Talk:Riven/@comment-217.65.192.88-20130301161805/@comment-2124153-20130306162529

I'm more of a jungler than a top laner with Riven, but she generally wants to lane by forcing unfavorable trades until she can get the other person low enough to kill with an all-in. Riven is not really a farm-laner like Irelia or Nasus, she wants to fight. So in that light, defensive items early are not a great buy, considering her excellent AD ratios. Bloodthirster is good, and so is a Brutalizer.

Sustain you do need, but that's largely going to come from potions, skillful use of Valor, and lifesteal froma Vamp or BT. I would only get an early defensive item against a lane that I know that I am going to lose otherwise.