Ra - Hit the Lights! (Update Coming Soon)

This guide does not look like others you might have seen in the past. It does not provide a one-size-fits-all build, but instead provides options for each item slot, and invites you to choose based on who you are fighting.

Each item goes from left to right in order of preferred item at that slot. For example, in item slot #2, Void Stone is preferred over Wall of Absolution), however there are conditions in which you should purchase Wall over Void. These conditions are addressed in the items section of the guide.

Ideally, you should rarely use the same kit in one game as the next. A good player is always building against the players against whom you are competing. Your build on a duo lane against a Hades / Zeus should look noticeably than the one you use against an Aphrodite / Sun Wukong.

• Above average damage output
• Excellent support, can use slows, buffs and heals to assist in duo lanes and teamfights
• Excellent sustainability, his heal/buff makes him very hard to push in mid-lane
• Excellent push and creep support, making him a good choice for mid
• Decent defensive ability with the right build
• Good, well-rounded skill kit
• Above-average ganker

• Lacks a dedicated escape, making Ra a prime target for assassins
• Higher skill-cap than other mages, due to the aim required to hit his damaging abilities. If you cant aim, you cant play Ra.
• Ra excels at many roles, but is the master of none. There are better pure damage mages and pure support characters.

There are a number of reasons I have chosen these boots over Boots of the Magi. First, Ra has no dedicated escape, and Boots of Celerity gives a higher speed boost than any of the other boots you can purchase. Secondly, the passive cooldown reduction allows for Ra to spam skills at a faster rate, therefore allowing his passive to stay at 3 stacks instead of being canceled out by unfortunately-timed cooldowns. Finally, the extra speed provided by his passive stacks very well with his passive, making Ra a very good chaser/finisher. They are also much cheaper, allowing you to get Sprint immediately, or mana/health pots if you so choose.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You do not have to complete this item straight away; Boots of Celerity at II give you the same speed boost as Warrior Tabi or Boots of the Magi III, which means you can forego completing this item until after you complete item #2 if you so desire.


The unfortunate side-effect of going with Boots of Celerity over Boots of the Magi, is that Ra becomes substantially under-powered early in the game. Vampiric Shroud addresses that problem while also providing him with increased sustain via mana and health suck, along with the extra health for added measure.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You should sell this item after you complete item #6. Many people forget to do this, which will result in unnecessary death towards the end of the game. However, do not sell until you have the money to afford a suitable replacement.



A staple on most Ra builds, Void Stone provides extra protection against mages and increases his damage output, while also giving him a bit of penetration against any tanks building against Ra. You will be purchasing this item second most of the time. Its simply too good of an item to ignore. If you don't buy Void Stone second, you should absolutely purchase it third or fourth. It is that good.


This is a good second item if you are in-lane against an AD Assassin like Loki or Arachne, or an excessively aggressive AD Brawler. The magic power allotted is not as strong as Void Stone, and you do not get the added benefit of the stones magical penetration, but you gain a good defense against physical ganks, which Ra would otherwise struggle against.

Additionally, Wall of Absolutions passive is greatly underrated and can easily be the difference between a successful opposing gank and a failed one. It also provides for some magic regeneration, which is useful. If you dont purchase it second, but you are up against a physical damage-dealer, consider picking it up as your third item, especially if you are feeding that opponent.



Another great item for Ra, both for the massive boost in magical power once fully farmed, and the additional health integral in building a Ra that can sustain attacks from physical or magical opponents. Ra is a very good creep farmer, so building stacks should not be an issue whatsoever.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is a mistake to buy this item as #4, as at that point team fights begin to breakout, and it is considered a waste of time to go farm creeps while your teammates are fighting. If you dont buy this item as #3, forget it.


An integral part of most Ra builds. This boosts the minimum percentage of slow given by Divine Light from 5% to 30%, with the max of 40% essentially guaranteeing a kill if you have backup. It also allows Ra to engage mages or ranged AP carries easier dropping a Solar Blessing on top of a character will also slow him, allowing you to follow up with Divine Light and Celestial Beam that much easier. The mana and health boosts dont hurt, either.

This item should be on every Ra build at some point, preferably at #4.


This is a situational item at this point of the game, and should only be picked up if your lane opponents have invested gold into at least two items that grant magical protection. If they do this, your damage output would be significantly reduced and your ability to zone (scare) the opponent is dramatically altered, reducing Ra to a squishy support character. This cannot happen if your opponents are building hard against you, buy this immediately as a #3 or #4.

If they are building slowly against you, you can relegate this item to #5 or #6.


If you are struggling against a physical brawler or ganker, and are feeding, you need to begin building physical defense in order to stand a chance. Using this item at this point of the game essentially relegates Ra to the support role, dramatically reducing his capacity to deal damage, but increasing his ability to slow and heal b/c of the reduced cooldowns and mana boost it provides.

If you are feeding a physical character, buy this third (or fourth, if you have not purchased Wall of Absolution yet). It is better to not do damage, but survive and provide help to your team, than to throw away money into damage-dealing and continue to feed. You can also purchase this item later in the game in order to increase Ras defenses against physical-heavy opponents when it comes time to team-fight it is not a bad #5 or #6 item, though there are certainly better choices to be had.



It should be stated, that if you have not purchased Gem of Isolation yet, buy that. Additionally, if at least two of your opponents have built magic protection, Obsidian Shard should be your #5 (it will probably be your #6 if they have not). Otherwise, this should be your #5 item. The extra magic power and MP5 is incredibly important at the end of the game, and will often make the difference between a killing blow and a crippling one.


Magis Blessing is often overlooked, but is a fantastic #6 if you have reached the team fight phase and are taking too much damage from magical opponents. It provides magical protection, health, mana, and immunity from one attack every thirty seconds, which is actually very useful, especially against assassins ( Loki comes to mind). Youre generally sitting further back in fights anyway opposing tanks initiate against your physical brawlers, so your absorption wont be wasted on a Ymir freeze.


This item is meant as a follow-up to Obsidian Shard only if a couple of opponents have invested significant gold into Magic Protection at this point, you will have Void Stone and Obsidian Shard already, so this should provide the necessary penetration to make your opponents regret this purchase. It is useful against squishies, but so is extra Magic Power, which has the added benefit of buffing your heal. I will reiterate only buy this if Void Stone and Obsidian Shard are not enough.


This is an interesting choice for #6, and possibly #5. I generally only use this item if I'm up against a good Poseidon (The CC reduction is incredibly useful and it takes a bite out of Gem of Iso) or if the team comp/feed status of the other team is so balanced that you can't build against physical or magical power exclusively. Otherwise, there are better (and cheaper) options available.

Solar Blessing --> Divine Light --> Celestial Beam --> Searing Pain

When engaging from afar, wait for the opponent to start coming towards you. At this point, you should begin with a Solar Blessing as close to the enemy as possible. 9 out of 10 times the enemy will pause before backing off. During this pause you should rush into the Solar Blessing and get close enough to cast a Divine Light to slow him.

While inside the Solar Blessing, fire off a Celestial Beam on the slowed enemy (while inside the Divine Light, you get an MP buff). The enemy should at this point have turned around to run or back off, and you use this opportunity to fire off a buffed Searing Pain for the kill or cripple. If it does not kill, you have your passive at 3 stacks, so you will have the speed to chase the enemy down, or if Searing Pain misses, you can back off quickly.


Divine Light --> Solar Blessing --> Celestial Beam --> Searing Pain

If you can get close (say you are ganking, or you are up against an AD Brawler like Hercules or Thor), Divine Light should be cast first for the slow. Then, place Solar Blessing on top of the character for some additional damage while slowed, and fire off a boosted Celestial Beam. As the character goes to run, finish with a Searing Pain.