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Heimerdinger Build Guide by

[S8] ****ercutioner (includes fan art and skin info)

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Heimerdinger Build Guide By Updated on

Guide Discussion (3) More Heimerdinger Guides

Choose Champion Build:

The Road Most Traveled
The Path Previously Followed

Runes:

Domination

Electrocute

Taste of Blood

Eyeball Collection

Ravenous Hunter

Sorcery

Gathering Storm

Absolute Focus

Spells:

Ignite

Flash

Items

Start of Game

Alternative Start

Mid Game

Final Build #1 - Guilty of Lane Abuse

Final Build #2 - Offensive Magic Penetration

Final Build #3 - Defensive

Support - First Buy

Typical Build Order

Death Dealer Build Order

I'M AHEAD! BUILD ORDER

Ability Order

Heimerdinger Passive Ability

Threats & Synergies

Threats

Synergies

Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny

Show All

None Low Ok Strong Ideal

Extreme Threats

Ideal Synergies

Talon

Extreme

Terrible match up for Heimerdinger. I haven't found a good way to counter him. So, I ban him instead.

Synergies

Ideal Strong Ok Low None

More Heimerdinger Counters

New Skin for 2018?

The following concept art for Dragon Trainer Heimerdinger was put together by Vlad Bacescu. You can find his work: here. He's put together designs and proposals for other League of Legends Champions that you can also view on his site. Amazingly talented. Riot is missing out.

Current Skin Choices

This is almost a complete picture of all skins that are available and legacy. This is missing Hazmat Heimerdinger which is my personal favorite right now.

The Revered Inventor (reminds me of an awesome cat that I owned once) - Default (no skin) released 10-Oct-2009

Alien Invader Heimerdinger - 1820 RP Legacy Legendary Skin released 14-Jul-2010

Hazmat Heimerdinger - 975 RP Skin released 14-Jul-2014

Snowmerdinger - 975 RP Legacy Skin released 14-Dec-2011

Piltover Customs Heimerdinger - 975 RP Skin released 22-Nov-2010

Blast Zone Heimerdinger - 520 RP Skin released 24-Jun-2010

Introduction

Hello to anyone that is taking the time to read this guide. This is my first attempt at publishing a guide on Mobafire. First, let me start out by stating that of all the League of Legends Champions that I've played, the Revered Inventor is my personal favorite. As of the publishing of this particular version of this guide, I currently own all of them. I'm pretty sure I've tried all but one or two since I started playing in 2012.

I have about 245k Mastery points with Heimerdinger. I have had a few really fun games lately as of 8/20/18 where I went 12/5/6, 4/8/20 (still a win), 11/6/12, 8/5/4, 16/9/13, 5/2/4, and 12/4/7. In the last game I played, I did almost twice the amount of damage as anyone on the field. The real secret is to push so hard and be so aggressive that the opposing laner can't CS at all. If you do this right, your turrets will be out of range of the tower but your wave will push into it the tower such that it will kill a lot of your minions.

I've found that Heimer fits my own play style better than most other champs. His kit is pretty versatile. With some creativity (read sneakiness) you can create good match ups and get kills. Heimer is well known for surprising the enemy Jungle or a roamer when they think they've found an easy mark. Using your Turrets, Ultimate BFG, and a Grenade can usually result in a kill or even a Double Kill. Done right, you can also Tower dive. Playing him aggressively usually winds up attracting a lot of attention. I've gotten visited by all Roles when I push hard.

Note: at the start of games don't be surprised if they get help from Top or Bot to kill your Turrets.

I follow Rezone and he's the one that has given me continued inspiration to play Heimer as a main and experiment with different Rune choices and item builds. My current favorite is from one of his recent videos where he rushes Rabadon's Deathcap. He is correct - most people don't buy Magic Resistance early game. Even if they do - you can do really well against by out farming your enemy laner. If you like playing Heimerdinger you really should watch some of his videos or catch his live stream. Side benefit - he's pretty entertaining to watch.

Lane Viability

No matter which lane you wind up in, I feel it's a Heimerdinger player's responsibility to responsibly push out their lane. While doing that, you need to contribute to Objectives, don't over extend, and help in other lanes. If you see a team mate fighting and you can quickly and easy get there, you should try and get an assist.

Mid Lane

My preference is to go Mid. This usually results in good match ups because you're against another Mage. Make good decisions, stick behind your minions and you should do well. If the opposing player happens to pick a Melee based Champion then so much the better for you!

Top Lane

If Mid isn't available, sometimes I'm assigned to the Top Lane. This also usually winds up in a good match up because typically you'll be playing against a Melee based Champion. With Heimer's kit you sometimes get an advantage by being able to punish your enemy when you trade. Your advantage will come from the combined damage of your Turrets and the range of your auto attacks.

Bot Lane and Support

As we all know, sometimes you get auto-filled. I've successfully taken Heimerdinger into both the Bot Lane and as a Support when filled into a role that I didn't originally pick. The newer Runes have changed the meta and now you don't just need an ADC to win Ranked games. Most Champions are viable in almost any lane. Of course like anything in life, there are caveats. Taking a pure Melee Champion into a situation against a ranged Champion isn't a good idea.

Other times, I've purposefully selected Heimerdinger for a Support role. Your reaction right now is probably priceless. Taking Heimer down to the Bot Lane to act as a Support?!? Yes, I've done it and it works very well. If I do this, I ask the team during Champion Select first before I pick him. If someone objects, I pick another Champion.

Using Heimer Support, your Partner has to be on top of their game to get last hits. It can be a bit of a challenge but they can do it if they try. Heimer will get CS but it won't be the same as intentionally farming.

The good thing about taking Heimer as a Support is that well placed Turrets can help you zone out the enemy players and deprive them of farm. He's a solid choice and hopefully other players keep an open mind and are receptive to the idea.

While I think he's viable as Bot and Support, I think he has the biggest and most reliable impact Mid or Top.

The D-o-n-g-ler

Rezone has played Heimer in the Jungle which I found fascinating to watch but I don't know that I want to try it. I don't think he's as viable as other choices because he doesn't have any good ways to close distances or get a good jump on the enemy. A Grenade just isn't good enough crowd control for a reliable gank. I feel like even if they don't have Wards, they could see me coming from a mile away and escape. So, no Heimerdinger Jungle aka D-o-n-g-ler for me.

Jungle Heimerdinger by Headfrost. Click: here for concept art.

Summoner Spells - Mid Lane

When I play in the Mid Lane, I usually take and . Instead of , I've taken and tried and even .

is decent and helps with sustain in lane but I feel that nothing beats damage. Especially if you're using the DPS build that I'm recommending from the Domination tree. So I don't usually pick this Summoner Spell for any role other than Bot.

is pretty viable on Heimer. It has a super short cool down and may protect you against a gank.

mobility and the ability to roam and gank other lanes is helpful in getting a win. However, if your team mate in the Jungle is making a circuit around the map and helping all lanes (plus countering the enemy Jungle) you really don't need to roam using Teleport. If you get ahead in your lane, you certainly should roam and help other lanes. Just don't use to do it.

can also help save you from ganks but again I think the best defense with Heimer is a solid offense. If you've Warded and the rest of your team is Warding the enemy will advertise their plays and you should have plenty of time to land a Grenade or use Flash if you need to escape. You have to use good judgement to know if you should stay or flee screaming.

Heimerdinger art by Vinicius Menezes aka Viko. Website: here.

Summoner Spells - Top Lane

If Mid isn't available and I'm given Top Lane instead, depending on the match up - I usually take and . I've tried but don't really like it on Heimerdinger. It's better used when playing Top Lane as Singed.

If I'm feeling particularly confident that I can win the lane, I might stick with and .

Heimerdinger by rek0. Click: here for concept art.

Summoner Spells - Reinventing Bot

If I get autofilled Bot Lane, I usually don't ask - I just select Heimerdinger. With the current meta, there's a wide range of viable champions that can play this role. Heimer is a good choice against most ranged Champions. If we're talking traditional ADCs, I like Twitch but I always prefer Heimer.

I usually take and . Another popular combination for Bot Lane is and . If someone objects to your Summoner spell choices and wants you to take , by all means - feel free to do so. It's a good choice especially if your Support takes .

Summoner Spells - Heimer Support

When I play Heimerdinger as a Support, I always take and .

Mad Doctor Heimerdinger by Markdotea. Click: here for concept art.

Turret Placement

So, most Heimerdinger players drop their turrets in an overlapping triangle with the leading Turret facing your objective (enemy player, Tower, whatever). I start with a modified overlapping triangle. For a Mid Lane start, my turrets are pushed closer to the enemy turret and have the two outside Turrets slightly forward of the middle.

I used to start further back in the Mid Lane and then I realized that using this placement zones the enemy Mid Laner from the beginning. The game usually starts with with a creep score of 6 or 7 to 0.

Mid Lane Start

When I'm starting in the Top Lane, the top outer Turret is pushed even further ahead towards the enemy turret and closer to the bush. Either lane, I still try to push closer to the enemy Tower than the mid line.

Top Lane Start

Both of these starts give me the ability to easily clear the minion waves. When the enemy minion wave comes in, I move away before it arrives so that the Turrets gain aggro instead. If you start taking a lot of damage from the minion waves early on, you need to move away sooner. This early, they can burn you down quickly.

Burning down a Tower

When you want to burn down a Tower, place your Turret close to the Tower. It will help if you still have a large cannon minion to take the initial aggro and damage from the Tower hits. That way, your Turret can help.

Yasuo Wind Wall

When you're playing against a Yasuo and he throws up his Wind Wall, don't drop your Turret in front of it. Instead, drop it behind his wall.

Mistakenly Viewed as an Easy Kill

I mentioned earlier that a lot of enemy players will see you as an easy mark. If you have what they think is low health, they might just decide to go in for the kill. I think this is where Heimerdinger does really well. In this game, I was in Mid Lane against Kayn.

When this happens and you have your Ultimate up, drop your BFG Turret and make sure you land a Grenade. I got the kill right after the BFG laser procs.

Here's another example of being jumped with low health. The enemy Mid Laner sees that I have low health and decides to go all in.

He commits and gets burned down pretty bad.

They realize that they aren't going to win the fight and decides to run. It's too late!

The enemy Jungler will often attempt a gank. If you play it right, you can come out on top of the fight and land a kill.

In a 2 versus 1 fight, your opponents will be overly confident that they are going to drop you. This is again another situation where Heimerdinger has the ability surprise people. Timing is everything.

Using the Grenade

You don't always need to Ult. If you time it right, you can use your Grenade to stun and kill your opponent.

Timely Zhonya's Hourglass

Even when you have very low health, Heimerdinger is a threat. If you can pull of a successfully timed Zhonya's Hourglass save, you can still kill your enemy.

Rune Selections

This is my most often played build right now as of 8.14.

I love using the Domination tree as the primary with Heimerdinger and Sorcery as my secondary. I pick these two regardless of my Lane assignment. I think Heimerdinger is a lot more viable as a potential carry with these selections. I don't think that he has nearly the same amount of damage potential when you use Sorcery as the primary set of Runes.

My favorite Rune selection is Electrocute - when you successfully get turret hits, landing a grenade to proc laser beams (or hitting the enemy with rockets) paired with Ignite and a couple of autos - you should secure a kill.

I initially based my Rune selection during play on Rezone's guide and then modified it to suite my tastes. I experimented with other selections in the tree and found these fit my play style best.

You can also trigger electrocute with auto-attacks. If possible, I try to auto the enemy as often as I can. This includes when they're near the protection of their Tower but I'm not in danger of being hit by it.

I prefer Taste of Blood over Cheap Shot for sustain. You obviously take damage during the game and you really need to focus on buying items that give you the ability to help make plays for your team. So, in my opinion, Taste of Blood and Ravenous Hunter help minimize the need to buy a bunch of Healing Potions early game.

If you're doing well, you should benefit from the extra AP this provides. I tried the new and but they just don't work as well for me as Eyeball Collection.

As previously mentioned, I prefer Ravenous Hunter and Taste of Blood for the sustain it gives Heimerdinger. is viable because the CDR is nice but I think if you buy the right items, you get enough CDR without it. is also useful but again I think sustain is better.

Also like Rezone, right now I like to take Sorcery as my secondary set of Runes. I used to select Sorcery as my primary Runes but found out that Domination is way more effective on Heimer right now.

For me, this Rune works best because I usually wind up playing some long games. With this Rune, those games can translate into an AP advantage. is a great alternative but if you continuously find yourself in long games, Gathering Storm will give you more damage.

If you play Heimer right, you should also be able to take advantage of this Rune. This certainly doesn't mean you won't die but if you Ward and you don't over extend, you should benefit.

15/12/12

22/4/11

21/11/18

Item Choices

Good selections are obviously very important. I've tried a lot of different items on Heimer for different reasons. The ones listed above are my current favorites.

I used to preemptively buy or early game but I have found that if I want to make an impact with Heimer, I really needed to focus on doing damage and hitting skill shots. So, I usually wait to buy defensive items later in the game. This also usually includes waiting to buy a these days. This changes and becomes a priority if I'm playing against .

If I don't go with Rabadon's Deathcap first, I usually rush as my first complete item followed by a . I might go ahead and finish so that I can better clear minion waves. If the game is long enough, I always buy Rylai's. It's funny to watch different player's reactions when they lose a lot of health AND realize that they're virtually perma-slowed because they've aggro'd one or more of my Turrets. I can sometimes escape death by fleeing and dropping a Turret in my path to slow the pursuer. If they don't have a good closing ability, they usually give up.

Towards the end of the game, I sometimes sell my boots back and buy another damage producing item.

When I play Heimerdinger Support, I start with and a . I don't always completely finish the Support item. It depends on the situation and game play.

Ability Prioritization

The first ability I take is Heimer's H-28G Evolution Turret (Q).

In my opinion the CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade (E) is better to take at level 2 because it can be lobbed over minions. Rockets damage mobs that are in between you and your target. So, you can better defend your Turrets starting at level 2 with the Grenade.

Next, I put a skill point into the Hextech Micro-Rockets (W). Hitting the enemy laner with either a Grenade or Rocket will (if they're in range) trigger the lasers from your Turrets. Because of the cool down during the early lane phase of the game, you need to be judicious when you use the Grenade.

I spend the next two points on his Turrets and then I unlock UPGRADE!!! (R). My objective is to max his Turrets as quickly as possible. Heimerdinger does the majority of his damage and farming with these Turrets. Then I work on Rockets, always putting points in my Ultimate when I get the chance. I don't max out his Grenade until later in the game. I like to finish Rockets first because they have a longer range than the Grenade. They're better for trying to poke down the enemy or trying to get a kill if someone is low and running from you.

Baval pointed out that it is better to max out Rockets before Turrets against Syndra and also probably against Vladimir. Since they will easily trash Heimerdinger's Turrets, the point was made (and I'll have to try it) that it's better to focus on out harassing your lane opponent.

Strategy

Here's some things I've learned playing Heimer:

Turret Placement

Lots of players will automatically place all three Turrets down as they cool down. This allows the enemy the opportunity to kill your turrets. In some cases, I may wait and hold a turret in reserve and wait until I have two or more up with my Grenade ready to go as well. Then, I wait for a minion wave and I drop them in various locations behind the minions.

If I think there might be a team fight in a particular area, I will try to place a Turret where the enemy won't expect it. That way, if they get low health and decide to run, they might happen upon my lonely Turret while I'm helping in fast pursuit and get a kill. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Other times, I may place my Turrets in a line so that I can strategically retreat, get slow procs and potentially get another kill.

For this part of the Heimerdinger strategy, it almost helps to think of your Turrets in a similar way to Teemo's Mushrooms.

Using Turrets as Wards

Leaving a Turret in a specific location will partially reveal a small area around it. If as a team we are ahead and I don't have Wards available, I might drop a Turret down.

Ultimate

In either team or individual fights, I usually drop down the BFG and try to land a Grenade. If someone is fleeing or there are no minions between us, I might fire my volley of Ultimate Rockets. In team situations where I think we might benefit from extra crowd control, I'll use the upgraded Grenade.

Diving

Rezone has the best technique when it comes to diving Towers. You really should watch his videos where he talks about this and demonstrates the technique. Basically, you don't dive until you have them at less than half their health. Then, you strategically drop Turrets and your Ultimate Turret in such a way that they make a bad choice and run right into instead of away from you. Resulting in a kill. I'm not great at the technique but I do try and I've gotten kills this way. I'm just not as prolific as Rezone.

Lane Swaps

If you or one of your team mates has a bad match up, you should consider offering up a lane swap. You should really only do this if you can stop the advantage that the enemy have or might have by staying the current course.

Baiting

If you can, you should coordinate with a team mate to bait an enemy player into a bush for a surprise party. They're the guest! Another solid tactic is to start Baron with the intent of baiting the enemy team into a fight.

Bad Plays

Okay, as I previously mentioned, if you're going to attempt to drop Baron or a Dragon, you should have Wards strategically placed. This also means that you have to watch the mini-map. If you see the enemy team coming and you don't have the numbers, you should abandon the attempt. The same is true of chasing. If you get the enemy low and they run - you should certainly try to secure a kill. But don't chase too far or you risk getting killed when you unexpectedly run into an unfriendly that's joining the fight against you.

HeartSeeker Heimerdinger by LONEOLD. Click: here for concept art.

Select Counters - More Explanations

You usually only see in the Mid Lane. If I play Mid, I ALWAYS use my ban pick on him. He counters Heimerdinger hard and I haven't found any effective means to stop him.

usually isn't a problem for me but if I'm against him I do go ahead and change my item prioritization. I make sure to rush so that I have it when he hits level 6. When he casts his Ultimate, you need to use either or . Timely execution can mean the difference between life and insta-gibs.

I'm not usually very concerned playing against a . When he uses his shield wall, you can drop a Turret on the other side of it. Now, if they're a really good Yasuo player and hyper aggressive, they can cause problems. He will one hit and kill your Turrets. This isn't anything that Jungler on top of their game can't solve with good ganks.

can also be strong against Heimer. She tosses our Turrets around like they're her own personal pets. The most effective Syndra players toss them off to the side where they can no longer function to help us clear minion waves. A technique to counter her would be to max points spent on Rockets instead of Turrets - harass her!

If I play Heimerdinger in another lane, I try to judiciously use my ban. Traditionally, I've been banning in the Top Lane. My thought was he's a high percentage pick. Looking at LolKing, it appears that , , , , and usually give Heimerdinger players the most problems. Any of these is probably a much better ban than .

When I am Bot Lane, I typically ban either or . is my usual selection when banning a Support.

Heimerdinger Art by RinTheYordle. Click: here for concept art.

Statistics

There are lot of interesting statistics that Champion.gg are compiling on League of Legends Champions. You can look at this information and use to compare your performance against averages. It might be helpful to work on certain metrics to improve your game play. For example, if you're earning significantly less gold, you might need to work on last hitting, team play for assists or other objectives like taking Dragon or the Rift Scuttle Crab.

Here are links to stats maintained for Bot, Middle, and the Top lanes. In the top right corner of each page is a drop down to select which League of play you want to view (Platinum+, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze).

Heimerdinger Mid
Heimerdinger Top
Heimerdinger Bot

You may also notice that these pages list a different skill order and build than what I recommend here in my guide.

Recent Games Played

Being a Good Player

Now, this is my own take on how to be a positive impact player. I try to live life and game based on how I want to be treated. I know a lot of players reading this may be thinking - yeah, all this is common sense. That might be true but I encounter people that DON'T do these common place "things" in many games.

As usual - Your Mileage May Vary!

Wards

First, you need to be proactive and drop Wards. Not just in your lane but where you happen to be and you know that the enemy may traverse that area. Fog of war is certainly used a lot to gain the element of surprise. But so are bushes and the river. You need to be able to see when the enemy is approaching so you can avoid being an easy kill.

You also need good visibility to protect objectives like Baron. If you're not trying to kill either Baron or a Drake, you need to have eyes on them so you know if the enemy is there. If you ARE killing Baron or one of the Drakes, you need to drop wards nearby so you know if the enemy is approaching. If you don't, you could wipe to the opposing team.

Feeding

If you're not dropping Wards then you need to be careful not to feed the enemy. In my opinion most games are lost because a player gives up an early advantage to the enemy team by racking up multiple kills and that gives them more damage potential in team fights. So, this causes them to snowball and crush you. If they out play you and get objectives too - you're toast.

This means being careful how long you spend trying to chase down an opposing player that's fleeing. If the other team is playing smart, a player from another lane or the Jungler will come help.

You also need to make smart choices with who on the opposing team you focus. In my opinion, you focus the player that has the biggest lead or is making the biggest difference. If you focus your damage on the least effective player and they're focusing the right players on your team - you will lose the team fight and feed them.

First Turret Kill

If you play Heimer aggressively, you should be pushing your lane hard. If you're doing this well, you'll also be ahead in farm and at the same time depriving your opposing player of creeps. With some focus you should be able to get the First Turret bonus. If you also get First Blood, that's great but not necessary. If you out farm, you'll have an early lead and a gold advantage.

Creep Score aka CS

You need to be decent at last hitting. You don't have to be perfect and get every creep but it helps if you can gain an advantage and have more CS than your opposing laner. When you play Heimer, you need to take every opportunity to max his Q (Turrets). This really helps you get creeps. While my Turrets are bringing down the minions, I focus on last hitting the one nearest death. You can also use your Rockets to last hit.

I usually reserve my Grenades for trying to score a hit on the enemy champ when they're in range of a laser proc from my Turrets. Usually, opposing players don't realize that they're still within reaching distance of the lasers even if they aren't in range of the Turrets themselves.

Objectives

Getting Dragon, Rift Herald, Rift Scuttle crabs and other objectives around the map will help give you gold and important buffs. If you can get them and thereby deprive the opposing players from getting objectives, then you will gain a distinct advantage.

Poor behavior

Please don't be this type of player. People that rage quit, go AFK, flame, int, or become toxic ruin what should be a fun and positive gaming experience. Think of it this way - you're negatively affecting FOUR other people. If you feel compelled to act like this - please don't play Ranked games. We don't tolerate this kind of behavior out in public IRL, so we shouldn't online either. We all know that there are people behind the keyboards - let's act like it.

Childinger by LONEOLD. Click: here for concept art.