Items are an essential aspect of League of Legends and they’re the primary fuel of your champion’s power. They’re important enough to be considered the biggest aspect of advantage in the game given that a strong champion is best known for his item lead. This is no different in League’s newest game mode, the Arena, where correct and appropriate itemization can be the difference maker between a game that’s won and lost. In addition, the 2v2v2v2 mode changes a lot about the balance of existing items as well as introducing some vintage items that were retired in the past.

 Items in LoL Arena

How it works

The basics

Naturally, the first aspect that needs to be tackled is item acquisition and how you’ll be able to buy items in the game mode. The main flow of the game is divided into two phases which are the combat phase and the buying phase. Naturally, the buying phase is the phase in which you’ll purchase items, for a duration of 45 seconds before another combat round starts.

Starting items and boots

In order to properly prepare for combat in the first few rounds, Riot designed Arena-specific Guardian starter items with stats carefully adjusted to support the playstyle of the game mode. Players who have previously played ARAM will be familiar with some of these items as they make an appearance in that game mode as well, with a few different tweaks.

All of the Guardian items cost exactly 1000 gold which is the amount of gold you’ll start with, making them an ideal choice for the beginning of the round. Boots have also been slightly tweaked as they all cost 1000 gold (apart from the 300g ones which are removed) as well as have slightly different stats. However, even though they cost just as much as a starting item, you should always prioritize buying starting items first as they provide you with more stats that are useful in combat and also count as legendary items.

Building items

Unlike the usual League, items in the 2v2v2v2 have no components and they are adapted to be purchasable between certain rounds. For example, you will never purchase items such as long swords or daggers to build an item such as Kraken Slayer, but you’ll rather purchase the completed item instantly. This is a change made to balance out the fact that you won’t farm in this game mode or recall, and the only time you get to power up is the buying phase.

For this reason, the vast majority of the items cost exactly 3000 gold which is the amount you’ll consistently receive after the first few rounds, allowing you to keep powering up your champion. The system of Mythic and Legendary items stays fundamentally unchanged and the items you’re usually used to being Mythic stayed that way.

Best items in LoL Arena

Naturally, a game mode such as the Arena allows for different strategies and items to thrive as you’re constantly battling out opponents in extended skirmishes. For this reason, we’ve created a list of the items we feel have the best chance of landing you a W when playing 2v2v2v2.

Items that are placed in the Z tier are currently experiencing the most success as their power lies in their consistency throughout the duration of the round. The only exception to this rule are the starting items which have extremely powerful stats for only 1000 gold as well as juices which are complete game changers when used. On the other hand, the items which are expected to be the weakest are those that enable easier wave clear as well as those that had enormous Arena-specific nerfs slapped on them.

Item balance changes

If you’re familiar with RGM-specific balance changes that were previously introduced to game modes such as URF or One for All, there should be no surprise that there are certain balance changes to the items in the 2v2v2v2. These changes are even more necessary once we take into account that every completed item costs exactly the same amount of gold.
 

For the most part, the balance changes to the items are mostly focused on appropriately adjusting stats in order to mirror the item’s cost and efficiency in the arena. These changes often vary in size and some items that were naturally balanced weren’t tweaked at all. However, some of the items have completely different power levels, and getting to know them better can be the difference-maker that secures you victory. 

New and returning items in LoL Arena

New items

First of all, we’ll list out the items, stats, and effects of the Arena’s new items, some of which you’ll already be familiar with as they’ve made appearances in the past.
 

Item name and icon	Stats	Passive / Active effect	Cost
Guardian’s Amulet	+ 20 Ability power + 25 ability haste +20% heal and shield power	Restore 10 mana every 5 seconds. Champions without mana restore 3 health instead.	1000 gold
Guardian’s Blade	+ 30 attack damage + 15 ability haste +150 health		1000 gold
Guardian’s Dirk	+ 30 attack damage + 10 ability haste +10 lethality		1000 gold
Guardian’s Hammer	+ 25 attack damage + 150 health + 7% life steal		1000 gold
Guardian’s Horn	+ 150 health +20 health per 5 seconds		1000 gold
Guardian’s Orb	+ 50 ability power + 150 health	Restore 10 mana every 5 seconds. Manaless champions restore 15 health instead.	1000 gold
Guardian’s Shroud	+ 30 ability power + 15 ability haste + 350 health		1000 gold
Ghostcrawlers	+ 55 movement speed	Ignore terrain collision and become ghostly for 6 seconds, gaining 300 bonus movement speed while in terrain	3000 gold
Rite of Ruin	+ 60 ability power + 20 ability haste + 20% crit chance	Casting an ability gives you 2.5% crit chance, stacking up to 8 times (20% max). Depending on your crit chance, abilities can shield you or your ally	3000 gold
Atma’s Reckoning	+ 20% crit chance + 700 health	Gain 0-30% crit chance based on your bonus HP	3000 gold
Spectral Cutlass	+ 70 attack damage +21 lethality	Active: Marks your current location and blinks you to it after 5 seconds	3000 gold
Zephyr	+ 25 ability haste + 50% attack speed + 10% movement speed + 30% tenacity	Attacks grant 5% bonus attack speed, stacking up to 6 times (30% attack speed)	3000 gold
Hextech Gunblade	‘+ 70 ability power + 40 attack damage +15% omnivamp	Active: Shocks the target, dealing magic damage and slowing them by 40% for two seconds	3000 gold
Bloodletter’s Curse	+ 70 ability power + 15 ability haste + 30 armor + 30 magic resist	Dealing magic damage to a champion applies a stack to them reducing their MR by 5%, stacking up to 6 times.	3000 gold

Juices

Juices are a completely new addition specific to the 2v2v2v2, even though by design they’re very similar to Elixirs that already exist in the game. Juices are a consumable item that, once consumed, provides your champion with a powerful boost that will last for a single combat round.
 

 If the arena becomes too challenging for you to compete in and you keep getting last place, don’t be afraid to look for assistance from one of our pro players at Turboboost.gg.