Renekton is a lane-phase specialist who wants to win his lane hard, create pressure, and then leverage his lead in teamfights as a durable front-liner. His power window is levels 1–9, so you must play aggressively early.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Reign of Anger
Passive
Renekton's attacks generate Fury, increased when he is low on life. This Fury can empower his abilities with bonus effects.
Q
Cull the Meek
AoE Heal
Renekton swings his blade, dealing moderate physical damage to all targets around him, and heals for a small portion of the damage dealt. If he has more than 50 Fury, his damage and heal are increased.
CD: 7 · Cost: 0
Use Q to last-hit multiple minions and stack Fury quickly before engaging. Empowered Q heals for significantly more when hitting champions — save 50 Fury for all-ins.
W
Ruthless Predator
Empowered Sustain
Renekton slashes his target twice, dealing moderate physical damage and stuns them for 0.75 seconds. If Renekton has more than 50 Fury, he slashes his target three times, destroying damage shields on the target, dealing high physical damage, and stunning them for 1.5 seconds.
CD: 16/14/12/10/8 · Cost: 0
Empowered W (at 50 Fury) stuns for 1.5 seconds instead of 0.75. Always stun before your full combo. Heal triples on champion hits, so land it on your opponent during trades.
E
Slice and Dice
Double Dash
Renekton dashes, dealing damage to units along the way. Empowered, Renekton deals bonus damage and reduces the Armor of units hit.
CD: 16/14.5/13/11.5/10 · Cost: 0
E is two separate casts — dash in with the first E, combo during, then dash out or deeper with the second. Never burn both Es without a plan to escape or commit.
R
Dominus
Transform
Renekton transforms into the Tyrant form, gaining bonus Health and dealing damage to enemies around him. While in this form, Renekton gains Fury periodically.
CD: 120/100/80 · Cost: 0
Pop R early in extended fights for the bonus HP buffer and Fury generation boost. The AoE damage aura also procs Conqueror stacks quickly in teamfights.
Skill Leveling Order — Max W first for maximum sustain and stun reliability, then Q for waveclear and healing, level E last as it only gains damage — take R at 6/11/16.
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Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter
Doran's Blade
Best early sustain and damage for lane dominance.
450g
Core
Black Cleaver
Shreds armor on every hit, making your full combo devastatingly effective against tanky tops.
3000g
Stridebreaker
Active slow closes the gap on slippery enemies after your E dashes are burned.
3300g
Sterak's Gage
Grants a life-saving shield in extended trades and teamfights, rewarding you for diving into enemies.
3100g
Situational
Death's Dance
Excellent into burst-heavy AP or AD teams; the bleed mechanic lets your healing catch up.
3300g
Guardian Angel
Take when ahead and being focused — respawning mid-teamfight can turn the tide completely.
2800g
Thornmail
Hard counters sustain-heavy opponents like Fiora or Vladimir who rely on healing to stay in fights.
2700g
Rush Black Cleaver into most matchups. Swap Stridebreaker for Death's Dance if the enemy team is burst-heavy.
Runes
Precision Primary
Conqueror
Stacks through combat and converts to healing at max stacks — perfect for Renekton's sustained brawling style.
Triumph
Restores health on takedowns, keeping you alive through multi-kill dives.
Legend: Tenacity
Reduces CC duration so you can dash out of danger faster.
Last Stand
Renekton thrives at low HP — this passive bonus makes low-HP trades even more punishing for opponents.
Resolve Secondary
Bone Plating
Absorbs the first burst of damage from poke-heavy matchups like Jayce or Quinn.
Conditioning
Free armor and MR after 12 minutes, amplifying your already tanky mid-game presence.
Shards
Attack Damage · Armor · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Renekton
01
Early Game
Levels 1–6: Lane Tyrant
- Level 1: Start W and look for an immediate level-1 trade if the enemy steps up. Empowered W stun at level 1 is extremely strong.
- Accumulate 50 Fury before trading — your empowered W heals three times as much on champion hits and stuns for 1.5 seconds instead of 0.75.
- Use the E-in, W, Q, E-out combo to trade efficiently and escape retaliation. Never burn both E charges without a plan.
- At level 3 you have your full base kit: look for extended all-ins if the enemy is below 70% HP with both dashes available.
- At level 6, pop R early in all-in trades for the HP buffer and Fury bonus — do not save R as it is not a damage-spike ultimate like most.
02
Mid Game
Levels 7–13: Splitpush & Rotate
- After first back, push the wave and look for roam opportunities bot or to Dragon. Your E double-dash lets you cover ground quickly.
- Splitpush when the map is safe — your 1v1 strength means most top laners cannot match you in a sidelane duel until they have multiple items.
- Use Black Cleaver procs to shred tanks before your team follows up. Always look to stack it in skirmishes and objectives.
- When rotating, use R proactively at the start of fights for the HP buffer — do not save it as a panic button, use it to enable aggression.
- Control Herald and Dragon priority: Renekton's early-mid strength means you should be contesting objectives aggressively with your team.
03
Late Game
Levels 14–18: Teamfight Front-liner
- In teamfights, your job is to dive onto the enemy carry or peel for your own, depending on team composition.
- Pop R immediately as the fight starts for the AoE damage aura and bonus HP — this lets you survive diving into the backline.
- Land empowered W (50 Fury) on grouped enemies for an AoE stun — this is your most impactful teamfight ability.
- If ahead, split-push a sidelane and force the enemy team to send two members, freeing up your team for objectives on the other side.
- Accept that Renekton's late-game power fades — end the game before 35 minutes whenever possible by pressing your mid-game advantage.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Renekton
Renekton excels as a diving front-liner who creates chaos in the enemy backline. Activate R before engaging to maximize your HP buffer and Fury generation, then lock down priority targets with empowered W stuns.
1
Initiation
Open the fight with R + E
01
Pop R immediately as you commit to the fight — the bonus HP acts as a shield that lets you dive without dying instantly.
02
E into the backline targeting the highest-priority carry; save your second E dash for escaping or chasing after the kill.
03
Build 50 Fury through auto-attacks and Q hits as fast as possible — empowered W is your kill tool and teamfight CC anchor.
Never blow both E dashes on the engage if you have no escape plan — you will be kited and killed without a way out.
2
Execution
Land empowered W on grouped enemies
01
Empowered W at 50 Fury stuns for 1.5 seconds — aim to hit multiple enemies for AoE stun and maximum healing.
02
Q in the middle of the stun window to proc Conqueror stacks and heal off grouped minions or enemies around you.
03
Track enemy CC and dodge with your second E dash if a hard CC ability targets you — surviving longer multiplies your damage output significantly.
3
Cleanup
Chase and secure kills
01
Use second E to chase fleeing enemies after your initial combo — do not waste it on re-engaging fresh targets.
02
Keep R active for as long as possible; the AoE aura damages enemies around you continuously during the chase.
03
If the fight turns, use second E to dash toward your team and disengage — Renekton is valuable alive for the next objective fight.
If you land empowered W on two or more enemies, your team should immediately follow up — the 1.5s AoE stun is a teamfight-winning moment.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Renekton.
Basic
Always trade with 50 Fury
Your empowered W (at 50 Fury) stuns for 1.5 seconds and heals for triple the amount on champion hits. Never initiate a trade without checking your Fury bar first.
Basic
Use R for HP buffer, not panic
Dominus gives you bonus HP and a Fury generation boost — pop it early in fights to get more value out of the HP buffer rather than saving it until you are almost dead.
Basic
E in, combo, E out
Your bread-and-butter trading pattern is E-in, W, Q, auto, E-out. Practice this rotation until it is muscle memory — it lets you deal massive damage while escaping safely.
Intermediate
Stack Fury on the wave before trading
Q-ing multiple minions generates Fury quickly. Freeze near your tower, Q the wave to reach 50 Fury, then punish the enemy when they step up to cs.
Intermediate
Save empowered W for the stun
The empowered W stun is what makes your combo deadly. Do not use it as a first-strike panic button — commit with E first, then drop the stun to lock them in place for your full damage rotation.
Intermediate
Splitpush before teamfighting
Your late-game teamfighting is average, but your 1v1 is exceptional. Use your mid-game power spike to create 1-3-1 pressure rather than grouping and losing late-game teamfights.
Advanced
Cancel E animation with W
You can cancel the landing animation of your first E dash by immediately casting W. This speeds up your combo window and makes it harder for the enemy to react to your stun.
Advanced
Track enemy cooldowns before all-ins
Renekton's all-in is so fast that enemies need a key defensive cooldown ready to survive it. Track Flash, Barrier, and key abilities — all-in only when their escape tools are on cooldown.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Renekton struggles against champions with point-and-click CC immunities, high base armor, or true damage that bypasses his healing. He absolutely dominates passive lane bullies and champions who need time to scale.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Fiora's Riposte parries your empowered W stun and reflects it back on you, completely negating your primary kill tool. Her true damage also shreds through your tankiness.
Bait out Riposte with a non-empowered ability first, then immediately follow up with empowered W the instant it's on cooldown. Do not trade without bait.
Malphite's high base armor reduces your physical damage drastically, and his R counter-engage can completely negate your dive by launching your team into the air.
Rush Black Cleaver ASAP and focus on wave management rather than trading. Stack armor shred before committing to all-ins.
Camille's Q true damage cuts through your HP, and her W shield blocks your burst while healing her. Her E hook prevents your escape dash from working cleanly.
Play for level 1-2 advantages before she hits level 3 and her kit comes online. Avoid extended trades once she has her full kit.
Wins Against
Renekton is Nasus's worst nightmare — your sustained aggression completely prevents him from stacking Q, and he has no reliable escape from your double dash.
Deny every single Q stack. Zone him off the wave constantly and look for kill pressure at levels 3 and 6. Do not let games go to 30 minutes.
Before Malphite has items, his base armor is not enough to stop your early burst. You can bully him out of lane and deny CS freely in the first few levels.
Abuse levels 1-6 before he builds armor items. After his first back, the matchup becomes harder — take your lead to other lanes.
Garen's kit is straightforward and predictable. Your E double-dash lets you avoid his Q silence, and your sustained damage easily outpaces his simple rotation.
Do not let him run at you — E into him, combo, E out before he can land Q silence. Keep the trade short and punish every time he walks up.