AD: What is Attack Damage in League of Legends?

Attack damage, or AD, is a stat in League of Legends that represents the physical damage a champion can deal with their basic attacks and certain abilities. Champions who primarily rely on their basic attacks and physical abilities, such as marksmen and some fighters, benefit from building attack damage items to increase their damage output.

Attack damage is different from ability power (AP), which enhances the damage of a champion's magical abilities. The two main sources of damage in League of Legends are AD and AP, and items and abilities often scale with one or the other.

AD items typically provide attack damage as a primary stat, and some champions may have abilities that scale with attack damage, increasing the damage of those abilities when the champion builds AD items. It's important for players to choose items that complement their champion's abilities and playstyle to maximize their effectiveness on the Rift.

How Do You Increase AD in League of Legends?

There are several ways for players to increase their champion’s AD in League of Legends. The primary method is through purchasing items that provide AD as a stat. AD items are usually classified as attack damage or physical damage items and can be found in various categories such as attack damage carry (ADC) items, assassin items, or fighter items. Examples of these items include Infinity Edge, Bloodthirster, and Ravenous Hydra. Players can buy these items with gold earned during the match, and each completed item contributes to increasing the champion's overall AD.

Additionally, runes and masteries can provide bonus AD. Players can customize their rune pages to include runes that grant bonus AD, further enhancing their champion's damage output. However, with the introduction of the new rune system, the old runes and masteries have been merged into a single system called runes. Players can select rune shards that provide bonus AD to suit their preferred playstyle or champion.

Lastly, some champions have abilities that scale with AD. This means that building AD items will not only increase the champion's basic attack damage but also enhance the damage of specific abilities. When playing such champions, it's essential to consider both basic attacks and ability damage when itemizing for attack damage. Combining these methods allows players to strategically increase AD, adapting to the needs of their champion and the flow of the game.