Critical strike

A critical strike is a damage effect 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 Fiora's Bladework, Jhin's Whisper, Master Yi's Double Strike, and Rengar's Savagery.

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 Ashe, have an affinity for critical strikes and benefit more than others from items that improve them.

Critical strike chance

 Critical strike chance is a statistic that denotes the probability that a basic attack will critically strike, as well as some other effects that use critical strike chance.

Critical strike chance is not granted naturally by level-ups, it can be increased with items and abilities; it also stacks additively. It cannot be increased beyond 100%, although some effects will benefit from the excess despite the cap.

Gold Value ​​​​​​​​​​: Critical strike chance has a gold value of 40 per point.

The probability of a critical strike changes dynamically based on how many times the attack critically strikes. 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 damage (75% bonus damage) every 1% of added critical chance adds 0.75% bonus damage. 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, the critical strike chance scales well with both attack damage and attack speed. The formula for this damage multiplier is:

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.

Item	Cost	Amount	Availability
Bloodthirster Bloodthirster	3400	20%	All maps
Bloodward Bloodward	3400	20%	All maps
Cloak of Agility Cloak of Agility	600	15%	All maps
Essence Reaver Essence Reaver	2800	20%	All maps
Galeforce Galeforce	3400	20%	All maps
Guinsoo's Rageblade Guinsoo's Rageblade	2600	20%	All maps
Immortal Shieldbow Immortal Shieldbow	3400	20%	All maps
Infinity Edge Infinity Edge	3400	20%	All maps
Kraken Slayer Kraken Slayer	3400	20%	All maps
Lord Dominik's Regards Lord Dominik's Regards	3000	20%	All maps
Mercurial Scimitar Mercurial Scimitar	3000	20%	All maps
Mortal Reminder Mortal Reminder	2500	20%	All maps
Navori Quickblades Navori Quickblades	3400	20%	All maps
Phantom Dancer Phantom Dancer	2600	20%	All maps
Rapid Firecannon Rapid Firecannon	2500	20%	All maps
Runaan's Hurricane Runaan's Hurricane	2600	20%	All maps
Stormrazor Stormrazor	2700	20%	All maps
The Collector The Collector	3000	20%	All maps
Typhoon Typhoon	3400	20%	All maps
Wyrmfallen Sacrifice Wyrmfallen Sacrifice	3400	20%	All maps
Zeal Zeal	1050	15%	All maps

Champion abilities

• Senna's Absolution
• Tryndamere's Battle Fury
• Yasuo's Way of the Wanderer
• Yone's Way of the Hunter

Critical strike chance as scaling

Some game elements scale with the champion's amount of critical strike chance.

Champion abilities

• Akshan's Comeuppance
• Ashe's Frost Shot
• Caitlyn's Headshot
• Jhin's Whisper
• Kindred's Mounting Dread
• Lucian's The Culling
• Quinn's Harrier
• Rengar's Savagery
• Senna's Absolution
• Tristana's Explosive Charge
• Viego's Blade of the Ruined King and Heartbreaker
• Xayah's Bladecaller
• Xin Zhao's Wind Becomes Lightning
• Yasuo's Way of the Wanderer
• Yone's Way of the Hunter

Items

• Guinsoo's Rageblade
• Infinity Edge
• Rageknife

Modifying critical strike damage

General

• In most cases, critical strike damage stacks additively.
• Damage modifiers apply to critical strike damage normally.

Champion abilities

• Ashe's Frost Shot
• Fiora's Bladework
• Jhin's Whisper
• Senna's Absolution
• Shaco's Deceive when used to Backstab
• Yasuo's Way of the Wanderer
• Yone's Way of the Hunter

Items

• Infinity Edge

Guaranteed critical strikes

Some game elements can critically strike with no dependence on critical strike chance.

Champion abilities

• Ashe's Volley
• Fiora's Bladework's second attack
• Jhin's Whisper's fourth attack and Curtain Call's fourth shot
• Kindred's Mounting Dread against low health enemies
• Rengar's Savagery
• Shaco's Deceive when used to Backstab
• Talon's Noxian Diplomacy when used in melee range

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.

• Akshan's Dirty Fighting and Heroic Swing
• Aphelios' Infernum and Crescendum
• Darius' Crippling Strike
• Galio's Colossal Smash
• Graves' New Destiny
• Hecarim's Devastating Charge
• Jayce's Hyper Charge
• Jinx's Switcheroo!
• Lucian's Lightslinger
• Master Yi's Double Strike
• Nasus' Siphoning Strike (only the base damage)
• Pantheon's Shield Vault with Mortal Will empowered basic attacks
• Rek'Sai's Queen's Wrath (only to primary target)
• Riven's Runic Blade
• Shaco's Backstab and Deceive with Backstab
• Shyvana's Twin Bite
• Viego's Blade of the Ruined King
• Volibear's Thundering Smash
• Xin Zhao's Three Talon Strike

Other abilities

• Aphelios' Onslaught, Duskwave, Sentry and Moonlight Vigil
• Gangplank's Parrrley and Powder Keg
• Garen's Judgment
• Kayle's Fire Waves and Starfire Spellblade (while Aflame)
• Master Yi's Alpha Strike
• Miss Fortune's Double Up and Bullet Time
• Samira's Flair and Inferno Trigger
• Sivir's Ricochet
• Twitch's Spray and Pray
• Vi's Relentless Force
• Yasuo's Steel Tempest
• Yone's Mortal Steel
• Zeri's Burst Fire and Lightning Crash's physical damage chain

Items

Some items that deal bonus damage can critically strike if the basic attack that triggers them critically strikes.

• Guinsoo's Rageblade
• Rageknife
• Runaan's Hurricane

Basic attacks that cannot critically strike

• Camille's Precision Protocol - both enhanced attacks cannot critically strike.
• Fiora's Bladework - the first attack cannot critically strike.
• Twisted Fate's Pick a Card - enhanced attack cannot critically strike.
• Zac's Stretching Strikes - enhanced attack cannot critically strike.
• Zeri's Basic Attacks - cannot critically strike.

Critically striking against structures

Critical strikes do not affect structures, with the following exceptions:

• Fiora's Bladework - second attack will also critically strike turrets.
• Jhin's Whisper - the fourth attack will also critically strike turrets.
• Master Yi's Double Strike - the additional attack can critically strike turrets.^(bug)
• Rengar's Savagery - the first attack will also critically strike turrets.

Interacting with critical strikes

• Aphelios' Infernum sprays 6 missiles in a wider cone when critically striking enemies and Crescendum has a reduced wind up percentage when critically striking enemies.
• Graves' New Destiny sprays 6 pellets in a wider cone when critically striking enemies.
• Jhin's Whisper grants him movement speed when critically striking enemies.
• Tryndamere's Spinning Slash reduces its  cooldown when critically striking enemies.
• Yasuo's Last Breath grants all critical strikes  armor penetration against  bonus armor.
• Zeri's Spark Surge will reduce its  cooldown an additional time when Burst Fire critically strikes enemies and Lightning Crash will grant an extra stack when Burst Fire critically strikes enemies.
• Navori Quickblades makes critical strikes reduce the user's basic ability cooldowns.

Cosmetic critical strikes

• Magic "crit".
• Physical "crit".
• True "crit".

1/3

Some ability damage is displayed as a critical strike under certain circumstances but do not interact as a critical strike. These are use for cosmetic purposes to indicate high amounts of, empowered, or otherwise significant damage on an ability.

• Aatrox's The Darkin Blade against enemies hit by the far end of the first two casts, as well as the center of the third
• Anivia's Frostbite against enemies recently hit by Flash Frost or a fully formed Glacial Storm
• Caitlyn's Piltover Peacemaker against enemies hit beyond the first if they were revealed by Yordle Snap Trap
• Evelynn's Empowered Whiplash against the target and Last Caress against enemies under the health threshold
• Fiddlesticks' Terrify against the target if they were recently feared by the ability
• Gnar's GNAR! against enemies that collide with terrain
• Gragas' Barrel Roll against enemies hit after the barrel has fully fermented
• Gwen's Snip Snip! against enemies hit in the center of the cone
• Karthus' Lay Waste against a single target
• Kog'Maw's Living Artillery against enemies under the health threshold
• LeBlanc's Sigil of Malice, Distortion, and Ethereal Chains against enemies marked by Sigil of Malice
• Lillia's Watch Out! Eep! against enemy champions and monsters hit in the center of the area
• Lulu's Glitterlance against enemies hit by both bolts
• Malphite's Thunderclap against the target hit by the first attack
• Mordekaiser's Obliterate against a single target and Realm of Death against the target
• Nidalee's Takedown against the target if they were Hunted
• Pantheon's Comet Spear against enemies under the health threshold
• Pyke's Death from Below against executed enemy champions
• Qiyana's Elemental Wrath (Terrain) against enemies under the health threshold
• Ryze's Overload against enemies marked by Spell Flux
• Samira's Taunt against the enemy hit
• Shaco's Two-Shiv Poison against enemies under the health threshold
• Seraphine's High Note against enemies that take increased damage
• Sett's Haymaker and The Show Stopper both against enemies hit in the center of the area
• Taliyah's Threaded Volley when casting on Worked Ground
• Urgot's Fear Beyond Death against the executed target
• Varus' Piercing Arrow against enemies hit if the ability was fully charged (includes Blighted Quiver's bonus damage)
• Vayne's Condemn against the target if they collide with terrain
• Vex's Doom 'n Gloom against targets marked wtih Gloom
• Vladimir's Transfusion against the target if the ability was empowered by Crimson Rush
• Volibear's Frenzied Maul against the target if they are Wounded and Stormbringer against enemies hit in the center of the area
• Yorick's Mist Walkers upon leaping to enemies marked by Mourning Mist
• Ziggs' Satchel Charge against turrets below the health threshold
• Rift Herald's charge against turrets
• Rift Scuttler's shield when it is destroyed by crowd control or Smite
• Serpent's Fang's Shield Reaver against shields

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. Other champions have a sound that plays when they critically strike, typically a grunt of effort.
• Some champions may actually use their critical strike animation for their empowered-basic attack if they ever activate a single-use on-hit effect, only it does not actually count as an actual critical strike.

Champion statistics