Does Night Harvester Do More Damage Than Luden’s? A Deep Dive
The question of whether Night Harvester or Luden’s Tempest does more damage is complex and doesn’t have a simple yes or no answer. It heavily depends on the specific champion, the game situation, and how consistently you can proc each item’s passive. Generally, Night Harvester excels at providing burst damage upfront, while Luden’s Tempest offers more consistent damage over time, especially against multiple targets. Let’s break down the nuances.
Understanding Night Harvester’s Damage Profile
Night Harvester is designed for champions who thrive on quickly eliminating squishy targets or executing low-health enemies. Its Unique Passive (Soulrend) deals a flat amount of magic damage (175-250 based on level) plus 15% AP scaling when damaging a champion with abilities or attacks. The key to Night Harvester’s burst is that this passive can be triggered on multiple enemies at the same time, with a 40 second cooldown per champion. This makes it especially potent in teamfights or when facing grouped opponents. Additionally, the temporary 25% bonus movement speed it grants allows you to quickly reposition or chase down fleeing enemies after a burst. This speed boost, however, only lasts 1.5 seconds.
The strength of Night Harvester lies in its immediate impact. The flat damage, combined with its ability to hit multiple targets, allows you to quickly melt through the health bars of enemies. However, its damage does have a 40-second cooldown per target, and once that cooldown is in effect, you’re left relying on your abilities and auto attacks. Its scaling is also lower in raw AP terms compared to Luden’s.
Key Strengths of Night Harvester:
- Burst Damage: Provides significant upfront damage, especially against squishy targets.
- Multi-Target Potential: Can trigger on multiple enemies simultaneously, maximizing its damage in grouped fights.
- Movement Speed: The bonus movement speed after applying damage allows for better positioning.
- Good Execution: Ideal for finishing off low-health enemies.
Decoding Luden’s Tempest’s Damage Output
Luden’s Tempest, on the other hand, is designed for champions who need more sustained damage and poke. It’s Unique Passive (Echo) deals damage to the primary target and 3 nearby enemies after hitting with an ability. This additional damage scales with 10% of your Ability Power and grants a move speed bonus. This passive has an 8-second cooldown that can proc on the same target and can do serious damage in team fights, especially when champions are grouped.
Luden’s provides more consistent damage, especially when you’re consistently using your abilities. It also provides a substantial 600 mana which is crucial for mages that often struggle with mana consumption. The additional movement speed of the item is higher than Night Harvester at 10% and lasts longer at 3 seconds, though the speed bonus of both items is less than that of items like Hextech Rocketbelt. The key strength of Luden’s Tempest is its ability to deal consistent AOE damage to enemies within a certain range every 8 seconds. It also grants ability haste, which enables you to use abilities more often and thus triggering the passive more. This makes it useful for lane dominance and pressuring enemies.
Key Strengths of Luden’s Tempest:
- Consistent Damage: Provides sustained magic damage over time.
- AOE Capabilities: Damages the primary target and 3 nearby enemies, maximizing damage potential in team fights.
- Mana: Offers 600 mana, which makes it valuable for mana-hungry champions.
- Longer Movement Speed: Greater duration and bonus movement speed.
Head-to-Head: Damage Comparison
So, which item does more damage? Here’s a breakdown:
- Burst Scenario: In a situation where you need to quickly eliminate a single, squishy target or deal significant damage in a very short window, Night Harvester often comes out ahead. Its upfront damage output with its unique passive is more suitable in these situations.
- Sustained Damage Scenario: If you’re looking for consistent damage over time, and especially against multiple opponents, Luden’s Tempest provides more damage overall. This is due to the fact that its passive can proc often and consistently.
- Scaling: While both scale with AP, Luden’s has a higher scaling at 10% of your total AP, compared to 15% AP on Night Harvester. However, that is added to the burst damage of Night Harvester which does a lot more damage than ludens over a short period.
The “Better” Choice Depends on the Champion:
- Assassins and Burst Mages: Champions like Akali, Fizz, and Ekko often prefer Night Harvester to maximize their burst and pick off priority targets quickly.
- Poke and Control Mages: Champions such as Ziggs, Xerath, and Viktor tend to lean towards Luden’s Tempest because of its superior mana and ability to consistently poke.
- Engagers: Many champions like Fiddlesticks and Karma can make use of both depending on the game state and their playstyle, though many often choose Night Harvester for the burst damage.
In summary, Night Harvester delivers more immediate, burst damage, whereas Luden’s Tempest provides more consistent damage and AOE. The optimal choice depends on your champion’s playstyle and the game’s specific needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does Item Haste Affect Night Harvester?
Yes, item haste does affect Night Harvester’s Soulrend passive cooldown, effectively reducing the 40-second cooldown per champion.
2. How Does the Movement Speed on Night Harvester and Luden’s Compare?
Night Harvester grants 25% bonus movement speed for 1.5 seconds. Luden’s Tempest provides 10% bonus movement speed for 3 seconds. Luden’s lasts longer but is less potent initially.
3. Is Night Harvester a Mythic Item?
Yes, Night Harvester is a Mythic item in League of Legends.
4. Is Luden’s Tempest a Mythic Item?
Yes, Luden’s Tempest is also a Mythic item in League of Legends.
5. Is Night Harvester Good on Karthus?
In the current meta, Luden’s Tempest is generally preferred over Night Harvester on Karthus, due to Karthus needing the mana it provides and the consistent AOE damage. However, before the durability patch, Night Harvester was an okay option.
6. Is Night Harvester Good on Fiddlesticks?
Night Harvester is considered a good option on Fiddlesticks due to the burst damage it provides. However, the best mythic often depends on the game state and your preferred play style.
7. Is Hextech Rocketbelt Better Than Night Harvester?
Hextech Rocketbelt can be better than Night Harvester in certain situations as it grants more movement speed and an active that is very good for chasing or escaping. It also has a slightly higher damage output than the passive on Night Harvester. However, Night Harvester has a much lower cooldown.
8. What are the Stats of the Night Harvester Item?
Night Harvester provides 80 Ability Power, 250 Health, and 15 Ability Haste. Its Unique Passive deals magic damage and grants movement speed.
9. How Much Pectin is in Luden’s Cough Drops?
Each Luden’s cough drop contains 2.8 mg of Pectin, which is the active ingredient that acts as a demulcent.
10. How Much Menthol is in Luden’s Cough Drops?
Each Luden’s cough drop contains 2.5 mg of menthol, which acts as a cough suppressant.
11. Can You Take Too Many Luden’s Cough Drops?
While generally safe, you should not take more Luden’s cough drops than recommended, as excessive consumption could lead to minor digestive discomfort.
12. Are Luden’s Cough Drops Actually Medicine?
Yes, Luden’s cough drops are considered medicine due to their active ingredients, pectin and menthol, which provide throat relief and suppress coughs.
13. Can Night Harvester Trigger on Multiple Enemies at Once?
Yes, Night Harvester’s Soulrend passive can trigger on multiple enemy champions at the same time, making it excellent for AoE engagements.
14. How Does the Echo Passive on Luden’s Work?
The Echo passive on Luden’s Tempest deals additional magic damage to the primary target and 3 nearby enemies when you damage them with an ability.
15. Is Night Harvester Good on Karma?
Night Harvester can be good on Karma if you are very skilled at hitting her skillshots, otherwise, other enchanter items are typically better for Karma.