Hi! I'm
ifound1dollar, a
Diamond
Vayne main in North America (spoiler: this isn't a
Vayne guide).
Braum is a bit of a pocket pick of mine, so I decided to make a guide for him!
This is my in-depth guide to toplane
Braum. I hope you learn a thing or two!
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This is the standard ability sequence for
Braum. You'll want to start off with a point in
Winter's Bite, as it's your core ability. Level 2 you should get a point in
Unbreakable for the damage reduction, which greatly helps during trades.
Stand Behind Me should be taken at level 3.
Winter's Bite should always be maxed first, as it's damage increases and cooldown decreases. You can either max
Stand Behind Me second for the increased defensive stats at a lower cooldown, or
Unbreakable for the higher % reduced damage. A point in
Glacial Fissure should be taken at levels 6, 11, and 16.
Passive: Concussive Blows
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Cost: None
Cooldown: 8s per target
Range: Self
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Braum's basic attacks and Winter's Bite apply stacks of Concussive Blows. Once the first stack has been applied, the basic attacks of any allied champion will generate Concussive Blows stacks. Upon reaching 4 stacks, the target is stunned for 1.25/1.5/1.75 seconds and takes 16 + (10 * level) Magic Damage. After an opponent is stunned from Concussive Blows, they no longer gain stacks and instead take 14-48 bonus Magic Damage from basic attacks for the next 8 seconds.
Braum's passive plays an important part in this playstyle. It's what allows him to be self-sustaining and able to stick to his targets, and the bonus damage is what allows the Attack Speed/bruiser build to work on him. None of Braum's basic abilities scale with damage, so the on-hit damage from this ability is vital.
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Q: Winter's Bite
W: Stand Behind Me
E: Unbreakable
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Cost: 30/35/40/45/50 Mana
Cooldown: 18/16/14/12/10s
Range: Self
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Braum raises his shield, creating a barrier that intercepts all oncoming, hostile projectiles for the next 3/3.25/3.5/3.75/4 seconds.
Braum takes no damage from the first projectile he intercepts and 30/32.5/35/37.5/40% reduced damage from intercepted projectiles thereafter, and gains 10% Movement Speed for the duration.
Unbreakable is an incredibly useful defensive tool in any composition. There'll always be incoming projectiles, and the ability to block them is very useful (take blocking the enemy Ezreal's ult, for example). The fact that it continues to block projectiles beyond the first for a short time is an effective way to shut down the entire enemy team's comp.
Tip: In teamfights, you'll always want to hold this ability until you need to block an important projectile (like Nami's ult or Caitlyn's headshot on a trapped target). It blocks 100% of the damage from the initial projectile, so if used at the right time, you can turn a 1000+ damage Veigar ult into nothing. Even if timed incorrectly, the projectile will still be blocked, but you'll take 30-40% of the damage instead.
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R: Glacial Fissure
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Cost: 100 Mana
Cooldown: 140/120/100s
Range: 1250
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Braum slams his shield into the ground, dealing 150/300/450 (+60% Ability Power) Magic Damage to all enemies in a line as well as those in an X-radius area around him. The first champion hit is knocked up for 1-1.5 seconds based on distance from Braum for the first target hit in the fissure, every other target hit or within close vicinity is knocked up for 0.25 seconds.
For the next 4 seconds a field of ice remains, slowing enemies that enter the area by 40/50/60% for 0.25 seconds.
Glacial Fissure is a very high-utility ability. It can be used to engage, disengage, or simply be an obstacle. Plus, it's got decent base damage, which is important since this playstyle doesn't utilize Ability Power. While this ability isn't necessarily a vital part of Braum's kit, it's still a very useful tool.
Tip: Glacial Fissure has a pretty long cast time, which can sometimes make it difficult to land. Therefore, it's often a good idea to wait until you've already closed in on and stunned an enemy before using this. It'll guarantee that the ability will land, and make it harder for the enemy to flee.
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RUNE STATS
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OFFENSE
+10% Attack Speed
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FLEX
+9 Adaptive Force (5.4 AD)
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DEFENSE
+6 Armor or +8 Magic Resist
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PRIMARY TREE
PRECISION
Lethal Tempo
Lethal Tempo plays an important part in this build. It allows him to effectively DPS, as it increases attack speed by quite a lot. However,
Press the Attack can also be a good option. You'll usually have to auto an enemy three or more times in order to proc
Concussive Blows, so it synergizes pretty well. Whether you choose
Lethal Tempo or
Press the Attack is just personal preference. While
Conqueror is a viable option for most bruisers, the first two options are more consistent in my opinion.
Fleet Footwork is a little too passive a rune for this playstyle, so it's a not a good choice.
Triumph
Triumph is one of my favorite runes to take. It can be super clutch, being the difference between life and death in many situations. Also, the bonus 20g is a nice touch. While
Overheal can be useful when building
Blade of the Ruined King, I personally prefer
Triumph.
Presence of Mind is only viable for certain champions with specific playstyles, and isn't viable.
Legend: Tenacity
Out of the 3 'Legend' options,
Legend: Tenacity is usually the best option for
Braum, as he's melee and kite-able. However,
Legend: Alacrity can also be viable option, as bonus
Attack Speed always helps to DPS.
Legend: Bloodline might also be useful if you want extra sustain, but it takes twice as long to fully stack (20 stacks instead of 10).
Coup de Grace
Coup de Grace is a very well-rounded, consistent option for any damage dealer, since it deals bonus damage to enemies below 40%
Health.
Last Stand may also be useful, as it can synergize well with
Wit's End, but it's simply not as good as
Coup de Grace.
Cut Down will be mostly useless since you'll be building
Health.
SECONDARY TREE
RESOLVE
Font of Life
Font of Life synergizes really well with any champion that has a lot of
CC. Even though
Braum isn't being played support in this situation, it's still an effective tool to support your team later in the game.
Demolish isn't a great choice because it's best used in the laning phase, and you probably won't get the chance to use it in lane.
Shield Bash is completely useless on
Braum, as he doesn't have any source of a shield.
Second Wind
Second Wind is a very good sustain tool for the laning phase, especially when facing ranged champions, so it's perfect for
Braum since he has a weak early game.
Bone Plating is also a great option if you're facing burst damage in lane rather than poke. While
Conditioning can sometimes be useful, it's best utilized on full tanks rather than DPS bruisers.
Unflinching
Unflinching is an important rune for any bruiser, as they can all make use of Tenacity. This, when combined with
Legend: Tenacity, can grant quite a large chunk of it. However,
Overgrowth can also be a good option, as you'll spend much of the early game farming and scaling.
Revitalize is basically useless, as you don't cast shields or heals, and only receive any if you have a shielding/healing champion on your team.
ITEMS WIP
Attack Speed Bruiser Build:
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Blade of the Ruined King is a staple item for many bruisers, as it's incredibly efficient. It grants 40 Attack Damage, 25% Attack Speed, and 12% Life Steal, all of which are very useful early in the game, but also has an incredible passive and active. The passive causes auto attacks to deal 8% of the enemy's current Health as bonus Physical Damage, which is a great tool for taking down enemy bruisers and tanks. The active deals 100 Magic Damage and steals 25% Movement Speed from the enemy for 3 seconds. This is immensely useful for most bruisers, as it makes it much harder for the enemy to kite.
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Frozen Mallet is one of my favorite items. It grants a healthy mix of offensive and defensive stats, being 30 Attack Damage and 700 Health, but also packs a very useful passive for many bruisers. It causes auto attacks to slow enemies' Movement Speed by 40% for 1.5 seconds, making it much easier for Braum to stick to his targets. Plus, it makes him much tankier, as it grants more Health than any other item in the game, except Warmog's Armor.
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Even though Phantom Dancer is an item designed for Crit-based marksmen, it's incredibly efficient, and works really well with Braum. It grants 30% Attack Speed, 25% Critical Strike chance, 7% Movement Speed, and two strong passives. The stats all synergize well with this playstyle since Attack Speed is the core of the build, and Crit simply increases DPS, but the passives are the most impactful part. The first increases bonus Movement Speed by another 7% on top of the 7% it already grants, and also allows you to pass through units, which makes it much easier to stick to your target. The second grants a shield that lasts for 2 seconds when reduced below 30% Health, which is useful on any champion.
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Your choice of fourth item should be based on the enemy team. For example, if they're heavy AD and you're having trouble surviving, you might want to get a Guardian Angel, or even a Dead Man's Plate if you're willing to compromise for less damage. You can even pick up a Black Cleaver if they're stacking Armor and you want to help you and your team deal more damage, or Titanic Hydra for more Health and raw damage.
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Your final item, again, should be based on the enemy team's and your team's composition. For example, if your team has multiple carries who need extra peel, you should try to become a meat shield. Buy a Gargoyle Stoneplate and become a raid boss, or maybe even a Knight's Vow to peel better. Or maybe a Thornmail if your team needs healing reduction. If you're facing heavy Crit comps, you may want to buy a Randuin's Omen, or even an Adaptive Helm if they have lots of damage over time.
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Berserker's Greaves are the best choice with this build. They're disgustingly efficent, granting 35% Attack Speed and 45 bonus Movement Speed for a mere 1100g. They'll grant the perfect amount of Attack Speed for this build without having to spend well over 2000g and sacrificing an item slot. While Ninja Tabi or Mercury's Treads are typically a safe purchase for most bruisers, they simply aren't the best option in this situation.
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I'm extremely greatful for jhoijhoi's
Making A Guide, because without it, I wouldn't have been able to create this guide.
If you liked the guide, feel free to vote and/or leave a comment or suggestion!
Feel free to check out my other guides:
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November 11, 2020 (Patch 10.23)

Spoiler: Click to view
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- Updated item build (preseason changes)
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July 13, 2020

Spoiler: Click to view
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- Updated 'Abilities' chapter
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- Updated 'Items' chapter[/color]
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April 30, 2020

Spoiler: Click to view
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- Rewrote 'Pros/Cons' chapter
- Rewrote 'Abilities' chapter
- Updated Item build
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- Rewrote 'Runes' chapter
- Rewrote 'Items' chapter
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April 15, 2020

Spoiler: Click to view
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- Updated 'Abilities' chapter
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December 30, 2019

Spoiler: Click to view
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- Updated 'Abilities' chapter
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August 19, 2019

Spoiler: Click to view
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- Created Guide
- Added 'Introduction' chapter
- Added 'Runes' chapter
- Added 'Thanks!' chapter
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- Added 'Pros/Cons' chapter
- Added 'Abilities' chapter
- Added 'Items' chapter
- Added 'Changelog' chapter
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