Staff of Flowing Water

Legendary item · Patch 26.21 · numbers from Riot's Data Dragon files, refreshed every patch

Total cost2250 g

Combine cost800 g

Sells for1575 g

Gold efficiency76%

Staff of Flowing Water stats

+35 Ability Power
+10% Heal and Shield Power
+125% Base Mana Regen
+10 Ability Haste

Passive and active effects

Passive: Rapids: Healing or Shielding an ally grants you both 40 Ability Power and 15 Ability Haste for 6 seconds.

Effect text as written in Riot's game data; for scaling effects, the in-game shop tooltip shows the exact numbers that match your current stats and level.

Build path

Builds from

Champion guides with Staff of Flowing Water

Gold efficiency

Stat	Amount	Gold per point	Gold value
Ability Power	35	20 g	700 g
Base Mana Regen %	125	4 g	500 g
Ability Haste	10	50 g	500 g
Total stat value			1700 g

Gold efficiency = stat value ÷ item cost = 1700 ÷ 2250 = 76%. The gold per point comes from basic items of the same patch (for example, Long Sword: 35 g per Attack Damage). Passives and actives are not counted, and neither are Heal and Shield Power (no basic item sells this stat alone).

Staff of Flowing Water patch history

Patch	Change
26.9	Ability Haste: 15 → 10; Effect text changed
25.05	Effect text changed
14.19	Cost: 2300 → 2250 gold; Ability Power: 40 → 35; Heal and Shield Power %: 8 → 10
14.1	Cost: 2100 → 2300 gold; Ability Power: 35 → 40; Base Mana Regen %: 75 → 125
13.10	Cost: 2300 → 2100 gold; Ability Power: 50 → 35; Base Mana Regen %: 100 → 75; Move Speed %: none → 5
12.14	Heal and Shield Power %: 10 → 8
11.11	Effect text changed
11.8	Effect text changed
11.3	Ability Power: 60 → 50
10.23	Added to the game data

We compare cost and stats patch by patch in Riot's Data Dragon files. "Effect text changed" means the passive or active wording changed in that patch.

Staff of Flowing Water is a 2,250 gold enchanter item in League of Legends: 35 Ability Power, 10% Heal and Shield Power, 125% Base Mana Regen and 10 Ability Haste in patch 26.21. Its Rapids passive gives you and the ally you heal or shield 40 Ability Power and 15 Ability Haste for 6 seconds.

What does the Rapids passive do?

It shares power. Every time you heal or shield an ally, both of you get 40 Ability Power and 15 Ability Haste for 6 seconds. You get stronger heals and shields, and your carry gets a damage and cooldown boost right when the fight starts.

That’s why it pairs so well with Ability Power carries. A mid lane mage or an Ability Power marksman next to you turns those 40 Ability Power into real damage, while an Attack Damage carry only gets use from the haste (still nice, just smaller).

Timing matters too. Shield your carry right before they cast their big spells and the buff is up for the whole combo.

Shield them after the fight is over? Wasted.

Is the Flowing Water staff gold efficient?

Not on the stats our calculation can price: 76%, or 1,700 gold of value for 2,250 gold.

The counted part is 35 Ability Power (700 gold), the mana regen (500 gold) and 10 Ability Haste (500 gold, at 50 per point). Honestly, that leaves out the stat enchanters care about most. Heal and Shield Power has no basic item to compare against, so it counts as zero here, and Rapids, the main reason to buy the staff, isn’t counted either.

Who should build it?

Enchanter supports who heal or shield often. The more frequently you can put a heal or shield on a teammate, the more often Rapids is up, so champions with short cooldown shields or heals get the most out of it.

Thing is, it’s one of several enchanter options. Ardent Censer gives a similar buff that helps auto attackers more, and Redemption and Mikael’s Blessing are the utility picks for big team fights or heavy crowd control. Which one first? In practice, look at your carry: Ability Power damage dealers love this staff, attack-based ones lean toward Ardent Censer.

What does it build from?

Two pieces make it: Fiendish Codex (850 gold) and Forbidden Idol (600 gold), and the combine adds 800 gold. Most supports grab Forbidden Idol first. It carries the mana regen and the healing and shielding power, which an enchanter wants from the first back, and the finished staff doesn’t build into anything later.

How has the Flowing Water staff changed?

Riot’s item files include it from patch 10.23 on. Most changes since then have traded Ability Power against mana regen and price:

Patch 13.10: cost 2,300 → 2,100 gold, Ability Power 50 → 35, Base Mana Regen 100% → 75%, Move Speed 5% added.
Patch 14.1: Base Mana Regen 75% → 125%, Ability Power 35 → 40, and the price went from 2,100 to 2,300 gold.
Patch 14.19: cost 2,300 → 2,250 gold, Ability Power 40 → 35, Heal and Shield Power 8% → 10%.
Patch 26.9: Ability Haste 15 → 10, effect text changed.

Funny enough, the Move Speed added in 13.10 isn’t on the current stat line at all (the change history doesn’t show exactly when it left). The 2021 and 2022 entries? Scroll up to the table. Our LoL items database lists the patch history of other support items too.

When should you buy it?

As an enchanter with an Ability Power carry on your team, usually as the first or second item after your support quest. Our guide to LoL roles covers what supports do, and for the healing and shielding ones Staff of Flowing Water is a standard pick.