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How to build… a build.

This is a more general piece of guide that applies to all heroes. I won't go into too much detail. It's just the general guidelines I use to build builds, and I'm purposefully leaving it vague because you're meant to think about the builds for yourself.

I have to preface this by clarifying what I believe a build to be. To me a build isn’t just a combination of powers and items. It’s a combination of powers, items and playstyle.

A build needs to be built up bit by bit and cannot have any moments where it is particularly weak. If you need 5 rounds for your build to even remotely be valuable then you’ll simply end up losing a lot of matches.

Similarly, your build needs to be adaptable. A build that’s always the same will only work in ideal scenarios. You need to understand what your build needs to win the particular match you’re in.

The builds you find online are not hard rules. They’re suggestions. Don’t just follow them to a T. Figure out what parts of the build are most important to the value of the build, and adjust the build according to the situation you're currently in.

The builds in this guide will leave a lot of room for personal flair and interpretation. I provide my thoughts on the build and what I think the core of the build is, but I also leave a lot open-ended. This is a guide on how to build Ashe builds, not just a collection of builds to try.

You have to learn to make builds of your own on the fly if you want to succeed.

Powers​

Power building is relatively simple. Your round 1 power has to be one that has strong value in the early 3 rounds, while still offering you a lot of ways to choose different builds. If your round 1 power takes too long to scale it’s probably better to pick another one. Similarly, if your round 1 power has any specific weaknesses to something like cleanses make sure you’re not playing into a comp that consists of moira, kiri, mei, reaper, and Zarya when you pick it.

Your round 1 power should have a power that synergizes with it that can be picked in round 3. Some of these synergies are pretty obvious like and , and some are less obvious like and (which gives you a much higher weapon uptime due to the 5 bullet reload, and thus frees up the item slot you’d otherwise use on )

Later powers either build upon this existing core to make it even stronger, such as to builds that rely on burn. Or they're more of a sidegrade that give you an overall increase in survivability or some other value that you need, such as for when you need more survivability or mobility, or when you just want to combine it with for higher damage.

Items​

Item building is a lot more nuanced than you’d expect. Some items are what I call “core” to a build. These items are required for the build to function well, and you try to pick them as soon as possible. But a lot of the other items can be slotted in and out depending on the situation or even depending on the map.

Some examples of core items for Ashe are to builds and to builds.

Some examples of map dependent items are (good on longer sight lines) and (good on high grounds).

And a lot of the other items are very dependent on team comps. You don’t want to run debuff items versus teams that run a lot of cleanses for example (unless you can debuff so often that they cannot out-cleanse you no matter what they do). Nor do you want to run debuff items if your teammates have already gotten that covered.

Don’t neglect survival items, but don’t spend too much on them either. By choosing survival items you’re giving up on an item that can help you get more immediate value. Be very stingy when it comes to survival items. Being tanky does not win you games. The only purpose of survival items are for letting you stay alive to do more of what actually wins you games.

Some examples of good survival items are:

  • versus heroes that do a lot of crit damage
  • if you already have armor inherently or from another item and need to reduce the damage you receive from Weapon PowerWeapon Power builds.
  • if you already have shields inherently or from another item and need to reduce the damage you receive from Ability PowerAbility Power builds.
  • against heroes that are bothered by armor. (Just make sure they aren't running or or you're wasting an item slot)
  • for when you're running a build/hero that allows you to frequently use your abilities. The overhealth stacks when you trigger it multiple times in quick succession.
  • for when you receive a lot of high amounts of burst damage.
  • for when you're having problems with true oneshots, like rein pin.
  • for when you receive a lot of damage over time effects like burns, moira orbs, beams, etc.
  • for when you're playing a build/hero that already has a lot of Lifesteal. This item doubles as a Weapon/Ability Power item.
  • for when you're playing a build/hero that doesn't get any value from their ult. 100 health is a lot. This item also doubles as a Weapon/Ability Power item.

Playstyle​

And last but not least. Playstyle.

You should pay attention to how your opponents are playing. What their habits are. What their gameplan is. And you should adapt not only your items and powers to that. You should also adapt your entire playstyle to it.

This is really hard to put into just a few words, so I won’t get into much detail. Do you need an item to deal with someone, or do you just need to play differently? The answer to this question greatly changes which items you choose to buy.

For example: Is the reaper kicking your ass because he's a genuine problem, or is it because you're not saving your cooldowns for his inevitable engage, or you're getting too close to him too often?

It's important to learn what you can do in the actual gameplay to deal with the opponents. Only when you truly feel like you have no choice do you choose to buy survival items.

Your cooldown usage, ult usage, positioning, timing, etc, etc. are all being tested in Stadium. You have to really think very hard about these things if you want to consistently get value. Because you get absolutely obliterated if you get caught off guard even a little in this game.