Boots of Swiftness

Boots of Swiftness are 1,000 gold boots in League of Legends built purely for movement: 55 Move Speed in patch 26.21, the highest flat number among the standard boots, plus the Fleetfooted passive that cuts the effectiveness of slows by 25%. They trade combat stats for getting where you need to be, and staying mobile once you’re there.

What does Fleetfooted do?

It weakens every slow that hits you by 25%. A slow that would normally take away a big chunk of your speed takes noticeably less, so you keep moving through the kind of chip crowd control that usually decides whether you escape or get caught.

Slows are everywhere in League. Many champions apply them with basic abilities, and some with every basic attack, which makes the passive useful in almost any matchup. That said, it does nothing against stuns, roots or knock-ups (those are hard crowd control, a different category), and that’s where Tenacity boots come in instead.

Are Swiftness boots worth the gold?

They score 66% on raw stats. Move Speed is the only priced stat: 55 points at 12 gold each come to 660 gold, against a 1,000 gold cost.

Why so low? Boots are priced with the basic Boots already inside them, and flat Move Speed from basic items is expensive per point, which drags the number down for every pair. The catch is that the slow reduction isn’t priced at all. Put simply, the value of these boots is mobility you can’t buy anywhere else on a single slot, and the 66% figure only captures part of it.

How do you build them, and what’s the upgrade?

Buy Boots (300 gold), then pay 700 gold. Two steps, nothing else.

Later in the game they upgrade into Swiftmarch, which raises the Move Speed to 65, keeps Fleetfooted, and adds Noxian Fervor: you gain 5% of your Move Speed as Adaptive Force (Ability Power or Attack Damage, whichever your champion uses). For what it’s worth, that turns the extra speed into a small damage bonus too.

How have Swiftness boots changed?

Riot’s data has them from 2013, and most of the history is rewording. The stat and cost changes in recent seasons:

• Patch 14.15: cost 900 → 1,000 gold.
• Patch 25.09: Move Speed 60 → 55.

Two small nerfs, then, in about a year. The text edits in 14.10 and 14.12 happened around the same season, so the passive wording you read in old guides may differ from today’s (yes, the slow reduction number has moved over the years too). Our LoL item database has the same history for every other pair of boots.

Who should buy Swiftness boots?

Champions who live by positioning and roaming: supports who move between lanes, champions who kite, and anyone facing a team with lots of slows. Real talk, they’re also a fine pick when no other boots stand out, because raw speed helps every champion reach fights and leave them.

When do other boots win? Against heavy stuns and roots, Tenacity does more. A marksman, on the other hand, gets more out of the Attack Speed on Berserker’s Greaves. If you’re still learning what each role needs from the boots slot, our overview of LoL roles is a decent start. And if the enemy team has three champions whose spells all slow, Boots of Swiftness are often the right answer.

FAQ

How much do Swiftness boots cost?

1,000 gold in patch 26.21, which means the 300 gold Boots and 700 more on top; the sell price is 700 gold.

How much do they reduce slows?

Fleetfooted reduces the effectiveness of slows by 25%.

Do they reduce stuns or roots?

No. Fleetfooted only affects slows. Tenacity is the stat that shortens stuns and roots.

What do they upgrade into?

Swiftmarch, with 65 Move Speed, Fleetfooted, and Noxian Fervor, which converts 5% of your Move Speed into Adaptive Force.

Is it gold efficient?

Their Move Speed is worth 660 gold, 66% of the price. The slow reduction is not counted.