Arcane Champions Guide for League of Legends: Mastering Heimerdinger

Who is Heimerdinger in League of Legends?

Heimerdinger is a historical character from Piltover, a former member of the Council, a scientist, and a professor who trained several young talents, such as Viktor and Jayce from Arcane. In League of Legends, he becomes an engineering mastermind on the battlefield and uses machines and gadgets to manipulate the environment. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the basics of playing Heimerdinger.

Heimerdinger’s Position and Approach

Heimerdinger is a mage and support champion and is considered to be a “Hard” champion by Riot Games. He is usually used as a top lane, mid lane or as a support. Riot has classified him as a difficult champion, but his play style is more about managing the turrets than anything else. His skill shots do involve some accuracy, but overall, he is more accessible than most other ‘hard carry’ champions.

Heimerdinger is a good choice for those players who have not yet mastered the concept of farming (killing creeps for gold). In time, you will learn his skills and when he is likely to make his moves, and thus understand what is referred to as “macro gaming” – making the right moves at the right time across the map.

Heimerdinger’s Abilities

Heimerdinger’s ultimate ability is the strongest point of his kit as each of his ultimate abilities improves one of his basic abilities. Here is a list of his skills and how to get the most out of them.

Passive: Hextech Affinity

Heimer’s passive gives a 20% movement speed increase when he is near allied towers or his own deployed turrets (from Q or ultimate + Q). This extra speed assists him in moving around or getting out of tight spots close to his defenders.

Q: H-28 G Evolution Turret

The Q ability deploys a small turret on the battlefield which will target and attack minions, champions or structures until it is destroyed. Heimer can carry up to three turrets at once, and he can use them to control zones and farm with. Turret placement is key: proper positioning will assist you in occupying your rightful space and denying the opponents the ability to focus on you.

W: Hextech Micro-Rockets

Activating W triggers five rockets that move towards a target area, applying magic damage to all enemies within the area of effect. If there are turrets near you, when you land your W on an enemy, all turrets within 1000 range will deal 20% more damage, and if all rockets hit, the damage bonus can reach 100%.

This ability becomes especially useful when used with turrets for additional damage, making it perfect for dealing damage to enemies or attacking from a distance.

E: CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade

The E ability is a grenade that applies magic damage on impact, and applies a 35% slow for 2 seconds and a stun for 1.5 seconds to anyone in the center of the explosion. As with W, this ability increases the damage of your turrets when used near them, making it a good area denial ability. A good E can stun your opponents, which means they will be unable to move and will be vulnerable to your turrets and other skills.

Ultimate Variations

Heimerdinger’s ultimate, UPGRADE!!!, lets him enhance one of his basic abilities, creating three unique effects to choose from:

• Ultimate + Q: This variant has a big turret with longer range and higher armor, which lasts for 8 seconds. This mega turret is perfect when you want to have extra defense and control over the crowd in team fights or when you are pushing towers.
• Ultimate + W: Heimer fires four waves of five rockets each which causes a lot of damage to enemies. Ideal for one-on-one combat or burst damage when your jungler comes in to gank (ambush on the enemy).
• Ultimate + E: Heimer throws an oversized grenade that bounces up to 3 times, damaging enemies and applying slow or stun if it hits. This is perfect for managing large groups, allowing your team to move in for the apprehension or back off when necessary.

This article focuses on Heimerdinger and his toughest opponents.

Each lane brings its own challenges, and Heimerdinger’s hardest matchups vary depending on his position:

• Top Lane: Yone, Kayle, and Yasuo are especially difficult to deal with because of their ability to kite and duel.
• Mid Lane: Champions like Vladimir, Qiyana, and Jayce can potentially shut down Heimerdinger due to his inability to deal with burst damage or poke.
• Support Role: Heimer suffers against champions like Xerath, Vel’Koz, and Soraka because they can either harass him from range or heal themselves from his poke damage.

Knowing your matchups will assist you in playing Heimerdinger better and adapt to your opponent’s strengths.

Heimerdinger Skins

Skins are an extra layer of personalization, making Heimerdinger’s turrets and abilities look distinct. For those who like personalization, Heimerdinger has several skins that you can use to make him look more to your liking.