Attack speed (AS) measures how many times per second your champion throws a basic attack. It is a multiplier on your champion's base AS, so every percentage point of bonus AS translates directly into more attacks, more AD, more crit, more on-hit effects, and more life steal. The stat is hard-capped at 3.003 attacks per second for most champions, with a handful of exceptions. ADCs, on-hit fighters, and split-pushing bruisers prioritize stacking it because every other auto-attack stat scales linearly with it. Items and role guidance below.
How Attack Speed Works
Every champion has a base attack speed set at level 1. That number is also used as the champion's attack speed ratio, a multiplier that converts bonus AS percentages into actual attack speed. For the vast majority of champions, base AS and the ratio are equal, which simplifies the formula to:
total AS = base AS × (1 + bonus AS%)
If your champion has a base AS of 0.625 and you buy items totaling 100% bonus AS, your total AS is 0.625 × (1 + 1.0) = 1.25. The reverse conversion tells you time between attacks: seconds per attack = 1 ÷ total AS. At 1.25 AS, you attack every 0.8 seconds.
The bonus AS on your HUD is the sum of all percentage sources: items, runes, champion growth (leveling up), and ability buffs. They all add together before the ratio multiplier is applied.
AS to Attacks-per-Second: Conversion Table
The table below uses a 0.625 base AS champion (representative of Twisted Fate, Ashe, Caitlyn, and many others). Each row shows what happens to attack rate as you stack bonus AS from items and runes.
| Bonus AS | Total AS | Attacks/sec | Seconds per Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| +0% (base) | 0.625 | 0.63 | 1.60 |
| +30% | 0.81 | 0.81 | 1.23 |
| +60% | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| +100% | 1.25 | 1.25 | 0.80 |
| +150% | 1.56 | 1.56 | 0.64 |
| +200% | 1.88 | 1.88 | 0.53 |
| Hard cap: 3.003 AS for most champions (one attack per 0.333 seconds) | |||
At +60% bonus AS, a 0.625-base champion attacks every second, a clean benchmark for two-item ADC power spikes. At +100% AS (roughly three items deep), the same champion attacks 37.5% more often than at +60%. Every additional percentage point of AS has exactly the same proportional value regardless of how much you already have, because the formula is linear. There are no diminishing returns on attack speed.
The Attack Speed Cap
The hard cap is 3.003 attacks per second. A standard 0.625-base champion would need approximately 380% bonus AS to hit it, which is not achievable through normal item builds. The cap only becomes relevant when ability passives temporarily raise the ceiling, such as Hail of Blades.
Several champions have altered cap behavior:
- Bel'Veth: Her passive permanently raises the cap to 9999, allowing essentially uncapped attack speed from her ability stacks.
- Jinx: Get Excited! temporarily raises her cap to 90 on takedowns and structure kills, enabling a burst of attacks far beyond the normal limit.
- Jhin: Jhin cannot benefit from bonus AS at all. His only source of attack speed is his champion growth per level. He compensates through scaling bonus AD and crit damage per stack of AS he would otherwise have.
- Graves: His reload mechanic gives him a fixed attack timer independent of bonus AS. He can build crit and AD but AS items have minimal effect on his actual attack rate.
- Zeri: Her cap is reduced to 1.5; bonus AS above that converts into bonus AD on her Burst Fire instead of additional attack rate.
- Varus: Living Vengeance temporarily raises his cap to 3.33 after kills or assists.
All Attack Speed Items (2026)
| Item | Gold | AS | Crit | Other Stats | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phantom Dancer | 2,650 | 65% | 25% | 10 Move Speed | ADC |
| Wit's End | 2,800 | 50% | 0% | 45 Magic Resist, 20 Percent Tenacity | Fighter / On-hit |
| Nashor's Tooth | 2,900 | 50% | 0% | 15 Ability Haste, 80 AP | AP On-hit |
| Fiendhunter Bolts | 2,650 | 45% | 25% | 4 Move Speed | ADC |
| Gunmetal Greaves | 1,100 | 40% | 0% | 45 Move Speed, 5 Life Steal | ADC / Fighter |
| Runaan's Hurricane | 2,650 | 40% | 25% | 4 Move Speed | ADC |
| Navori Flickerblade | 2,650 | 40% | 25% | 4 Move Speed | ADC / Caster |
| Kraken Slayer | 3,000 | 40% | 0% | 45 AD, 4 Move Speed | ADC |
| Yun Tal Wildarrows | 3,100 | 40% | 0% | 50 AD | ADC |
| Rapid Firecannon | 2,650 | 35% | 25% | 4 Move Speed | ADC |
| Terminus | 3,000 | 35% | 0% | 30 AD | On-hit |
| Statikk Shiv | 3,000 | 30% | 0% | 40 AD, 45 AP, 4 Move Speed | ADC |
| Trinity Force | 3,333 | 30% | 0% | 15 Ability Haste, 36 AD, 333 HP | Bruiser |
| Berserker's Greaves | 1,100 | 25% | 0% | 45 Move Speed | ADC / Fighter |
| Guinsoo's Rageblade | 3,000 | 25% | 0% | 30 AD, 30 AP | On-hit ADC |
| Blade of The Ruined King | 3,200 | 25% | 0% | 40 AD, 10 Life Steal | Fighter / ADC |
| Stridebreaker | 3,300 | 25% | 0% | 40 AD, 450 HP | Bruiser |
| Experimental Hexplate | 3,000 | 20% | 0% | 40 AD, 450 HP | Bruiser |
| Dusk and Dawn | 3,100 | 20% | 0% | 20 Ability Haste, 300 HP, 60 AP | AP Hybrid |
| Stormrazor | 3,200 | 20% | 25% | 50 AD | ADC |
AS values from patch 16.9.1.
What distinguishes each item beyond its AS percentage:
- Phantom Dancer — highest AS of any SR item; also grants crit and a self-shield when HP drops low
- Wit's End — on-hit magic damage + MR shred + magic resist; on-hit fighters who also need to itemize against AP threat
- Nashor's Tooth — on-hit AP damage on every auto; core for AP champions who auto-attack (Kayle, Kog'Maw AP, Cassiopeia)
- Fiendhunter Bolts — crit + ult ability haste; next 3 autos after ult crit and gain 50% bonus AS for a burst window
- Gunmetal Greaves — AS boots with lifesteal; on-hit move speed when attacking champions for kiting and chase
- Runaan's Hurricane — chain-shots 2 nearby targets on each auto; multiplies single-target DPS into AOE for grouped fights
- Navori Flickerblade — crits reduce non-ultimate ability CDs; for ADCs whose abilities are part of their damage rotation
- Kraken Slayer — every 3rd auto deals 70% AD true damage; mandatory for marksmen whose damage is blocked by tanks
- Yun Tal Wildarrows — crit + stacking crit burst passive; crits build charge for a guaranteed crit on the next attack
- Rapid Firecannon — extends auto-attack range by 35% on the energized charge; safe auto poke from outside enemy threat range
- Terminus — alternates armor/MR shred on each hit; doubles the value of physical and magic on-hit effects
- Statikk Shiv — energized auto deals 80-120 chain damage to multiple targets; waveclear and skirmish tool for marksmen
- Trinity Force — Spellblade empowered auto after ability cast; converts the AS+ability rhythm into burst cadence for bruisers
- Berserker's Greaves — standard AS boots for ADCs and fighters; pure attack speed with no passive effect beyond the stat
- Guinsoo's Rageblade — converts crit chance to on-hit procs via Phantom Hit passive; doubles on-hit frequency for on-hit ADCs
- Blade of The Ruined King — 6% current HP on-hit physical damage + active that steals move speed; cornerstone on-hit for fighters
- Stridebreaker — slowing field on auto after ability cast; the Spellblade rhythm turns repeated autos into reliable engage
- Experimental Hexplate — grants bonus AS and move speed burst on ult cast; designed for ult-reliant fighters and juggernauts
- Dusk and Dawn — AP/AD spellblade with on-hit double-tap after ability cast; for hybrid champions that scale with both
- Stormrazor — energized auto slows on hit; crit + AS opener for ADCs who want to stick to or kite a target
Items by Archetype
ADC and Marksmen
Crit ADCs want AS paired with crit chance. Phantom Dancer leads with 65% AS (the highest of any single item) while also providing a self-shield. Yun Tal Wildarrows and Navori Flickerblade are the two other primary crit-AS items. Fiendhunter Bolts adds ult ability haste to the crit package, making it the right buy when your ultimate is part of your damage rotation.
Runaan's Hurricane is the AOE answer: the chain bolt hits two additional targets simultaneously, effectively tripling the number of enemies taking your auto damage in grouped fights. Rapid Firecannon extends auto-attack range by 35% on the energized stack: the right choice when staying out of CC range is more valuable than damage output. Berserker's Greaves and Gunmetal Greaves are the two AS boot options; Gunmetal Greaves adds lifesteal and on-hit move speed for champions that want the extra sustain and chase.
On-hit Fighters
On-hit builds want AS as a multiplier on their on-hit effects rather than on raw AD. Each percentage point of AS is a percentage point more on-hit procs per second.
- Kraken Slayer: every 3rd auto procs Bring It Down for bonus physical damage that scales with the target's missing health. Strong against high-HP frontlines for AD champions, especially when paired with a teammate who applies Grievous Wounds.
- Wit's End: On-hit magic damage and magic resist in one item. The right buy for melee fighters who are also itemizing against an AP threat.
- Guinsoo's Rageblade: Converts crit chance to on-hit procs via the Phantom Hit passive. Doubles the frequency of on-hit effects for champions who would otherwise over-cap on crit. Core for Vayne, Kog'Maw, and Kai'Sa.
- Terminus: Alternates armor shred and MR shred on each hit, doubling the value of physical and magic on-hit effects. Designed for sustained melee fighters who auto-attack repeatedly into mixed-resistance targets.
- Blade of the Ruined King: 6% current HP on-hit physical damage plus an active that steals move speed. The cornerstone on-hit item for champions who need to stick to targets or shred high-HP enemies.
Nashor's Tooth is the AP on-hit equivalent: 50% AS plus on-hit AP damage on every auto. Core for AP champions who auto-attack frequently, including Kayle, Kog'Maw (AP build), and Cassiopeia.
Bruisers and Split-Pushers
Bruisers build AS to make their ability-cast rhythm feel natural, not to stack auto-attack DPS in the same way ADCs do.
- Trinity Force: The Spellblade passive empowers the next auto after an ability cast with bonus AD equal to 200% of base AD. AS increases how quickly you return to auto range after a spell, tightening the gap between Spellblade windows.
- Stridebreaker: Same Spellblade mechanic as Trinity Force but the empowered auto creates a slowing field. AS converts the cast-auto-cast rhythm into a reliable engage loop.
- Experimental Hexplate: Grants bonus AS and move speed for several seconds after casting your ultimate. Designed for ult-reliant champions (Jarvan IV, Urgot, Hecarim) who want the burst of combat tempo after their engage.
Enchanters
Ardent Censer does not have an AS stat of its own, but its passive grants bonus AS and on-hit magic damage to any ally you heal or shield. The AS bonus is applied to the recipient, not the enchanter. Support champions like Lulu, Soraka, and Nami use it to amplify the attack tempo of the ADC they are protecting. The item belongs to the enchanter's build, not the carry's, but the carry is the one who feels the AS gain during fights.
Champion Kits That Multiply Attack Speed
Some champions have kits that directly reward high attack speed beyond the standard linear math.
Jinx benefits from AS through two mechanisms: her Q ability toggles between a minigun (Switcheroo!) that stacks bonus AS over 3 consecutive attacks, and a rocket launcher (AOE, no AS stack). High base AS makes the minigun ramp faster, and the rank-5 minigun is the highest in-kit AS bonus in the game. Her passive Get Excited! temporarily raises the AS cap to 90 on takedowns and structure kills, briefly removing the normal ceiling entirely.
Tristana's Explosive Charge bomb (E) detonates faster and its cast time scales with AS. A high-AS Tristana places and detonates the bomb in fewer frames, compressing her burst window and making it harder to interrupt.
Vayne's Silver Bolts (W) deals bonus true damage on every 3rd hit against the same target. Attack speed compresses how quickly she completes the three-hit cycle, making the Silver Bolts proc frequency scale directly with AS. Her Q tumble also provides a short burst of bonus AD that synergizes with the high auto-attack rate that AS items provide.
Kalista's passive, Martial Poise, lets her hop on each attack. The hop distance and overall mobility scale with her AS. High attack speed turns Kalista into a uniquely mobile auto-attacker whose repositioning between each shot is impossible to replicate on other champions.
Zeri converts excess AS above her 1.5 cap into bonus AD on her primary attack. She actively rewards building AS items past the point where the additional rate would otherwise be wasted.
Attack Speed in the Early Game
Base AS values are low early; 0.625 is typical. At that base, each percentage point of bonus AS adds 0.00625 attacks per second, which means flat AS items contribute more to your relative attack rate in the early game than in the late game when your base has grown from level-up scaling.
Berserker's Greaves at 1,100 gold delivers 25% AS for its price. At a 0.625 base, that converts to 0.78 total AS, a 25% relative increase for boots cost. The same gold spent later in the build on a 20% AS secondary-stat item is a smaller relative increase on a higher base.
That early AS advantage is also why AS-stacking runes (Lethal Tempo, Hail of Blades) are disproportionately strong in the early game: their bonus AS is applied to a small base, creating a larger temporary attack-rate gap between the rune holder and their target than the same rune would create at full build.
When to Build Attack Speed
Build attack speed when your champion's damage output scales through auto-attacks. The three clearest cases:
- Crit ADC (hyper carries like Jinx, Vayne, Tristana): AS multiplies the crit and AD on every attack. Stack AS alongside crit for the multiplicative DPS formula to take over.
- On-hit fighter (Kayle, Vayne, Kog'Maw, Master Yi): AS scales how often on-hit procs fire. Each additional attack per second is another Kraken Slayer proc, another Wit's End magic proc, another Silver Bolts stack.
- Split-pushing bruiser (Fiora, Camille, Irelia): AS makes the Spellblade rhythm tighter and tower plates fall faster. Building one or two AS items converts their kit's ability-auto cadence into a continuous pressure loop.
Do not build AS when your champion has no meaningful auto-attack output (mages, most supports), when your primary damage source is abilities with fixed cooldowns that AS does not reduce, or when the enemy team is building enough armor that the physical portion of your auto-attack damage is already mitigated past the point where more autos help. In those cases, lethality, percent armor penetration, or AP items will move the needle faster than a 40% AS item.
For role-specific build patterns, the ADC guide covers crit, on-hit, and ability-focused build paths and when to choose each.
