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Riven combos

the Exile

3 Riven combos explained key by key: in which order to cast the abilities, when to use them and what each step does. The main combo is E › W › Q › AA › Q › AA › Q. Further down: every ability's cooldown, cost and range, and the skill max order measured over ranked games.

Riven combos

Written guide · based on the official ability texts

The burst

Q AA AA

When: An enemy is within range.

Valor brings you closer while blocking damage, Ki Burst stuns nearby enemies, three Broken Wings with attacks in between, the third hit knocks back.

The finishing ultimate

When: An enemy is low.

Blade of the Exile raises your attack damage and range; during the effect, you can use Wind Slash once, a powerful ranged attack.

The exit

When: You need to get away.

Valor moves you and blocks damage, Broken Wings moves you forward again.

Common mistakes

Wasting charges: chain attack and ability.
Using Broken Wings three times with no target.
Casting Wind Slash too early: it is a single use per ultimate.

Cooldowns, costs and ranges

A combo only comes back once its abilities are off cooldown: these values (rank 1 to max rank, in seconds) tell how long to wait between two combos. Source: Data Dragon 16.19.1.

Ability	Cooldown (s)	Cost	Range
Q · Broken Wings	13	—	275
W · Ki Burst	11/10/9/8/7	—	260
E · Valor	10/9/8/7/6	—	250
R · Blade of the Exile	120/90/60	—	200

Official ability descriptions

PassiveRunic Blade

Riven's abilities charge her blade, and her basic attacks expend charges to deal an additional damage.

QBroken Wings

Riven 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.

WKi Burst

Riven emits a Ki Burst, damaging and stunning nearby enemies.

EValor

Riven steps forward a short distance and blocks incoming damage.

RBlade of the Exile

Riven 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.

Skill order

Max order: Q > E > W61.1% · 54 games

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Q	●			●	●		●		●
W			●											●	●
E		●						●		●		●	●
R						●					●

The order shows which abilities reach rank 5 first; the grid shows the most-played level-up sequence with that order (measured over 63 games).

Riot's official tips for playing Riven

Riven's Broken Wings locks onto the champion your cursor is over at the time of cast. If you want to move past your opponent, make sure that your cursor is past your opponent as well.
Riven lacks a source of healing or strong defense and must compensate with burst combos. Lead into fights with Broken Wings and Ki Burst, while using Valor to escape and absorb counter-harass.

How to play around Riven's combos

Riven has a great deal of mobility but she cannot move very far with any one skill. Rooting or silencing her during her combo will greatly reduce her effectiveness.
All of Riven's damage is physical, prioritize high Armor if an opposing Riven gets out of control.
Riven excels at dueling multiple melee attackers at once, as she will be on an almost equal footing damage-wise. If pairing up against Riven, don't go in as double melee until she has expended her full combo.

Frequently asked questions

What is Riven's main combo?

The burst: E › W › Q › AA › Q › AA › Q. An enemy is within range. Valor brings you closer while blocking damage, Ki Burst stuns nearby enemies, three Broken Wings with attacks in between, the third hit knocks back.

Which ability should I max first on Riven?

The most-played max order is Q > E > W (54 games, 61.1% win rate).

What is the cooldown of Riven's ultimate?

Blade of the Exile has a 120/90/60 second cooldown depending on its rank.

Build, runes and counters: full Riven guide · every champion's combos · tier list