The Best DPS Champions in League of Legends

Discover the powerhouses of the League of Legends battlefield with our detailed guide to the best DPS champions. Whether you’re looking to dominate in solo queue or shine in team fights, understanding which champions excel in dealing sustained damage can dramatically elevate your gameplay. This article highlights the top performers in the DPS category, offering insights into their abilities, ideal build paths, and strategies to maximize their effectiveness in various game phases. Join us as we explore these champions and how they can help you secure victories and climb the ranks.

#5: Twitch

At number five on our list, Twitch, the Plague Rat, shines as an unparalleled force in late-game team fights, especially when enemies cluster together. His kit revolves around his abilities, Ambush and Spray and Pray, which when combined, can decimate entire teams from a distance they can barely perceive.

Twitch’s Ambush provides a stealth mechanic that not only allows for strategic positioning but also boosts his attack speed upon breaking stealth. This positions him to strategically initiate his ultimate, Spray and Pray, while hidden, catching opponents off-guard at the most opportune moment.

Once engaged, Twitch’s impact is formidable. Exiting stealth triggers a significant attack speed increase, enabling him to rapidly apply stacks of Deadly Venom, which inflicts true damage over time. This onslaught is further amplified by his Contaminate ability, which explodes all venom stacks on enemies for substantial burst damage, scaling with the number of stacks applied.

While it’s idealistic to hit all five opponents, the reality of piercing through even a few targets with Spray and Pray, complemented by the bonus from Ambush, underscores Twitch’s potential to unleash devastating DPS in crucial team clashes.

#4: Jinx

Jinx, the Loose Cannon, emerges as the fourth-ranked DPS champion in League of Legends, wielding her unique arsenal to devastating effect. Her capacity to alternate between two weapons allows her to adapt to different combat scenarios, excelling in both sustained single-target and expansive area damage.

The core of her DPS prowess lies in her minigun, affectionately named Pow-Pow. This weapon not only boasts a solid base attack speed but also enhances this speed by 15% for each attack, stacking up to three times for a maximum boost of 130%. This mechanic allows Jinx to ramp up her firing rate during prolonged engagements, perfectly complementing a typical ADC build focused on attack damage and speed.

However, the real game-changer is Jinx’s passive, Get Excited, which propels her capabilities to new heights. Whenever a champion, turret, or inhibitor falls within three seconds of being hit by Jinx, she gains a substantial boost to both attack speed and movement speed. This enables her to surge in effectiveness during critical moments like pushing objectives or in the thick of team fights, where her ramped-up state can often turn the tide.

While she may not match Twitch’s peak burst potential in clustered team fights, Jinx offers a more consistent output of high DPS, thanks to her ability to sustain rapid fire from her minigun. The flexibility to switch to her rocket launcher, Fishbones, for occasional bursts of area damage adds another layer to her strategic utility, ensuring she remains a formidable force in any match.

#3: Kog’Maw

Kog’Maw, known as the Mouth of the Abyss, excels in delivering formidable DPS in League of Legends, particularly when he leverages his abilities to maximize armor penetration and health-based damage. This champion becomes a significant threat in the later stages of a game with a full item build that amplifies his natural damage output to almost overwhelming levels.

The core of Kog’Maw’s DPS arsenal lies in his two primary abilities: Caustic Spittle and Bio-Arcane Barrage. Caustic Spittle fires a damaging projectile that not only harms but also strips away a portion of the target’s armor and magic resistance, enhancing subsequent attacks. More crucially, it boosts Kog’Maw’s attack speed significantly, setting the stage for his primary weapon, Bio-Arcane Barrage. When activated, this ability grants Kog’Maw an extended attack range and converts his basic attacks to inflict additional magic damage based on a percentage of the target’s maximum health.

Should enemies attempt to retreat, Kog’Maw’s Living Artillery becomes a tool of long-range retribution, dealing increased damage to those under 40% health, making it particularly effective at finishing off fleeing opponents. However, strategic mana management is essential, as the mana cost of Living Artillery escalates with each successive use within a short timeframe.

Though Kog’Maw’s peak damage output occurs within relatively brief bursts, these moments can decisively tear through enemy lines during late-game team fights, often securing key eliminations that pave the way to victory. His ability to deal consistent, high-volume damage from a distance makes him a pivotal asset in drawn-out engagements.

#2: Vayne

Vayne excels in single-target destruction within League of Legends, making her a formidable choice for players aiming to dismantle high-health opponents rapidly. Her exceptional single-target DPS becomes particularly lethal when she’s fully geared, capable of swiftly eliminating adversaries with her rapid, impactful auto attacks.

The cornerstone of Vayne’s DPS capability is her Silver Bolts ability, which ensures every third consecutive hit on the same target inflicts additional true damage based on a percentage of the target’s maximum health. This damage bypasses all forms of damage reduction, rendering enemy armor and health stacking efforts ineffective. This mechanic demands precise target focus, as shifting attacks before landing the third strike greatly diminishes her damage output.

This ability to slice through defensive stats showcases why Vayne is such an unstoppable force against tankier foes. Supplementing her kit, Vayne’s ultimate, Final Hour, significantly boosts her damage output and stealth capabilities, ideal for initiating major confrontations or turning the tides in team fights. Integrating her Tumble effectively, which resets her basic attack timer and enhances her next attack, allows for quicker accumulation of Silver Bolts, enabling her to dispatch her third, devastating hit more frequently.

#1: Karthus

Shifting focus from marksmen to magic damage dealers in League of Legends, Karthus stands out as a champion who bridges the gap between burst and sustained damage output. Unlike many mages who specialize in quick, explosive damage, Karthus excels in delivering relentless, sustained magic damage, making him a unique threat on the battlefield.

Central to Karthus’s kit is his Q ability, Lay Waste, which rapidly bombards a small area with damaging energy, striking all enemies within its radius. Its true power unfolds with its extremely short cooldown of just one second, enabling a continuous barrage of spells as long as Karthus’s mana pool allows.

When targeting a single enemy, Lay Waste inflicts double damage, allowing Karthus to swiftly dismantle isolated targets. Conversely, in crowded skirmishes where foes cluster together, this ability scales up his damage output, spreading devastation across multiple adversaries simultaneously.

Adding to his arsenal is Karthus’s Defile ability, which emits a persistent aura of magic damage, punishing anyone daring enough to remain close. His notorious ultimate, Requiem, further extends his reach by dealing significant damage to all enemy champions across the map, regardless of their position.

Notably, Karthus’s passive allows him to continue casting spells for seven seconds post-mortem, ensuring that his presence is felt even beyond death. This unique trait can turn the tide of fights, making him a formidable force that can influence outcomes even from the grave.

Conclusion

Mastering the best DPS champions in League of Legends can significantly enhance your gameplay and team strategy. From Twitch’s ambush tactics and Jinx’s rapid fire capabilities, to Vayne’s devastating single-target focus, each champion offers unique advantages that can dominate in various game phases. Kog’Maw’s exceptional ability to shred through opponents’ defenses and Karthus’s relentless area-of-effect damage exemplify the diverse approaches to achieving high DPS. By understanding and utilizing these champions’ strengths, players can make informed choices to suit their play style and team needs, potentially swinging the momentum of battles in their favor and climbing the ranks in competitive play.