This article explores the Experimental Hexplate, a legendary item in League of Legends designed to empower AD champions, particularly those who rely heavily on their ultimate abilities. We’ll delve into its stats, passive abilities, ideal users, strategic considerations, and community perspectives.
Understanding the Hexplate’s Power
The Experimental Hexplate, once known as Nitro Hexaegis, is a powerful item for AD champions, particularly skirmishers. It enhances both offensive and defensive capabilities, making champions more impactful in combat. For a deeper dive into a gymnast who embodies artistry and coaching, check out our article featuring esposito gymnast.
Item Breakdown: Stats and Passives
- Stats: The Hexplate provides 55 attack damage, 20% attack speed, 300 health, and 30 ultimate haste. This balanced combination provides a significant power spike for champions.
- Hexcharged (Passive): This passive continuously reduces the ultimate ability’s cooldown with every auto-attack and ability cast. This allows champions to utilize their ultimates more frequently, potentially shifting the tide of teamfights.
- Overdrive (Activation): Upon activating your ultimate, Overdrive grants 35% bonus attack speed and 15% bonus movement speed for eight seconds. This powerful boost enhances both damage output and mobility, making it crucial for engaging or disengaging strategically. The Overdrive effect has a 30-second cooldown that begins upon ultimate cast.
- T.U.R.B.O. (Passive): Provides a flat bonus to attack speed, further enhancing the item’s synergy with attack speed reliant champions.
Maximizing Hexplate’s Potential: Champions and Strategies
The Hexplate is particularly effective on champions whose ultimates have a significant impact on teamfights. Champions like Ashe, Miss Fortune, and Udyr are prime examples. Ashe’s Enchanted Crystal Arrow can initiate fights or pick off low-health enemies, benefiting from the increased ultimate availability and the movement speed boost for repositioning after firing. Miss Fortune’s Bullet Time becomes even more devastating with the added attack speed during Overdrive. Udyr’s Awakened Spirit synergizes perfectly with Overdrive, amplifying his area-of-effect damage and making him a formidable force in close-quarters combat.
Strategic Considerations
- Build Path: Prioritizing the Hexplate early in your build, especially if your ultimate is a core part of your playstyle, may maximize its impact. Building from Hearthbound Axe, the Hexplate is a costly but potent option.
- Timing and Strategy: The timing of ultimate activations is crucial to fully utilize the power of Overdrive. Consider holding onto your ultimate until a key team fight erupts, or using it more frequently to secure kills in lane. Understanding your champion’s power spikes will make a difference.
- Counter-Strategies: Effectively countering champions wielding the Hexplate involves exploiting the eight-second Overdrive duration. Crowd control abilities may negate the movement speed bonus, while burst damage or focused fire can quickly eliminate the threat before they can fully utilize their boosted stats.
Community Perspectives and Ongoing Research
The Experimental Hexplate’s effectiveness is a topic of ongoing discussion within the League of Legends community. Some players believe it’s a powerful and versatile item, while others argue that its value varies significantly depending on the champion and game situation.
The Garen Debate
One particular point of contention revolves around the item’s viability on Garen. While the ultimate haste and attack speed are appealing, some players argue that Garen benefits more from items that focus on raw damage or survivability, such as Trinity Force and Black Cleaver. Garen’s ultimate, Demacian Justice, is a quick execution, making sustained attack speed less impactful than on other champions. The community’s consensus suggests that while Hexplate can work on Garen, it’s not a core item and might be less effective compared to other item choices tailored to his strengths and weaknesses. One Reddit user from r/GarenMains succinctly stated: “My conclusion is that, even if they buff the ult AH of Hexplate to 50 or give it 10 more AD, 100 more HP or smth, there will still be better buy than Hexplate for Garen.”
Comparisons and Future Potential
Comparing the Hexplate to other similar AD items like Kraken Slayer and Galeforce is important for making informed decisions. While each item offers unique advantages, understanding their strengths and weaknesses allows players to tailor their builds to specific matchups and team compositions. The future of Hexplate is subject to the ever-evolving landscape of League of Legends. Balance changes, new items, and shifting metas can all impact the item’s viability. Continuous experimentation and analysis, both from players and developers, will shape its role in the game moving forward.
Hexplate Bug Fixes and Evolution
The Experimental Hexplate has undergone a journey of development and refinement. Initially plagued by bugs related to shop display and ultimate haste over-granting, Riot Games has implemented fixes to ensure its smooth functionality. This item, originally named Nitro Hexaegis, has evolved from a potentially problematic item to a stable and intriguing addition to the game.
Conclusion
The Experimental Hexplate is a fascinating item that adds a layer of complexity and potential to League of Legends gameplay. It’s not just about the raw stats; it’s about the possibilities it unlocks for innovative playstyles and strategic decision-making. By understanding its strengths and limitations, players can harness its power to dominate the Rift.
