Bloodthirster vs Blade of the Ruined King – Which One is Better?

League of Legends has a lot of items that you need to buy in order to make your champion stronger. All of the items require gold which you can earn by getting kills or farming minions. Out of all the items, there are some that are bound to be a bit similar.

Such is the case with the Bloodthirster and Blade of the Ruined King. This often leaves players confused as they want to know which item is better so that they can buy it. Worry not because we will answer that question for you right now!

Both of these items serve their own purpose. Bloodthirster is an item that gives you attack damage, lifesteal, and critical strike chance. Whereas, Blade of the Ruined King grants you attack damage, smaller lifesteal, and attack speed. 

Now that we have talked about the basics of each item, let’s take a detailed look at what they do and what their passives are. Both of these items are useful depending on the situation of the game. With that said, let’s dive right in and take a look at the differences between Bloodthirster and Blade of the Ruined King.

Bloodthirster

Firstly, let’s talk about the Bloodthirster. It is a great item that costs 3400 gold and sells for 2380. It offers 55 attack damage, +20% critical strike chance, and +18% lifesteal. Here are the items that you need to buy in order to get this:

• Long Sword (350g)
• Vampiric Scepter (900g/550g after buying Long Sword)
• Cloak of Agility (600g)
• B.F. Sword (1300g)
• Bloodthirster recipe (600g)

This item offers the highest lifesteal out of any other item in the game. That is why it is great for multiple purposes. If the enemy team does not have a lot of tanks, you can build this item to sustain yourself. This will allow you to protect yourself from getting one shot by assassins.

Plus, you can convert the healing received from the lifesteal in excess of maximum health into a shield for up to 50 − 320 (based on level), which slowly decays after not dealing or taking damage for 25 seconds.

This shield will protect you from random poke damage that the enemy might throw against you before a teamfight. So, you will be healthy for the fight and will be able to sustain yourself during it as well.

Blade of the Ruined King

Let’s move on and talk about the Blade of the Ruined King now. It costs 3300 gold and sells for 2310. It offers 40 attack damage, +25% attack speed, and +8% lifesteal. Here are the items that you need to buy in order to get this:

• Pickaxe (875g)
• 2x Dagger (300g each)
• Recurve Bow (1000g total/400g after buying the daggers)
• Long Sword (350g)
• Vampiric Scepter (900g/550g after buying Long Sword)
• Blade of the Ruined King recipe (525g)

If the enemy has a lot of tanks or high HP targets in their team, this is one of the best items to counter that. Plus, it is exceptionally great on champions that love to deal on-hit damage such as Vayne or Kalista.

It allows your basic attacks to deal (12% for melee / 8% for ranged) of the target’s current health bonus physical damage on hit.

So, if the enemy team has high HP targets or tanks, buy this item and you will shred through them in no time. While it doesn’t offer any critical strike chance, you do not need it in most cases against tanky enemy champions.

Which is Better?

Now that we have talked about both the items and what they have to offer, let’s finally answer the question of which is better. Both these items are extremely useful and it completely depends on the situation of the game.

Sometimes, making Bloodthirster is better since it will give you a lot of lifesteal and allow you to gain a shield when your HP is full. This will save you on more than one occasion as your champion will lifesteal more than it takes damage.

If you have a champion that would benefit from the critical strike chance and lifesteal, this is one of the best items that you can buy. This is especially true in the case of an ADC. You will be thankful that you bought this item when the enemy assassin is running after you.

It essentially allows you to sustain yourself better and negate a lot of the poke damage that would otherwise lower your HP.

On the other hand, if the enemy has a lot of tanks or you are playing a champion that excels at on-hit damage, building Blade of the Ruined King is the best course of action. It will allow you to gain a bit of lifesteal alongside damage and attack speed.

Plus, you will deal on-hit damage with your basic attacks as well. On top of that,  your third auto attack will consume a stack and deal 40 − 150 (based on level) bonus magic damage on hit and slow the target by 25% for 2 seconds. Plus, it also grants you a 25% bonus movement speed for the same duration as well.