Volibear 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.

Our Volibear ARAM build is a bruiser-tank path: Riftmaker, Spirit Visage, Sunfire Aegis and Jak’Sho, The Protean on Mercury’s Treads. He dives with Stormbringer, stuns a carry with Thundering Smash and heals off Frenzied Maul. Riot buffs him here: 105% damage dealt, 95% damage taken, 105% healing.

Chosen from his kit only, no win-rate data.

How is Volibear changed in ARAM?

Three buffs, all in his favour. He deals 5% more, takes 5% less, and heals 5% more off Frenzied Maul. That last one matters most. A melee champion has to walk through a lot of poke on the Howling Abyss before he reaches anyone, and Riot clearly decided the bear needed help getting there in one piece (fair, given how many mages show up in random picks).

Why does Volibear suit the Howling Abyss?

He’s built to start fights and then stay in them. His kit on patch 26.22:

• The Relentless Storm (passive): attacks and abilities build Attack Speed until his attacks start zapping nearby enemies with magic damage.
• Thundering Smash (Q): extra speed toward enemies and a stun on the first one he attacks. Cooldown 12/11.5/11/10.5/10.
• Frenzied Maul (W): marks a target; hitting the same target again deals more damage and heals him. Cooldown 5.
• Sky Splitter (E): a delayed lightning strike that damages and slows, with a shield if he is inside the radius. Cooldown 16.
• Stormbringer (R): he leaps to a spot, slows and damages the enemies under him, gains bonus Health, and disables nearby enemy towers. Cooldown 160/135/110.

The Abyss is narrow, so Stormbringer usually lands on two or three people at once. Thundering Smash gives the speed he needs to cross the gap between teams, and once he’s in, the passive keeps stacking because the fight doesn’t end. The tower part of his ultimate is also real value here. With only one lane, a bear jumping under the outer turret and switching it off can turn a normal fight into a tower dive. Sky Splitter is the cherry on top: a shield and a slow on a group that can’t spread out (to be fair, they rarely try).

What should a Volibear ARAM build focus on?

Health, sustain, and damage that grows in long fights. Thing is, the 105% healing buff makes healing items better than usual.

Riftmaker first. Void Corruption adds up to 8% bonus damage as combat goes on, then gives Omnivamp at full strength, and Void Infusion converts 2% of his bonus Health into Ability Power, which feeds the magic damage on his passive and E. It also brings 350 Health and 70 Ability Power.

Spirit Visage second. Boundless Vitality raises heals and shields on him by 25%, so Frenzied Maul and the Sky Splitter shield both get bigger on top of the ARAM bonus. Magic Resist against mage-heavy random teams too.

Sunfire Aegis next, for Immolate’s magic damage around him after he deals or takes damage. Jak’Sho, The Protean closes the build: after 5 seconds of fighting champions, Voidborn Resilience raises his bonus Armor and Magic Resist by 30%. Mercury’s Treads add 30% Tenacity, which is a lot of value against random-champion crowd control.

How do you play Volibear in teamfights?

• Open with Stormbringer onto a group. It slows everyone under him and gives bonus Health.
• Follow with Thundering Smash on the carry, since the stun lands on his first attack.
• Double up Frenzied Maul. The second cast on the same target heals him, boosted by his 105% healing.
• Drop Sky Splitter on your own position when you need the shield.
• Dive the tower with your ultimate when your team can follow; it disables turrets near where he lands.

How do no-recall shopping and Mark shape his games?

Gold only gets spent when you die. Health components count toward almost every item in this build (all four legendaries list Health among their stats), so an early death is never wasted gold. Health relics on the map top him up between fights, and Frenzied Maul heals him in the middle of them.

Mark (the snowball) is a natural fit. If it hits, he dashes to the target, and Thundering Smash or Stormbringer follows immediately. Summoner spells can’t change after loading, so pick Mark with Flash and commit. Want a second engage on a slow champion? This is it. Honestly, it’s the best summoner he has on this map.

Is Volibear a good ARAM pick?

Yes, and a very good one. Three buffs, a tower-disabling dive and steady healing make him one of the safer melee champions to roll. Heavy kiting and Grievous Wounds are his real counters.

Meeting him in top lane instead? See our Volibear counters guide. Numbers for Riftmaker and the rest sit in our items database; the bear’s costumes are collected on the Volibear skins page.

Long story short, the Volibear ARAM build is Riftmaker, Spirit Visage, Sunfire Aegis and Jak’Sho, with Stormbringer opening every fight and Frenzied Maul keeping him alive inside it.

FAQ

What are Volibear’s ARAM modifiers?

Damage dealt 105%, damage taken 95% and healing 105%, according to wiki data for patch 26.22.

Why Spirit Visage on Volibear?

Boundless Vitality increases heals and shields on him, which boosts both the Frenzied Maul heal and the Sky Splitter shield.

Does Volibear’s ultimate work on towers in ARAM?

Yes. Stormbringer temporarily disables enemy towers near his landing location, which helps tower dives on the single lane.

How does Volibear heal?

By casting Frenzied Maul twice on the same target. The second cast deals bonus damage and heals him, and Riftmaker adds Omnivamp at full strength.

Should Volibear take Mark?

Usually yes. A snowball hit gives a dash to the target, which sets up Thundering Smash or Stormbringer.