Ever since the 2023 League of Legends preseason started, one item has taken over Summoner’s Rift and beyond: Heartsteel. This new tank item is becoming a major talking point in the community, especially with how durable champions can become over the course of a game. It is a brutal scaling item that has some champions reaching new heights of tankiness.
Whether you’re looking to dish out more punishment with health-scaling abilities or simply want to soak up more damage in a teamfight, Heartsteel is a great choice for tank enthusiasts. But not every champion can pick this item up and use it effectively.
Here are the best champions to build Heartsteel on in the 2023 preseason.
Shen
Since a lot of his abilities scale of off his own health, Heartsteel’s limitless health scaling does wonders for Shen’s ability to fight a good amount of enemies while still soaking up a ton of damage. His passive Ki Barrier, Shadow Dash damage, and ultimate ability’s shield all scale off of his health, and Heartsteel’s initial charged attack grows with how much health its user has too.
Dr. Mundo
When you think of scaling, unkillable tanks, Dr. Mundo is usually the first champion that comes to mind. And when he arms himself with Heartsteel, the Madman of Zaun can grow to become a nightmare in the later stages of a game. All of his abilities scale off of his health, and since he uses his health to power his damage, this new item will put even more ammunition in his chamber while battling on Summoner’s Rift.
Sett
If you like surprising your enemies with one devastating punch, Heartsteel is a godsend for any Sett player since his Haymaker ability scales directly with maximum health. If he can charge up his Grit to maximum power and combine the damage of his W with Heartsteel’s Colossal Consumption, he can effectively one-shot multiple targets if he can hit them with the center of the ability.
Volibear
The Relentless Storm is already a massive, lumbering beast of a champion. But with Heartsteel, he can finally reach his potential as a demigod of thunder. His Sky Splitter ability’s shielding scales directly with maximum health, while his Frenzied Maul increases in damage and healing based on his HP pool as well. If Volibear can reach the late game, he’ll be the final boss as big as a mountain with a health bar to match.
