Bruiser build for extended combos: Riven does not win only through a fast animation, but through her ability to keep a trade going inside a zone where her cooldowns come back better than the enemy's. The build must therefore protect access, repeat rotations, and enough durability that the first engage truly opens the second.
Three builds, one right answer per draft. The advisor reads the five enemies (and your allies) and names who triggers what — the same rule as the Draft MVP sheet and Ask Nexus.
Best Riven build (Baron Lane): Sundered Sky › Eclipse › Spear of Shojin › Black Cleaver › Death's Dance, boots Gluttonous Greaves, keystone Conqueror. Three variants and when to pick each are below.
Standard build maximizing damage output. Use on neutral matchups or when ahead.
15,100 total cost
Nothing dominates on the other side: the standard build maximizes your damage.
Open this draft in the tool →Anti-resist build for tanky enemies. Choose when multiple enemies build armor/magic resist.
15,700 total cost +600gSustain build leaning on heal/omnivamp to win prolonged duels.
15,100 total cost
Scores out of 10: where this champion sits against the whole roster, phase by phase. The strip shows its own power ramp level by level — it does not compare across champions.
Your hardest matchups in this role, and the item from your situational list that answers each one.
Poppy
Blade of the Ruined King
Very durable
Volibear
Chempunk Chainsword
Recurring healing
Yone
Stridebreaker
Highly mobile
Olaf
Guardian Angel
Physical damage
Best Riven build (Jungle): Eclipse › Spear of Shojin › Black Cleaver › Death's Dance › Sundered Sky, boots Plated Steelcaps, keystone Conqueror. Three variants and when to pick each are below.
Standard build maximizing damage output. Use on neutral matchups or when ahead.
15,100 total costNothing dominates on the other side: the standard build maximizes your damage.
Open this draft in the tool →Anti-resist build for tanky enemies. Choose when multiple enemies build armor/magic resist.
15,700 total cost +600gSustain build leaning on heal/omnivamp to win prolonged duels.
15,100 total cost
Scores out of 10: where this champion sits against the whole roster, phase by phase. The strip shows its own power ramp level by level — it does not compare across champions.
Your hardest matchups in this role, and the item from your situational list that answers each one.
Poppy
Blade of the Ruined King
Very durable
Warwick
Chempunk Chainsword
Recurring healing
Lillia
Wit's End
Magic damage
Nocturne
Guardian Angel
Physical damage
Same advisor in the Draft (the MVP sheet applies it to your real draft) and in Ask Nexus, which explains the choice. On counters pages: the variant to take against each counter-pick.
Foundational item core, without recent situational additions — kept as a base for understanding the kit. For the up-to-date build, see the section above.
Riven relies on fast rotations. The build maximizes cooldown reduction and burst for multiple ability cycles.
Long Sword
Proc Sheen between each Q dash, weave AA parfait
survival in extended fights, heal on kill with thes Q combos
Slow on the Q and W, penetration for burst AD
Gluttonous Greaves
Goredrinker
›
›
3 Q Broken Wings repeated stack Conqueror instantly to dominate the fights.
After a won all-in, your dashes reach the tower before the enemy respawns — free plates.
Lane sustain recover between his rotations combo Q+W.
Accumulated HP to survive his dives risky with the R Wind Slash.
Your animation cancels weave an auto between every spell — the flat per-hit bonus feeds that exact pattern.
Spear of Shojin
Maw of Malmortius
Spear of Shojin
Serpent's Fang
Goredrinker
Quicksilver
Spear of Shojin
Maw of Malmortius
Spear of Shojin
Serpent's Fang
Stasis
Quicksilver
Second Wind
Bone Plating
Overgrowth
Perseverance
Coup De Grace
Giant Slayer
Blade of the Exile transforms Riven: her trades are no longer only about chipping damage, they can directly lead to a kill. Look for a prepared wave, a spent enemy defensive cooldown, then Flash-E/W or Q3 to lock the target before Wind Slash.
