Skill Order

Normal Order: R > Q > E > W

Augment-Influenced Order: R > Q > W > E

Main Max: Q (Elemental Wrath)

You max Q first in every game. There is no scenario where skipping Q max is correct. Q is your only reliable poke tool, your primary burst driver, and your shortest cooldown. In Mayhem, where health pools are inflated and sustain is high, you need the base damage and cooldown reduction from ranking Q just to stay relevant in the lane phase. If you do not max Q, you lack the damage to threaten squishies or clear incoming waves before they crash into your tower.

The element selection on Q dictates your trading pattern. Use Water Q when you want to root and catch a target stuck in the river terrain that runs through the middle of the map. Use Grass Q to stealth and reposition for a safer E follow-up or to dodge a key ability. Use Rock Q for the execute damage when the target is below half health. Ranking Q increases the damage on all three elements and lowers the cooldown, letting you cycle through these options faster. A maxed Q lets you weave two or three element swaps during a single extended fight, while a low-level Q leaves you waiting on cooldowns while the enemy resets.

Second Max: E vs. W

The choice between E and W depends on your augment roll and your comfort level.

E (Terrashape) Second: This is the standard choice for burst and kill pressure. E is your gap closer and your primary damage amplifier. Ranking E lowers the cooldown and increases the dash damage. In Mayhem, the map is narrow and fights are constant. You often need E to escape after diving the backline or to chase a low-health target running toward their inhibitor. If you run damage augments or cooldown reduction on dash abilities, E second maximizes your burst window. You go in, dump your combo, and hopefully kill the target before they react. The downside is that a missed E leaves you stranded with only W for an escape, and W moves a shorter distance than you might expect if you have not ranked it.

W (Royal Deception) Second: This becomes the better choice when you roll augments that enhance mobility, stealth duration, or defensive stats. W gives you a dash, a shield, and a stealth window. Ranking W increases the shield strength and lowers the cooldown. In a heavy poke composition or against a team with point-and-click crowd control, the extra shield and lower cooldown on W help you survive the initial burst and reset for a second engage. If you have an augment that grants attack speed or on-hit effects, the stealth from W lets you apply those effects safely. You trade raw burst damage for survivability and reset potential. This order is safer but slower; you might miss kills that an E max would have secured.

Augment Triggers for Adjusting the Order

  • Cooldown Reduction on Dash or Stealth: If you roll an augment that specifically reduces the cooldown of movement abilities or extends stealth duration, shift to W second. The value of W scales with how often you can use it. A low-cooldown W makes you incredibly slippery, letting you weave in and out of fights without ever getting locked down.
  • Damage Amp on Isolated or Single-Target Hits: If you gain an augment that amplifies damage on isolated targets or the next attack after a dash, prioritize E second. You want your E-Q-auto combo to hit as hard as possible. The lower cooldown on E means you can threaten this combo more often.
  • Health or Shield Scaling Augments: If your augments give you shields based on damage dealt or bonus health, W second helps you trigger those defensive mechanics more frequently. You become a bruiser-style assassin who can take a hit and keep fighting.
  • Ability Haste on Ultimate: If you roll heavy ability haste on your ultimate, you still max R at 6, 11, and 16, but the reduced downtime on your ultimate makes your E max more valuable. You can use R to engage, E to follow up, and by the time your combo resets, your R is nearly ready again. You play for big explosive picks rather than sustained poke.

The Cost of Choosing the Wrong Order

Maxing W second when you have no defensive augments or against a team with heavy reveal feels awful. You dash in, stealth, and then get revealed by a pink ward or an ability. Your shield breaks instantly, and your damage is too low to threaten anyone. You become a low-damage diver who dies after one rotation.

Maxing E second when you are behind or against a heavy poke composition is equally punishing. You dash in, fail to kill the target, and have no cooldowns left to escape. The enemy team collapses on you. You end up playing overly passive, using E only to dodge skillshots, which wastes the damage potential of the max.

Skipping Q max first is the biggest mistake you can make. Q is your only way to interact with the lane from a safe distance. Without Q max, you cannot contest the wave, you cannot poke enemies off their health packs, and you cannot set up kills for your team. You force yourself to play all-in or nothing, and in Mayhem, that usually means you end up dead on cooldown.

R Timing and Integration

Always rank R when available. The wall slam from R is your primary kill setup in Mayhem. The narrow map means you can almost always find a wall to slam an enemy into. Use R to start a fight on a priority target, then Q-E to follow up. If you are playing a poke style, you can hold R for disengage, slamming an enemy diver into their own team to create distance. The cooldown is long, so do not waste it on a target that is already low and escaping. Save it for the next fight or to turn a bad engage around.