Should you choose Boots of Swiftness in League? Are they OP?

M Alzamora Published 16/02/2025

Should you get Boots of Swiftness in your next League of Legends run?

Players have plenty of items to choose from in League of Legends, and the potentially OP Boots of Swiftness may take the cake among footwear selections.

League of Legends is known for having a plethora of champions and items alike to use in gameplay. These, along with individual skill, make up major components of why some players have more success than others on the rift. Legendary items, while rare and expensive, can grant players immense advantages. Other tier 1 and tier 2 creations provide smaller, but not negligible, boosts.

Despite their lower usage, some players insist that Boots of Swiftness are one of the best items in the current meta. Here’s why and how to get them in League.

Are Boots of Swiftness overpowered?

Some League players say that Boots of Swiftness are the best footwear option in the game and are even overpowered. We can explain why.

Boots of Swiftness is a tier 2 item that grants players +60 movement speed and the passive Fleetfooted, which adds 25% slow resist. Many players report finding that the enhanced movement is a true game changer, as it makes it easier to chase enemies or to dodge enemy abilities. The item also confers a 53.3% win rate when purchased, higher than any other boots by at least a two-point margin. In Riot Phreak’s patch 25.04 preview, the game balance master pointed out that this was one of the stronger boots purchases in the game.

Many have found that Boots of Swiftness is an especially good item for support champions. Given that they have to perform a multitude of tasks and sometimes need to be everywhere across the map at once, the extra movement speed is helpful. Some of the most commonly recommended champions to use Boots of Swiftness with are Janna and Maokai.

Other players have pointed out that user experience may have skewed some of the stats. While Boots of Swiftness has a high win rate, it remains a relatively unpopular pick in League of Legends. This could point to those using the item already being skilled at their champions in addition to the item, pushing win rates abnormally high similar to how some niche champions will have higher win rates given that only expert players tend t pick them. But for players willing to put in the time and practice, Boots of Swiftness could end up eventually being more advantageous than not, even if they aren’t necessarily OP.

How to get Boots of Swiftness in League

Those who want to use Boots of Swiftness in League must first buy the tier 1 boots starter item.

Players can purchase tier 1 Boots for 300 gold as a starter item before the match actually begins. These alone grant an extra +25 movement speed. Those looking to upgrade to Boots of Swiftness must first collect an extra 700 gold by farming minions and monsters. To access the battlefield shop, players can either press P or click on the gold counter or shop when within range. Given that the average game lasts around 30 minutes, earning enough gold while also staying on task can be tricky. But these boots often make it worthwhile.

The next patch will see Boots of Swiftness going up in price by 50 gold to better balance the item. Other boots, such as Mercury Treads and Symbiotic Soles, are scheduled for buffs whether in price or item quality. Alongside the new Feats of Strength mechanic, these changes could potentially shake up the itemization meta in LoL once again.

M Alzamora

About M Alzamora

There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.

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