
Katarina AD On-Hit Build Guide: Complete Champion Overview Patch 15.4.1
Katarina is a high-skill assassin whose effectiveness scales dramatically with player experience. Her unique reset mechanics make her deadly in teamfights, while offering flexibility between AD on-hit and AP builds.
Passive - Insatiability
- Reduces cooldowns by 15s when damaging champions who die within 3s
- Resets all basic abilities on kills/assists
- Dropped daggers deal area damage scaling with AD, AP, and on-hit effects
Ability Priority
- Put 3 points in Q (Dancing Blade)
- Max E (Blink Step)
- Finish maxing Q
- Max W (Preparation)
- R (Death Lotus) at levels 6/11/16
Core Combat Combos: Without Ultimate: E > Q > W > AA > W dagger > E to Q dagger > AA > AA > E > AA
With Ultimate: E > Q > W > R > W dagger > E to Q dagger > AA > AA > E > AA

Man wearing glasses
Optimal Build Path (AD On-Hit): Starting Items:
- Long Sword + 3 Health Potions
- Dark Seal (optional)
Core Items:
- Blade of the Ruined King
- Divine Sunderer
- Death's Dance
Situational Items:
- Black Cleaver (vs tanks)
- Maw of Malmortius (vs AP)
- Guardian Angel (when ahead)
- Wit's End (mixed damage)
Key Tips:
- Adapt build between AD on-hit and AP based on enemy composition
- Focus on mechanical execution over macro play
- Use resets aggressively but smartly
- Vary blink positions to avoid predictable patterns
- Master auto-attack resets with E for maximum damage output
- Look for roaming opportunities over farming
- Wait for key cooldowns before engaging
Katarina excels at punishing mistakes and snowballing advantages, making her ideal for players who enjoy high-risk, high-reward playstyles and are willing to invest time mastering her mechanics.
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