Garen is one of League of Legends‘ most iconic champions, and although he is one of the easier characters to learn, mastering him can be a challenge. Here’s a rundown of what runes and items you should run on the Might of Demacia.
As one of the oldest Juggernauts in the game, originally released back in 2010, Garen has long served as one of the poster children of LoL.
Even with League’s ever-changing meta, Garen always seems to find a place as an absolute force in the game. If you are looking to play him for the first time, or are a mastery level 7 player, we’ve got everything you need to know to play Garen in Season 12.
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Who is Garen?
Garen is a noble soldier hailing from Demacia. As the well-respected head of the Dauntless Vanguard, Garen defends Demacia with his magic-resistant armor and mighty broadsword.
He is the older brother of Lux and the heir to the Crownguard family, and has dedicated himself to battling against sorcerers and mages on the battlefield.
On Summoner’s Rift, Garen is a top-lane Juggernaut who utilizes high damage and movement speed to run down his opponents.
Garen abilities & gameplay
Garen’s kit is one of the easiest in the game to execute. It’s highlighted by high amounts of toughness and damage, as he’s able to soak up as much damage as he can dish out. The Demacian’s Decisive Strike (Q) grants him a burst of movement speed and frees him of any slows as he strikes and silences his target.
Decisive Strike synergizes perfectly with Judgement (E) which has Garen spin his sword in a circle damaging all nearby enemies. Silence your target with Q, then mow them over with Judgement. Garen’s Q can help him either hunt down enemy targets or allow him to exit a fight with incredible speed.
If you need to survive burst damage or escape in a pinch, then utilize Courage (W) to grant yourself a shield and increased tenacity.
Garen’s ultimate ability, Demacian Justice (R), calls down a massive sword to deal missing health true damage to a single target. If your Decisive Strike into Judgement combo can’t finish off a target, Demacian Justice surely will.
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- Passive: Perseverance — If Garen has not recently been struck by damage or enemy abilities, he regenerates a percentage of his total health each second.
- Q: Decisive Strike — Garen gains a burst of Move Speed, breaking free of all slows affecting him. His next attack strikes a vital area of his foe, dealing bonus damage and silencing them.
- W: Courage — Garen passively increases his armor and magic resist by killing enemies. He may also activate this ability to give him a shield and tenacity for a brief moment followed by a lesser amount of damage reduction for a longer duration.
- E: Judgement — Garen rapidly spins his sword around his body, dealing physical damage to nearby enemies.
- R: Demacian Justice — Garen calls upon the might of Demacia to attempt to execute an enemy champion.
Best build for Garen
Garen is best built with items that grant him high amounts of attack speed and health to survive team fights.
For this, look to buy Stridebreaker as your Mythic item. This item grants Garen all the stats needed, plus an active ability that allows him to slow those within his melee range. Since Judgement (E) scales with attack speed, Berserker’s Greaves are great to buy even before your Mythic item.
To offset the lack of tankiness coming from your boots, it’s good to pick up Dead Man’s Plate and Force of Nature later into the match. Mortal Reminder is also a great item to reduce healing on opponents while picking up extra attack speed.
Top meta builds for Garen in Season 12
- Mythic Item: Stridebreaker
- Boots: Berserker’s Greaves
- Starting Item: Doran’s Shield
- Mortal Reminder
- Dead Man’s Plate
- Black Cleaver
- Death’s Dance
- Force of Nature
Best runes for Garen
Garen’s most consistent rune to take is Conqueror, as it allows him to ramp up damage in during fights and gives him access to the Precision tree.
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While this rune has been a staple for Garen for quite some time, Phase Rush has also become one of the better options for Garen as well as he benefits greatly from the increased movement speed PR grants him.
After Conqueror, look to take Triumph as well as Legend: Tenacity and Last Stand. For secondary runes, look for the Domination tree and grab Conditioning and Overgrowth which will help you scale into the mid and late game.
Top meta Garen runes for Season 12
- Conqueror
- Triumph
- Legend: Tenacity
- Last Stand
- Conditioning
- Overgrowth
Garen skins in League of Legends
| Skin | Cost (RP) |
| Sanguine Garen | 520 |
| Desert Trooper Garen | 520 |
| Commando Garen | 520 |
| Rugged Garen | 750 |
| Rogue Admiral Garen | 750 |
| Dreadknight Garen | 975 |
| Steel Legion Garen | 1350 |
| Demacia Vice Garen | 1350 |
| Mecha Kingdoms Garen | 1350 |
| Battle Academia Garen | 1350 |
| Warring Kingdoms Garen | 1350 |
| God-King Garen | 1820 |
| Prestige Mecha Kingdoms Garen | Mythic Essence |
Garen may be one of the older champions on League of Legends, but with such a powerful and easy kit, he will always have a special place on Summoner’s Rift.
Looking to outwit your foes on Summoner’s Rift? Be sure to check out our other champion guides:
Ahri guide | Akali guide | Amumu guide | Blitzcrank guide | Caitlyn guide | Camile guide | Evelynn guide | Graves Guide | Hecarim guide | Irelia guide | Karma guide | Kayn guide | Kindred guide | Lulu guide | Nami guide | Malzahar guide | Sona guide | Swain guide | Tahm Kench guide | Taliyah guide | Thresh guide | Warwick guide | Varus guide | Vex guide | Yuumi guide