Sett ARAM Build and Guide

Updated for patch 26.22. 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 Sett ARAM build is bruiser Health with a slow attached: Stridebreaker to hold enemies for Facebreaker, Sterak’s Gage for the second shield, Overlord’s Bloodmail to turn all that Health into punches. He needs it, because the Howling Abyss hits him four times. Sett deals 90% damage, takes 110% damage, heals at 90% and shields at 90% in ARAM.

Every item here answers something in his patch 26.22 kit, and no win-rate chart was opened while picking them.

How is Sett changed in ARAM?

Four nerfs, and they stack in an ugly way. His punches deal 10% less, he takes 10% more, and the shield from Haymaker is cut by 10% because shielding sits at 90%. Why so harsh? One lane feeds his passive Grit constantly, and Facebreaker in a corridor nearly always finds enemies on both sides of him. Riot clearly decided that a champion who stores damage and returns it as true damage gets too much from a map where damage never stops. In practice, the damage taken nerf is the one you feel: Grit fills faster, but so does the respawn timer.

Why does Sett still fit the Howling Abyss?

Because Haymaker and Facebreaker want crowds, and the Abyss provides nothing but crowds. His patch 26.22 abilities:

• Pit Grit (passive): his attacks alternate left and right punches, the right one stronger and faster, and he regenerates extra Health based on missing Health.
• Knuckle Down (Q): two attacks with bonus damage based on the target’s max Health, plus Move Speed toward enemy champions. Cooldown 9/8/7/6/5.
• Haymaker (W): he stores damage taken as Grit and spends it for a shield and a punch, true damage in the center and physical damage on the sides. Cooldown 18/16.5/15/13.5/12.
• Facebreaker (E): pulls enemies on opposite sides into each other, damaging and stunning them, or slowing them if they were all on one side. Cooldown 16/14.5/13/11.5/10.
• The Show Stopper (R): he carries an enemy champion through the air and slams them down, damaging and slowing everyone near the landing. Cooldown 120/100/80.

Picture the standard ARAM fight: five enemies in a line, poke flying, nobody committing. Sett walks in with Knuckle Down speed, takes a storm of damage, and that damage becomes Grit. One Haymaker through the middle of the clump returns it as true damage to everyone in the center. Facebreaker stuns anyone he manages to get between, and The Show Stopper picks up their tank and drops it on their carries (the slam slows everybody around the landing spot, which sets up the next Haymaker). Honestly, the nerfs don’t change what he does. They change how many times he gets to do it before dying.

What should a Sett ARAM build focus on?

Health first, since his Attack Damage items here should carry Health anyway, then Tenacity and a slow. He has no gap closer beyond Knuckle Down’s Move Speed, and at 125 range that’s a problem.

Stridebreaker is the first buy. Its active, Breaking Shockwave, hits nearby enemies for physical damage and slows them by 35%, while Sett gains 35% decaying Move Speed per champion hit for 3 seconds (one cast into a clump makes him faster than anyone in it). That’s how he catches a poke team: activate it as he walks in, slow the whole front, then Facebreaker. Cleave makes his punches hit nearby enemies too, and the item brings 450 Health and 25% Attack Speed with its 40 Attack Damage.

Sterak’s Gage comes second. When a hit would drop him below 30% Health, Lifeline throws up a decaying shield that lasts 4.5 seconds; The Claws that Catch adds bonus Attack Damage on top, and the 20% Tenacity shortens every stun that would otherwise interrupt Haymaker. Sure, the shield is cut by the 90% shielding modifier (so is Haymaker’s own), but a second shield on a champion who gets focused is still a second shield.

Overlord’s Bloodmail is third. Tyranny converts 2.5% of his bonus Health into Attack Damage, and Retribution grants up to 10% more Attack Damage based on missing Health, which is exactly when Pit Grit is also working hardest. The item itself brings 550 Health and 40 Attack Damage.

Jak’Sho, The Protean closes it, because its Voidborn Resilience raises bonus Armor and Magic Resist by 30% after 5 seconds of champion combat, and he’s never in a fight shorter than that. Mercury’s Treads add 30% Tenacity on top of Sterak’s, which matters when the enemy team has three stuns.

How do you play Sett on the Howling Abyss?

• Walk in with Grit, not without it. Haymaker’s punch and shield both scale with stored damage; an empty bar means a weak W.
• Aim Haymaker’s center at the carries. True damage ignores their Armor, and the sides only deal physical damage.
• Slow before you pull. Stridebreaker’s active holds enemies in place long enough for Facebreaker to find targets on both sides.
• Carry their frontliner into their backline with The Show Stopper. The landing slows everyone nearby.
• Don’t chase at low Health. Pit Grit regenerates faster when he’s low, so step back and let it work.

How do no-recall shopping and Mark change the plan?

No recall means his first big item arrives at the first respawn or later, and with 110% damage taken, that respawn tends to come early. Stridebreaker at 3,300 gold is a long save for a Sett ARAM game. Buying a Health component first is fine; the Health feeds Overlord’s Bloodmail later anyway. Health relics along the lane are his healing between deaths, and Pit Grit covers the gaps (slowly, with healing at 90%).

Mark throws a snowball, and a hit grants a dash onto the target. Summoner spells lock before loading, so pick once. For Sett, Mark fixes his biggest problem: he has no dash of his own. Snowball the carry, dash in, Facebreaker, Haymaker. Is it better than Flash? Funny enough, on him it often is, because Flash is one escape and Mark is a fight starter every time it comes back.

Is Sett good in ARAM?

A Sett ARAM game is fine, not great. The 90% damage, 110% damage taken, 90% healing and 90% shielding modifiers are a lot of nerfs for one champion, and a poke team can keep him off the relics all game. What saves him is the clump. Haymaker through five enemies is still true damage to the middle, and Facebreaker in a corridor still stuns.

His Summoner’s Rift matchups are in the Sett counters guide, and the top lane job he usually does is explained in our LoL roles overview. Item stats are listed in the League items database, and his skins fill the Sett skins page.

Long story short, the Sett ARAM build is Stridebreaker, Sterak’s Gage, Overlord’s Bloodmail and Jak’Sho on Mercury’s Treads, with Mark to get him into punching range.

FAQ

How many nerfs does he carry on the Howling Abyss?

Yes, four times. Wiki data for patch 26.22 lists 90% damage dealt, 110% damage taken, 90% healing and 90% shielding.

What items should Sett build in ARAM?

Stridebreaker, Sterak’s Gage, Overlord’s Bloodmail and Jak’Sho, The Protean, with Mercury’s Treads.

Does the shielding nerf affect Haymaker?

Yes. Haymaker grants a shield when cast, and shields on Sett are reduced to 90% in ARAM.

Should he take Mark or Flash?

It’s a strong choice. He has no dash, and Mark grants one onto any champion the snowball hits, which sets up Facebreaker and Haymaker.

How was this build picked?

Each item covers a line of his patch 26.22 ability text. No win-rate data was consulted.