How to Complete Your Support Item Quest Faster

The Support’s Guide to Maximizing Your Gold Quest to Unlock Wards

If you find yourself struggling to get your warding quest completed quickly, or if you always get it later than the enemy Support, you’re either picking the wrong starting item, focusing the wrong minions, or not trading enough.

In this Mobalytics guide by PicklePants, we will discuss how to complete each warding quest as fast as possible: or at least, help you complete them in a more timely fashion.

Why it’s important

Getting your warding quest completed as quickly as possible is very important in League of Legends. Apart from the fact that it offers you wards which is very important for the role itself, having it completed will increase your survivability and help you win the game.

By getting it completed first, you will have more income than the enemy laner (in an even matchup) as you actually get the gold earned from your quest. If you’ve got 500 stacks on your item and the enemy Support only has 200, you have a 300 gold lead over them before the 10-minute mark.

This is really good as it means the difference between a completed item and 2 advanced items- and it could mean the difference between winning lane and losing it.

All in all, there are tons of things that can be achieved by just getting your warding quest completed as quickly as possible.

The Basics

First off, you need to know what starting items you can take. Assuming you already know what each of them is, we will just go over the basics. Take note that I will only outline how you earn gold through these items.

Relic Shield

• Earn gold through killing minions.
• Taken on champions who can trade but rely on abilities rather than auto-attacks like Alistar.

Steel Shoulderguards

• Earn gold through killing minions.
• Taken on champions who can trade but focus more on harassing via autos than using their abilities like Thresh.

Spellthief’s Edge

• Earn gold through harassing the enemy.
• Taken on AP/ Utility Supports who like to auto-attack like Janna.

Spectral Sickle

• Earn gold through harassing the enemy.
• Taken on AD champions who like to auto-attack like Senna.

There are some champions that can take two potential starting items. For example, Nami, Janna, Lulu, Karma, and Morgana can all do this. When we talk about each of those champions in League of Legends, you would think that they should take Spellthief’s Edge in every matchup.

This isn’t the case. Each of these champions (and many more) can take either Spellthief’s Edge or Relic Shield depending on the matchup.

When a champion is in a good matchup, you could take Spelltheif’s Edge so you’re able to dish out damage, get kills and win lane. However, if you’re in a matchup that isn’t so good, or if there is a potential that you’ll die or fall behind, you could take Relic Shield so you can get consistent gold.

One of the greatest examples of when to adjust your starting item is when playing against Blitzcrank. While there are tons of things you need to know on how to play against Blitzcrank, adjusting your Supporting item will reduce your chances of dying to his all-in or getting hooked by his Q.

You may also wish to adjust your starting item when laning against Draven. As soon as you walk up to harass him, he may look to all-in you or trade autos. We have another guide here that will help you play against Draven in general. Instead of going Spellthief’s when playing Janna or Lulu, make sure you go Relic Shield when you’re up against a Draven lane.

How do I know what item to get?

Like we said, most champions have a few options open to them. For example, most utility champions can go for either Spellthief’s Edge or Relic Shield. If you’re in a matchup where you’re never going to be able to trade with the enemy without fear of dying, then you should go for Relic Shield rather than Spelltheif’s Edge so you can stack it quickly.

However, there are some champions that can never adjust their starting item like Zyra or Vel’Koz. Most tanks will never be able to adjust their starting item, apart from maybe Thresh or Leona who are both optimal with Steel Shoulderguards rather than Relic Shield as they focus on auto-attacking more in the early game. Having this item will help win early trades and skirmishes.

If you want to know what starting item you can choose, I would recommend doing your research to see if your champion can take multiple options.

Here are a few champions that can take alternative starting items:

Janna

• Relic Shield
• Spelltheif’s Edge

Lulu

• Relic Shield
• Spelltheif’s Edge

Morgana

• Relic Shield
• Spelltheif’s Edge

Rakan

• Relic Shield
• Spelltheif’s Edge

How to get your item stacked quickly

I will now assist you in completing your starting item quickly. Before we begin, let’s get the timings down. Optimally, you should look to complete your quest between the 7-9 minute mark.

Depending on the item you choose, this may be earlier or later. In best-case scenarios, champions who take Spelltheif’s Edge or Spectral Sickle can get it completed in or before the 8-minute mark. Whereas champions who take Relic Shield or Steel Shoulderguards will be limited to a slightly later timer.

For Relic Shield and Steel Shoulderguards

• On the first minion wave, get 1 stack on the melee minion (the first 3 minions).
• Use your second stack on another melee minion on the first wave. Or use the second stack on a melee minion on the second minion wave (the first 3 minions).
• The third stack will be up in time for the third minion wave. Hold on to your third stack until the minion wave is in lane to secure the cannon minion.
• Your fourth stack will be up shortly afterward. You should use that on another melee minion.
• Your fifth stack should then be used on a cannon minion on the 6th wave.

If you follow this method: melee, melee, cannon, melee, cannon, melee- you’ll complete your warding quest in no time.

For Spelltheif’s Edge and Spectral Sickle

• Try and harass the enemy at level 1. If you’re able to poke at least 3 times, you’ll get free gold from the get-go.
• Commit to trades whenever you have multiple stacks on your warding quest. Do not trade when you have no stacks available or if your ADC isn’t near you.
• When playing against melee champions, try and abuse your range advantage to harass the enemy whenever they walk forward to get stacks.
• Auto-attack the enemies tower whenever you’re pushing. In particular, when recalling, make sure you stay for the extra gold (if it’s safe to do so).
• Try to harass when the enemy wastes an ability so it’s safer for you to get stacks.

Unlike Relic Shield or Steel Shoulderguards, Spelltheif’s Edge and Spectral Sickle depend on you playing aggressive and hitting the enemy. There is a fine art when it comes to trading in lane, so you need to trade at the best possible times to ensure that you do not fall behind or have to blow flash and die.

Luckily, we have made a separate guide on how to be a more aggressive Support which discusses things like timings and other handy things to help you be more aggressive, gets kills and ultimately, complete your warding quest quickly.

Another way you can complete your quest quickly is by having good positioning in lane. If you stand too far back, it will be harder for you to harass the enemy. If you’re stood too far forward, it may allow the enemy to all-in you and then either kill you or force you to blow Summoner Spells: with both resulting in you falling behind in XP, gold and stacks.

Whenever your Flash is up, you can be more aggressive, thus able to get more stacks without fear of dying. But when you’re defenceless, you have to play more passive which will slow down your warding quest.

Here’s our guide on how to position as a Support in League of Legends.

After your warding quest is done.

Once you’ve completed your warding quest, it’s important that you keep trading and harassing the enemy (or picking up minions following suit). This will allow you to complete the second part of the quest. Continuing to stack your item will increase your gold income, give you another ward to place and give you some extra stats for free.

Ideally, you will be able to complete this item by the 16-18 minute mark (for Spellthief’s Edge and Spectral Sickle) or the 22-minute mark at the latest for Relic Shield and Steel Shoulderguards.

Once you’ve completed your quest, make sure you start placing wards around your lane and the map. In our in-depth warding guide, we go over every warding location in the game. Make sure you place wards throughout the game to secure vision for your team. And don’t forget to change your trinket to a Sweeping Lens once your quest is done!

To Conclude

Completing your support quest is very important. If you can complete it quickly, you will be able to earn lots of gold fast and start placing wards for your team. Don’t be afraid to adjust your starting item if you’re in a tough matchup.

If you have any questions or want to learn more, check out PicklePants stream.

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