What is Critical Strike in League of Legends?

In League of Legends, a critical strike occurs when a champion deals 175% of their usual damage in a single hit, indicated by a unique damage icon. This enhanced damage applies to basic attacks and can also be triggered by certain abilities or items equipped by the champion.

The likelihood of executing a critical strike is determined by the ‘critical strike chance’—a statistical probability that quantifies how often the champion can achieve this higher damage output. This mechanism adds a strategic element to gameplay, influencing item choices and combat tactics.

How does Critical Strike work in League of Legends?

Critical strike in League of Legends isn’t a stat that increases through champion leveling, but through the acquisition of specific items and skills that grant a probability of landing enhanced attacks. This “critical strike chance” represents the likelihood that a given basic attack will deal increased damage, defined as 175% of the normal attack damage.

The mechanics of critical strike chance operate on a dynamic system to prevent streaks of luck, both good and bad. If you land several critical hits in succession, the probability of the next hit being critical decreases slightly, while a string of regular hits increases the likelihood of the next hit being a critical. This ensures more consistent damage output over time.

Each percentage point of critical strike chance roughly translates to an additional 0.75% in overall damage output. Therefore, stacking items that enhance critical chance can significantly boost your damage per second (DPS). For example, having a 50% critical strike chance essentially increases your DPS by 37.5% over having no critical chance at all.

To calculate the impact of critical strike on your damage output, the formula used is:

Damage Multiplier = 1 + (Critical Strike Chance x (0.75 + Bonus Critical Strike Damage))

This formula demonstrates how critical strike can scale a champion’s damage, making critical strike investment crucial for champions who rely heavily on basic attacks, such as ADCs, to escalate their damage as the game progresses.

Conclusion

Understanding critical strikes in League of Legends is essential for optimizing damage output, particularly for champions reliant on basic attacks. Critical strikes allow attacks to deal significantly more damage, and the likelihood of these powerful hits is determined by the critical strike chance, which can be enhanced through specific items and abilities. As such, building an effective critical strike chance is not only about increasing the frequency of crits but also about strategically enhancing overall damage potential in the late game. Mastering the use and benefits of critical strikes can significantly impact a player’s effectiveness in both skirmishes and team fights, making it a crucial element in the arsenal of ADCs and other auto-attack-focused champions.