Skill Order

Normal Skill Order

R > Q > E > W

Max Bear Trap on a Rope (Q) first. It is your primary poke, trade tool, and dismount recovery mechanism. The cooldown drops significantly with levels, letting you fish for hooks constantly. In Mayhem, where sustain is high and fights are chaotic, having Q up often determines whether you stay mounted or get run down while dismounted.

Take Violent Tendencies (W) at level 1 or 2, but max it last. The attack speed steroid is powerful, but the ability does not gain cooldown reduction or significant burst damage per level. You rely on the passive auto-attack reset and the fourth hit burst, which function the same at rank 1 as they do at rank 5. The only gain is damage, which is less valuable than the utility and cooldown reduction on E.

Max Skaarl the Cowardly Lizard (E) second. The dash cooldown decreases, and the damage goes up. More importantly, a lower cooldown on E means you can reposition, chase, or escape after dismounting. In the long team fights of Mayhem, you will dismount and remount multiple times. Having E available to dodge a lethal burst or close the gap for a remount is essential.

Put points into Chaaaaaaaarge!!! (R) whenever available. The ultimate defines your engage range and team-wide movement speed. The cooldown is long, so ranks matter for having it up for the next big fight.

Augment-Influenced Skill Order

R > Q > W > E (Conditional)

Shift to a W-second max only if you roll an augment that specifically scales with attack speed or on-hit application. For example, if you obtain an augment that applies on-hit effects twice or grants bonus damage per auto-attack, W becomes a damage powerhouse. The four rapid attacks from Violent Tendencies can proc those effects four times in under two seconds. In this specific scenario, the damage gain from maxing W outweighs the mobility loss from delaying E.

Another trigger for W-second is when you have heavy peel support on your team. If a Lulu or Janna keeps you safe, you do not need the lower E cooldown to survive. You can stand your ground and auto-attack freely. Without that safety, delaying E is a death sentence.

Most games, even with damage augments, the standard Q > E > W order remains safer. The Mayhem environment is full of skill shots and burst combos. Mobility is survival. Do not sacrifice your escape tool for damage unless you are confident you will not be punished.

Adjustment Triggers

  • Heavy Poke Enemy Team: If the enemy has long-range mages like Ziggs or Xerath, stick to the standard Q > E > W. You need E to dodge their core abilities. If you get dismounted by poke, you need E to line up a last-hit Q for remount courage. Maxing W leaves you a sitting duck.
  • All-In Melee Clash: If the enemy team is full melee or short-range bruisers, you can consider W second. You will be in extended melee brawls where the attack speed steroid gets full value. Even then, E is often better for chasing down runners.
  • Augment Changes Everything: If an augment turns your Q into a multi-hit ability or gives it massive area-of-effect, always prioritize Q. If an augment gives you bonus movement speed per auto-attack, W becomes a speed-steroid tool, making the W-max path more attractive.
  • Snowball Reliance: In Mayhem, Snowball (Mark/Dash) is a core engage tool. If you rely on Snowball to engage, you might use E less for gap-closing and more for escaping. This slightly reduces the pressure to max E early, but does not fully invalidate it.

Cost of Choosing the Wrong Order

Maxing W second in a game where you are getting poked down is a disaster. You will have no dash to dodge, no dash to chase, and no dash to secure the courage needed for remounting. You will spend the game dismounted, running away, and providing zero damage or pressure. Kled without Skaarl is vulnerable; without E, he is a free kill.

Maxing E second when you have a perfect attack-speed augment setup is an opportunity cost. You survive longer, but your damage output drops. You become a utility bruiser instead of a burst threat. In a mode where games are decided by who kills who faster, playing too safe can lose the game.

Maxing Q first is non-negotiable. If you try to max E or W first, you lose your only reliable ranged tool. Q is how you last-hit minions for courage, how you poke before engaging, and how you finish off low-health runners. Without a maxed Q, your lane presence vanishes.

Summary

Default to R > Q > E > W. It offers the best balance of poke, engage, and survival. Switch to R > Q > W > E only when augments or team comps guarantee you can auto-attack freely without being exploded. The wrong order turns a aggressive cavalry charge into a dismounted retreat.