LoL Items Guide: Starters, Boots, Limits and New Items (2026)

Items are half of League of Legends' strategy, and the item system changed more in 2026 than in any year since mythics were removed: nine new items, two old favourites back, new Doran's items, boots that live in their own slot for bot laners, and Tier 3 boots that only mid laners get. This guide covers the basics every player needs on patch 26.21 — your inventory, the starter items and their costs, boots, the limits on what you can stack, selling and undo, jungle pets, what's new and what's gone. Costs are Riot's own Data Dragon values. Checked 2026-10-25.

How your inventory works

• 6item slots
• 1trinket slot (Stealth Ward, Oracle Lens, Farsight)
• 1Role Quest slot since 2026
• 300 gfor Boots — the cheapest item that matters

The Role Quest slot is where each role's 2026 reward lives: Bot's Role Quest moves your boots into the Role Quest slot — effectively a seventh item slot; Support's Role Quest slot stores up to 2 Control Wards, which cost 40 gold after the quest; and Mid's Role Quest upgrades your Tier 2 boots into exclusive Tier 3 boots for free. The Role Quests guide covers every role's quest.

Starter items

Item	Cost	Sells for	What it gives
Doran's Blade	450 g	180 g	10 AD, 80 health, 2.5% omnivamp
Doran's Ring	400 g	160 g	18 AP, 90 health
Doran's Shield	450 g	180 g	110 health, health regen
Doran's Bow	400 g	160 g	8 AD, 15% attack speed, 1.5% omnivamp
Doran's Helm	450 g	180 g	150 health, 8 armor, 8 magic resist, +5 damage to minions
Cull	450 g	180 g	7 AD — extra gold per minion, then a one-time bonus
Dark Seal	350 g	140 g	AP that grows with takedowns
Tear of the Goddess	400 g	280 g	Mana that stacks as you use abilities

You can hold one Doran's item or Cull at a time; Dark Seal and Tear each have their own one-of limit. Doran's Blade swapped its old life-steal passive for omnivamp in 26.1, and Tear items became limited to one in your inventory. Junglers start with a pet instead — see below.

Boots and the Tier 3 upgrades

Tier 2 boots	Total cost	Mid lane's free Tier 3 upgrade
Berserker's Greaves	1,100 g	Gunmetal Greaves
Sorcerer's Shoes	1,100 g	Spellslinger's Shoes
Plated Steelcaps	1,200 g	Armored Advance
Mercury's Treads	1,250 g	Chainlaced Crushers
Ionian Boots of Lucidity	900 g	Crimson Lucidity
Boots of Swiftness	1,000 g	Swiftmarch
Gluttonous Greaves	1,100 g	Immortal Path

Every pair starts as Boots (300 gold, +25 movement speed). Tier 3 boots aren't sold in the shop: when a mid laner completes the Mid Role Quest, their Tier 2 boots upgrade for free — or upgrade as soon as they're bought. The old "Triumphant" boots left with Feats of Strength in 26.1, and Gluttonous Greaves (and its Tier 3, Immortal Path) arrived in 26.9.

What you can't stack

• One of each Legendary item
• One Boots item
• One starter
• One Hydra
• One Lifeline (Maw of Malmortius, Immortal Shieldbow, Protoplasm Harness)
• One Tear item
• One Glory item (Dark Seal line)

The shop won't sell you a second item from a limited group, so the rule is really about planning: a build with two Hydras or two Lifeline items can't be finished.

Selling, undo and jungle pets

New and returning items in 2026

Item	Cost on 26.21	Note
Dusk and Dawn	3,100 g	New in 26.1
Fiendhunter Bolts	2,650 g	New in 26.1
Endless Hunger	3,100 g	New in 26.1
Bastionbreaker	3,000 g	New in 26.1
Actualizer	2,800 g	New in 26.1
Hexoptics C44	2,800 g	New in 26.1
Bandlepipes	2,300 g	New in 26.1
Protoplasm Harness	2,600 g	New in 26.1
Whispering Circlet	2,250 g	New in 26.1 — evolves into Diadem of Songs
Hextech Gunblade	3,000 g	Back in 26.1
Stormrazor	3,200 g	Back in 26.1

Several have been re-priced since launch — Actualizer, Bandlepipes, Endless Hunger, Protoplasm Harness and Bastionbreaker all cost something different on 26.21 than in 26.1. Also new in 26.1: base critical strike damage back to 200%. Gone from the game: Aegis of the Legion, Opportunity, Trailblazer, the Triumphant boots (Feats of Strength), Luden's Companion (now Luden's Echo).

Item habits that win games

1. Back with a plan.

   Know the item you're buying before you recall — a full component beats loose gold.

2. Buy a Control Ward every back.

   75 gold, the best value in the shop — see the vision guide.

3. Boots early, defensive boots when needed.

   Plated Steelcaps against auto-attackers, Mercury's Treads against magic damage and crowd control.

4. Adapt the third item.

   Your first item follows your champion; your third follows the enemy team.

Help with builds and your climb

• Builds for your main: 1-on-1 coaching — from $22.00 an hour.
• Read next: runes explained and the laning phase guide.