Volibear Build Guide

Volibear Build

Table of Contents

Introduction

1

Support Tank Volibear: Introduction

2

Support Tank Volibear: Masteries + Runes

3

Support Tank Volibear: Items

4

Skilling Order

5

Summoner Abilities

6

Pros / Cons

7

• Introduction

  This guide is a work in progress. I will be continually updating this guide. You will find here a COMPLETE guide to Volibear including builds for Support Tank, AP/AS Damage, and Jungling. I will also be discussing proper solo laning, proper duo laning, and proper jungling with Volibear. Please enjoy and be patient as I continue to work on this.
  

• Support Tank Volibear: Introduction

  [builder=Volibear/899e4e30f15adcb005ee0c03ef36bd60]
  This is my prefered build with Volibear. While at casual glance it may not seem like much you will notice an increase in kills and assists, while also granting CC and support to your carries.
  
  In this build you are playing a support. You are brawny enough to go toe to toe with many foes and come out perfectly fine, but you prefer to initiate in order to put the enemy carries in the perfect place for your team to focus them down while still escaping or providing safe retreat for your allies.
  
  This build focuses on Health with a good blend of magic resist and armor. It is a 5 item build, with the 6th slot open for Wards at all times. Remember you are a support in this build, so WARDING is in YOUR job description. Because your bonus health gets very high, your Frenzy will do very high damage for that last hit capability.
  

• Support Tank Volibear: Masteries + Runes

  Masteries
  
  With Support Tank Volibear I go with a 0/21/9 Mastery set up. Once again HEALTH is your focus in this build, so in the Defense tree your goal is to get the maximum amount of health possible. By simply Maxing out the health masteries in this tree before adding a single item or rune to the build you are already at 201.78 bonus Health... which DOES count towards your Frenzy.
  
  the full mastery breakdown is as follows:
  
  Defense:
  Summoner's Resolve x1
  Resistance x2
  Hardiness x2
  Durability x4
  Veteran's Scars x1
  [mastery=Evasion] x2
  [mastery=Initiator] x2[mastery=Enlightenment] x3
  Honor Guard x3
  Juggernaut x1
  
  While I do see a major flaw in [mastery=Initiator], since Volibear has no escape ability and he'll most likely lose the speed bonus after he is engaged for an extended period of time, some movement bonus is better than none. 
  
  
  Runes
  
  In your Rune Selection, you are accomplishing 2 things. First you want to augment your strong points, which as you guessed it will be your HEALTH. This does 2 things for you... first it allows you to raise your EFFECTIVE HEALTH (especially at low levels when health is the better choice against resistances) and second, your frenzy now does even more damage.
  
  The second goal of your rune selection is to also fill in some holes that your items and Masteries just dont adequately fulfill.These holes that your trying to fulfill are offensive in nature. This build relies on 2 offensive stats that turn you into a serious threat. First, Attack speed. Frenzy requires 3 stacks before you can unleash its devastating power. so getting your base attack speed up a small amount at the start of the game will make it that much easier for you to drop the killing blow that your carry just happened to miss. Just remember your goal is NOT to be the best melee AD carry out there. 
  In order to make Support Tank Volibear an actual threat to be concerned about, we needed to come as close to capping the Cool Down Reduction as possible. CDR caps at 40% for all heroes. By utilizing the Glyphs, Support Tank Volibear gets to 38.95% at level 18. 
  To off set the drawback from the speed bonus masteries that we took, We are actually going to be using our Quintessences for that role. Could you put other Quints in those very important spots? Yes you could, but remember you are a Support Tank in this build. You need to be able to travel fast and utilizing Rolling Thunder in conjunction with the other speed bonuses you'll be able to close the distance and initiate on anyone on the field of battle.
  My Support Tank Volibear Rune setup is as follows:
  
  Marks
  Greater Mark of Alacrity x9
  
  Seals
  Greater Seal of Vitality x9
  
  Glyphs
  Greater Glyph of Focus x9
  Quintessences
  Greater Quintessence of Swiftness x3
  
  
  *IMPORTANT*Remember that Attack Speed determines how quickly your abilities take effect (other than Majestic Roar). The better your AS the quicker your Rolling Thunder will go off once you make contact with your target, and the faster your activated   Frenzy bite will go off.

• Support Tank Volibear: Items

  Support Tank Volibear is as the name says a SUPPORT TANK. You will be in bottom lane, with most likely a carry. You are there to make sure your ally does not get ganked, harrassed, or messed up in anyway. You are not there to get a high CS. Infact just the opposite, your carry needs more expensive gear, you on the other hand have a cheap build that goes by really quickly.
  
  I have found the most efficient way to build is in the following order
  
  Starting Items
  Health Potion x4
  Sight Ward x1
  Faerie Charm x1 : The Faerie Charm will keep your mana up, with little issue.
  
  First return
  Upgrade your Faerie Charm to a Philosopher's Stone : The PS now is your regeneration item and income
  Don't Forget to replenish your Sight Ward supply
  If you saved gold purchase your Boots of Speed now (if not get them first thing next trip)
  
  Second return
  Get your Boots of Speed if you don't have them already
  Purchase Heart of Gold : Increases your health, which in turn increases damage PLUS its income
  
  As Soon As Possible 1Get your health skyrocketing, purchase Giant's Belt to start off the build towards Warmog's Armor: Once you have completed this, your Frenzy will jump in power and just continue to become more devastating through out the rest of the match, especially when you continue adding the other items.
  
  As Soon As Possible 2
  Now your Priority is to get a  Kindlegem : increases health (and damage) and gives you some cool down reduction
  Upgrade your Boots of Speed to Ionian Boots of Lucidity : These boots get you to the CDR cap which is important since Volibear has long cool downs on the abilities that make him sustainable
  
  As Soon As Possible 3
  Upgrade your Kindlegem to a Spirit Visage : Health (Frenzy damage), MR, and CDR, oh and it makes your Passive stronger.
  
  To Complete your Core Build
  In order to finish your Core Item build you are going to start selling now.
  Trade in the Philosopher's Stone for a fully matured Catalyst the Protector
  Heart of Gold is getting turned in for the most fashionable Sunfire Cape health, armor, and a damage aura that just augments your damage more.
  Your Catalyst the Protector that is doing a good job of keeping you safe, is now ready to become a star. Upgrade it to Banshee's Veil
  
  Final Item
  Now it is your choice, and it all depends on how the match is going. I mentioned that this was a 5 item build, with the 6th slot filled with wards at all times, but incase someone else is doing an excellent job with wards or any other consumables that may be used in that spot... there is one more item that can take you to the next level, of health and Frenzy damage.
  Enter Leviathan: While I'm normally not a fan of items that require stacks to become truly effective, Leviathan hits you with an Additional 820 Health (BEFORE your percentage increases from your DEFENSE Masteries) and outright reduces the damage Volibear receives by 15%. Since you are playing a support tank, you'll have plenty of opportunities for assists, ganks, and Last Hits. With your passive Chosen of the Storm if you ever drop to 30% of your maximum hit point total, you will heal 30% of your maximum hit point total over the course of 6 seconds. With Spirit Visage that 30% heal is augmented 15% (the heal does not become 45% of your health, it is 15% of the 30%) 
  Utilizing the suggested build - including the optional Leviathan - your Frenzy 
  

• Skilling Order

  For the Support Tank Volibear, I find the best Skill order is as follows.
  
  
  Rolling Thunder > Majestic Roar > Frenzy > Frenzy > Frenzy > Thunder Claws > Frenzy > Rolling Thunder > Frenzy > Majestic Roar > Thunder Claws > Rolling Thunder > Majestic Roar > Rolling Thunder > Majestic Roar > Thunder Claws > Rolling Thunder > Majestic Roar
  
  the reason you are not going to start with Frenzy is because your BONUS health is not high enough to make a difference at level 1. Remember you are Support in a duo lane. Use Rolling Thunder to position the enemy in places for your partner to take advantage, or use it defensively when you are tower hugging - toss the enemy into the tower's range and watch the tower do your dirty work for you, saving you precious HP early on. Majestic Roar at level 2 allows your more CC, slowing your enemy, good for when being chased, or saving your carry, or when you just got the enemy in the perfect spot for the gank and you don't want him going anywhere for second or 2. By level 3 your should be working on getting Heart of Gold which gives you the first bonus to frenzy, giving you the umph to your primary damage ability.
  

• Summoner Abilities

  TO DO: Write something here ...

• Pros / Cons

  TO DO: Write something here ...