Rejuvenation Bead

Rejuvenation Bead is a 300 gold basic item in League of Legends that doubles your champion’s base Health Regen: 100% Base Health Regen in patch 26.21, no passive, no other stats. You buy it as a stepping stone to Knight’s Vow, Spectre’s Cowl or Crystalline Bracer, or as a cheap way to survive a poke lane until the next recall.

What does Rejuvenation Bead do?

It makes your natural Health Regen tick twice as hard. Every champion regenerates a few Health every five seconds on their own, and the Bead adds 100% of that number on top.

Because it scales off base regen, the item is worth more on champions whose base number is already high (Garen, Dr. Mundo and most tanks sit at the top of that list) and less on squishy casters. In practice the difference shows up between trades rather than during them: you walk back to lane after a poke war with noticeably more Health than you would have had, which is the whole point. Will it save you in a fight? No, the regen is far too slow for that, and anyone who expects it to is going to be disappointed.

Is it worth the gold?

By definition, yes. Rejuvenation Bead is the reference item our efficiency numbers use to price Base Health Regen, at 3 gold per percent, so it lands on 100% exactly: 300 gold of value for a 300 gold item.

The catch is the sell price. It returns only 120 gold, a worse rate than most basic items, so a Bead you buy and later sell to make room costs you real gold (a recurring annoyance for supports who grab one early and then change their build). Buy it when you know which finished item it is going into, not as a placeholder.

What does it build into?

Three components, all on the defensive side of the shop. Crystalline Bracer pairs it with a Ruby Crystal and leads to Warmog’s Armor and Heartsteel. Spectre’s Cowl adds Magic Resist on the way to Spirit Visage and Kaenic Rookern. Knight’s Vow takes it straight into a finished support item.

So the Bead is mostly a tank’s purchase and sometimes a support’s. Funny enough, it is also the item that quietly decides a lot of early recalls: a top laner who wants Warmog’s later picks up a Ruby Crystal and a Bead together (most of a Crystalline Bracer right there), while one with less gold gets the Bead alone and still has not wasted anything. The LoL items database lists every item in those three paths with their current prices.

Who buys it?

Who actually spends gold on this? Top laners in losing matchups, tanks building toward Warmog’s Armor or Spirit Visage, and supports heading for Knight’s Vow. Thing is, you will also see it on junglers who got chunked on their first clear and want to stay on the map rather than recall, because 300 gold is often what they have at that moment. Marksmen and mages almost never buy one.

How has it changed over the patches?

Twice in over a decade. Riot’s data lists it from 2013 or earlier at 180 gold, cuts it to 150 gold in patch 5.22, and then doubles both the price and the regen in patch 12.4, from 150 to 300 gold and from 50% to 100%. Nothing has changed since. Honestly, that is as quiet as an item’s history gets in this game.

Is it a good starting item?

Not on its own. Doran’s Shield gives more regen plus Health and a passive for a little more gold, and a Rejuvenation Bead start only makes sense for a very specific plan, usually a top laner who intends to rush Crystalline Bracer into Warmog’s and wants every piece of that path from minute one. For most players the Bead is a first-recall item. If you are still deciding which lane fits that style of slow, regen-heavy play, our guide to LoL roles covers what top laners and tanks are built to do.

FAQ

How much does Rejuvenation Bead cost?

300 gold in patch 26.21, and it sells back for only 120 gold.

What stat does it give?

100% Base Health Regen, a percentage boost to your champion’s natural regen.

Does it have a passive?

No, it is a pure stat component.

What does it build into?

Crystalline Bracer, Spectre’s Cowl and Knight’s Vow.

Rejuvenation Bead or Doran’s Shield?

Doran’s Shield as a starting item, since it gives Health and a passive as well. The Bead is better as a component you buy on a recall when you already know your build.