Volibear runs at enemies, stuns them with Q, and mauls them with W. His R disables towers, making him the best tower diver in the game.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
The Relentless Storm
Passive
Volibear's Attacks and abilities grant Attack Speed, and eventually cause his Attacks to deal bonus magic damage to nearby enemies.
Lightning Claws: every few autos chain lightning to nearby enemies.
Q
Thundering Smash
MS · Stun · AA Reset
Volibear gains speed towards enemies, Stunning and damaging the first one he Attacks.
CD: 14/13/12/11/10 · Cost: 50
Q gives MS and the next auto stuns. It's an auto-reset. Q → auto for instant stun.
W
Frenzied Maul
Bite · Execute · Heal
Volibear damages an enemy, applying on-hit effects and marking them. Casting this ability again on the same target deals bonus damage and Heals Volibear.
CD: 5 · Cost: 20/25/30/35/40
W bites the target. Second W on the same target within 8s heals you. Always W twice on the same target.
E
Sky Splitter
Shield · AoE · Slow
Volibear summons a lightning bolt at a location, dealing damage and Slowing enemies while granting Volibear a Shield if he's inside the blast radius.
CD: 16 · Cost: 50
E creates a zone — you get a shield if you stand in it when it detonates.
R
Stormbringer
Leap · AoE · Tower Disable
Volibear leaps to a target location, Slowing and damaging enemies beneath him while gaining bonus Health. Enemy towers near his landing location become temporarily disabled.
CD: 160/135/110 · Cost: 100
R leaps to target location, dealing AoE damage and DISABLING TOWERS for 3-6 seconds.
Skill Leveling Order — Max W first, then Q, then E · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take W — bite + heal | ||||
| 2 | Take Q — stun | ||||
| 3 | Take E — shield | ||||
| 4 | Level W | ||||
| 5 | Level W | ||||
| 6 | R — Stormbringer | ||||
| 7 | Level W | ||||
| 8 | Level Q | ||||
| 9 | W maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level Q | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level Q | ||||
| 13 | Level Q | ||||
| 14 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level E | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level E | ||||
| 18 | E maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Core Build
Hextech Rocketbelt
Dash + magic pen. R → Rocketbelt → Q stun combo.
2600g
Plated Steelcaps
Armor for diving.
1100g
Nashor's Tooth
AP + AS. On-hit applies with passive chain lightning.
3000g
Spirit Visage
Increases W heal. MR.
2900g
Situational
Sunfire Cape
Full tank option. Immolate burn.
2700g
Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Permanent slow on passive lightning.
2600g
Randuin's Omen
Crit reduction.
2700g
Rocketbelt → Nashor's → Spirit Visage. AP for damage, tank for survival.
Runes
Resolve Primary
Aftershock
Procs on Q stun.
Font of Life
Q stun marks.
Conditioning
Free resistances.
Unflinching
Tenacity.
Precision Secondary
Triumph
Heal on takedown.
Legend: Tenacity
Tenacity.
Shards
Ability Haste · Armor · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Volibear
01
Early Game
Q Stun Ganks, Tower Dives
- Start Red → Raptors → Krugs → Wolves → Blue → Gromp.
- Q stun ganks are simple and effective. Run at them.
- W twice on the same target for the heal. Essential for sustain.
- E shield before fights. Cast it early — it has a delay.
- You win most 1v1s early. Invade aggressively.
02
Mid Game
R Tower Dives
- R DISABLES TOWERS. Dive anyone under tower with impunity.
- R → Q stun → W → W (heal) is your tower dive combo. Tower can't hit you.
- Force objectives. Your R makes dragon/baron fights favorable.
- W heal + E shield makes you surprisingly durable.
- Gank into R tower dive. The laner can't hide under tower from you.
03
Late Game
Frontline Bruiser
- R tower disable wins sieges. Your team can dive with zero tower risk.
- In teamfights, Q the carry, R for AoE, W for sustained damage.
- Tank frontline with W heals and E shields.
- R on objectives — the AoE damage is significant in pit fights.
- Split-push with R. You can dive any champion under tower alone.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Volibear
Volibear dives the backline and stuns the carry. R disables towers during sieges.
1
Dive — R Leap
Engage
01
R leap onto the backline.
02
Q stun the carry.
03
E for shield.
R under tower disables it. If diving, ALWAYS R first.
2
Maul — W Twice
Damage + heal
01
W bite first.
02
W again within 8s for heal.
03
Q auto-resets for DPS.
3
Tank — Sustain
Frontline
01
W heal keeps you alive.
02
E shield absorbs burst.
03
Passive chain lightning DPSes nearby enemies.
R tower disable lasts 3-6 seconds based on rank. That's enough for a full dive and kill. Coordinate with your team.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Volibear.
Basic
R Tower Disable
R disables towers for several seconds. ALWAYS R when diving. The tower can't hit you or your team.
Basic
W Heal
W twice on the same target within 8 seconds. Second W heals you. Always W the same enemy twice.
Intermediate
E Timing
E has a delay before the shield activates. Cast it BEFORE you engage, not during.
Basic
Q Auto Reset
Q is an auto reset that stuns. Auto → Q for instant stun + double hit.
Advanced
R Objective Control
R in dragon/baron pit does massive AoE. The bonus HP from R also helps tank the objective.
Intermediate
Tower Dive Timing
R → Q stun → W → autos → W heal → walk out. Tower is disabled. Free kill.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Volibear struggles against kiting champions. He excels against immobile targets he can run down.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Lillia outruns you. You can never reach her.
Flash Q is your only option. Focus teammates.
Kindred kites and R denies your kills.
Flash Q stun. Wait for R to expire before killing.
Graves E-dashes your Q and kites from range.
Force short trades. Don't chase.
Wins Against
Amumu can't escape Q stun. You outduel him.
Invade freely.
Karthus can't escape you.
Run at him. He dies.
Evelynn can't fight you at any point.
Invade her jungle.