What are the Teamfight Tactics basic items? Riot’s League of Legends-themed spin on the autobattler works a bit differently from Auto Chess and Dota Underlords in that you can combine items into more powerful ones. Before you rush off to memorise the TFT recipes, though, you’ll need to understand what each basic item does.
A big part of forming Teamfight Tactics comps is making sure the right item is on the right player. Getting that item used to be more difficult, but thankfully Riot is addressing the Teamfight Tactics RNG item pool. You’ll start with each of the eight base items in their earliest forms, when they’re at their most divergent, so we’re here to stop things getting overwhelming. The B.F. Sword, for example, offers up an additional 20 points to attack damage, whereas the Negatron Cloak provides a 20-point bump to magic resistance. To that end, the B.F. Sword would clearly suit someone who deals in melee damage, while a magic-boosting item would be suitable for a magic user.
In this guide we’ll run down what the eight basic items are and chip in with some suggestions on what champions they’ll go well with. Of course, Teamfight Tactics is still in its infancy, so this all could be subject to change. If things do change, expect us to update this guide accordingly. Now that’s out of the way, here are the Teamfight Tactics items in their basic form and what they do.
Teamfight Tactics base items
- B.F. Sword:
+20 attack damage
This item would be well suited to Darius as one of his better stats is attack damage. You can also combine it with a Needlessly Large Rod to make a Hextech Gunblade, which heals 25% of the damage you deal - Recurve Bow:
+20% attack speed
You’ll want to consider putting one of these on Ashe so you can build around her attack speed. Also, keep an eye out for a Tear of the Goddess so you can combine the two into a Statikk Shiv and play to her mana, too. Once this build is in full flow, every 3rd attack she does will deal 100 points of splash magical damage - Chain Vest:
+20 armour
We reckon that Leona is good ‘un for the Chain Vest item as you can build around her strong armour stat. You can also make a Locket of the Iron Solari when you find a Needlessly Large Rod. This’ll give you a solid advantage as this item shields units around you for 200 health when combat starts - Negatron Cloak:
+20 magic resist
Poppy is a good shout for the Negatron Cloak as you’ll be buffing her magic resist further, which is already strong. Throw in a Chain Vest to get Thornmail and reflect 35% of the damage taken from attacks back at your foes - Needlessly Large Rod:
+20% spell damage
Swain is a good shout for this as he boasts good mana and ability power stats.
More Teamfight Tactics:
Grab a Giant’s Belt when you can so you can combine the two into a Morellonomicon. Once you have that, you’ll be able to cast spells that deal burn damage and prevent enemies from healing
- Tear of the Goddess:
+20 starting mana
Varus is an excellent pick to put this item on as they have good ability power and mana base stats. Keep an eye out for a Needlessly Large Rod, too, and you can create a Luden’s Echo. Once you have that build in full flow, you deal 200 splash damage - Giant’s Belt:
+200 health
Due to his chonky health pool, Volibear is a solid shout to stick a Giant’s Belt on. Reason being, you can mesh the Giant’s Belt with a Recurve Bow to make a Titanic Hydra – meaning that 10% of Volibear’s maximum HP will be dealt as splash damage when he attacks - Spatula:
No item buff
The Spatula is a bit of a weird one as it doesn’t give you any buffs. Not at first, anyway, as this item comes into its own when it’s combined with something else. One such combo to look out for is the Runaan’s Hurricane, and you’ll need a Negatron Cloak for that. Once you have it, your character will attack two other targets on attack, with those extra attacks dealing 50% damage. Rengar boasts some pretty good attack damage and speed, so consider giving him this item
Teamfight Tactics best items
Teamfight Tactics hosts an array of items that combine into different ones. It is inevitable, however, that some will stand out above others – be it for their utility or just how busted they are. To that end, here are some top tier items to keep in your back pocket.
- Spear of Shojin – this is a good one to start with as, after casting an ability, you’ll recover 15% of your maximum remains mana per auto attack. The Spear of Shojin is handy for characters that can use their ultimate often – like Ahri, Veigar, Varus, and Aurelion Sol. To get it, combine a B.F. Sword with a Tear of the Goddess
- Zeke’s Herald – the recipe to craft this is a great one to remember if you’re building a support-focused character. Zeke’s Herald gives adjacent allies a 10% boost to their attack speed. Want it? Combine a B.F. Sword with a Giant’s Belt
- Rapid Firecannon – building a damage-focused character? Give this a go. Anyone wearing this can throw out undodgeable attacks. On top of that, your attack range doubles. Combine two Recurve Bows to get it
And there you have it, Teamfight Tactics items and our starter’s guide to basic items to help you hone your TFT tactics. These items combine in distinct ways and having a good handle on the buffs that brings will inevitably make or break your run, so get to studying.