Rod of Ages

Rod of Ages is a 2,600 gold scaling mage item in League of Legends: 45 Ability Power, 350 Health and 500 Mana in patch 26.21. Its Timeless passive makes the item grow every 60 seconds, up to 10 times, and gives you a level at full stacks, while Eternity turns damage taken and mana spent into sustain.

How does Timeless make Rod of Ages grow?

Every 60 seconds the item gains 10 Health, 30 Mana and 3 Ability Power, up to 10 times. Once it hits the cap, you also gain a level, a rare perk for any item.

So the clock starts the moment you finish it. Buy it early and it’s fully stacked by mid game; buy it late and you’re waiting while fights happen without the bonus. That’s why it’s almost always a first item (or close to it).

The level is the sneaky part. An extra level means higher base stats and, sometimes, an earlier ultimate rank, which can decide a fight on its own.

What does Eternity do?

Two kinds of sustain. Taking damage from champions gives back 10% of that damage as Mana, and casting an ability heals you for 25% of the Mana you spent. Thing is, it works best on mages who cast a lot and get hit a lot, like battle mages in short-range fights. A long-range poke mage who rarely takes damage gets only half of it.

Put together, the two halves feed each other. Getting hit refills your Mana, spending that Mana heals you, and the healing keeps you in the fight long enough to get hit and cast again, which is exactly the loop a short-range mage lives in during a messy team fight around an objective.

Is Rod of Ages gold efficient?

At first, slightly below even: 90%, or 2,333 gold of stats for 2,600 gold.

The split: 45 Ability Power at 900 gold, 350 Health at 933 gold, and 500 Mana at 500 gold (1 gold per point). Honestly, that number only describes the item on the minute you buy it. Each Timeless stack adds more stats for free, and after all 10 stacks the item is clearly past even, plus the free level on top.

Who should build it?

Mages and battle mages who want to scale and who spend a lot of mana: champions that sit in fights, cast constantly and need Health to survive. Is your champion an assassin who wants burst at minute twelve? Then skip it. The stats arrive too slowly for that kind of champion, and by the time the item is fully stacked the windows where an assassin could take over a game have usually closed already.

What if you fall behind early? Then the slow ramp hurts twice, since you finish the item later and the stacks start later too, so a mage who loses lane often switches to a faster damage item and buys this one second, or skips it for the game.

In practice, it’s an early, greedy pick for lanes you’re confident in. For a faster power spike, Luden’s Echo gives more damage right away; for fighting tanks, Liandry’s Torment does the job better (both are common second items after this one, too).

What does it build from?

Blasting Wand (850 gold) and Catalyst of Aeons (1,300 gold), plus a 450 gold combine. Catalyst of Aeons comes first for most players, since it brings Health and Mana and helps you survive the lane. Why not Blasting Wand first? You can, if you’re winning hard, but the Catalyst’s sustain is what keeps a mage in lane long enough to finish the item on time. Blasting Wand is the pure damage piece, nice when your lane is already safe. Nothing builds out of the finished item.

How has Rod of Ages changed?

The current version shows up in Riot’s data from patch 12.22, when the item came back to the shop. Since then:

• Patch 12.23: cost 3,200 → 2,800 gold, effect text changed.
• Patch 14.1: cost 2,800 → 2,600 gold, Ability Power 60 → 50, Health 400 → 350, Mana 400 → 300.
• Patch 14.3: Health 350 → 400, Mana 300 → 400.
• Patch 25.09: Ability Power 50 → 45, Health 400 → 350.
• Patch 25.14: Mana 400 → 500, effect text changed.

Funny enough, the price fell by 600 gold across two of those patches, which helps explain why it’s such an early buy now. Mana went the other way: after the 14.1 cut it climbed back in two steps and now sits higher than it did before that patch. The table above has the 13.1 change as well, and our LoL items database covers every other mage item.

When is it the right first item?

When you plan a long game, you spend a lot of mana and you want to be tanky as a mage. To be fair, it asks for patience: the payoff comes ten minutes after you buy it. Our guide to LoL roles covers where mages play, and for scaling battle mages Rod of Ages is a classic first item.

FAQ

How much does Rod of Ages cost?

2,600 gold with a 450 gold combine; it sells back for 1,820 gold.

How often does Timeless stack?

Every 60 seconds, up to 10 times. At max stacks you gain a level.

What does Eternity restore?

10% of damage taken from champions as Mana, and Health equal to 25% of the Mana you spend on abilities.

Which stats does it give?

45 Ability Power, 350 Health and 500 Mana, growing with each Timeless stack.

What does it build from?

Blasting Wand and Catalyst of Aeons.