Briar ARAM Build and Guide

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch; ARAM balance numbers come from the League of Legends Wiki’s champion data.

A Briar ARAM build turns her healing up: Ravenous Hydra and Sundered Sky feed the frenzy, Black Cleaver shreds Armor, and Death’s Dance smooths out the burst she takes while diving. Two ARAM buffs back that up: her damage dealt sits at 105% and her healing at 120%.

We built the list from her patch 26.21 kit and what each item’s text does for it. No win-rate site was involved.

What ARAM buffs does Briar get?

Thing is, she hits harder and heals more. Damage dealt rises to 105%, and healing goes to 120%, which matters enormously for a champion whose only sustain comes from dealing damage. Crimson Curse’s bleed heals her, Snack Attack heals her, Certain Death adds Life Steal, Chilling Scream heals while charging. Every one of those gets the bonus. Damage taken isn’t on the list, so it stays at the default (this is a buff-only package, which isn’t common).

How does Briar’s kit change on one lane?

Her abilities, as listed in Riot’s patch 26.21 data:

• Crimson Curse (passive): a stacking bleed from her attacks and abilities heals her, more at low Health; she has no innate Health regeneration.
• Head Rush (Q): a leap to a unit that stuns and breaks Armor. Cooldown 13/12/11/10/9.
• Blood Frenzy / Snack Attack (W): she chases the nearest enemy, champions first, with Attack Speed, Move Speed and area attacks; the recast bites for missing-Health damage and heals. Cooldown 14/13/12/11/10.
• Chilling Scream (E): ends the frenzy and charges a scream that slows, with damage reduction and healing while charging; a full charge knocks back and stuns on walls. Cooldown 16.
• Certain Death (R): marks the first champion hit, beelines to them, fears enemies nearby on arrival, and chases until death with resistances, Life Steal and Move Speed. Cooldown 120/100/80.

The lane decides who she chases. Blood Frenzy pursues the nearest enemy, and on a narrow lane the nearest enemy is often the tank, which is the single worst thing about Briar in ARAM. Certain Death fixes that: it marks the first champion it hits and runs her straight there, so aim it past the front line at someone squishy. Walls are everywhere on the Abyss. A fully charged Chilling Scream stuns anyone knocked into one, and the lane is lined with them. Her biggest gift from the mode? No recall means no regeneration for anyone, and she never had any to begin with.

What should a Briar ARAM build include?

Healing on every hit, Armor shred, and a way to survive the dive. Four items and boots.

Ravenous Hydra first. Cleave makes her attacks hit nearby enemies too, which stacks with Blood Frenzy’s area attacks, and the 12% Life Steal applies to both, healing off a whole group at 120%. Ravenous Crescent is an active that damages everyone around her, also with Life Steal. Funny enough, it’s also her best wave-clear item.

Sundered Sky second. Lightshield Strike makes her first attack against each champion Critically Strike and restore Health, and in a frenzy that hits whoever is closest, she touches a lot of champions per fight. It brings 400 Health as well, welcome on a champion who otherwise builds glass.

Black Cleaver third. Carve cuts the target’s Armor by 6% per stack for 6 seconds, up to 5 stacks, and Head Rush already breaks Armor, so the two together make tanks less of a wall. Fervor grants Move Speed after physical damage, which keeps her attached when a target tries to walk away.

Death’s Dance last. Ignore Pain spreads part of the damage she takes over 3 seconds, which buys time for her healing to catch up, and Defy cleanses the rest and heals her when a champion she hit dies. Plated Steelcaps cut damage from enemy attacks by 10%, a decent pick against ADC-heavy teams (sure, Mercury’s Treads are fine against heavy crowd control).

How should you play Briar on the Howling Abyss?

• Aim Certain Death past the tank. It marks the first champion hit, so pick a lane with a clear path to a carry.
• Avoid frenzy with a tank in front. Blood Frenzy goes for the nearest enemy, whoever that is.
• Charge Chilling Scream near walls. A full charge stuns enemies who collide with terrain.
• Bite late. Snack Attack deals more damage the more Health the target is missing.
• Head Rush the squishy, not the frontline. The stun and Armor break go to the unit you leap to.

How do fountain shopping and Mark work for Briar?

There’s no recall in ARAM. You shop at the fountain at the start and each time you respawn, so the first visit should get Ravenous Hydra built or close, since her healing in lane depends on it. Health relics matter more for her than for most fighters (no regeneration at all), so grab them when they spawn near you.

Spells lock before loading. Mark throws a snowball and lets her dash to the target, which on Briar is a way to pick a target that isn’t the nearest enemy, the one problem her frenzy has. Honestly, Mark plus Head Rush is a strong combo for her. Flash works for a surprise Chilling Scream into a wall. Which to take? Mark, most games, unless your team already has two hard engages and you’d rather hold Flash for the scream.

Is Briar good in ARAM?

Yes, with a caveat. 105% damage dealt and 120% healing make her one of the more rewarded fighters in the mode, and a lane full of walls helps Chilling Scream. The caveat: Blood Frenzy picks the nearest enemy, and in a clumped lane that’s often someone you didn’t want to fight.

Junglers who exploit her chase are listed in our Briar counters guide. Full item stats are on our League items page, the LoL roles breakdown covers the fighter role, and her skins sit on the Briar skins page.

Real talk, the Briar ARAM build is Ravenous Hydra, Sundered Sky, Black Cleaver and Death’s Dance with Plated Steelcaps, and the game plan is to choose your target with Certain Death before the frenzy chooses one for you.

FAQ

Is Briar buffed in ARAM?

Twice. On one lane her healing is 120% and her damage dealt is 105%, per the Wiki’s patch 26.21 numbers.

What is the best Briar ARAM build?

Ravenous Hydra, Sundered Sky, Black Cleaver and Death’s Dance, with Plated Steelcaps.

Why does Briar build Ravenous Hydra?

Cleave adds area damage to her attacks and the item’s Life Steal heals off all of it, which pairs with her ARAM healing buff.

Who does Briar attack during Blood Frenzy?

The nearest enemy, prioritizing champions. Certain Death lets her mark a specific champion instead.

How was this Briar build chosen?

From her patch 26.21 kit and item text: a healing buff on a damage-based healer points to Life Steal and on-hit healing. No win-rate data was used.