A critical strike is a damage event that deals 175% of its normal damage by default, denoted as critical strike damage. This can occur on some items and abilities, and almost always on basic attacks. Depending on the effect, a critical strike would occur under specific conditions, or based on critical strike chance.
The most common form of critical strike occurs on basic attacks, which cannot critically strike structures. The exceptions are , , , and .
Champions can increase their chances to critically strike and the damage they deal with critical strikes using items and abilities. Critical strikes are especially valuable for champions who deal damage primarily with basic attacks rather than abilities. Some champions, like
, have an affinity for critical strikes and benefit more than others from items that improve them.Critical strike chance[]
Critical strike chance (often simply crit chance) is a stat that denotes the probability, or chance, that a basic attack will critically strike. Some damaging effects may be able to critically strike using the same chance, some others may scale with critical strike chance but are usually not able to critically strike themselves, and some may critically strike without a pre-requisite for this chance but based on other conditions.
- Critical strike chance stacks additively, and each point acquired directly adds to the statistic (1:1).
All champions start with 0% critical strike chance, and the only ways to increase it are items or abilities. Critical strike chance cannot exceed 100%, but some effects may be special-cased to benefit from the excess, such as by granting additional statistics (e.g. ).
Gold Value
Algorithm[]
The probability of a critical strike dynamically updates based on how many attacks have critically striked.
If an attack does not critically strike over multiple attempts, the probability will progressively increase for future attempts—this can occur vice versa, where multiple successful critical strikes will cause the probability to progressively decrease for future attempts.
When averaged over a high number of basic attacks (i.e. calculating damage per second), critical strike chance is essentially a damage multiplier. At base critical strike damage (75% bonus damage), every 1% of critical chance equates to a 0.75% damage increase.
- For example, the damage dealt with basic attacks by a champion with 50% critical strike chance and base critical damage is on average 137.5% of the damage they would deal if they had 0% critical strike chance.
For this reason, critical strike chance scales well with both attack damage and attack speed. The formula for this damage multiplier is:
- Average damage multiplier = 1 + (Critical chance × (0.75 + Bonus critical damage))
Increasing critical strike chance[]
Items[]
This table is automatically generated based on the data from Module:ItemData/data.
Champion abilities[]
Critical strike chance as scaling[]
Some game elements scale with the champion's amount of critical strike chance.
Champion abilities[]
- and
- and
- , , and
- and
Items[]
Modifying critical strike damage[]
General[]
- In most cases, critical strike damage stacks additively.
- Damage modifiers apply to critical strike damage normally.
Champion abilities[]
- when used to
Items[]
Guaranteed critical strikes[]
Some game elements can critically strike with no dependence on critical strike chance.
Champion abilities[]
- second attack
- fourth attack and shot
- against low health enemies
- when used to
- when used in melee range
- when it collides with terrain
Items[]
- against enemies below a health threshold
Game elements that can critically strike[]
Champion abilities[]
- Basic attack modifiers
Many abilities in the game enhance basic attacks, causing them to deal increased damage. Since these are basic attacks, they can critically strike, with a few exceptions (see below), however, the ability's damage itself will only be amplified by a critical strike for the following abilities.
- and
- and
- and
- (only the base damage)
- with empowered basic attacks
- (only to primary target)
- and with
- Other abilities
- , , and
- and
- and (while )
- and
- and
- and physical damage chain
Items[]
Some items that deal bonus damage can critically strike if the basic attack that triggers them critically strikes.
Basic attacks that cannot critically strike[]
- - both enhanced attacks cannot critically strike.
- - the first attack cannot critically strike.
- - enhanced attack cannot critically strike.
- - enhanced attack cannot critically strike.
- - cannot critically strike.
Critically striking against structures[]
Critical strikes do not affect structures, with the following exceptions:
- - second attack will also critically strike turrets.
- - the fourth attack will also critically strike turrets.
- (bug) - the additional attack can critically strike turrets.
- - the first attack will also critically strike turrets.
Interacting with critical strikes[]
- wind up percentage when critically striking enemies. sprays 6 missiles in a wider cone when critically striking enemies and has a reduced
- 6 pellets in a wider cone when critically striking enemies. sprays
- grants him movement speed when critically striking enemies.
- cooldown when critically striking enemies. reduces its
- armor penetration against bonus armor. grants all critical strikes
- cooldown when or critically strikes enemies and will grant extra stacks when or critically strikes enemies. will further reduce its
- reduces the damage dealt by incoming critical strikes from enemies.
Cosmetic critical strikes[]
Some ability damage is displayed as a critical strike under certain circumstances but do not count as a critical strike nor interact with critical strike mechanics. These are used for cosmetic purposes to indicate an empowered effect.
- against enemies hit by the far end of the first two casts, as well as the center of the third
- against enemies recently hit by or a fully formed
- against bursted enemies and against enemies hit
- against champions with her attacks
- against enemies that hit a wall
- against enemies hit beyond the first if they were revealed by
- against the target and against enemies under the health threshold
- against the target if they were recently feared by the ability
- against enemies that collide with terrain
- against enemies hit after the barrel has fully fermented
- against enemies hit in the center of the cone
- against immobilized or isolated targets
- against a single target
- against enemies under the health threshold
- , , and against enemies marked by
- against enemy champions and monsters hit in the center of the area
- against enemies hit by both bolts
- against the target hit by the first attack
- against a single target
- against the target if they are already bleeding
- against the target if they were
- against enemies under the health threshold
- against executed enemy champions
- against enemies under the health threshold
- at maximum Fury
- against enemies marked by
- against the enemy hit
- against enemies under the health threshold
- against enemies that take increased damage
- and both against enemies hit in the center of the area
- against enemies in the center
- Worked Ground when casting on
- on awakened cast, against both the target and enemies hit by the lightning
- against the executed target
- against enemies hit if the ability was fully charged (includes bonus damage)
- against the target if they collide with terrain
- against targets marked wtih Gloom
- against the target if the ability was empowered by
- against the target if they are Wounded and against enemies hit in the center of the area
- upon leaping to enemies marked by
- against executed targets
- against turrets below the health threshold
- charge against turrets
- Shield Reaver against shields
- Death and Taxes if the attack which triggered the execute was a critical strike
Trivia[]
- In many MMO settings, a number of attack damage-based assassins or secondary assassin-based champions also benefit from high critical strike chance in varying forms, as a means to help finish off targets faster as well as to deal more damage in bursts overall.
- Most champions have special basic attack animations when they critically strike, even champions that do not itemize critical strike chance. However, a few champions that typically itemize critical strike chance have quotes that play when they critically strike (grunt/huff of effort).
- Some champions may actually use their critical strike animation for an empowered basic attack, when consuming a single-use on-hit effect (this is entirely cosmetic by itself and does not represent an actual critical strike).