Riven · Top
Riven Safe Play Guide
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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.
Overview
This guide is about playing Riven safely and consistently. Safe top means freezing the wave near your tower, trading only when the enemy uses a key ability and waiting for your items. The kit brings crowd control (stun) with Ki Burst.
Strengths
- High physical damage: Riot rates it 8/10 in attack.
- Crowd control: Ki Burst applies a stun to set up kills.
- No resource bar: abilities are limited only by their cooldowns.
Weaknesses
- No dash or blink in the kit: vulnerable to ganks without vision.
- Melee range: ranged opponents can poke it in lane.
- Hard to master: Riot rates its difficulty 8/10.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Defensive buildDefensiveRecommendedKeeps enough damage while adding magic resist, attack damage and life steal through Mercurial Scimitar, Maw of Malmortius and Death's Dance. Choose it against dive, assassins or a lane you can't win.
- Against magic damageDefensiveSituationalFor a team that kills with abilities: magic resist boots and a magic resist item in the core.
Builds
Defensive build
When to use it
Keeps enough damage while adding magic resist, attack damage and life steal through Mercurial Scimitar, Maw of Malmortius and Death's Dance. Choose it against dive, assassins or a lane you can't win.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
1100%- TopMain100% of matches
Starting items
Core items
- 1Mercurial Scimitar
- 2Maw of Malmortius
- 3Death's Dance
Boots
Situational
Runes
Primary· Precision
Secondary· Resolve
Shards
Summoner spells
Flash
Teleport
Against magic damage
When to use it
For a team that kills with abilities: magic resist boots and a magic resist item in the core.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
1100%- TopMain100% of matches
Starting items
Core items
- 1Bastionbreaker
- 2Black Cleaver
- 3Mercurial Scimitar
Boots
Situational
Runes
Primary· Precision
Secondary· Resolve
Shards
Summoner spells
- Flash
- Teleport
Abilities
Runic BladePassiveRiven's abilities charge her blade, and her basic attacks expend charges to deal an additional damage.
QBroken Wings13sRiven lashes out in a series of strikes. This ability can be reactivated three times in a short time frame with the third hit knocking back nearby enemies.- Cooldown
- 13
- Range
- 275
WKi Burst11/10/9/8/7sRiven emits a Ki Burst, damaging and stunning nearby enemies.- Cooldown
- 11·10·9·8·7
- Range
- 260
EValor10/9/8/7/6sRiven steps forward a short distance and blocks incoming damage.- Cooldown
- 10·9·8·7·6
- Range
- 250
RBlade of the ExileUltimate120/90/60sRiven empowers her keepsake weapon with energy, and gains Attack Damage and Range. During this time, she also gains the ability to use Wind Slash, a powerful ranged attack, once.- Cooldown
- 120·90·60
- Range
- 200
Strategy
1Safe laning
Safe top means freezing the wave near your tower, trading only when the enemy uses a key ability and waiting for your items. Short trades win lanes: hit, use one ability and step back before the enemy's full combo comes back.
2Surviving fights
In fights, reach the enemy backline or protect your own; Ki Burst is best used on the carry, not on the tank. You have no escape in the kit, so your position is your defence: stay behind someone who can protect you.
3Positioning and peel
Stand where the enemy has to go through your team to reach you, and protect whoever the enemy focuses. Hold Ki Burst for the enemy diver.
4Playing from behind
When the game goes badly, farm what's safe, defend with your team and wait for the enemy to make a mistake: a single won fight can turn it around.
Tips
- Save Ki Burst for whoever jumps on your team.
- Go back when your key abilities are down: a reset costs less than a death.
- Never be the first to show on the map in the late game.
- If enemies are missing from the map, back off before they appear.
Matchups
Weak against
Heimerdinger attacks from 550 units and Riven from 125, with no dash in the kit to close the gap.
Teemo attacks from 500 units and Riven from 125, with no dash in the kit to close the gap.
Kennen attacks from 550 units and Riven from 125, with no dash in the kit to close the gap.
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 16.19.1.
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