Gwen Top Build

Gwen Champion Guide

Role: Fighter

Lane: Toplane

The best build for Gwen Top includes Riftmaker, Plated Steelcaps, Nashor's Tooth, Shadowflame, and Zhonya's Hourglass. The most effective rune setup consists of Conqueror, Presence of Mind, Legend: Alacrity, and Last Stand in the primary tree, along with Bone Plating and Unflinching in the secondary tree.

Gwen Champion Abilities

Thousand Cuts

Gwen's attacks deal an additional 1% (+0.55% per 100 ability power) of the target's max health as magic damage on hit. Gwen recovers health equal to 50% of the damage this ability deals to champions. P

Snip Snip!

Passive: Gwen gains 1 stack when she hits an enemy with an attack (max 4, lasts 6 seconds).

Active: Consumes stacks. Gwen snips once for 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 (+5% of ability power) magic damage, snips again for each ammo consumed, and then snips a final time for 70 / 95 / 120 / 145 / 170 (+35% of ability power) magic damage.

The center of each strikes deals true damage instead and applies A Thousand Cuts to enemies hit. This ability deals 50% damage towards minions above 20% health. Minions with less than 20% health instead takes 1000% damage. Q

Hallowed Mist

Gwen summons the Hallowed Mist, making her untargetable to all enemies (except towers) outside the zone for 4 seconds or until she leaves it. While in the mist, Gwen gains 25 (+5% of ability power) armor and magic resist. Gwen can recast this ability once to call the mist to her. This will automatically recast the first time Gwen attempts to leave the zone. W

Skip n Slash

Gwen dashes and empowers her attacks for 4 seconds.

Empowered attacks gain 20 / 35 / 50 / 65 / 80% attack speed, 12 / 14 / 16 / 18 / 20 (+20% of ability power) magic damage on-hit, 75 attack range, and the first one to hit an enemy refunds 50% of this ability's cooldown. E

Needlework

First Cast: Hurl a needle that deals 30 / 60 / 90 (+8% of ability power) plus 1% (+0.8% per 100 ability power) of the target's max health as magic damage, slows by 60% for 1.5 seconds, and applies A Thousand Cuts to all enemies hit. After 1 second, she can recast it (up to 2 additional times).

Second Cast: Fire three needles to deal 105 / 195 / 285 (+30% of ability power) plus 3% (+2.4% per 100 ability power) of the target's max health as magic damage.

Third Cast: Fire five needles to deal 175 / 325 / 475 (+50% of ability power) plus 5% (+4% per 100 ability power) of the target's max health as magic damage. R

Gwen Summoner Spells

Teleport

Teleport is a unit-targeted summoner spell that blinks your champion to the target allied unit after a few seconds of channeling.

Teleport transforms into Unleashed Teleport after 10:00.

Ignite

Ignite is a unit-targeted summoner spell that burns an enemy champion for a few seconds, dealing periodic true damage, applying healing reduction, and revealing the target over the duration.

Gwen Runes

Gwen Items

Gwen Ability Order

Gwen Matchups Overview

Strong against

Sylas

Aurora

Talon

Poppy

Karma

Aphelios

Weak against

Maokai

Dr. Mundo

Cho'Gath

Rumble

Malphite

K'Sante

Gwen Tips and Tricks

For Gwen, it’s essential to wait until you have plenty of stacks before going in for a Q combo—avoid using Q when you have 0 stacks. The ideal time to trade is when you have at least 4 stacks. Keep the minion wave closer to your side of the map to make it easier to chase down and eliminate the enemy. If you’re fully committing to a trade or fight, activate your W for the extra defensive stats, helping you stay alive longer.

The Best Gwen Builds, Runes and Items for Top

Most Popular

For Summoner Spells, take Ghost and Teleport. In terms of runes, Conqueror should be your keystone, followed by Presence of Mind, Legend: Alacrity, and Last Stand in the primary tree. The secondary tree should include Bone Plating and Unflinching. For rune shards, choose Attack Speed in offense, Adaptive Force in flex, and Health Scaling in defense, adjusting depending on the matchup. Your item build should start with Riftmaker, followed by Plated Steelcaps and Nashor's Tooth. For your last 3 items, build Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, and Void Staff. Stick to the skill order Q - E - W.

Optional

The second option for Gwen Top build also includes Ghost and Teleport for Summoner Spells. For runes, use Conqueror as your keystone with Presence of Mind, Legend: Alacrity, and Last Stand in the primary tree. Bone Plating and Unflinching should be your secondary runes. The rune shards should consist of Attack Speed in offense, Adaptive Force in flex, and Health Scaling in defense. The item build starts with Nashor's Tooth, followed by Plated Steelcaps and Riftmaker. Complete the build with Shadowflame, Cosmic Drive, and Zhonya's Hourglass. The skill order remains Q - E - W.

Situational Gwen Runes and Items

Adapt your runes and item build depending on the game context, your matchup, and the enemy composition. For example, if you’re facing a magic-damage heavy opponent, consider taking Magic Resist in your rune shards. Similarly, adjusting your build to include items like Thornmail or more defensive options can help based on your team's needs and the enemy team’s composition. Stay flexible for the best results.