Vex Runes and Build Guide: Abilities, Items and Runes (LoL)

Vex, the Gloomist, who puts an end to everything flashy and colorful, arrives as League of Legends' newest mid lane champion. Vex may not be the artillery mage Riot promised in 2020, but she fills a gap in the roster in the mid lane, in anti-dive capability. The Gloomist is an excellent burst mage who can stop enemy dives and turn them around with a few button presses. To let you live this fantasy, we have the best builds, runes, tips and tricks for Vex, so you can master her in your first game. Here is the Vex Guide 2022!

What Are Vex's Abilities?

Vex's kit, despite being an original design, is part control mage, part burst mage and definitely zero percent artillery mage. While Riot quickly moved away from that, what they made is a mage who can essentially put an end to diving, the role's biggest weakness. Thanks to her passive, which interrupts dashes and Fears flashy enemies, Vex is a true anti-dive champion. Combined with the big shield on her W, that makes her a handful to deal with.

Her Q gives her great wave clear, but hitting from long range can be hard without some kind of crowd control. Doom's Fear is one thing, and her E's slow is another: combining E with the Q combo can burst enemies down quickly, because the long-range slow also applies stacks of her passive.

Could it be that Vex especially loves not diving, but plunging enemy champions in? She does that with her ultimate too. Being able to dash into the backlines and one-shot carries is great, but her potential to escape afterward is low. Let's take a look at her abilities.

Passive: Doom 'n Gloom Doom: Periodically, Vex is empowered by Doom, causing her next basic ability to interrupt dashes and Fear enemies. Gloom: When a nearby enemy dashes or blinks, they are marked with Gloom. Vex's next basic attack against a marked opponent pops the mark for additional damage and refunds part of Doom's cooldown. Q: Mistral Bolt ⁠— Vex sends a wave forward that deals magic damage to enemies it passes through. After a short delay, the wave accelerates but narrows. Mistral Bolt pops Gloom on all marked enemies it hits. W: Personal Space ⁠— Vex gains a shield and emits a shockwave that deals magic damage to nearby enemies. Personal Space pops Gloom on all marked enemies it hits. E: Looming Darkness ⁠— The Shadow flies to a location and grows in size as it travels. When it arrives, the Shadow deals magic damage, slows, and marks enemies hit with Gloom. R: Shadow Surge ⁠— The Shadow flies forward, marks the first enemy champion hit and deals magic damage to it. Vex can then recast the ability to have the Shadow pull her to the marked target and deal additional magic damage. If the marked target dies shortly after taking damage from Shadow Surge, Vex can use Shadow Surge again within a few seconds.

What Is the Best Build for Vex?

There are two ways to build Vex, and you are straying from the path her lore lays out. You can choose Liandry's Anguish or Luden's Tempest for more damage. But if you want more crowd control to keep your enemies from escaping, Everfrost is also a good option. Whichever you pick, Vex's build needs two things: mana and ability power.

Seraph's Embrace solves most of her mana problems along with some Ability Haste, while Zhonya's, Banshee's or Cosmic Drive help her on the Ability Haste side (alongside runes).

After that, it is all about damage. Horizon Focus is great with your ultimate and increases the damage you deal to enemies at range. Rabadon's Deathcap and Void Staff are burst mage staples. However, it is important to make sure you use your cooldowns and mana to reduce damage taken (you cannot rely on the blue buff alone), so finding a fine balance between the two is a must.

The Best Meta Vex Build in Season 12

• Keystone: Liandry's Anguish (best overall) / Luden's Tempest (if you need more burst) / Everfrost (if you need more crowd control)
• Boots: Sorcerer's Shoes
• Archangel's Staff / Seraph's Embrace
• Horizon Focus
• Rabadon's Deathcap
• Void Staff
• Zhonya's Hourglass / Banshee's Veil (if you need defensive items; the shield is usually enough)
• Cosmic Drive (if you need more Ability Haste)

What Is the Best Rune for Vex?

Vex can solve most of her Ability Haste and mana problems with her runes: Manaflow Band and Transcendence, as primary or secondary runes under the Sorcery tree, work as a cure.

The Scorch and Domination runes Taste of Blood and Ravenous Hunter, together with the Sorcery keystone, give her a healthy dose of sustain and a movement speed burst to escape when diving into the enemy backline. They also let her trade more easily in lane with her three-hit E-Q-auto combo.

The Best Meta Vex Runes in Season 11

• Phase Rush
• Manaflow Band
• Transcendence
• Scorch
• Taste of Blood
• Ravenous Hunter

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