Interested in how to improve champion abilities during the game? Taking buffs, of course. In this article, we will talk about what buffs are (remember, not those that are obtained through new patches and updates), what types of buffs exist in the League of Legends, what their advantages are, and buff duration times.
What are Buffs?
Buffs are effects that affect the performance of champions and can improve a champion’s mana, health, ability, power, or attack damage. It is important to know that buffs are mostly temporary and that the champion loses them at the time of death. The champion can get a buff through the following sources: epic monsters, abilities, field-specific buffs, relics, items, summoner spells, or speed shrines. Certainly, the most famous buffs are the so-called Neutral buffs, both teams have an equal chance of winning these buffs, and it is usually necessary to kill monsters or other creatures within the map in order for a player or team to take a buff.
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The List of Neutral Buffs in League of Legends
Dragon Slayer is a neutral buff that is obtained after Dragon is killed. Based on the Dragon’s element, the team can win, for example, greater current health, bonus movement speed, or some other upgrade of ability. Dragon buffs are permanent, and they benefit the whole team, not just the player who kills him. Each killing of a dragon increases team abilities (movement speed, increasing damage to monsters and minions, attack and ability power, amount of damage to towers over buildings). It can stack up to four times, and the fifth time all previous bonuses are doubled. The duration of this buff is 180 seconds.
The Altars come within the Twisted Treeline map, and they are areas that the champion can capture by standing on them for nine seconds. Altars are specific because each of them (East Altar and West Altar) has special quotes that occur when capturing one of them. The team that owns the Altars gets a vision and a powerful buff. If a team has one Altar captured, the team will have 10% Movement speed, and if it has two Altars captured, it will restore 1% of maximum health when it kills a monster or minion. Owning the Altars buffs is permanent unless the opposing team takes control of Altars.
Another buff that is only on the Twisted Treeline map is Crest of Crushing Wrath. This buff can be conquered by killing Vilemaw, Spider’s God. By killing Vilemaw, the entire team grants ghosting ability, the minions become stronger and terrorize the minions of the opposing team. Purple runes around the champion mark possession of the Crest of Crushing Wrath. This buff cannot be stolen from an opponent from the opposing team and can only be won if the champion is alive when the team player kills the great Vilemaw. The duration of this buff is 180 seconds.
Ghost relics are buffs also located on the Twisted Treeline map. In order to reach them, it is necessary to enter the jungle and cross them – ghost relics restore energy, mana, health, or fury.
Crystal Scar’s Aura was originally made for Dominion game mode; however, in 2016, that mode was disabled. On this map, the buffs come in three forms:
Speed Shrines – crossing this area gives the champion a movement speed bonus, but it lasts for a very short period.
Greater Relic – it has two strong buffs that last a short time; Storm Shield and Lighting, which increase the size of the champion and detonate the lighting blast on champion auto attacks and damaging spells.
Health Relics – are located in ten places within the map and give mana and health replenishment to any champion who passes over them.
Howling Abyss (or Bridges of the Iceborn) is located in Freljord and is the official map of the ARAM mode of the game. Specific to Howling Abyss is that the Recall option is disabled and that the player can access the shop only when he dies. There are four health relics on this map, and going over it restores a champion’s health. The Howling Abyss aura affects the champions on the map as follows:
- +70 summoner spell haste
- Restores 0.15% of maximum mana per second.
- Passively gains 5 experience per second.
- Reduces all outgoing heals by 50%. The healing reduction does not affect self-heals.
- While you are alive, nearby enemy minions killed by any ally other than you grant 6 Gold 6.
- Melee champions gain 10 bonus magic resistance. (https://leagueoflegends.fandom.com/wiki/ARAM)
Crest of Insight or better known, the blue buff, is located on Summoner’s Rift, and the champion who owns this buff has recognizable blue runes around him. The Blue buff is won by killing the Blue Sentinel located on both sides of the Jungle. Blue buff regenerates 5 mana (+ 1% of maximum mana) or energy regeneration and ability haste. The blue buff lasts 120 seconds, and the player can win it even if he kills the champion who owns it, in which case the duration of the blue buff will be restarted.
In addition to the blue buff, there is also a red buff, or officially Crest of Cinders. Red buff is obtained by killing Red Brambleback, a melee monster whose conquest enables champion health regeneration, slowing the target’s movement speed with basic attacks and also dealing more true damage with basic attacks. A sign of owning this buff are the red runes around the champion, and it can also be won if the champion who owns it is killed, and like the blue buff, it lasts 120 seconds.
Certainly, the most famous buff in the League of Legends game is Hand of Baron, who wins by killing the great monster Baron Nashor. Killing this extremely powerful creature often requires the strength of an entire team. Of course, that’s why this buff has the best benefits for the whole team. The Hand of Baron buff lasts 180 seconds and gives the team bonus ability power, bonus attack damage, Empowered Recall (champion’s recall time is only 4 seconds), and increases the power of the minion.
By killing the Rift Herald, the killing team has a chance to win another buff – Eye of the Herald. The Eye of the Herald appears by killing the Rift Herald, which must be picked up within 20 seconds by the champion approaching him. If no one on the team picks it up after 20 seconds, the Eye of the Herald will disappear. This buff will replace the trinket with a trinket slot, and the player will not have to buy a trinket until he uses this one, which lasts 240 seconds.
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Final Thoughts
As you can see, buffs should not be ignored. However, some players ignore their benefits and often don’t bother killing monsters to win them over. Team buffs are extremely useful, especially in the late game when the champions of both teams are strong enough and when their items from the shop can no longer boost performance too much. That’s why players often in the late game have a focus on big monsters, like Baron Nashor, to make the whole team benefit from killing him and eventually win the game.