Everything You Need to Know About Irelia in League of Legends

Irelia is one of the few reworks in League of Legends where the new version of the champion really lives up to, but also pays homage to the old version. Being able to 1v1 almost any champion in the game as well as having great sustain and farming abilities is what made the old Irelia so special.

And that is exactly what the new Irelia also does! A lot of the time you gain your lead by having over double the farm of your enemy lane opponent just with your Q, but more on that in this article!

Irelia’s abilities in League of Legends

Passive: Ionian Fervor

Every time Irelia hits an enemy with one of her abilities she generates a stack of ‘Ionian Fervor’. These last for six seconds and are refreshed whenever she basic attacks or uses an ability against enemy champions or large monsters. She can have up to four stacks.

For every stack Irelia has, she gains up to 20% bonus attack speed, which hits a maximum of 80% of 4 stacks.

When she hits four stacks her basic attacks become empowered, dealing up to 61 bonus Magic Damage plus 20% of her bonus AD as on-hit damage.

The second part of her passive is "Unsteady." Enemy champions and large monsters that are hit by her E, Flawless Duet and her R, Vanguard’s Edge's are marked as ‘Unsteady’ for five seconds. This mark can then be consumed using her Q, Bladesurge.

Q: Bladesurge

Irelia dashes through the target enemy and when she dashes, Irelia's Q deals 5 / 25 / 45 / 65 / 80 (+0.7 per attack damage) physical damage. This also applies on-hit effects and heals Irelia, as well as dealing bonus damage to minions.

The cooldown of this ability is essentially reset if this ability kills the target, including minions, or if the target has been marked with Irelia’s Passive, "Unsteady."

W: Defiant Dance

For 1.5 seconds Irelia charges her blades to be thrust in a chosen direction, and the longer she charges for, the more the damage is increased. This damage is up to 70 plus 40% of Irelia’s AD, as well as 40% of her AP - which can be doubled if held and charged for the full 1.5 seconds.

Whilst charging, Irelia also reduces incoming Physical Damage by up to 70% at max rank, and incoming Magic Damage by up to 35%, which both scale with Irelia’s AP.

E: Flawless Duet

Irelia throws a blade at the target location which stays there for three and a half seconds. She can then immediately recast this ability again to throw another blade at another target location.

Once she places both of her blades, they then fly at each other and deal Magic Damage of up to 260 plus 80% of Irelia’s AP to every enemy between them, stunning them for just under a second.

This then marks them with Irelia’s Passive "Unsteady," meaning she can use her Q, Bladesurge, and reset the cooldown.

R: Vanguard’s Edge

The passive of Irelia’s Ultimate is that her Q cooldown is reduced by 0.5 seconds, 1.5 seconds, and 2.5 seconds every time Irelia upgrades her Ultimate.

The active has Irelia throw a large barrage of blades in her chosen direction which expand outwards when hitting an enemy champion. They deal up to 375 Magic Damage scaling with 70% of her AP as well.

Irelia’s blades land in a formation which grants sight of its surroundings and deals the same Magic Damage to any enemies that walk through it, as well as slowing them for one and a half seconds by 90%

The way to use Irelia’s Ultimate within her combo is to get the ‘Unsteady' mark on any enemy champions it hits, meaning Bladesurge will have no cooldown and is a free use!

When was Irelia released in League of Legends?

Irelia was released onto the Rift in November 2010, which was in Patch 1.0.0.105. However, Irelia didn’t receive her full champion rework until nearly eight years later in Patch 8.7, Which was released on April 4, 2018.

Where is Irelia from in League of Legends?

Irelia is from and was born in Navori, Ionia - and yes, this is the place that the item is named after! Being an Ionian guard captain, she is naturally very protective of her homeland and is one of the coolest characters to come out of Ionia in the whole of League of Legends!

Irelia’s Age in League of Legends

Irelia is younger than you might think she was born in 972 AN which makes her only 25 years of age. Despite her age her skill replicates that of a warrior who is much older than Irelia herself.

Irelia’s Voice Actor in League of Legends

Irelia’s voice actress in League of Legends and in Legends of Runeterra is Cherami Leigh, who also voices Mythmaker Irelia as well!

She has been the voice actress for Irelia in both versions of the character since she was released as well as in her rework!

What lane does Irelia play in?

Irelia works best in either the top lane or the mid lane. Most players choose her for the top lane because she can fight well in one-on-one situations. Her strong dueling skills and mobility make her hard to catch and easy to trade with. Some players pick her in the mid lane, especially against champions who have low health and rely on skill shots. She can jump in fast, deal damage, and escape before taking too much in return. Both roles suit her, but top lane is more common.

Is Irelia strong early?

Irelia can be strong early in the game, but only if you know how to use her passive. When she builds up her passive stacks, her attack speed increases. This lets her trade better and even secure early kills. If she cannot stack her passive, she becomes easier to beat. She also depends on hitting her Q to move around in fights. So while she has early-game potential, she needs proper timing and good wave control to shine.