Aether Wisp

Aether Wisp is the caster component that adds speed to damage in League of Legends, giving 30 Ability Power together with 4% Move Speed for 900 gold in patch 26.21 and carrying no passive at all. It builds from a single Amplifying Tome with a 500 gold combine fee, and it leads to six finished items: Lich Bane, Cosmic Drive, Stormsurge, Shurelya’s Battlesong, Ardent Censer and Statikk Shiv.

What does Aether Wisp do?

30 Ability Power and 4% Move Speed, nothing else. The damage is a Tome and a half; the speed is the reason the item exists, because percent Move Speed on a caster is hard to find anywhere else for under 1000 gold.

Four percent does not sound like much, and in a straight line it is not. What it does is change the small moments: a Lulu who reaches the carry a step sooner, an Ahri who lands a charm because the target was one unit closer, a Twisted Fate who gets to the side lane before the wave crashes. Would anyone buy it just to walk faster? Only on champions who roam or kite for a living (Taliyah, Ahri and Twisted Fate come to mind), and even then the usual reason is that the finished item needs one, not that the stat is special on its own.

Is it gold efficient?

Exactly even: 100%. Priced by the basic items, 20 gold per point of Ability Power and 75 gold per percent of Move Speed, the two stats add up to 600 and 300 gold, 900 in total, on an item that costs 900.

The 500 gold combine fee is the large part of the price, more than the Tome inside it, and it is what you pay for the speed. Thing is, that fee makes the Wisp a worse hold than a Blasting Wand for raw damage and a better one for anyone whose finished item needs it, and since six items do, the question answers itself most of the time. The sell price is 630 gold.

What does Aether Wisp build into?

Six items, split across mages, enchanters and one marksman item:

• Mage items: Lich Bane, Cosmic Drive and Stormsurge.
• Enchanter items: Shurelya’s Battlesong and Ardent Censer.
• Marksman: Statikk Shiv.

So the Wisp is a mobility component for casters, and honestly the six upgrades share that theme more than they share a class: every one of them either gives Move Speed or rewards you for moving. The one odd member is Statikk Shiv, the only non-caster item in the list, which uses the Wisp’s speed for a marksman who clears waves and roams. Prices for all six are in the LoL items database.

Who buys it?

Mages heading to Lich Bane, Cosmic Drive or Stormsurge: Fizz, Ekko, Ahri, Kassadin, Taliyah, Twisted Fate, Syndra in some builds. Enchanters heading to Shurelya’s or Ardent: Lulu, Janna, Nami, Karma, Milio. Marksmen heading to Statikk Shiv, usually as a second item. Who skips it? Mages whose builds run through Lost Chapter and Fiendish Codex instead (Luden’s, Liandry’s, Cryptbloom), supports who build Redemption or Moonstone first, and anyone who wants Ability Power without caring about speed, for whom a Blasting Wand does more per gold.

How has Aether Wisp changed over the patches?

Twice in over a decade. The item appeared in patch 4.5, and the record since is two price moves and one stat trim:

• Patch 5.2: Cost 950 → 850 gold.
• Patch 14.19: Cost 850 → 900 gold, Move Speed 5% → 4%.

Put simply, Riot has left the Wisp alone through two full item overhauls, and the 14.19 change was a small nerf that brought it in line with the other Move Speed components, which lost a percent in the same patch. For what it’s worth, the 30 Ability Power has never changed, which makes the Wisp one of the most stable Ability Power items in the shop.

When should you buy it?

On the recall where you have 900 gold and your next finished item starts with one, which for most of its users means the first or second back. An Amplifying Tome on its own is the right placeholder if you are short, since it feeds everything. Funny enough, the Wisp is also a reasonable thing to sit on for a while, because the Move Speed works fully on its own and some mages hold it until the third item slot before finishing Cosmic Drive. If you are still deciding whether your champion is a roaming caster or a stationary one, the guide to LoL roles explains what mid laners and supports are built around, and Aether Wisp is the component the mobile half of both groups shares.

FAQ

How much does Aether Wisp cost?

900 gold in patch 26.21. The Amplifying Tome inside is 400 of that and the combine step 500; selling returns 630 gold.

What stats does it give?

30 Ability Power and 4% Move Speed.

Does it have a passive?

No. It is a two-stat component.

What does it build into?

Lich Bane, Cosmic Drive, Stormsurge, Shurelya’s Battlesong, Ardent Censer and Statikk Shiv.

When was it last changed?

Patch 14.19 is the last entry: 50 gold added to the price and one percent taken off the Move Speed.

Aether Wisp or Blasting Wand?

Blasting Wand for more Ability Power per gold toward Rabadon’s or Luden’s; Aether Wisp if your finished item needs it or your champion wants the Move Speed.