Kled 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 Kled ARAM build is an engage-fighter path, Armor shred, Health and Ultimate Ability Haste so Chaaaaaaaarge! comes back for more fights. His ARAM line is short. 105% damage dealt, damage taken left at 100%: a small push in his favor.

We chose each item by reading Kled’s patch 26.21 abilities and the item’s own effects. Win-rate data stayed out of it.

How is Kled changed in ARAM?

A mild buff and nothing else. Kled deals 105% damage here, while the damage taken line stays at 100%, the same as Summoner’s Rift. That extra damage applies to both forms, mounted and on foot. Small? Yes. But Kled spends ARAM fights in the middle of the enemy team, swinging at whoever is closest, so a few percent turns up on every hook, every Jousting pass and every one of the four Violent Tendencies attacks (and he takes a lot of swings per fight).

Why does Kled fit the Howling Abyss?

His kit is all engage, and ARAM is a mode where somebody has to start the fight. Riot’s patch 26.21 data:

• Skaarl, the Cowardly Lizard (passive): Skaarl absorbs damage for Kled; when Skaarl’s Health runs out, Kled dismounts, his abilities change and he deals less damage to champions, and full courage from fighting puts him back in the saddle.
• Bear Trap on a Rope (Q): hooks an enemy champion, and if the shackle holds briefly, yanks them toward Kled for extra physical damage. On foot it becomes Pocket Pistol, which knocks Kled back and restores courage. Cooldown 11/10/9/8/7.
• Violent Tendencies (W): four attacks at massive Attack Speed, the last one hitting harder. Cooldown 13/12/11/10/9.
• Jousting (E): a damaging dash with a speed burst, recastable to dash back through the first target. Cooldown 13/12/11/10/9.
• Chaaaaaaaarge! (R): a long charge that leaves a speed trail for allies, shields Kled and Skaarl, and rams the first enemy champion encountered. Cooldown 140/125/110.

Chaaaaaaaarge! is the ARAM ability. It leaves a trail that speeds up his allies, so when Kled goes, his team goes with him, and the narrow lane means the first enemy champion Skaarl rams is usually the front of a bunched-up team. The passive also suits the mode. Kled effectively has two Health bars, and the second one refills through fighting, which ARAM provides nonstop. The weak point? Range. At 125, he needs the charge or Jousting to reach anyone, and a team with good disengage can make him wait.

What should a Kled ARAM build focus on?

Attack Damage with Health, Armor shred for the tanks in front, and Ultimate Ability Haste so the charge comes back sooner. Four items and boots.

Black Cleaver starts it. Kled’s hook, Jousting and attacks all deal physical damage, so Carve stacks fast: each hit lowers the target’s Armor by 6% for 6 seconds, up to 5 times. Alongside 45 Attack Damage, 400 Health and 20 Ability Haste, Fervor’s Move Speed after physical damage keeps him glued to the target once Jousting is spent.

Experimental Hexplate goes second, for a reason specific to Kled. Hexcharged gives 30 Ultimate Ability Haste, and Chaaaaaaaarge! sits on a 140 second cooldown at rank 1, the longest in his kit by far. Overdrive then grants Attack Speed and Move Speed for 8 seconds after casting the ultimate, which turns the end of the charge into a brawl he’s ready for. The item also brings 40 Attack Damage, 20% Attack Speed and 450 Health.

Third pick is Sterak’s Gage: a fat 400 Health, 20% Tenacity, and The Claws that Catch quietly topping up his Attack Damage (look, it’s the standard fighter item for a reason). Lifeline shields him for 4.5 seconds when damage would push him below 30% Health. A Kled who charges into five people needs both halves: Tenacity to keep swinging through crowd control, and a shield to survive the focus.

Death’s Dance or Maw of Malmortius closes it out, depending on the enemy damage. Death’s Dance gives 50 Armor and delays part of incoming damage over 3 seconds, cleansing the rest when a champion he hit recently dies. Maw gives 40 Magic Resist and a magic damage shield when he drops low (handy against burst mages). Boots: Plated Steelcaps or Mercury’s Treads, based on the same read.

How do you play Kled on the Howling Abyss?

• Charge so your team can follow. The ultimate leaves a speed trail for allies, so start it from close to your team, not from the back alone.
• Hook the champion who can’t escape. Bear Trap on a Rope only yanks and deals its extra damage if they stay shackled, so dash-less targets are best.
• Save the Jousting recast. The second dash goes back through the first target, which works as a chase or as a way out.
• Use Violent Tendencies on the target already low. Four fast attacks with a stronger fourth finish a fight better than they start one.
• Keep fighting when dismounted. Courage comes back from fighting enemies, and full courage puts him back on Skaarl.

How do shopping and summoner spells work for Kled?

There’s no recall in this mode. You shop at the fountain at the start and after every death, so the first trip should go toward Black Cleaver components, since Carve helps from the first item. Kled dies a lot in ARAM by design. That’s fine. Every respawn is a chance to finish the next item, and the Health relics along the lane top him up between charges.

Thing is, you lock summoners in during champion select and live with them. The snowball, Mark, turns a hit into a free dash onto that champion. On Kled, that’s a third gap closer next to Jousting and the charge, and real talk, on a champion whose job is getting onto people, that’s worth more than Flash in most ARAM games.

Is Kled good in ARAM?

Yes, as an engage fighter. With 105% damage dealt and 100% damage taken, he plays a slightly buffed version of his usual kit, and that kit is built around starting fights, which ARAM always needs. To be fair, he struggles against teams with lots of knockbacks and slows, since everything he does depends on getting there.

On the Rift he’s a top laner, and the five picks that give him the most trouble there are in the Kled counters guide. Our guide to LoL roles explains top lane fighters on the Rift, the LoL items database has the full stats for every item above, and the Kled skins page shows his cosmetics.

Put simply, the Kled ARAM build is Black Cleaver, Experimental Hexplate, Sterak’s Gage and Death’s Dance or Maw, and the plan is a charge with your team right behind you.

FAQ

Is Kled buffed in ARAM?

Slightly. The Wiki’s patch 26.21 data gives Kled 105% damage dealt and 100% damage taken in ARAM.

What items does the Kled ARAM build use?

Black Cleaver, Experimental Hexplate, Sterak’s Gage, and Death’s Dance or Maw of Malmortius, with Plated Steelcaps or Mercury’s Treads.

Why build Experimental Hexplate on Kled?

Hexcharged adds Ultimate Ability Haste, which shortens the long cooldown on Chaaaaaaaarge!, and Overdrive grants Attack Speed and Move Speed for 8 seconds after he casts it.

Should Kled take Mark?

Often, yes. Mark lets him dash to the champion it hits, adding a third gap closer to Jousting and his ultimate.

Were win rates used for this build?

No. Honestly, the build follows from two facts in his patch 26.21 kit: the ultimate has a huge cooldown, and everything else is physical damage up close.