Gold Efficiency in League of Legends is a way of calculating the actual value of an Item. It is a percentual representation of how much the item is worth compared to its store price.
For example, an Item with a gold value of 800 gold priced for 400 in the store will be 200% gold efficient. The calculations and specifics of this mechanic are very, and I mean VERY convoluted and detailed, so I advise you to visit the ol’ reliable league wiki for the exact information.
Since I am not covering the gold efficiency calculation itself, I won’t go into the details. Of course, I will only list the items and their proposed base gold efficiency with some restrictions.
I will only, for example, show one support item and so on to keep the list fresh and diverse. This list will help you understand how valuable an item can be and how some items are truly amazing in what they offer for their price.
So, let us begin with the 7 Most Gold Efficient Items in League of Legends without further delay.
A quick note: Almost all items on this list are upgraded versions, buffed by Ornn’s passive. Since almost every Item in the game can be buffed by the said passive, the competition is large enough to make this a good list. Their default versions are still highly efficient and rank similarly when the Ornn versions are singled out.
7. Shard of True Ice
Cost: 400g
Efficiency: 392.5%
Support items in League are by far the most valuable items in the game. Their base gold efficiency exceeds 300% each, and the Shard of True Ice is the king among them, with a whopping 392.5% efficiency. That gives this Item a theoretical value of around 1600 gold.
Support items are acquired a bit differently, however. You buy a base version that is upgraded throughout the game by completing Support quests. Naturally, an item that gets stronger as the game goes on without additional cost is warranted to have insane value by the end of its evolution. This is the precise reason I chose to include only one.
The Shard of True Ice is certainly also the most powerful of the upgraded Support items, in my opinion. It adds a lot to an AP Support that scales nicely with other items for the role. Of course, it is best suited for Enhcanters such as Karma.
6. Seat of Command (Imperial Mandate)
Cost: 2500g
Efficiency: 159.57%
Imperial Mandate is one of the Items we’ve covered in the best Mana Regen Items list, so check that out for a more detailed account of this Item’s uses. As we can see, immediately after leaving the starter Support items category, the gold efficiency of items is not that high.
However, this is still a substantial amount for a full item, especially a Mythic one. Seat of Command or Imperial Mandate is the most gold efficient mythic Item in the game as per base efficiency that doesn’t count in all the factors out there.
At 160% gold efficiency, this 2500 gold item comes out at a theoretical value of 4000 gold, an astonishing amount. Since this is also a Support and Enchanter item, it is similar to the previous one and some of the others on this list.
It seems like the Enchanter role has the best bang for the buck items in the game, which is fine since they have limited access to gold in general. These stats show us that Riot is balancing the cost efficiency of items for classes like Supports that cannot farm hundreds of minions for gold.
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5. Shurelya’s Requiem (Shurelya’s Battlesong)
Cost: 2500
Efficiency: 159.57%
Another Enchanter mythic item, Shurelya’s, is level with the previous entry and is identical in terms of value. This Item, alongside the next entry, creates the holy trinity of the most valuable mythic items in League of Legends.
Shurelya’s, like Imperial Mandate, costs 2500 gold and comes out at around 4000 gold in theoretical value.
4. Starcaster (Moonstone Renewer)
Cost: 2500g
Efficiency: 159.57%
I won’t spend too much time on this one either, as everything said in the previous two entries. This Item is the upgraded version of the Moonstone Renewer, an Enchanter/Support item meant for healing and aggressive Support gameplay.
At 2500 gold, its theoretical gold value is around 4000 gold, the same as the two previous entries. In my opinion, it is the best of the three for players that wish to play aggressive Supports such as Karma that truly benefit from prolonged combat.
At any rate, all three of these items are similar and can be built on the same Champions, so there’s not much else to add.
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3. Caesura (Crown of the Shattered Queen)
Cost: 2800g
Efficiency: 159.29%
A new item in League added in the 11.23 patch, Crown of the Shattered Queen, seems to continue Riot’s policy of adding things into the game that are a bit too efficient. I believe that items added to the game shouldn’t be making any top 7 lists as soon as they’re in the game, but I digress.
Caesura, the Ornn upgraded form of this Item, sits at a nice 159.29% gold efficiency, making it a tad lower than the previous entries. This results in a theoretical value of just under 4000 gold. However, it is not a mythic item meant for Enchanters, but rather Mages.
Though, by the looks of it, it can be built on any AP Caster, building it on some mad casting Mage is going to be your best bet. It has great stats and an insane passive that personifies Riot’s patches as of late.
The mythic passive is strong too, and this Item is a nice addition to the game, if not a bit broken. We can just hope that Riot balances things out a bit since it doesn’t seem too strong now. That is always subject to change, as League has become a very volatile environment to play in.
2. Eternal Winter (Everfrost)
Cost: 2800g
Efficiency: 159.29%
It is incredible how Riot follows a certain pattern throughout their game design. This Item, and the one previously mentioned, are both identical in their stats and differ only in what they do. Everfrost has been one of the most purchased items throughout Season 11, with an insane value even greater than its proposed theoretical one.
Like Caesura, it values at just under 4000 gold, but since it has such a great utility and potential, I consider this Item even more valuable than any theoretical calculation. It is insanely potent as its CC active can change the course of entire fights, and the stats are great themselves.
Its mythic passive also promotes aggressive gameplay and amplifies the sheer damage you’ll deal with as a Mage, making it a great offensive tool to have on yourself.
At any rate, I’m not here to compare which Item is better but only to highlight their gold efficiency. Everfrost’s upgraded version is no exception when it comes to being as efficient as possible.
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1. Ceaseless Hunger (Goredrinker)
Cost: 3300g
Efficiency: 150.35%
Last but not least on our list is the buffed version of Goredrinker, an item otherwise powerful on its own. It has been the staple AD item for various AD classes since it was added in Season 11. Though it had some ups and downs, the buffs it received in 11.22 have been potent enough to make it one of the best purchases for most Fighters, namely Fiora.
It is no wonder this Item sits on an efficiency list, as it is Darius’ Q in the form of an item. But, as I’ve said above, I’m not here to comment too much on the uses and utilities of items, though I wish to. We have many other lists that do just that, so make sure you give them a look.
At any rate, this Item’s high cost and efficiency are equal to a 4960 gold theoretical value, which goes to show you how good the Item is without delving deep into the specifics. Even if it did cost that much, it’d be worth it, especially on Champions like Fiora that strives from using it.
Conclusion
Gold efficiency is a great way to see what an item is truly worth, its value, and how it compares to others. Of course, some items will inherently have a large gold efficiency due to how they are designed.
Mostly, these are the starter items that offer a lot more than their price warrants. However, if a high-cost, legendary or mythic Item has a great gold efficiency, you are guaranteed to have a great tool at your disposal.
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