Giant’s Belt

Giant’s Belt is the big Health component in League of Legends: 350 Health for 900 gold in patch 26.22, built from a Ruby Crystal and nothing else. It has no passive, and you rarely keep it for long, because nine finished items build out of it, from Warmog’s Armor and Heartsteel to Rylai’s Crystal Scepter and Titanic Hydra.

What does Giant’s Belt do?

It gives Health, a lot of it for the price. 350 Health is more than any other component offers, and on a tank at level six it can be a quarter of the whole Health bar.

That is the entire item, and that is fine. Health is the stat that works against everything, physical or magic, burst or sustained, so a Belt bought on the first recall is never wasted no matter what the enemy turns out to be (compare that with a Chain Vest against a mage, which is 800 gold of regret). Is it exciting? No. Is it the single most common first-recall purchase on tanks and juggernauts? Very likely, and for good reason.

Is it worth the gold?

Slightly better than even. Using Ruby Crystal as the reference price for Health (2.67 gold per point), 350 Health is worth 933 gold, which puts the item at 104% efficiency for its 900 gold.

Thing is, a component that beats 100% is rare, since most of them sit exactly at the reference rate or a touch below. The Belt gets there because the 500 gold combine on top of a Ruby Crystal buys the second chunk of Health a little cheaper than the first. The sell value of 630 gold is standard, so holding one until the finished item is affordable costs you nothing.

What does Giant’s Belt build into?

Nine items in the current shop, which is why it is one of the most useful things to carry back to lane:

• Warmog’s Armor and Heartsteel, the pure Health items.
• Randuin’s Omen, Jak’Sho the Protean and Winter’s Approach, the tank items with resistances or Mana.
• Titanic Hydra and Chempunk Chainsword for fighters.
• Rylai’s Crystal Scepter for mages and Protoplasm Harness for the newer AP bruiser builds.

So the Belt keeps your options open. A top laner can buy it at minute six without knowing whether the game will call for Titanic Hydra or Warmog’s, and a mid laner planning Rylai’s gets the same piece. In practice that flexibility is the real reason it beats a second Ruby Crystal, even when the finished item is still a long way off. The LoL items database lists all nine with their current prices.

Who buys it?

Tanks, juggernauts, fighters and a few mages. Honestly, almost everyone except marksmen and assassins picks one up at some point in a long game, because Health is the cheapest way to stop dying to burst once resistances stop helping.

The one group that should think twice is enchanter supports. Their income is lower, and 900 gold on raw Health delays the item that actually makes their shields bigger. For them a Kindlegem does the same job with Haste attached, or close to it.

How has it changed over the patches?

Twice in Riot’s data, both nerfs. The Health went from 400 to 380 in patch 3.6, then to 350 in patch 10.23 along with a price cut from 1,000 to 900 gold. Put simply, the Belt has been the same item for over a decade, and the finished items around it have changed far more than the Belt itself.

When should you buy Giant’s Belt?

On the first or second recall of any build that ends in one of the nine items above, as long as you have the 900 gold and no urgent need for a resistance. Short on gold? Buy the Ruby Crystal now and finish the Belt next time. If you are new to the front line and unsure whether your champion should be the one buying Health, the guide to LoL roles explains what tanks and fighters are expected to do, and Giant’s Belt is usually where their first real purchase starts.

FAQ

How much does Giant’s Belt cost?

900 gold in patch 26.22: a 400 gold Ruby Crystal plus 500 gold to combine. It sells for 630 gold.

What stat does it give?

350 Health and nothing else.

Does it have a passive?

No. It is a plain Health component.

What does it build from?

One Ruby Crystal.

How many items does it build into?

Nine, including Warmog’s Armor, Heartsteel, Randuin’s Omen, Titanic Hydra and Rylai’s Crystal Scepter.

Is it gold efficient?

Yes, 104% on the Health alone, slightly better than the Ruby Crystal it is made from.