One of the most interesting champions to play in League of Legends is Heimerdinger. His unique kit and interesting lore makes him a fan favorite among players both new and old. Plus his appearance in the hit Netflix show Arcane brought him back into everyone’s radar. In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know to get you started playing the Revered Inventor.

According to his lore, Heimerdinger is recognized all across Runeterra for his innovative mind and academic excellence. As such, it makes sense that his entire kit and design revolves around him using his eccentric inventions to dish out his damage. Just like most champions these days, players are finding ways to play him in roles he was not intended for like Support. For this guide, however, we’ll focus on Heimerdinger in the Top Lane because that is where he shines best. His wave clear, poke, and lane control makes him a very formidable opponent even for the strongest Top Laners.

Abilities

Heimerdinger’s kit is focused on dealing a lot of burst and sustained damage.

Passive – Hextech Affinity

Heimerdinger gains 20% bonus Movement Speed while near allied turrets or his own.

On the surface, there’s not much to say about this passive. However, it can be very useful in key situations and certainly improves Heimerdinger’s ability to kite opponents. Sometimes, Hextech Affinity can be the deciding factor whenever you outplay an opponent that tries to dive you.

Q – H-28G Evolution Turret

Places a Turret. Turret attacks prioritize Heimerdinger’s targets and enemies attacking Heimerdinger. Turrets shut down if Heimerdinger moves far away. Heimerdinger generates a Turret Kit and can hold 3 Kits at once.

This is Heimerdinger’s signature ability. This is where most of his damage comes from. This is what makes him truly dominant when it comes to lane control. Unless he is up against ranged ADCs in the Top or Mid Lane, he will almost always come out on top in 1v1s or even 2v1s with the right Turret placement and management coupled with a bit of kiting skills.

W – Hextech Micro-Rockets

Unleashes a barrage of 5 rockets that converge towards the cursor and fan out past it. Rockets deal magic damage. Additional rocket hits deal reduced damage.

Hextech Micro-Rockets is Heimerdinger’s primary source of burst damage. It can also be used to clear waves and has a pretty wide area of effect when angled correctly. There’s not much to say about it except that it deals some pretty hefty damage.

E – CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade

Hurls a grenade that deals magic damage to enemies and slows their Movement Speed by 35% for 2 seconds. Enemies in the center of the blast are also stunned for 1.5 seconds. Hitting a champion fully recharges nearby turret beams.

This is Heimerdinger’s only source of hard crowd control. It can be difficult to and but the payoff is definitely worth it. Use this wisely as it has a long cooldown.

R – UPGRADE!!!

Makes Heimerdinger’s next ability free and gives it bonus effects. Reactivate to cancel.

H-28G Evolution Turret + UPGRADE!!!

Hextech Micro-Rockets + UPGRADE!!!

CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade + UPGRADE!!!

Any inventor worth their salt will always find a way to upgrade their tech on the fly. Heimerdinger is no different. His ultimate upgrades all of his other 3 active abilities and imbues them with bonus effects. When used with his Q, he gets one big turret that deals massive damage to targets you focus. When used with his W, he’ll fire additional waves of rockets that results in more damage. When used with his E, the grenade will bounce to three times and will stun targets each time. 

Runes and Item Builds

For your items, you need to focus on increasing Heimerdinger’s ability power, survivability, and sustained damage.

Starting Items

For your starting items, you’ll always go with Doran’s Ring. This is the standard for any mage focused on dealing damage. It has everything Heimerdinger needs stat wise and even gives him a bit of sustain. 

Mythic Item

When it comes to which Mythic item you should buy, you have two choices. The best option is Liandry’s Anguish. This will give you everything you need from ability power to mana to ability haste. The best thing about it is that it makes the hits from your turrets (and other abilities) deal consistent burn damage based on the target’s max health. The longer you trade with your opponents using your abilities, the stronger damage you’ll deal. If you’re looking for a good alternative, Everfrost is a solid option. It gives you good stats but has an active that lets you root targets for a short duration. 

Full Build

After purchasing your Mythic item, it’s time to upgrade into tier 2 boots. Since Heimerdinger is a mage, you’ll go with Sorcerer’s Shoes. Next, go for Zhonya’s Hourglass for more damage and the stasis active. After that item, go for Rylai’s Crystal Scepter for damage and survivability. Those 4 items are pretty much your core build. Top off your full build with Rabadon’s Deathcap and Void Staff for even more ability power to heighten your damage. 

Other Viable Items

While the full build we’ve shown above is generally considered the standard for Heimerdinger, it is not set in stone. There are plenty of other items that you can purchase depending on your preference or what your situation currently needs. Items like Banshee’s Veil, Morellonomicon, Shadowflame, Cosmic Drive, and Demonic Embrace are all good items to have especially if you’re looking for more survivability. Try to mix and match these item sets to see what works best for you. Doing so will help you develop a better understanding of the game’s deeper mechanics.

Runes

For your runes, go with the Sorcery tree and take Arcane Comet as your keystone. This will increase your overall damage and improve your poke. Next, take Manaflow Band for the mana sustain, Transcendence for improved stats, and Gathering Storm for more damage the longer the game goes on. For secondaries, take Perfect Timing and Biscuit Delivery from the Inspiration tree. Perfect Timing gives you a free Stopwatch while Biscuit Delivery gives you sustain in the early game. For rune shards, take double Adaptive Force and Armor.

Useful Tips

1. CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade is your most important ability because of its stun. You need to invest time to practice and land it every time to succeed playing as Heimerdinger. 
2. Heimerdinger is countered by Gangplank, Yone, Shen, Volibear, and Gnar. If you’re matched up against these champions, try to play it safe instead of being aggressive.
3. For your summoner spells, always take Flash and Teleport since these will increase your mobility and give you a better overall presence around the map.

So there you have it! That’s all you need to know about playing Heimerdinger in League of Legends. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite games. Have fun and we’ll see you on the Rift!