Skill Order

Normal Skill Order: R > Q > E > W

Vi’s default Mayhem leveling is simple: max Q first, take R whenever it is available, max E second, and leave W for last. This order gives her the most reliable engage pattern in ARAM: charge Q from fog, brush, or behind minions, connect the knock-up, then use E to finish the short trade or start the all-in. If your Q misses, you usually do not get a clean second chance before the enemy team turns on you, so the main max should support the spell that starts the fight.

  • Main max: Q. Max Q first when you are the primary engage, when your team needs someone to start fights, or when the enemy backline is playing just outside your team’s poke range. More Q priority means your engage, pick threat, and repositioning all improve at the same time. It also makes missed windows less painful because your most important spell comes back into the fight plan sooner than if you delayed it.
  • Second max: E. Max E second in the normal order because Vi needs follow-up damage after she commits. Q gets her in, but E is what lets her actually punish the target she reached. In lane-state fights where both teams are standing around the wave, E also helps her clear and threaten anyone who walks up too far.
  • Last max: W. W is useful, but in the normal build it is not the spell that decides whether Vi gets access to a target. If you max W too early without an augment or build that rewards extended punching, you often become a champion who reaches melee range but cannot force the fight on your terms.

Standard Point Flow

  1. Early points: unlock Q, W, and E so you have engage, dueling pressure, and wave interaction. If a level-one or first-fight setup demands immediate contact, Q is the priority button because it creates the first punish window.
  2. Then: put points into Q until it is maxed. Do this unless your augments strongly push a different plan.
  3. Ultimate: take R whenever you can. Vi’s ultimate gives her a direct way to reach a chosen target when Q alone is too easy to block or sidestep.
  4. Mid game: max E second for damage after engage and better short trades around the wave.
  5. Late: finish W last unless your augment setup specifically turns repeated basic attacks into your main win condition.

Augment-Influenced Skill Orders

  • Q-focused engage or mobility augments: R > Q > E > W. Stay on the normal order when your augments reward dashing, landing crowd control, starting fights, or reaching priority targets. This is the cleanest Vi setup. You threaten carries from longer angles, punish immobile champions harder, and force defensive cooldowns before your backline has to walk up. The cost of not maxing Q in this setup is obvious: you become slower to create fights, and the enemy gets more time to poke, kite, and hold disengage for your ultimate.
  • E-focused burst, wave, or spell-hit augments: R > Q > E > W, with earlier E points if fights are constant. Even when E looks attractive, Q usually still comes first because E needs access to a target. The adjustment is not “ignore Q”; it is to avoid delaying E too long once Q is established. If your team already has reliable engage from another champion and you are playing as the second diver, you can lean into E second very aggressively. Wait for your teammate to force a flash, dash, or cleanse, then Q in after and use E to convert the punish. The wrong order here is maxing E first when nobody can start fights for you. You will clear waves better, but you will stand in front of five enemies with no dependable way to reach the champion that matters.
  • W-focused on-hit, extended-fight, or anti-frontline augments: R > Q > W > E. Swap W to second when your augments and items clearly reward staying on one target and punching through durable champions. This is best when the enemy has tanks, bruisers, or short-range champions who cannot easily disengage from you after Q or R lands. In those games, W second gives better value because the fight lasts long enough for repeated hits to matter. The cost is lower burst and weaker wave pressure compared with E second, so do not choose this if the enemy team is mostly ranged poke and slippery carries. You will spend too much time chasing and not enough time killing.
  • Tank, shield, or survival-heavy augments: R > Q > W > E or R > Q > E > W depending on target access. If the augment plan makes you a durable initiator, Q still comes first because a tanky Vi who cannot engage is just a short-range body. Choose W second when you expect long brawls into melee champions and need sustained threat after the first rotation. Choose E second when your team needs faster follow-up damage to kill a carry during your lockdown window. The mistake is building tanky and then maxing for a damage pattern your team cannot use. If your allies are poke mages, they need you to hold enemies in a predictable spot; if your allies are divers, they need you to survive long enough for the second wave of damage.
  • Ultimate or lockdown-enhancing augments: R > Q > E > W in most games. When your setup makes target selection stronger, E second usually pays off because your job becomes deleting or crippling one champion after you press R. Use Q either before R to start from an unexpected angle, or after R to chase the target’s escape once the initial lockdown ends. W second is only better here if the target you are ulting is usually a tank or bruiser. If you max W into a backline-pick game, you may survive longer, but you give the enemy carry more chances to get peeled after your first hit.

Adjustment Triggers

  • Max Q first almost every game if you are the only real engage, if the enemy has strong poke, or if the enemy carries are playing behind their frontline. Vi needs the ability to choose when the fight starts. Without Q priority, you are too easy to stall.
  • Go E second when your team wins by bursting one target during your engage. This is the usual choice with mages, marksmen, and other champions that can instantly follow your Q or R.
  • Go W second when fights are slow, melee-heavy, and decided by who wins the frontline battle. This works better when the enemy cannot simply walk away after your first combo.
  • Do not overreact to one good augment if the enemy comp does not let you use it. A W-supporting augment is less valuable when every enemy carry has peel and range. An E-supporting augment is less valuable when you never get a clean target. Level for the fight you are actually allowed to play.

Cost of the Wrong Order

Maxing E first makes Vi feel better when hitting minions or cleaning up low-health targets, but it can ruin her engage timing. If you cannot land Q or force R first, E damage stays trapped behind enemy spacing. You will watch fights happen just out of reach, then enter late and die after the enemy has already used their damage on your team.

Maxing W too early is also punishable. It can be strong in brawls, but it asks for time in melee range. Against poke, disengage, or heavy crowd control, that time is not guaranteed. If you choose W second in the wrong game, you lose the faster burst from E and still may not get enough basic attacks to justify the points.

Delaying R is never worth it when the point is available. Vi’s ultimate is her cleanest answer to slippery carries and chaotic Mayhem fights where Q can be blocked, dodged, or interrupted by spacing. Take R on time, max Q first, then let the match decide whether E damage or W extended fighting matters more.