Normal Skill Order

R > Q > E > W

Max Queen's Wrath first. It is your primary damage tool and wave clear. In Mayhem, the reduced cooldowns and increased damage scaling make Q spam your main win condition. You want to be hitting the entire enemy wave and any champions standing behind it with every cast.

Take a second point in Q at level 3, then max it by level 9. After Q, max Tunnel. The E cooldown is long by default, and Mayhem fights are constant. You need tunnels up for mobility, engage angles, and the % health true damage on the knock-up. A lower E cooldown means you can flank more often and escape bad spots that would otherwise kill you.

Put points in Burrow (W) only when you have to. W is a utility toggle. It gives movement speed and vision, but the damage component is negligible. The heal on Tremor Sense is nice, but it scales with level, not ability points. Maxing W does not make you tankier or hit harder; it just feels bad when you have no damage.

  • Levels 1-3: Q > E > Q. Start Q for the level 1 poke and wave clear. Grab E at level 2 for an escape or a quick all-in if they overextend.
  • Levels 4-9: Max Q. Take W at level 4 if you need the vision or speed to dodge skillshots. Skip W until 8 if you are purely brawling.
  • Levels 10-13: Max E. The reduced tunnel cooldown is essential for late-game mobility.

Augment-Influenced Skill Order

Scenario A: Heavy Damage or Caster Augments (e.g., ability haste, Q damage ticks)

Order remains R > Q > E > W. If you roll an augment that adds damage to your basic abilities or gives you massive ability haste, you lean harder into the Q max. You become a poke bruiser. You fish for Q hits from max range, tunnel in for a knock-up when they are low, and burst them. The E max second is still correct because you need the tunnel resets to play the poke game safely.

Scenario B: Tank or Sustain Augments (e.g., healing bonuses, shield strength)

Order shifts to R > E > Q > W or R > E > W > Q in extreme cases. If your augment setup turns you into a dedicated disruptor, maxing E second is not enough; you might prioritize E points earlier. However, a true E max first is rare. The more common adjustment is taking W points earlier than usual—perhaps at levels 4 and 8—if the augment interacts with your healing or movement speed. This makes you slippery and hard to kill, but your damage drops off a cliff. You rely on your team for kills while you provide vision and knock-ups.

Scenario C: Ultimate Augments (e.g., R reset on takedown, massive R range)

Order is R > Q > E > W. You still need Q to get them low enough to execute. The R augment changes your play pattern, not your skill order. You still need the base damage from Q to make the R execute threshold relevant.

Adjustment Triggers

  • Against heavy poke comps: Consider an early point in W at level 3 or 4. The movement speed while burrowed helps you dodge linear skillshots like Nidalee spears or Lux bindings. The vision also prevents you from face-checking bushes. If you are getting kited to death before you can touch anyone, sacrificing a point of Q damage for W utility is a survival play.
  • Against melee heavy comps: Delay W as long as possible. You do not need the speed to close the gap; they come to you. Max Q fast to win the trade when they walk up. Take W only when you need the heal to sustain through their burst.
  • Team lacks engage: You are the engage. Prioritize E points. If your team has no other way to start a fight, you need your tunnels up for every cooldown cycle. Maxing E second becomes a priority over raw Q damage because a dead Rek'Sai does zero damage.

Cost of Choosing the Wrong Order

Maxing W first or second is the classic trap. Players see the heal and think it makes them an unkillable raid boss. It does not. The heal is a sustain tool, not a combat stat. If you max W, you clear waves slowly. You lose pressure. The enemy team pushes you under tower, and you cannot farm safely. In Mayhem, where games move fast, losing wave priority because you have no Q damage is a guaranteed loss. You become a low-damage speed bump that the enemy ignores until your teammates are dead.

Delaying E points costs you mobility. If you leave E at level 1 for too long, the cooldown is punishing. You tunnel in, knock someone up, and then you have no way out. You get collapsed on and die. In Mayhem, death timers and damage are high. Getting caught once without an escape tunnel can end the game. Maxing E second ensures you have an exit strategy for every engage.

Ignoring Q max removes your threat. Rek'Sai is a damage dealer first. Without Q max, your all-in is weak. You knock someone up, auto them a few times, and they walk away with half health. You need the Q damage to chunk them before you go in, or to finish them after the knock-up. If you skip Q, you force your team to play 4v5 on damage output.