How to Play Viego (Abilities, Builds, and Tips)

Welcome to our guide on playing Viego, the Ruined King, in League of Legends! As a champion with a rich and tragic backstory, understanding the motivations and desires of the Ruined King is key to playing him effectively on the Rift. Once a ruler of a long-lost kingdom, Viego triggered a magical catastrophe known as the Ruination in his attempt to bring his wife back from the dead.

Now, driven by an obsessive longing to restore her, Viego controls the deadly Harrowings and scours Runeterra for anything that might help him achieve his goal. In this guide, we will go over Viego’s abilities, strengths and weaknesses, and strategies for maximizing his potential on the Rift. By the end, you will have a deep understanding of Viego’s playstyle and be well on your way to mastering the Ruined King.

Pros and Cons

Before diving into Viego’s abilities and strategies, it’s important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Ruined King. In this section, we will go over the pros and cons of playing Viego, highlighting the key aspects that make him a formidable champion on the Rift. Understanding these strengths and weaknesses will help you make informed decisions about how to play Viego and how to best utilize his abilities in different situations. So without further ado, let’s dive into the pros and cons of playing the Ruined King!

Pros

High potential to solo carry games: Viego’s strong ganking potential and ability to take over enemy champions make him a formidable solo carry. When played well, he can take control of the game and lead his team to victory through his strong split-pushing, objective control, and teamfight presence.

Good mid-late game scaling: Viego has good scaling throughout the game, but really shines in the mid to late game. His abilities become more powerful as he levels up and gets items, and his unique passive allows him to take over enemy champions and gain access to their abilities, which can give him a significant advantage in teamfights and other engagements.

High outplay potential: Viego’s passive and ultimate give him a lot of flexibility and room for creative plays. He can use his passive to take over enemy champions and set up surprise ganks or escapes, and his ultimate allows him to jump to low-health enemies and deal significant damage. With these tools at his disposal, Viego has the potential to outplay his opponents and turn the tide of a game in his favor.

Flexible build options: Viego has a lot of build diversity thanks to his ability to adapt to different situations and the flexibility of his passive. He can build tanky to survive in teamfights, or go for more damage to excel in duels and split-pushing. His itemization choices depend on the specific game and the enemy team composition, which allows him to tailor his build to fit his playstyle and the needs of his team.

Strong duelist: Viego is a strong duelist thanks to his mobility, crowd control, and burst damage. With the right items and positioning, he can one-shot enemy champions or burst them down quickly in a fight. This makes him a formidable opponent in 1v1 situations and allows him to excel in solo lanes or split-pushing scenarios.

Cons

Weak early game: Viego has a relatively weak early game compared to some other champions. He is relatively fragile and has relatively low damage in the early levels, which can make it difficult for him to dominate his lane or secure kills. This can make him vulnerable to ganks or early aggression from the enemy laner.

Requires knowledge of enemy champions: To play Viego effectively, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of every champion in the game. This is because Viego’s passive allows him to take over enemy champions and gain access to their abilities, so knowing how each champion’s abilities work is key to making informed decisions about which champions to possess and when.

Low clear speed: Viego has relatively slow clear speed, which can make it difficult for him to farm effectively. This can leave him vulnerable to invades or pressure from the enemy laners, and can make it harder for him to transition into the mid to late game.

Struggles when behind: Viego is a champion who thrives when he’s ahead and in control of the game. When he’s behind, he can struggle to make an impact and may have a hard time catching up to his opponents. This can make it difficult for him to come back from a deficit, especially if the enemy team is playing aggressively and applying pressure.

Weak ganks pre-level 6: Before level 6, Viego’s ganking potential is relatively weak. He lacks the mobility and crowd control to set up strong ganks, and his damage is relatively low. This can make it difficult for him to make an impact in the early game or get his team ahead.

Abilities:

As the Ruined King, Viego wields a formidable arsenal of abilities that reflect his tragic past and his unending quest to restore his beloved queen. From his mobility-granting spectral blade to his game-changing passive that allows him to possess enemy champions, Viego’s abilities are as varied and unpredictable as the Black Mist that pours endlessly from his broken heart. In this section, we will go over each of Viego’s abilities in detail, exploring their mechanics, synergies, and strategies for maximizing their potential on the Rift. So join us as we delve into the shadowy realm of the Ruined King and uncover the secrets of his power!

Passive: Sovereigns Domination

Sovereign’s Domination is a powerful and unique passive that allows Viego to possess the souls of enemy champions who die within 3 seconds of being hit by him. When Viego possesses an enemy champion, he restores a percentage of their maximum health and gains access to their non-ultimate abilities, attacks, and items for 10 seconds. During this time, he also replaces their ultimate with a free cast of his own and gains 10% movement speed towards enemy champions.

This passive gives Viego a lot of versatility and room for creative plays. He can use it to take over enemy champions and gain access to their abilities, which can give him a significant advantage in teamfights and other engagements. It also allows him to reset his own abilities and extend his damage output and pressure on the enemy team.

To use this passive effectively, it’s important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy champions and choose the right target to possess. You should also pay attention to timing and positioning, as you’ll need to hit the enemy champion with a basic attack or ability before they die in order to trigger the possession. Finally, be mindful of your ultimate and try to use it in a way that maximizes its effectiveness when you have a free cast.

Q: Blade of the Ruined King

Blade of the Ruined King is a versatile ability that enhances Viego’s basic attacks and gives him a powerful active component.

The passive component of this ability causes Viego’s attacks to deal an additional percentage of the target’s current health as physical damage. This passive damage scales with the level of the ability and can be very effective against enemies with high health pools or who are low on health. It’s important to remember that this passive damage is applied after any other on-hit effects, so it’s particularly effective when used in conjunction with other items or abilities that apply on-hit effects.

The active component of this ability allows Viego to dash towards a target and deal physical damage. This active damage scales with the level of the ability and can be used to initiate a fight, secure a kill, or escape from danger. It’s a relatively low-cooldown ability that can be used frequently in combat, so it’s important to use it wisely and choose the right targets to hit.

W: Spectral Maw

Spectral Maw is a long-range, charge-based ability that allows Viego to dash forward and hurl a wave of mist at his enemies. The ability has two components: charging and release. When Viego begins charging Spectral Maw, he slows himself by 10% and starts gathering Mist. The longer he charges the ability, the more damage and stun duration it will have.

When Viego releases Spectral Maw, he dashes forward and hurls the gathered mist at the first enemy hit. The ability deals magic damage and stuns the enemy for a duration based on the charge time. The damage and stun duration of the ability scale with the level of the ability and the charge time.

Spectral Maw is a powerful ability that can be used to initiate fights, disrupt enemy positioning, and set up kills for Viego and his allies. It has a relatively long range and can be used to surprise enemies from a distance. It’s important to note that the ability has a long cast time and can be interrupted, so it’s important to choose the right moment to use it and avoid being interrupted or countered.

Overall, Spectral Maw is a versatile ability that can be used for both offense and defense, depending on the situation. It’s important to practice charging and releasing the ability to get a feel for the timing and maximize its effectiveness in combat.

E: Harrowed Path

Harrowed Path is a terrain-based ability that allows Viego to send forth a spectre to haunt a piece of terrain and create a misty area around it.

When Viego casts Harrowed Path, he sends forth a spectre that haunts the first terrain hit and surrounds it with mist for 8 seconds. While he is inside the mist, Viego gains camouflage, movement speed, and attack speed. The camouflage effect makes him invisible to enemies outside of the mist, while the movement speed and attack speed boost can help him chase down enemies or escape from danger.

Harrowed Path is a versatile ability that can be used for both offense and defense, depending on the situation. It can be used to set up ganks, ambush enemies, or escape from danger. It’s also a good tool for mobility, as it allows Viego to move around the map more quickly and efficiently.

It’s important to note that the camouflage effect is broken if Viego attacks or uses an ability outside of the mist, so it’s important to use it wisely and choose the right targets to attack. It’s also important to be mindful of the duration of the mist and the positioning of the enemy team, as they may try to counter or disrupt your use of the ability.

R: Heartbreaker

Heartbreaker is a powerful, single-target ability that allows Viego to discard any souls he is currently possessing and teleport to a target champion. Upon arrival, he attacks the champion with the lowest percent health, briefly slowing them by 99% and dealing a percentage of their missing health as physical damage. Other nearby enemies are also knocked back and take physical damage.

Heartbreaker is a powerful ability that can be used to secure kills, disrupt enemy positioning, and initiate fights. It’s particularly effective against champions with low health, as it allows Viego to finish them off quickly and efficiently. It’s also a good tool for mobility, as it allows Viego to jump to the location of the target champion and reposition himself in the midst of combat.

How to play Early game as Viego?

As the Ruined King, Viego wields a vast array of powerful abilities and a unique passive that allows him to possess enemy champions. While he has the potential to solo carry games and thrive in the mid-late game, he can be relatively weak in the early game and requires careful planning and execution to succeed.

In this section, we’ll explore the strategies and tactics that can help you succeed in the early game as Viego jungler. From your jungle clear and ganks to your itemization and positioning, we’ll cover the key aspects of Viego’s early game playstyle and help you understand how to make the most of your time on the Rift.

So, if you’re ready to haunt the jungle as the Ruined King and set your enemies trembling in fear, let’s dive into the early game with Viego!

Standard Jungle Pathing

There are four options we will be looking at in this section:

Top Side (Blue Team)

• Begin by starting at the blue buff camp and clearing it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Proceed to the gromp camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Move on to the wolves camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Next, clear the raptors camp with your abilities and basic attacks.
• After clearing the raptors, head to the red buff camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Finally, make your way to the bottom scuttle crab and secure it with your abilities and basic attacks.

Top Side (Red Team)

• Begin by starting at the red buff camp and clearing it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Proceed to the raptors camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Move on to the wolves camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Next, clear the blue buff camp with your abilities and basic attacks.
• After clearing the blue buff, head to the gromp camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Finally, make your way to the bottom scuttle crab and secure it with your abilities and basic attacks.

Bot Side (Blue Team)

• Begin by starting at the red buff camp and clearing it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Proceed to the raptors camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Move on to the wolves camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Next, clear the blue buff camp with your abilities and basic attacks.
• After clearing the blue buff, head to the gromp camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Finally, make your way to the bottom scuttle crab and secure it with your abilities and basic attacks.

Bot Side (Red Team)

• Begin by starting at the blue buff camp and clearing it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Proceed to the gromp camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Move on to the wolves camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Next, clear the raptors camp with your abilities and basic attacks.
• After clearing the raptors, head to the red buff camp and clear it with your abilities and basic attacks.
• Finally, make your way to the bottom scuttle crab and secure it with your abilities and basic attacks.

As with the other jungle pathing options for Viego, it’s important to be flexible and adapt to the needs of your team and the enemy team as you progress through the early game. You may need to deviate from this path based on the opportunities available for ganks, invades, or other strategic actions. By staying attuned to the state of the game and the movements of the enemy team, you can maximize your effectiveness as the Ruined King in the early game.

There may be times when you choose to do a full jungle clear instead of skipping a camp. However, there are a few factors to consider before making this decision. If you anticipate a relatively low-action first 3 minutes of the game, it may be a good idea to do a full clear. On the other hand, if you see opportunities for ganks, invades, and counter-ganks, it may be better to avoid a full clear. With enough practice and experience, you’ll be able to identify when a full clear is a good option and when it’s better to prioritize other actions.

Best Runes and Items for Viego

As the Ruined King, Viego wields a powerful kit of abilities that allow him to dominate the battlefield and carry games. However, to truly unleash his full potential, it’s important to select the right runes and items to complement his playstyle and help him succeed in the early, mid, and late game phases.

In this section, we’ll explore the best runes and items for Viego and discuss why they’re a good choice for him. From his primary damage sources and stats to his defensive needs and utility, we’ll cover everything you need to know to build him effectively and crush your opponents on the Rift.

Runes:

Conqueror or Press The Attack?

Conqueror is a good choice for Viego if the enemy team has 2-3 bruisers or tanks and/or 2-3 champions with significant healing. In these situations, teamfights are likely to be longer and Conqueror can help you sustain and deal more damage. However, if the enemy team is squishy and teamfights are likely to end quickly, you may want to consider taking Press the Attack instead. In general, if you can anticipate that teamfights will be longer, Conqueror is a strong option, but if you expect shorter, more bursty teamfights, Press the Attack may be a better choice.

Three Supporting Runes from Precision Tree

Legend: Alacrity is a good choice for Viego because it helps him deal more damage in extended fights. Viego’s passive ability, Sovereign’s Domination, allows him to take control of enemy champions and use their abilities, attacks, and items for a brief period of time. By stacking Legend: Alacrity, Viego can deal even more damage during these possession periods and increase his chances of securing kills and objectives.

Triumph is a good choice for Viego because it helps him sustain through extended fights and come out ahead. This rune provides a boost to his healing and regenerative effects, which can be particularly useful in teamfights where Viego is relying on his passive ability to take control of enemy champions. Additionally, Triumph gives Viego a boost to his gold income, which can help him build up his item advantage and further increase his chances of winning fights.

Coup de Grace is a good choice for Viego because it helps him secure kills and objectives more efficiently. This rune increases the damage dealt to enemies below a certain percentage of health, which can help Viego finish off weakened enemies and take control of objectives like turrets, dragons, and barons. Additionally, Coup de Grace can help Viego take control of enemy champions more quickly in teamfights, allowing him to turn the tide in his team’s favor.

Overall, Legend: Alacrity, Triumph, and Coup de Grace are good options for Viego because they help him deal more damage, sustain through fights, and secure kills and objectives more efficiently. These runes can help him thrive in the early, mid, and late game phases, and give him the tools he needs to carry his team to victory.

Secondary Runes

Conditioning is a good choice for Viego because it helps him improve his overall durability in the early game. This rune provides a boost to his armor and magic resistance after 10 minutes of game time, which can be particularly useful for surviving early ganks and skirmishes. Additionally, Conditioning can help Viego absorb more damage in teamfights and stay alive longer, which can give him more time to take control of enemy champions and turn the tide in his team’s favor.

Revitalize is a good choice for Viego because it helps him sustain through extended fights and come out ahead. This rune provides a boost to his healing and regenerative effects, which can be particularly useful in teamfights where Viego is relying on his passive ability to take control of enemy champions. Additionally, Revitalize can help Viego stay alive longer in solo fights, which can allow him to secure kills and objectives more easily.

Items:

Starters

The Gustwalker Hatchling is a great starting item for Viego because it helps him clear the jungle faster and gain an experience advantage. The passive ability of this item summons a Gustwalker to assist Viego while in the jungle, and when fully grown, the Gustwalker provides additional benefits such as reduced damage from Epic monsters and empowering Smite with new effects. The Gustwalker can also be fed up to 40 times by killing large and Epic monsters, which grants bonus gold and experience. In addition, the Gustwalker Hatchling provides a unique passive that gives Viego a boost to his movement speed when entering a brush, which can be especially useful for ganking and escaping danger. Also buy a health potion rather than waiting for the extra 25 gold to get a control ward.

First Back

A Pickaxe is a good choice for Viego on the first back because it helps him deal more damage in the early game. This item provides a boost to Viego’s attack damage, which can be particularly useful for clearing the jungle and dueling enemy champions.

Boots are also a good choice for Viego on the first back because they help him improve his mobility and positioning. There are many different types of Boots available in League of Legends, and each one has its own unique benefits. For example, Boots of Speed can help Viego move around the map faster and gank more effectively, while Boots of Mobility can help him cover more distance and get to objectives more quickly. Ultimately, the type of Boots you choose for Viego will depend on your playstyle and the needs of your team.

If there is any surplus gold, a control ward can also be a useful item for Viego on the first back. This item provides vision and control over an area of the map, which can be especially useful for defending objectives and preventing enemy ganks.

Mythic Choice

The Immortal Shieldbow is a Mythic item that provides a mix of offensive and defensive stats, making it a good all-around choice for Viego. This item grants a significant boost to Viego’s attack damage, as well as a passive that grants him a shield when he takes a certain amount of damage in a short period of time. The shield lasts for a few seconds and scales with Viego’s maximum health, making it a powerful tool for surviving teamfights and skirmishes. Additionally, the Immortal Shieldbow grants a passive that allows Viego to convert a percentage of his attack damage into magic damage, which can be especially useful for dealing with enemies who build a lot of armor.

The Kraken Slayer is another Mythic item that can be a good choice for Viego, especially if you want to focus more on offense. This item provides a large boost to Viego’s attack damage and grants him a passive that increases his damage against large monsters and enemy champions. The Kraken Slayer also grants a passive that allows Viego to deal a percentage of his attack damage as true damage to enemy champions below a certain percentage of their maximum health, making it a powerful finishing tool. Additionally, the Kraken Slayer grants a passive that slows enemy champions hit by Viego’s basic attacks and abilities, which can be useful for chasing down enemies and securing kills.

Overall, the choice between the Immortal Shieldbow and the Kraken Slayer will depend on your playstyle and the needs of your team. If you want a more balanced Mythic item that provides both offense and defense, the Immortal Shieldbow might be the better choice. However, if you want to focus more on offense and have a strong finishing tool, the Kraken Slayer might be the better option.

Conclusion

So if you’re ready to embrace the darkness and unleash the might of the Ruined King, don’t hesitate to give Viego a try. With the right runes, items, and strategy, you’ll be well on your way to ruling the Rift and becoming the ultimate champion. May the power of the Black Mist guide you to victory!