Kindred is League of Legends’ ultimate jungling duo — sorry Nunu and Willump — hunting enemies down as the embodiment of death itself. We’ve got the ultimate guide to Kindred, including the best builds, runes, tips and tricks.
Kindred has been a popular pick in the jungle since their 2015 release, combining high damage with plenty of utility and a unique minigame that has led to a legion of fans enjoying both Lamb and Wolf’s style of play.
If you want to join in on the fun, and the hunt, we’ve got the ultimate guide to Kindred, including the best builds and runes for the Eternal Hunters.
Who is Kindred?
Kindred is the very embodiment of death itself. Two separate entities — Lamb and Wolf — make up the terrifying duo that sprawl Runeterra, offering swift release to their victims as they encounter the true faces of their greatest fears.
On Summoner’s Rift, the Kindred duo work together to tear through the jungle, swiftly clearing camps and enemies with ease and plenty of damage.
Kindred abilities & gameplay
Kindred has a very special style of gameplay revolving around their ability to hunt. Their passive, Mark of the Kindred, adds a very key mini-game to the jungler’s style of play — get enemy camps and kill enemy champions to gain bonus stacks.
This means their whole kit revolves around hitting these stack power spikes. Getting four stacks early can change the game entirely (giving Lamb bonus range and empowering their abilities), so power farming — and counter-jungling — your way to the power spike is a must. Starting with a point in W helps facilitate this from your first buff.
As the game progresses, Kindred turns into more of a ranged assassin, pouncing on squishy targets to burst them with their Mounting Dread E and high attack damage. Maxing Q, Dance of Arrows, is the way to go though to really ramp that DPS and mobility up.
- Passive: Mark of the Kindred — Kindred can mark targets to Hunt. Successfully completing a Hunt permanently empowers Kindred’s basic abilities. Every 4 hunts completed also increases Kindred’s basic attack range.
- Q: Dance of Arrows — Kindred tumbles and shoots up to three arrows at nearby targets.
- W: Wolf’s Frenzy — Wolf enrages and attacks enemies around him. Lamb passively gains stacks by moving and attacking. When fully charged, Lamb’s next attack restores health.
- E: Mounting Dread — Lamb fires a carefully placed shot, slowing the target. If Lamb attacks the target two more times, her third attack instead directs Wolf to pounce on the enemy, savaging them for massive damage.
- R: Lamb’s Respite — Lamb grants all living things inside a zone a respite from death. Until the effect ends, nothing can die. At the end, units are healed.
Best build for Kindred
Kindred is very much a marksman stuck in the jungle. Well, that’s how they were intended to play, so it makes sense, and her item path follows very similarly to that.
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Kraken Slayer and Galeforce are by far her best two Mythics. You should get Kraken Slayer if you need the tank-shredding true damage (which is in most cases), but if you want an even more guaranteed execute, with a bit of chasing power, Galeforce is a great bet.
From there, maxing out her crit chance is a must. The Collector and Infinity Edge go a long way towards that, and so does one of Phantom Dancer and Rapid Firecannon. Then, as her last item, you go for more utility — either in the form of defenses or tank-busting.
Either way, this build allows you to one-shot enemy carries before needing to drop your ultimate, which can make the difference in teamfights as the game draws on.
Top meta Kindred build in Season 11
- Mythic: Kraken Slayer / Galeforce
- Boots: Berserker’s Greaves / Plated Steelcaps / Mercury’s Treads
- The Collector
- Infinity Edge
- Phantom Dancer
- Rapid Firecannon (if you need extra range)
- Lord Dominik’s Regards (if against tanky champions)
- Wit’s End / Maw of Malmortius (if against AP champions)
- Guardian Angel (if you hit ultra late game)
Best runes for Kindred
Kindred’s runes are pretty similar no matter the matchup, but there is one decision you have to make: That all-important keystone.
They have two options in Conqueror and Press The Attack. The former is the much more popular and flexible of the two, giving her a bunch of damage and sustain in drawn-out fights. The true damage ramping and the healing saves her from having to invest in lifesteal.
However, if you are up against some squishies, you might want to consider Press The Attack. Kindred can quickly burst down opponents in just a couple of autos, and the keystone helps with speeding up that process.
From there, Triumph, Legend: Alacrity, Coup de Grace, Sudden Impact, and Ravenous Hunter is the stock standard set-up. This maximizes Kindred’s ability to get ahead off early kills (Triumph, Ravenous Hunter) while also letting her scale with Legend: Alacrity.
Top meta Kindred runes in Season 11
- Conqueror / Press The Attack
- Triumph
- Legend: Alacrity
- Coup de Grace
- Sudden Impact
- Ravenous Hunter
Kindred skins in League of Legends
Kindred definitely adds a new spin on League’s jungling experience, so if you want to try them out, this guide will go a long way to making sure that first game is a dub.