Table of Contents

Unleashing the Gunpowder: A Deep Dive into Graves’ Damage in League of Legends

Graves, the Outlaw, is a formidable force on the Rift, known for his burst damage, dueling prowess, and ability to secure objectives. His damage output stems from a combination of factors, including his unique auto-attack mechanics, powerful abilities, and synergistic item builds. At its core, Graves’ damage comes from his Buckshot (Q), his auto-attacks which require reloading, and his ability to weave these together with mobility from Quickdraw (E) and burst from Collateral Damage (R). Mastering these elements is key to understanding how Graves delivers so much pain.

Deconstructing Buckshot (Q): The Core of Graves’ Damage

Buckshot is Graves’ signature ability, and a crucial part of his damage kit. It’s a skillshot that fires an explosive shell, dealing heavy physical damage to the first enemy hit. The magic doesn’t end there. After hitting a champion or reaching the end of its range, the shell explodes, dealing additional physical damage in a cone behind the initial target.

Here’s why Buckshot is so potent:

High Base Damage: Buckshot has respectable base damage, allowing Graves to deal significant damage even without heavy itemization.
Damage Amplification at Close Range: The cone explosion of Buckshot deals more damage when the enemy is closer to Graves. This encourages aggressive plays and rewards those who can effectively manage their positioning.
Wave Clear and Objective Control: The cone explosion also makes Buckshot an effective tool for clearing minion waves and damaging neutral objectives like dragons and Rift Herald.

Auto-Attacks: A Unique and Powerful Mechanic

Unlike traditional marksmen, Graves doesn’t fire a stream of bullets. Instead, he fires shells, requiring him to reload after every two auto-attacks. This mechanic may seem like a disadvantage, but it actually contributes to his unique playstyle and damage potential.

Graves’ auto-attacks have a couple of unique characteristics:

Pellet System: Graves fires multiple pellets with each auto-attack. The damage each pellet does is reduced, however the enemy still takes a great amount of damage.
Close-Range Power: The damage each pellet does is amplified at close range. If all the pellets hit, this can result in extremely high burst damage. This synergy with Buckshot creates incredible damage at close range.
Target limitation: Graves’ auto attacks can hit multiple targets, but only if they are clumped together and close to him.

Quickdraw (E): Mobility and Reloading Efficiency

Quickdraw is more than just a mobility tool for Graves; it also plays a crucial role in his damage output. Using Quickdraw grants Graves bonus armor and magic resistance, and it also reloads one shell. This is important because with it, Graves can continue to get his empowered auto-attacks off. This encourages aggressive plays and allows Graves to reposition effectively during fights.

How Quickdraw enhances damage:

Faster Reloading: Reduces the downtime between auto-attacks, leading to more consistent damage output.
Armor and Magic Resistance: Increases Graves’ survivability, allowing him to stay in the fight longer and continue dealing damage.
Kiting Potential: Grants Graves the ability to kite enemy champions, allowing him to stay at the optimal range for dealing damage.

Collateral Damage (R): The Finisher

Collateral Damage is Graves’ ultimate ability, and a powerful finishing move. He fires an explosive shell that deals massive physical damage to the first enemy hit. After hitting an enemy or reaching the end of its range, the shell explodes, dealing damage in a cone.

The key to maximizing Collateral Damage’s potential:

Initial Hit Damage: The initial hit deals significantly more damage than the explosion. Prioritize hitting key targets with the initial impact.
Execution Potential: Use Collateral Damage to finish off low-health enemies, ensuring they can’t escape.
Wave Clear: Like Buckshot, Collateral Damage can be used to quickly clear minion waves or push towers.

Itemization and Synergies

Graves’ item build is crucial for maximizing his damage output. He synergizes well with items that provide attack damage, lethality, and critical strike chance.

Popular item choices for Graves include:

Black Cleaver: Reduces enemy armor, increasing Graves’ damage output over time.
Death’s Dance: Provides sustain and reduces incoming damage, allowing Graves to stay in the fight longer.
Umbral Glaive: Provides lethality and vision control, making Graves a potent assassin.
The Collector: Provides lethality and a gold bonus when executing low-health enemies.
Infinity Edge: Provides critical strike damage and chance

Mastering the Art of Graves: Maximizing Damage Output

To truly unleash Graves’ damage potential, you need to master the art of weaving together his abilities and auto-attacks. Here are some key tips:

Close-Range Aggression: Graves excels at close-range combat. Use Quickdraw to get in close and unleash Buckshot and auto-attacks.
Kiting: Maintain an optimal distance from your enemies, using Quickdraw to reposition and avoid taking unnecessary damage.
Reload Management: Pay attention to your reload status and use Quickdraw to efficiently reload your weapon.
Objective Control: Use Buckshot and Collateral Damage to clear minion waves, damage towers, and secure neutral objectives.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Graves Damage

Here are 15 frequently asked questions regarding Graves and his damage dealing capabilities:

Does Graves do more damage the closer he is to an enemy? Yes, Graves’ auto-attacks deal more damage at closer range due to the pellet system. All pellets are more likely to hit at close range. Buckshot also deals increased damage due to the damage cone it produces.
Does Graves apply on-hit effects? Yes and no. On-hit effects are applied on each target hit by a pellet, but each additional pellet does not reapply the effects. This makes on-hit builds less efficient on Graves compared to champions with consistent auto-attacks.
Why are Graves so strong? Graves has a strong combination of mobility, burst damage, and objective control. He can farm effectively, duel effectively, and contribute significantly to team fights. Graves is also considered excellent due to his ability to easily perform clears and ganks while producing extensive damage. He is also able to create lots of damage during long team fights despite his less powerful Q.
Is Graves weak early game? No, Graves is a strong early game duelist. He can use his mobility and burst damage to win early skirmishes and get ahead. However, he can struggle if he falls behind.
Is Graves a hyper carry? Graves is a carry jungler, but not a hypercarry. He excels at dealing damage and carrying games, but he is not as reliant on scaling as some other hypercarry champions.
What beats Graves? Specific counters can vary depending on the role, but champions that can out-duel him, or deny his farming such as Naafiri, Diana, Brand, Cassiopeia, and Anivia generally do well against Graves.
Who can Graves invade? Graves can invade most junglers early in the game, especially if he has proper True Grit uptime.
Is Graves a full clear champion? Yes, the Pro Graves Jungle Path is a full jungle clear which starts with Graves killing the Red Brambleback with Quickdraw unlocked as his first spell.
Is Graves an easy champ? Graves is considered one of the easier champions to learn in League of Legends, but there is still a high skill ceiling for those looking to master him.
How to maximize Buckshot (Q) damage? Position yourself aggressively to ensure the cone explosion hits the enemy. Use Quickdraw to get in close and follow up with an auto-attack.
Why is reload management important on Graves? In between reloads, he cannot auto-attack. It reduces his damage output, leaving you vulnerable. Use Quickdraw to quickly reload your weapon and maximize your damage output.
How does Graves’ ultimate (R) work? Collateral Damage fires an explosive shell that deals massive physical damage to the first enemy hit. After hitting an enemy or reaching the end of its range, the shell explodes, dealing damage in a cone.
What items synergize well with Graves? Items that provide attack damage, lethality, and critical strike chance, such as Black Cleaver, Death’s Dance, and Umbral Glaive, synergize well with Graves.
How do I trade effectively with Graves? Use Graves’ bullets as a guideline for trading. Try to get one or two auto-attacks in, and then walk backwards as you reload.
What are some advanced techniques for Graves? Learn to kite effectively by using Quickdraw to maintain an optimal distance from your enemies. Practice using Buckshot to clear waves and damage objectives.

Conclusion: The Outlaw’s Arsenal

Graves’ damage output is a complex interplay of his unique mechanics, powerful abilities, and synergistic item builds. By understanding how Buckshot, his auto-attacks, Quickdraw, and Collateral Damage work together, and mastering the art of weaving them together, you can unlock the true potential of the Outlaw and dominate the Rift. Remember to continue learning and improving by exploring resources such as the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org. This will ensure continuous growth and a deeper understanding of League of Legends and its intricate gameplay mechanics.

How does Graves do damage?