Guide Sections (15)
- Champion Stats
- The Mark Hunt
- The Kindred Skin Tier List
- When They Ban Kindred
- Runes That Work on Kindred
- Leveling Kindred's Abilities
- Mastering Kindred's Kit
- Matchups That Matter for Kindred
- Mark Greed
- When You Can't Auto Safely
- The DPS Check
- The Crit Kindred Build
- Kindred's Strongest Moments
- The Lamb's Respite
- Recent Patch History
Champion Stats
Low elo players don't know how to play around Kindred's Marks (Passive). They will ignore the mark on a camp, allowing you to scale for free, or they will over-commit to a marked camp, allowing you to set up a trap. They also fail to stay inside Lamb's Respite (R), often running out and dying while Kindred remains safe.
The Mark Hunt
Kindred has a very strong level 2 with Q and E. Start W (Wolf's Frenzy) for a healthy clear, then take Q (Dance of Arrows) for the mobility. A level 2 invade with Red buff is extremely effective against weak early junglers. You can kite them to death with Q-resets inside your W.
Level 2 with Q and W is very strong. Invade if you have prio. If you catch them at their buff, kite with Q. You win because your Q resets in W. Don't die for a mark though.
The Kindred Skin Tier List
'Spirit Blossom Kindred' is a masterpiece—the animations and the human-like Lamb design are top-tier. 'Porcelain Kindred' offers a very clean and unique aesthetic with satisfying sound effects. 'Shadowfire Kindred' is the classic dark choice. Avoid 'Super Galaxy Kindred' unless you like the retro-future look, as it feels a bit clunky.
'Spirit Blossom' is a masterpiece; animations are smooth and the design is top-tier. 'Porcelain' has great sound effects. 'Shadowfire' is classic. Spirit Blossom makes kiting feel 10% easier.
When They Ban Kindred
Graves offers similar 'ranged carry jungler' vibes. Nidalee provides the high-skill hunt. Viego for the reset carry potential. Graves is the most direct marksman substitute.
Runes That Work on Kindred
Press the Attack is the best choice for burst and dueling. Conqueror is the alternative for extended teamfights. Secondary Domination with Relentless Hunter and Sudden Impact to help you move between marks and have extra burst.
Leveling Kindred's Abilities
Max Q first—it's your primary damage and mobility tool. Max W second for the increased attack speed and Wolf damage. Max E last as the execute damage is sufficient at rank 1.
Mastering Kindred's Kit
Dance of Arrows. You vault in a direction and fire arrows. Inside your W, the cooldown is massively reduced. Constant movement is key to kiting.
Wolf's Frenzy. Wolf creates an area where he attacks nearby enemies. It also reduces your Q cooldown. Always fight inside your W circle.
Mounting Dread. You slow a target. Your third attack deals bonus missing-HP damage. Save this to execute enemies once your R (Lamb's Respite) ends.
Lamb's Respite. You create a zone where no one can die for a few seconds. At the end, everyone inside is healed. Use this to counter assassins or turn objective fights.
Matchups That Matter for Kindred
Skill Matchup. You out-range him and win the kite. If he lands Q and kicks you out of your R, you die. Use Q to dodge his skillshots.
Hard Counter. His Highlander (R) makes him immune to your E slow and he can easily follow your Q dashes. You have to win early and end before he gets items.
Mark Greed
Stop dying for Marks! A mark is not worth your soul. If the enemy team is collapsing on a marked camp, give it up and farm elsewhere. Also, don't use your R to save an enemy—remember that the heal applies to EVERYONE in the circle at the end.
Stop dying for marks! A mark is worth a kill, not a death. If they collapse on a mark, give it up. Counter-jungle the OTHER side of the map instead. Don't int for stacks.
When You Can't Auto Safely
Dodge if facing Jax or Master Yi if your team has no CC—they will jump on you and you cannot kite them easily. Also dodge into heavy poke/siege comps where you can never get close enough to fight.
Dodge Jax or Master Yi. They jump on you, you can't click them (Counterstrike/Alpha), and you die. Also dodge heavy poke comps where you can't get in range to auto.
The DPS Check
In teamfights, you are an ADC in the jungle. Kite the frontline and stay near your team. Use your R (Lamb's Respite) to save yourself or your carries from lethal burst. Once the R ends, use E (Mounting Dread) to quickly execute a low-HP enemy. You are the master of the late-game fight.
You are an ADC. Play back to front. Use R to save your carry (or yourself) from burst. Once R ends, E the low HP target to execute. You win extended fights, not burst ones.
The Crit Kindred Build
Full Crit Kindred. Kraken Slayer -> Collector -> Infinity Edge. With this build and 7+ marks, you will 3-shot carries from a screen away. It's the ultimate 'stat-check' marksman build for stomping games.
Kraken Slayer -> Collector -> Infinity Edge. You need raw damage to carry. 7+ Marks + Crit means you 3-shot squishies from safer range. It's the ultimate 1v9 build.
Kindred's Strongest Moments
3 Marks is your first range spike. 7 Marks is your major power spike where your range becomes oppressive. Your biggest item spike is Kraken Slayer, giving you the true damage and attack speed to shred anyone.
4 Marks (Range increase). Kraken Slayer completion. 7 Marks. Your damage scales linearly, but your safety scales with range. Get 4 marks ASAP.
The Lamb's Respite
Mark the enemy jungler right before you kill them. Type 'Lamb is waiting' in all-chat. The sight of a Kindred's mark appearing on a player is a psychological trigger that makes them play overly cautious and lose farm.
Mark the enemy jungler before killing them. Type 'Lamb is waiting'. The mark appearing over their head makes them play scared. Psychological pressure forces mistakes.
Recent Patch History
Recent Balance Changes
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V14.17 | Aug 28, 2024 | BUFF | Q buffed, E buffed |
| V14.14 | Jul 17, 2024 | NERF | Q nerfed, Base stats nerfed |
| V13.17 | Aug 30, 2023 | NERF | E nerfed |
| V13.14 | Jul 19, 2023 | NERF | Q adjusted, Base stats buffed |
| V13.13 | Jun 28, 2023 | NERF | Base stats nerfed |
