Crit in LoL: how hard it hits, how many items to buy and where it’s wasted
Crit is “free” damage in exchange for variance: it hits double, but only sometimes. Understanding the exact multiplier, the chance cap and when Infinity Edge beats one more crit item tells you exactly how many to buy.
How hard a crit hits: the real multiplier
A critical hit deals 200% of normal damage by default. Careful here: for several years the base was 175%, but it was reverted to 200% in patch V26.01, so older wikis and guides that say 175% are out of date. In the current patch, a crit literally hits double.
Because it only happens “sometimes”, what matters is expected damage: at 50% chance, each auto hits 50% harder on average; at 100%, it always hits double. That’s why crit is a marksman stat — you need volume of autos for the variance to average out.
The multiplier can be raised with critical strike damage (mostly from Infinity Edge). That changes the math of how many items to buy, as you’ll see in the next sections.
daño crítico = daño normal × 2,00 (200% por defecto) daño esperado = daño normal × (1 + prob_crítico × (mult − 1)) The 100% cap: when crit is wasted
Crit chance caps at 100%: any point above does nothing (barring special cases that reconvert the excess). Most crit items give 25% each, so four of them reach 100% and a fifth would be gold thrown away on crit.
The chart shows that waste: the first buys add “usable” crit (green), but past 100% the red part is chance you paid for and don’t get. The practical lesson: don’t stack five pure-crit items. Once you’re near the cap, the next item should bring something else (crit damage, lethality, attack speed, health).
There are exceptions that use the overflow — items that convert excess crit into another stat, or champions with their own mechanics — but as a general rule, the fourth crit item is the last you want for the chance. It’s pure gold efficiency.
Each crit item gives +25%. Four reach 100% (the cap). A 5th crit adds nothing: that overflow is pure wasted gold. Optimizing means buying right up to the cap and putting the rest into another stat.
Infinity Edge: why it isn’t “just another crit item”
Infinity Edge gives 75 attack damage, 25% crit chance and, crucially, +30% crit damage. That means your crits go from 200% to 230%. That crit-damage stat scales with all your crit chance: the more chance you have, the more Infinity Edge returns, because you crit more often.
That’s why the ideal order isn’t “four random crit items”: you want chance to crit often and Infinity Edge so each crit hits harder. Buying IE once your crit chance is high multiplies all your damage, not just adds a sliver.
The DPS-per-item chart shows the real curve: each item adds DPS, but the jump depends on which stat it brings. Test your specific build — champion, level and buy order — in the Build Lab, which runs these formulas with current-patch numbers, and compare two builds hit by hit in Versus.
DPS of the same crit build (Caitlyn level 18) adding one item at a time, with the real engine. The biggest jump comes from the first items: that’s where your purchase power spikes are.
Crit, attack speed and on-hit: how they combine
Crit multiplies the auto-attack damage (the AD of the hit), but not most on-hit damage (effects like Nashor’s, poisons, magic damage applied on attack) nor ability damage. That’s why a crit build and an on-hit build are different paths: they rarely mix well.
Attack speed does multiply the value of crit: more autos per second = more chances to crit = variance averages out faster. Crit and attack speed are natural partners (which is why so many crit items also carry attack speed) — we cover it in attack speed.
Rule of thumb for a marksman: chance up to ~100% (four items), Infinity Edge to raise the multiplier, and attack speed/penetration to finish. When each power spike lands is in the power spikes guide, and how gold splits across stats in gold efficiency.
Not every crit item does the same thing: some add raw damage, others attack speed, one saves your life. You mix 1–2 damage with 1–2 speed. Tap any to see its page.
FAQ
How much damage does a crit do in LoL?
It’s 200% of normal damage by default (double). It was 175% for years, but reverted to 200% in patch V26.01. Infinity Edge raises that crit-damage multiplier by another 30%, to 230%.
How many crit items should you buy?
Most give 25% chance, so four reach the 100% cap. A fifth pure-crit item wastes the overflow chance: from there you want crit damage (Infinity Edge), attack speed or penetration.
Does crit multiply abilities and on-hit damage?
No. Crit only multiplies auto-attack damage (the hit’s AD). Most on-hit damage (Nashor’s, poisons) and ability damage don’t crit, save specific cases. That’s why crit and on-hit are different builds.