It is well known by now that Riot is no stranger to bringing quirky, fun content to the game, mostly through skins and champion’s dances, yet there is one character whose only voice line has become a meme in the League community. We’re obviously talking about everyone’s favorite rolling menace, Rammus, The Armordillo.
Although we aren’t seeing as much of him on Summoner’s Rift as we used to, Season 11 and 12’s item changes allow Tank champions to shine once again, and with the slight rework on his Ultimate, Rammus became a more than ideal pick to round out any team comp which lacks a frontline or enage tool.
For his role, Rammus belongs in the Jungle, allowing him to roll onto lanes with his ganks being easily convertible into takedowns and gold leads for his team. That being said, his kit and role requires The Armordillo to plan his Jungle route efficiently, enabling him to secure sufficient gold to become a near un-killable threat.
Today, we bring you the ultimate Jungle route and clearing guide for Rammus, along-side the ideal Summoner Spells, Runes, Items, and a whole bunch of tips and trick to help you win games through “jg diff” alone!
Stay tuned!
Summoner Spells
Flash / Ghost + Smite
There are many champions who can substitute Flash for another Summoner Spell, but very few of those should do it on a consistent level. Similarly to Hecarim, the “Oke” champion can indeed use Flash effectively, yet some of the best Rammus players across servers confidently prefer running Ghost.
This decision requires no explanation, as The Armordillo’s kit is all about chasing and locking down enemies, for which Ghost is undoubtedly the better option.
The Best Rammus Runes
As a true Tank, whose kit is focused around defensive stat stacking and crowd control, Rammus players should further enhance his resistances through their Runes of choice.
The strongest Keystone option remains Aftershock, found in the Resolve tree, followed by Demolish, Conditioning and finally Unflinching. Aftershock can be activated with unparalleled ease, as both Powerball (Q) and Frenzying Taunt (E) can trigger its effects, while Demolish provides some extra sieging power, which can also be leveraged to extend his early gold lead by collecting Turret Plates.
For the secondary Runes, high-elo players typically run Triumph and Legend: Alacrity, with the latter seeming slightly odd. If feeling uncomfortable with the added attack speed, players can also run Last Stand or Legend: Tenacity, in an effort to emphasize on Rammus’ durability in fights.
Also Check Out: Olaf Jungle Path
The Best Rammus Items
Starting Items: Hailblade + Refillable Potion
Mythic Item: Turbo Chemtank / Sunfire Aegis
Core Items: Defensive Boots, Thornmail, Dead Man’s Plate, Force of Nature
Finishing Options: Randuin’s Omen, Gargoyle Stoneplate
As mentioned, Rammus is a Tank by nature, and his items need to reflect and enhance that. Sunfire Aegis is merely an alternative to Turbo Chemtank, but given the latter’s bonus Active, players shouldn’t realistically have a reason no to orient towards it.
Thornmail and Dead Man’s Plate once again synergize too well with his kit and play style, as does Randuin’s Omen. These items, in combination with Rammus’ Defensive Ball Curl (W), can lead to enemy ADCs hitting you and dealing more damage to themselves, as your unparalleled amount of armor and defensive effects can basically annihilate champions who rely mostly on auto-attacks.
The last problem to take care of is Magic Resistance, as the Armordillo’s kit provides proportionally less of it than Armor, and the item options aren’t as vast. Gargoyle is objectively better than Spirit Visage, as the latter’s Passive (the increased healing) doesn’t suit Rammus that much, translating into less value for money.
The Best Skill Order for Rammus Jungle
Q > E > W > R
However, Rammus has to invest his first Spell point into W, which facilitates the first camp clear considerably more than either Q or E.
The Best Jungle Paths for Rammus
Although he belongs in the Jungle, Rammus is not the best champion when it comes to clearing camps, which is why players should focus extensively on ganking rather than farming. For this reason, we are going to be skipping over the Krug camp entirely, especially during the first clear, as it would considerably slow down The Armordillo’s tempo, which could otherwise be invested in effective ganks.
We are going to cover the most advantageous starts from each side, but players should keep a few factors in mind when deciding upon where their Jungle pathing should start. These are:
- Which laners are going to provide more help in clearing the first camp?
- Counter-jungle opportunities, based on where the enemy Jungler is likely to start.
- Which lane would you like to gank first, depending on both the allied and enemy champions.
When it comes to ganking, Rammus relies heavily on his Q and E to lock targets into place, allowing his allies to deal some free damage, often times converting into a kill, considering just for how long he can keep enemies in place.
Also Check Out: Best Tank Top Lane Champions
Red Side, Red Clear
For the first clear route, starting with Red Side’s Red Buff, players want to slay their first camp without using Smite, saving it for later. Having your Top laner assist you a bit more than usual would be ideal, as you’ll mitigate most of the incoming damage through W, but will still need some help in dealing damage in return.
Moving on towards your second and third camps, the Raptors and Wolves shouldn’t pose a threat, as most of the smaller mobs will lose significant Health by simply attacking you while W is active, and you’ll always have the Refillable Potion to keep you healthy if needed.
Having now cleared the first three camps, head towards the Blue Buff and start hitting away at its HP bar, before using Smite to accelerate your clear. Players can also use Q to navigate the jungle more quickly, activating it at a distance from which they’ll have enough time to hit mobs with it.
After Blue, make one last stop at the Gromp, which may take a little while to slay, but its healing effect will ultimately leave you with plenty of Health to step into the River and contest the Scuttler with, if needed.
Once at the Scuttler Crab, use Powerball to break its shield and fight it slowly using your auto-attacks, until its Health goes below the Smite threshold, using its second charge to finish the River camp.
You are now in a perfect position to force a gank, with your option being Mid or Bot. Either way, be on the lookout for overextending enemies, which you can charge at from behind using Q, before taunting them for your allies to finish the job.
Red Side, Blue Clear
Red Side’s Blue Start offers the added benefit of having two allies assisting you with the first camp, allowing you to accelerate your pathing considerably.
Having killed Blue, head for the Gromp and use Smite when its Health goes under the threshold to secure it as quickly as possible, in order to maintain the pacing advantage won by starting with two allies by your side.
As your third and fourth camps, you are going to be claiming the Wolves and Raptors, both being quite easy and quick to clear, given the AOE damage on your Powerball and the Defensive Ball Curl’s mechanics. You may feel like using the Refillable Potion at this point, which is perfectly fine, as the next camp may deal a bit more damage to you.
For your fifth camp, it is time to secure your second Buff by slaying Red, whom you can also cast Smite on to maintain your so-far excellent tempo. This will leave you without a guaranteed way of securing the Scuttler, but for the sixth camp, you can always break its shield using Q, and given how quick your pathing was so far, it is unlikely for the enemy Jungler to come and contest.
This route leaves you in the River, ready to gank Top or Mid, depending on which ally is more likely to successfully secure the kill, once you lock down the enemy.
Blue Side, Blue Clear
Switching over to the Blue Side, your clears will be more or less identical to the Red Side’s, with the only noticeable difference being the reversal of the stronger start’s side.
From the weaker position, the Blue Buff start, you are once again going to be saving the first Smite charge for Gromp, which is your second camp following Blue.
Then, head for the Wolves and Raptors, securing them rather passively using Qs damage strike and W’s stat stacking, keeping your second Smite charge for the Red Buff, as your final camp residing inside of your Jungle, since we’re skipping Krugs altogether.
Now it’s time to roll into the River with Q and break the Scuttler’s shield, steadily hitting away at its Health bar, granted that the enemy Jungler is unlikely to contest. This position once again allows you to gank either Mid or Bot, with Bot often times being the more favorable option, given how both allies can follow-up on your taunt.
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Blue Side, 5 Camp Red Clear
And now for the final clear, Red Side’s Red Buff start, apply the same principle as with the first route we’ve discussed, saving your second Smite for the Scuttler in order to accelerate your tempo even more.
After securing your first Buff, head for the multi-mob camps on your way to Blue, securing both the Raptors and Wolves steadily, with the use of your Defensive Ball Curl.
At Blue, use Smite to keep you from fighting it for what would otherwise seem like an eternity, before turning your focus towards the Gromp. This duel may be a bit lengthy, but will ultimately leave you with nearly full Health, giving you all the confidence required to safely secure the Scuttler, using Smite to execute it.
Now being in the position to gank Mid or Top, you should always try to force at least one gank before your first reset, in an attempt to start building your gold lead as soon as possible.
The Best Tips and Tricks for Rammus Jungle
- Rammus players can confidently jump into the middle of the fight at nearly all stages of the game, given just how resistant this champion is. Part of it is thanks to his W, Defensive Ball Curl, which should always be activated once you start taking considerable damage. Rarely is it recommended for players to cancel the ability in order to make an escape, as you are more likely to survive by staying in the fight and absorbing damage with W active, than if you were to start running once already low on Health.
- Additionally, remember that basic attacks extend W’s duration by .4 seconds per attack, for up to 4 seconds. In a fast-paced, dynamic game like League, those additional 4 seconds can make a significant difference, which is why many advanced players also prefer running Legend: Alacrity. Either way, always try to extend Defensive Ball Curl’s duration as much as possible, by auto-attacking the closest enemy target.
- After his slight rework, Rammus can now use his Ultimate to also jump over terrain, enhancing most of its mechanics if cast while Powerball (Q) is active. What this effectively translates to is that Soaring Slam (R) should preferably only be used in combination with Q, as its relatively high cooldown demands you get the most of it.
- Lastly, Rammus is always tasked with chasing down enemy carries and locking them up for his team to finish the kill, and with a handful of movement speed boosting tools under his belt, this task becomes quite easy. Players should always focus on activating Ghost, Turbo Chemtank and Q in good sync, granting you an enormous amount of movement speed at once. However, beware not to extend too far away by yourself, as the ludicrous speed boost may cause you to get caught in 1v5 scenarios, with your team too far away to intervene.
Finalizing Thoughts
Despite his arguably linear kit, Rammus is one of those champions who will consistently deliver the results he promises, as a sometimes game-breaking tank and feared engage tool. His ability to run down virtually any enemy makes up his bread and butter at all times during the game, since it is so easy to land, especially after players have completed their Mythic item.
During the later stages of the game, Rammus players are tasked with standing in front of their carries, absorbing as much damage as possible. As tempting as it would be to constantly look for 5 man Ults, players should not pull the trigger if that implies leaving their team exposed, without a frontline, unless the overall positioning of the enemy team allows it.
We honestly recommend playing a few Rammus games this Season, adding him to your Jungle champion pool, as the Armordillo can easily become one of your go-to picks whenever your team needs an effective Tank and control tool, consistently delivering just that.
And with that we conclude our Jungle guide on The Armordillo, hoping it proves to be more than just “Oke”, when you jump into your next game of Rammus. For more League of Legends content, including similar guides, make sure to keep an eye out on our website, where we regularly upload fresh material!
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