Braum is a tanky support champion in League of Legends, known for his strong defensive capabilities, crowd control, and utility on the battlefield. This guide dives into Braum’s optimal rune and item builds, his skills, strategic gameplay tips, and ways to counter different matchups. By mastering Braum, players can improve their team’s survivability, gain control of objectives, and turn the tide of challenging matches. Master your gameplay with this comprehensive League of Legends Braum guide covering optimal builds, runes, playstyle, and counter tips.

Braum’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Braum is one of the game’s premier peel supports. His kit is designed to shield his allies from incoming damage and to control opponents with well-timed stuns and knock-ups. While Braum excels at protecting allies and disrupting the enemy’s plans, his effectiveness is heavily dependent on his positioning and timing.

Strengths

• High Defensive Utility: Braum’s shield blocks incoming projectiles, making him excellent against high-burst ADCs or skill-shot-heavy champions.
• Strong Crowd Control: Braum’s passive, Concussive Blows, allows him and his team to stun enemies after a few hits, ideal for setting up kills or deterring aggressive champions.
• Teamfight Presence: Braum’s ultimate, Glacial Fissure, can knock up multiple enemies, making him effective in crowded skirmishes and teamfights.

Weaknesses

• Low Solo Play Impact: Braum’s damage output is limited, so he performs best in tandem with his ADC or team.
• Skill Reliant: Effective Braum play requires good timing and positioning, especially when using Unbreakable to protect allies.
• Vulnerability to Poke: Since he relies on being close to allies or enemies, Braum is susceptible to poke damage from a distance, which can limit his effectiveness in prolonged fights.

Best Runes for Braum

Primary Rune Tree: Resolve

Resolve is essential for Braum, boosting his defensive power and durability in fights.

• Keystone: Guardian
  Guardian provides Braum and nearby allies with a shield when they take damage, adding to his protective abilities. This rune is especially useful when playing defensively or when facing burst damage champions.
• Font of Life
  This rune allows Braum’s crowd control effects to mark enemies, healing his allies when they hit them. Font of Life is an excellent complement to his Concussive Blows passive.
• Bone Plating
  Bone Plating reduces incoming damage after Braum is hit, making it valuable when facing aggressive champions or during early skirmishes.
• Unflinching
  Unflinching grants Braum increased tenacity and slow resistance, helping him maneuver in and out of fights without being heavily impacted by crowd control.

Secondary Rune Tree: Inspiration

Inspiration enhances Braum’s utility by offering him additional sustain and cooldown reduction.

• Biscuit Delivery
  This rune provides Braum with sustain in the early game, allowing him to stay healthy in lane and keep protecting his ADC.
• Cosmic Insight
  Cosmic Insight reduces item cooldowns, which is helpful for Braum’s active items, such as Locket of the Iron Solari.

Best Item Builds for Braum

Braum’s item build should focus on maximizing his ability to protect allies, enhance his crowd control, and absorb damage. Here are the core items and situational options to consider for Braum.

Core Items

1. Locket of the Iron Solari
   Locket provides Braum with a shield that can protect nearby allies, especially valuable during teamfights when multiple teammates are vulnerable. The extra armor and magic resistance enhance Braum’s tankiness, making him harder to burst down.
2. Knight’s Vow
   This item allows Braum to link to an ally and redirect some of the damage they receive, making it ideal for protecting an ADC. It also provides health and cooldown reduction, both of which benefit Braum’s overall playstyle.
3. Plated Steelcaps
   Plated Steelcaps are the best choice for Braum in matchups against AD-heavy teams. The damage reduction from basic attacks further strengthens his survivability, allowing him to withstand damage from ADCs.
4. Thornmail
   Thornmail adds armor and applies Grievous Wounds to attackers, making it a solid choice against healing-heavy teams. The return damage also deters aggressive champions from focusing Braum.
5. Vigilant Wardstone
   Vigilant Wardstone provides Braum with additional vision control, essential for maintaining map awareness and securing objectives. It’s a great choice for late-game support utility.

Situational Items

• Frozen Heart: Against auto-attack-based champions, Frozen Heart reduces enemy attack speed and provides mana and armor.
• Mikael’s Blessing: Offers a way to remove crowd control from an ally, ideal when facing heavy CC opponents.
• Redemption: Provides healing in an area, which is useful in late-game fights to sustain teammates.

Braum’s Abilities and Skill Order

Braum’s skill order maximizes his ability to protect teammates, control fights, and trade effectively in the early game.

Ability Order

The typical skill order for Braum is Q > E > W.

1. Winter’s Bite (Q)
   Braum’s Q is a skill shot that deals damage, slows the target, and applies one stack of Concussive Blows. Maxing this ability first is recommended to improve Braum’s poke and crowd control.
2. Stand Behind Me (W)
   This ability lets Braum leap to an ally, granting both him and the ally bonus resistances. It provides a quick repositioning tool to protect allies or close in on enemies.
3. Unbreakable (E)
   Braum raises his shield, blocking projectiles and reducing incoming damage. Maxing this second increases his defensive capabilities, helping him to protect his allies effectively.
4. Glacial Fissure (R)
   Braum’s ultimate creates a fissure that knocks up enemies, ideal for initiating fights or disrupting enemy positioning. Use this ability to control teamfights and protect backline allies from aggressive enemies.

Gameplay Tips for Braum

Early Game: Laning Phase

Braum thrives when he’s paired with an aggressive ADC who can trigger Concussive Blows quickly. Look for opportunities to poke and apply crowd control with Winter’s Bite (Q), but avoid overcommitting, as Braum lacks the damage to duel effectively. Vision control is crucial, so regularly place wards to monitor potential jungle ganks.

If the enemy bot lane is poking heavily, focus on positioning yourself between them and your ADC. Braum’s Unbreakable (E) can shield your ADC from incoming skill shots, reducing the opponent’s pressure and preserving health for extended trades.

Mid Game: Roaming and Objective Control

As Braum’s strength in teamfights becomes more prominent, start roaming to assist your mid laner or jungler, especially if they need help securing objectives. Prioritize vision around key areas like Dragon and Baron, as your presence alone can make it harder for the enemy team to contest these objectives.

In fights, focus on peeling for your carries. Use Stand Behind Me (W) to quickly reposition near your team’s high-priority targets, keeping them safe from the enemy’s frontline. Unbreakable (E) should be used to block damage and critical abilities from reaching your backline, especially in tight corridors where Braum’s shield can completely shut down ranged attacks.

Late Game: Teamfight Positioning and Objective Defense

Braum’s presence in the late game is invaluable. He should stay close to his team’s primary damage dealers, using his abilities to protect them from enemy assassins or divers. Avoid moving alone, as being isolated makes it easy for the enemy to catch you off guard, leaving your team vulnerable.

During teamfights, start by positioning near your ADC or mid laner. Use Glacial Fissure (R) to control the battlefield, ideally hitting multiple opponents to knock them up. Immediately follow this by shielding with Unbreakable (E), preventing the enemy team from retaliating against your backline.

If the fight shifts to objectives, such as Dragon or Baron, maintain vision control and stay alert to potential flanking enemies. By positioning yourself as a defensive barrier, you can buy your team valuable time to secure the objective or retreat.

How to Counter Braum

Understanding how to counter Braum can make a significant difference when playing against him.

• Avoid Extended Fights: Braum excels in prolonged engagements where he can apply Concussive Blows. Burst damage champions can prevent Braum from fully utilizing his stuns.
• Poke Champions: Ranged poke champions can chip away at Braum’s health before he gets in range to use his abilities, making him vulnerable.
• Prevent Shield Usage: Timing crowd control or positioning to prevent Braum from using Unbreakable (E) effectively can limit his defensive capabilities.

Champions that Counter Braum

Certain champions naturally have an advantage over Braum due to their range, poke, or crowd control. Champions like Zyra, Brand, and Lux can keep him at a distance, minimizing his effectiveness and making it difficult for him to close the gap or protect his allies efficiently.