Hecarim’s passive is “Warpath” and ensures that he receives attack damage equal to a percentage of his additional movement speed. This means that the faster Hecarim moves, the more damage he deals to his opponents. This passive therefore makes it very worthwhile to buy items that provide additional movement speed.

At level 1, you skill the Q “Rampage”, which causes Hecarim to lash out and deal physical damage to nearby enemies. If Hecarim hits at least one enemy, he collects a “Rampage” stack, which lasts for 8 seconds. He can build up to 3 stacks, each of which increases the damage dealt by subsequent Qs. In addition, the cooldown of subsequent Qs is reduced by 0.75 seconds per active stack, which means that Hecarim has a fairly good constant damage output in longer fights. You should make sure to maintain stacks between camps when clearing your jungle. This can speed up your clear speed by a few seconds and give you extra time for ganks, invades or objectives. Since Hecarim should usually start with a full clear in order to get towards his level 6 as quickly as possible, we recommend spending a second ability point on Q at level 3 to get your first clear over with even faster. As Q is your main source of damage, maximize it first.

At level 2, you level up your W “Spirit of Terror”, which gives Hecarim armor and magic resistance when activated. Hecarim also deals magic damage to all nearby enemies and is healed for a portion of the damage these enemies take from him and his allies. This ability therefore significantly increases Hecarim’s stamina in larger fights, as it reduces incoming damage and allows him to heal himself. You shouldn’t always use it right at the start of a fight, but rather when you have already taken a little damage so that you can take full advantage of the heals and, with a little practice, bait your opponents to their doom. The second thing to do is maximize your W to benefit from the increased resistances and reduced cooldown.

The first time you skill your E “Devastating Charge” to level 4, Hecarim gains increased movement speed and can move through other units for a short time. His next normal attack pushes enemies back and deals additional physical damage depending on the distance traveled since activating the ability. So you can use the E to chase down enemies, use it for extra burst damage and also as a playmaking tool to push an enemy towards your team. Since additional ability points only increase the damage and the cooldown remains the same, you maximize the E last.

Hecarim’s ultimate “Onslaught of Shadows” can be leveled as usual at levels 6, 11 and 16. When activated, Hecarim summons shadowy riders and charges forward, dealing magic damage to enemies in a line in front of him and then unleashing a shockwave that causes nearby enemies to flee in fear. This ult is an ideal tool to tip the scales in your favor in a teamfight or skirmish. You can use it to engage, follow up, peel or even reengage. If you have activated your E beforehand, you can even hit and CC multiple opponents with the ult while using the E to push one of them towards your team. If you succeed in doing this with an enemy carry, the teamfight should be won, provided your team is in a position to burst it away.