the target by 35% for 2.5 seconds; on cast, your next attack deals bonus damage equal to 150% of your base attack | 4070 | 339 |
| Youmuu’s Ghostblade | 20 | +30 AD, +15% CS, UNIQUE Passive: +20 Armor Penetration, 15% CDR, UNIQUE Active: you gain +20% MS and +50% AS for 4 sec. Attacking enemy units with melee attacks increases the duration by 2 to a maximum of 8 seconds (60 sec. CD) | 2687 | 134 |
| Zeal | 8 | +20% AS, +10% CS | 1195 | 149 |
When it comes to items with a percentage bonus, it’s the temporary bonuses awarded by Shurelya’s Reverie, Sword of the Occult and Youmuu’s Ghostblade that show the most effectiveness. On the other hand, flat bonuses show the usual suspects.
Zeal is the most cost effective item, followed closely by Phantom Dancer. While Force of Nature and Trinity Force are, indeed, close in effectiveness it’s more than double the cost per unit than Zeal. Finally, Lich Bane is quite overpriced for its bonus; obviously an item worth purchasing for its other bonuses.
In conclusion, if movement speed is the only concern there a few things to take in consideration. Boots of Mobility and Boots of Swiftness are the best boots. If you need the best temporary boost, buy Shurelya’s Reverie or Sword of the Occult if you can keep the stacks on it.
Last, as far as constant percentage bonuses are concerned you can’t do better than building a Zeal into a Phantom Dancer. Tanks will have to stick to the expensive Trinity Force or Force of Nature while mages stick to the overpriced Lich Bane.
Movement speed is not an statistic that all roles can easily get. Carries have little problem including a Phantom Dancer in their build while tanks and mages require some items that may not always fit. All in all, movement speed is useful but not equally available to all roles.
– Acronyms: AD: attack damage, AP: ability power, AS: attack speed, CD: cooldown, CDR: cooldown reduction, CS: critical strike chance, Gp10: gold per 10 sec., Hp5: health regen per 5 sec., LS: life steal, MD: magic damage, Mp5: mana regen per 5 sec., MR: magic resist, MS: movement speed, PD: physical damage, SV: spell vamp
– Shurelya’s Reverie bonus MS corresponds to its active
– Sword of the Occult’s bonus MS corresponds to 20 stacks
– Youmuu’s Ghostblade bonus MS corresponds to its active
– You can sort multiple columns by holding shift and clicking on other column headers
2 Responses to “League of Legends: Movement Speed Items’ Cost Effectiveness”
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What about zephyr
Unfortunately, this list hasn’t been updated for Season 3 items. However, considering how most items were nerfed in terms of MS the 10% that Zephyr gives is rather good. The Cost/MS would be 285 although that probably won’t say much without further updates.
For more detailed information, including a cost analysis, you can check the LoL Wiki’s page on Zephyr.