Professor Cecil B. Heimerdinger, the Revered Inventor in League of Legends, is an ingenious yordle who relies on his creations to deal magic damage to his opponents on Summoner’s Rift. He’s a champion who’s mostly played in the mid lane, but his ability kit can be adapted to face various situations in different roles.
Heimerdinger is also among those League mages deemed difficult to play, according to Riot Games. With this guide, however, you’ll find all the reasons why he is, as he says, “indeed, a wise choice!”
Abilities—“Goggles on!”
Q: H-28 Evolution Turret
The H-28G Evolution Turret is Heimerdinger’s main ability, with which he places small turrets powered by hextech technology that attack enemies for him. Heimerdinger can store up to three turrets at a time and can only place that fixed amount. The turrets have an activation range, meaning if Heimerdinger is too far from them, they will shut down.
W: Hextech Micro-Rockets
His second ability is Hextech Micro-Rockets, which unleashes a wave of five rockets that converge to the target location and far beyond it up to their maximum range. Heimerdinger can adjust the aim of the rockets; he can unleash them in a direction of his choice and regulate the point of conversion of the rockets between his position and the maximum range of the ability.
E: CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade
Heimerdinger’s E is CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade. The name is self-explanatory; he throws a grenade that slows enemies in its range and stuns them if it lands on top of the opponent.
R: UPGRADE!!!
The ultimate ability of the Revered Inventor is UPGRADE!!! Heimerdinger empowers his basic creations so they are both more powerful and free to cast. Upgrading his Q, H-28 Evolution Turret, will result in a single but bigger and more powerful turret, while enhancing his W, Hextech Micro-Rockets, will provide Heimerdinger with more rockets that will be launched in waves towards the aimed direction. These two upgraded abilities deal a lot of damage and can be used in various situations, but the most adaptable ability is without a doubt Heimerdinger’s upgraded E. Dealing damage while stunning and slowing every opponent who stands in its path, the improved grenade will bounce three times before disappearing, leaving you with easy opponents to target with your other abilities.
Roles—“How befuddling!”
Heimerdinger is one of the most versatile champions in League of Legends. Players can bring the Revered Inventor and his creations into any role and still reach victory.
Heimerdinger is mainly played on the mid and top lane because of the general number of melee champions he can come up against and to which he’s at best odds when facing them. But he can also be played in any other role depending on the situation, team composition and enemies’ champions picks.
Generally, even Heimerdinger mains don’t suggest playing him as a jungler due to his unreliable ganks and jungle camps’ clears, which can be tricky even for the best inventor out there. With good turret placement and steady jungle pathing, however, Heimerdinger can become a solid jungler to rely on for big objectives like drakes and the Baron. His turrets can also be used to maintain vision and can save you from a dragon or Baron steal if placed behind the pits. He is also a great champion to split-push with and divert the attention of the enemies while his team is pushing the opposite side of the map or acquires an objective.
When learning to play Heimerdinger, you always want to try out mid and top lane first.
Mid lane is the obvious choice. His kit allows Heimerdinger to perfectly control the lane from every side. Keep in mind you’ll most likely be subject to ganks from both sides and pay attention to how and when you use your CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade (E). During ganks, this stun can save your life and possibly give you a kill on the enemy jungler in return. As in every other position, be aware of the position of the enemy team, be sure to place trinkets in both bushes on the sides of the mid lane, and in case you cannot have both warded, try to play more towards the side you have vision of.
If you want to try Heimerdinger in the top lane, you still have to be mindful of your main damage output, your turrets, and their positioning. But unlike in the mid lane, where you should play with the width of the lane, in top lane Heimerdinger’s H-28 Evolution Turrets (Q) works better when placed in a straight line between your tower and the enemy’s. This positioning will help you gain control of the waves of minions. Combined with Heimerdinger’s passive, which gives you movement speed when near a turret, it makes for a great way to escape ganks more easily. Like in the mid lane, trinket placement will be your greatest ally along with your CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade (E), which can make or break the possibility of you getting ganked.
Heimerdinger can also work well in the bot lane, both as a carry and a support. As an AP carry, he can be combined with a support equipped with grabs, hooks, stuns and general controls over the enemy: one stun will most likely result in one kill. With his turrets, he can control the wave and, with the help from his lane ally, push away the enemy ADC from the minions. But this scenario is difficult to maintain as his range is shorter than most ADCs and an over-extended situation can result in an easy gank for the enemy jungler.
As a support, Heimerdinger can act as a shield from various abilities such as hooks and grabs by placing his turrets in front of the enemy. His skill will be the one taking the hit hence saving his ADC. Combined with AP/tank runes and utility items, support Heimerdinger is a great asset to the most aggressive champions in the ADC position. He then becomes one of the most versatile utility supports. He can stun, poke, and defend his duo’s position quite well thanks to the wide range of his CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade (E) and H-28 Evolution Turrets (Q).
Runes—“Fascinating, isn’t it?”
Unlike many of the champions in League, Heimerdinger’s build will not vary too much. But depending on the role and matchup, you will have to take on there are certain runes that could work better than others.
If you want to play the Revered Inventor either in the top lane or as a support, try Arcane Comet as main rune. This is because of the nature (melee) of the champions you most likely will be against. Arcane Comet fires a comet that will deal bonus adaptive damage to enemy champions hit by any of Heimerdinger’s abilities, and the turrets’ charged shot counts as an ability so it can activate Arcane Comet.
To pair with the comet, Manaflow Band is an obligatory choice since Heimerdinger has a real thirst for mana, especially in the early game. This rune will increase the champion’s maximum mana for every ability that hits an enemy champion, which pairs well with his constant use of turrets and Hextech Micro-Rockets (W) used to poke the enemy.
Since Heimerdinger relies on his abilities, Transcendence is also a great rune to choose since it will grant 10-percent bonus cooldown reduction once he reaches level 10. Lastly, for the main set of runes, Heimerdinger would benefit from Scorch since it will set his enemies on fire and deal bonus magic damage once an ability hits them. Depending on what kind of role you’re playing and the opponent you’re facing, you could pair these main runes with either Inspiration or Resolve secondary runes.
Electrocute is also a great keystone on Heimerdinger since your turrets can proc it with the help of an initial auto attack. This particular rune is the most helpful when dealing with champions that can close the gap while disregarding your turrets, like Katarina, but also with more tanky champions.
The burst damage from this rune is greater than others such as Arcane Comet or Aery, which can instead be played if you want to poke your enemy more often. Electrocute will provide that extra damage you need to obliterate your opponent with just one combination of your abilities. Paired with Eyeball Collection, which gives you additional AP, and Taste of Blood, which will give you more sustain in lane and increases the chance of survival, you can easily get kills.
Additionally, choosing Ravenous Hunter creates a perfect synergy with Taste of Blood since it heals you the more damage you deal with attacks and abilities. Be sure to poke your opponent often to make the most out of the combination between these runes and your ability kit. For your secondary rune tree, pick Sorcery with Manaflow Band and Scorch to help you in the early-game phase, both with poking and with Heimerdinger’s thirst for mana, especially at the beginning of a match.
Items —“Not nearly enough variables!”
Heimerdinger has specific core items that complement his kit best, but there are also a few that are interchangeable depending on the runes and role you’re covering.
For AP champions, the most used starting item is Doran’s Ring since it grants bonus mana restoration and some bonus ability power, which fit perfectly with some early poke from Heimerdinger’s abilities. Two Health Potions are also very good when beginning a game as Heimerdinger, since he’s going to be vulnerable because of his low base health. Considering Doran’s Ring costs only 400 gold, the remaining 100 starting gold is just what is required for a couple of Health Potions.
When playing Heimerdinger, summoners need to abuse the early-game momentum they can gain with their abilities, which is why it’s usually better to invest in items that can deal a lot of damage early on. With this season’s items update, players should prioritize their Mythic item, and for Heimerdinger, the best choices would be either Luden’s Echo or Liandry’s Anguish.
Luden’s Echo will grant 600 additional mana, 90 ability power, and 10-percent cooldown reduction on Heimerdinger’s abilities. This means the Revered Inventor is going to have more mana to cast abilities at higher speeds while dealing more damage. Similarly, Liandry’s Anguish grants additional mana, ability haste, and ability power while also conceding a unique passive that fits perfectly with players’ goal of poking enemies while dealing a lot of damage.
Being an AP-based champion with a passive that grants movement speed, Sorcerer’s Shoes are the perfect choice for Heimerdinger. Approaching the late stages of the game, the Revered Inventor will need extra mobility, along with some extra magic penetration, and this item fits that purpose like a shoe.
One item you simply cannot miss in your inventory is Zhonya’s Hourglass. The item adds 75 ability power, 45 armor, and 10-percent cooldown reduction to Heimerdinger’s kit. But the item truly shines when you activate its ability, which will allow Heimerdinger to become invincible for a short period of time and will help avoid certain death while your turrets keep on dealing damage to non-golden enemies.
Following these AP items are more AP items. As said earlier multiple times, Heimerdinger is a very flexible champion that allows players to try out different builds in multiple roles with diverse runes. But the best late-game items that are useful in various situations are Rabadon’s Deathcap, Rylai’s Crystal Sceptre, and Morellonomicon.
Heimerdinger is adaptable and can be used in various roles, and aside from the general basic items, it’s really up to the player to experiment with the item build. Generally, the same reasons that make the Revered Inventor difficult to learn also make him a powerful champion. If you want to learn to play Heimerdinger, it’s important you have fun with him first, try new ways to use his abilities, and build extravagant item compositions that will surely take your enemies by surprise. Playing Heimerdinger is “indeed, a wise choice.”
