Plated Steelcaps

Plated Steelcaps are 1,200 gold Armor boots in League of Legends: 25 Armor and 45 Move Speed in patch 26.21, plus the Plating passive, which reduces incoming damage from attacks by 10%. They’re the standard boots answer to a team built around basic attacks, from marksmen to auto-attack fighters.

What does Plating do?

It cuts the damage you take from attacks by 10%. Abilities aren’t affected.

That reduction applies on top of the Armor, which already lowers physical damage. So against an attack-based champion, the boots work twice: Armor shaves the physical damage, then Plating takes another slice off every attack. Thing is, against an AD caster who deals most of their damage through abilities, only the Armor half does anything (and even that only matters for the physical part).

Are Plated Steelcaps gold efficient?

Better than most boots on paper: 87%. Both stats get priced, with 25 Armor at 20 gold per point worth 500 gold and 45 Move Speed at 12 gold per point worth 540, so 1,040 gold against 1,200 gold.

Plating isn’t counted. Honestly, against a marksman who’s ahead, that passive is the main reason to buy them, so the real value is well above the table’s number. Against a team of mages, though, you’re paying 1,200 gold for Armor you don’t need.

How do you build them?

Two components: Boots (300 gold) and Cloth Armor (300 gold), plus 600 gold. Buying Cloth Armor first gives you some protection in lane right away; Boots first gets you the speed. Either order is fine.

They upgrade later into Armored Advance, which raises the Armor to 35, keeps Plating, and adds Noxian Endurance: after you take physical damage from a champion, you gain a physical damage shield for 5 seconds.

What changed over the years?

Older players know them as Ninja Tabi. Riot’s data has the boots from 2013, and they got their current name in patch 10.23. The recent stat and cost changes:

• Patch 14.10: cost 1,100 → 1,000 gold, Armor 20 → 25, effect text changed.
• Patch 14.15: cost 1,000 → 1,200 gold, effect text changed.

Riot’s last touch was a wording update in 25.04. So the price dropped, then rose again by more than it fell, all within one season. Funny enough, the Armor buff from 14.10 stayed while the discount didn’t. For the full boots lineup and its history, browse our item database.

Who should buy Plated Steelcaps?

Anyone facing heavy auto-attack damage: tanks and fighters in a lane against an attack-based champion, and squishy champions when the enemy marksman is fed. Supports sometimes take them too, if the enemy bot lane is all basic attacks (a marksman plus an attack-based support, say).

When are they wrong? Against mostly magic damage, Mercury’s Treads or another option will do more, and against a heavy crowd control comp, Tenacity can matter more than Armor. Who’s the real threat? Usually one champion: whoever on the enemy team auto-attacks the most and is ahead. Look, if that’s a marksman with two damage items, buy them. Our roles overview covers which positions usually deal attack damage, and against a fed attack-speed carry, Plated Steelcaps are one of the cheapest counters in the shop.

FAQ

How much do Plated Steelcaps cost?

1,200 gold in patch 26.21, made of Boots, Cloth Armor and a 600 gold combine cost. They sell for 840 gold.

Does Plating reduce ability damage?

No. Plating reduces damage from attacks only, by 10%.

Were these boots called Ninja Tabi?

Yes. They were renamed from Ninja Tabi in patch 10.23.

What do they upgrade into?

Armored Advance, with 35 Armor, Plating, and a physical damage shield from the Noxian Endurance passive.

What stats do they give?

25 Armor and 45 Move Speed.