Soraka is the most dedicated healer in League of Legends. Her playstyle revolves around landing Q to reduce W HP cost, then immediately healing her ADC. Her global R Wish saves allies from death across the entire map — always watch the minimap.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Salvation
Passive
Soraka runs faster towards nearby low health allies.
Salvation passive increases movement speed toward low HP allies — use it to rush into W range for urgent heals.
Q
Starcall
Skillshot · Slow · Self-Heal
A star falls from the sky at the target location dealing magic damage and slowing enemies. If an enemy champion is hit by Starcall, Soraka recovers Health.
CD: 8/7/6/5/4 · Cost: 45/50/55/60/65
Landing Q reduces W HP cost entirely for a short window. Always Q before W to heal for free. This is the core mechanic of Soraka.
W
Astral Infusion
Point-Click · Heal · HP Cost
Soraka sacrifices a portion of her own health to heal another friendly champion.
CD: 6/5/4/3/2 · Cost: 40/45/50/55/60
W costs HP to cast if Q hasn't landed. Always Q → W never standalone W. In emergencies, W even at low HP — your ADC's life matters more.
E
Equinox
Ground · Silence
Creates a zone at a location that silences all enemies inside. When the zone expires, all enemies still inside are rooted.
CD: 20/19/18/17/16 · Cost: 70/75/80/85/90
E grounds enemies and silences them — preventing dashes and ability casts. Use it on divers who are about to dash onto your ADC.
R
Wish
Global · AoE Heal
Soraka fills her allies with hope, instantly restoring health to herself and all allied champions.
CD: 150/135/120 · Cost: 100
R heals more if the target is below 40% HP. Check the minimap constantly for low-HP allies. Never waste R on someone at 80% — they don't need it.
Skill Leveling Order — Max W first, then Q, then E · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Q — Q before W to reduce HP cost | ||||
| 2 | W — main heal online | ||||
| 3 | E — silence and ground | ||||
| 4 | Level W | ||||
| 5 | Level W | ||||
| 6 | R — Wish unlocked | ||||
| 7 | Level W | ||||
| 8 | Level Q | ||||
| 9 | W maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level Q | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level Q | ||||
| 13 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 14 | Start leveling E | ||||
| 15 | Level E | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level E | ||||
| 18 | E maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter Items
Spellthief's Edge
Gold income from Q poke — generates stacks from Q harassment.
400g
Refillable Potion
Sustain your own HP — W costs HP so you need sustain too.
150g
Core Build
Ionian Boots of Lucidity
CDR for more W heals — Soraka is entirely CDR-dependent.
950g
Chemtech Putrifier
Applies Grievous Wounds through your Q poke — counters enemy healing comps.
2300g
Moonstone Renewer
W healing amplified by Moonstone — highest possible healing output.
2500g
Redemption
AoE teamfight heal that stacks with W and R for incredible area healing.
2300g
Situational
Ardent Censer
Attack speed buff for your ADC whenever you heal them with W.
2300g
Staff of Flowing Water
AP buff on W heal for AP-heavy team compositions.
2300g
Mikael's Blessing
Cleanse CC from your ADC — essential vs heavy CC comps.
2300g
Chemtech Putrifier is almost always core first. Apply Grievous Wounds through Q and invalidate the enemy healer or their own healing items.
Pure Utility
Moonstone Renewer
Highest healing amplification — core to the max heal build.
2500g
Redemption
AoE teamfight healing stacked with Moonstone for incredible area healing.
2300g
Ardent Censer
Attack speed and on-hit buff for every W cast on your ADC.
2300g
Staff of Flowing Water
AP and CDR buff passed to allies on heal.
2300g
Max heal build sacrifices Chemtech and leans fully into heal stacking. Only use vs comps with no healing of their own.
Runes
Sorcery Primary
Arcane Comet
Q poke procs Comet — free harassment damage that pressures the enemy laner off CSing.
Manaflow Band
Mana sustain — Soraka's W and Q drain significant mana in extended laning.
Transcendence
CDR at level 5 for more frequent W heals — the most important stat for Soraka.
Scorch
Q poke burn damage — makes early trades significantly more painful for the enemy.
Resolve Secondary
Font of Life
Q slow marks enemies — allies heal when attacking slowed targets.
Revitalize
Increases all healing by 5-10% — massive value for a pure healer.
Shards
Ability Haste · Armor · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Soraka
01
Early Game
Q → W Healing Rotation
- Q → W is your core rotation — Q landing makes W cost no HP. Never W without trying Q first.
- Poke the enemy support with Q, not the ADC — supports are squishier and easier to slap with the slow.
- Chemtech Putrifier applies Grievous Wounds through Q — poke the enemy and their healing drops by 40%.
- Your HP pool is your resource — don't be afraid to drop to 40% HP to keep your ADC at 100%.
- E silences enemies and grounds them, preventing dashes. Use it the moment a diver jumps onto your ADC.
02
Mid Game
Global R Saves and Chemtech Poke
- Watch the minimap every 5 seconds — if a teammate drops below 40% HP, R immediately.
- Roam only for objectives — you're most valuable in lane keeping your ADC at full HP.
- Chemtech Q into enemy healer support counters them directly — they spam heals, you apply Grievous Wounds.
- Your E grounds Lee Sin, Rakan, and other dashers — use it to prevent their escape, not just their engage.
- At Dragon and Baron, position to W your jungler through fights — they can tank way more damage.
03
Late Game
Heal Through Everything
- R the entire team if multiple allies drop below 40% simultaneously — it heals everyone globally.
- Buy Mikael's for Blitzcrank or Nautilus matchups — cleanse your ADC out of hook CC.
- Your W becomes incredibly powerful at full CDR — you can heal for 300-400 HP every 2 seconds.
- Stand far back in teamfights — if you die, your team loses all healing. You are the most priority target.
- E prevents Zed, Talon, and assassins from using their dashes onto your ADC — use it preemptively.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Soraka
Soraka teamfights by standing at maximum safe range and continuously W healing whoever is lowest HP. R whenever multiple allies drop below 40%. E silences divers before they reach your team.
1
Pre-Fight — Q Poke to Lower HP
Before engage
01
Q poke enemy carries before the fight — lower their HP so your team needs less burst to kill them.
02
Apply Chemtech Grievous Wounds through Q — reduce their healing before the all-in.
03
Check R cooldown — R available means you can let your team fight more aggressively.
Do NOT rush into range during teamfights. Soraka at the back of the fight healing continuously is worth more than Soraka who gets caught and dies in 2 seconds.
2
Fight — W on Cooldown
Fight opening
01
W whoever is lowest HP — prioritize ADC, then tank, then yourself last.
02
Q to reduce W HP cost — always Q before W in fast-paced fight sequences.
03
E divers reaching your backline — silence prevents their escape abilities and channels.
04
R if multiple allies drop below 40% simultaneously — use it early enough to matter.
3
Aftermath — Keep Healing
Mid-fight
01
W continuously — your healing doesn't stop just because the initial engage is over.
02
Activate Redemption if multiple allies are at critical HP.
03
Salvation passive speeds you toward dying allies — run to whoever needs W most.
R heals more if your allies are below 40% HP. But don't wait until they're at 5% HP — cast R when they hit 30%, not at 10%. A Soraka who hesitates loses their ADC.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Soraka.
Basic
Q Before Every W
Starcall Q landing reduces W HP cost to zero for a short window. ALWAYS try to Q first, even in emergencies. Q→W heals you and your ally for the same amount but costs no HP when Q lands.
Basic
Watch the Minimap
Check the minimap every 5 seconds. If any ally drops below 40% HP anywhere on the map, R immediately. Soraka players who don't watch the minimap waste the best global ultimate in the game.
Intermediate
Chemtech Grievous Wounds
Chemtech Putrifier applies 40% Grievous Wounds when you heal an ally. Q the enemy support, then W your ADC — the Chemtech effect applies to the healed ally's damage, making their next hit apply GW.
Intermediate
E Grounding
E prevents dashes and ability casts for 1.5 seconds. Use it on Rakan, Leona, Lee Sin — anyone using a dash to reach your ADC. The timing window is tight — practice in sandbox.
Intermediate
Self-Sacrifice W
If your ADC is about to die and you're at 20% HP, W them anyway. Your ADC surviving at 100% HP is worth more than you surviving at 50%. Dead Soraka with alive ADC beats alive Soraka with dead ADC.
Advanced
Salvation Passive Sprint
When an ally drops to low HP, you get a massive movement speed boost toward them. Use this to close the gap for W quickly — sprint toward your ADC when they're being focused, don't wait for them to come to you.
Advanced
R Timing for Maximum Value
R heals more below 40% HP. The maximum value moment is when 2+ allies are between 20-40% HP simultaneously. R hits all of them with bonus healing. One ally at 10% gets less total healing than two allies at 30%.
Basic
Position Behind ADC
Always stand directly behind your ADC. If a hook or engage would hit you, it should have to pass through your ADC first. You are worth more alive than any other champion on your team.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Soraka loses hard to Grievous Wounds and aggressive CC engage. She excels against passive poke comps and ADC-focused hyperscaling compositions.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Pantheon applies Grievous Wounds with Executioner's and his W stun into Q kills Soraka before she can W heal through it. She cannot sustain through his burst.
Poke Pantheon with Q from max range. Never let him engage — retreat immediately if he steps up.
Grievous Wounds (Ignite, Thornmail, Chemtech) reduces W healing by 40-60%. Any support who builds anti-heal hard counters Soraka's entire kit.
Buy Chemtech yourself to apply GW proactively before they can stack it. Anti-heal mirrors anti-heal.
Leona's CC chain is longer than Soraka can W through. She gets stunned and dies before W can save her ADC. Soraka cannot fight into hard engage.
Stay at maximum safe distance. Let your ADC kite and poke. Leona runs out of engage attempts before you run out of heals.
Wins Against
Soraka out-heals Sona in extended trades. Your W on cooldown outheals Sona's Q healing, and Q poke applies Chemtech Grievous Wounds to reduce her healing.
Match Sona's Q poke with your own Q, then W to sustain. She loses the war of attrition every time.
Janna's healing is lower than Soraka's burst W heal. Your sustained healing outlasts her shield-based utility, and she has no engage to kill you.
Poke Janna with Q whenever she steps up. She can't sustain through your poke and her healing can't match yours.
Lux deals burst damage but Soraka's W heals more per second than Lux's burst cycle. You consistently outsustain her damage pattern.
W immediately when Lux hits you with a full combo. The heal cancels most of her burst at equal levels.