Liandry’s Torment

What is Liandry’s Torment? 🔥

Liandry’s Torment is the maximum-health magic damage item for mages and AP champions fighting tanks and high-HP targets. Its TORMENT passive applies a burn on every ability hit: 1% of the target’s maximum health as magic damage every 0.5 seconds over 3 seconds — meaning each ability cast that connects fires up to 6 ticks of HP-percentage damage, totaling 6% of the target’s maximum health per TORMENT application. Against a 4,000 HP tank, that’s 240 magic damage per proc, scaling with the tank’s own item investment.

The SUFFERING passive rewards sustained combat: for each second spent in combat with enemy champions, the holder deals 2% more damage, stacking up to 3 times for +6% total. This bonus applies to ALL damage — including TORMENT ticks — and stacks multiplicatively with other damage multipliers. At 3 SUFFERING stacks, TORMENT’s 6% total health damage becomes 6.36% of the target’s maximum health over 3 seconds. The longer the fight continues, the more TORMENT punishes HP-stacking.

At 3,000 Gold, Liandry’s Torment provides a modest +60 AP alongside +300 HP — far less raw AP than a Rabadon’s or Shadowflame, but the item’s damage output against tanks isn’t measured in AP ratios. It’s measured in the target’s HP pool. Building from Haunting Guise and Fated Ashes with an 800g combine. Sell price: 2,100 Gold. ID: 6653. Previous successor: Liandry’s Anguish; removed Masterwork item: Liandry’s Lament.

📊 Base Statistics

🔨 Recipe & Components

Liandry’s Torment builds from Haunting Guise + Fated Ashes with an 800g combine:

🔥 TORMENT & SUFFERING — Complete Mechanics Reference

TORMENT — HP Burn Mechanics

TORMENT applies a burn every time the holder deals ability damage to an enemy. The burn is not a one-time effect — each new ability cast that hits the target refreshes TORMENT from the beginning (a new 3-second window of 6 ticks starts). Against a mage who casts abilities every 1-2 seconds, TORMENT is nearly continuously active on the primary target, with each new cast resetting the full 3-second duration.

The 1% per tick calculation uses the target’s MAXIMUM health, not their current health. This is a critical distinction: as the target loses HP during the fight, TORMENT continues dealing the same per-tick damage calculated from the full HP pool. A 4,000 HP tank at 10% HP remaining still takes 40 magic damage per tick from TORMENT — the damage does not diminish as the target approaches death.

TORMENT can stack from multiple Liandry’s users on the same target — two champions both with Liandry’s applying ability damage apply independent TORMENT burns. However, a critical nuance: subsequent applications do not refresh the debuff for ALL sources at a time. The multi-user stacking allows each holder’s TORMENT to run independently, but one player re-casting an ability doesn’t reset the other player’s TORMENT timer.

SUFFERING — In-Combat Damage Amplifier

SUFFERING stacks once per second spent in combat with enemy champions — not once per ability cast or hit. The 3-second ramp to maximum stacks means the first second of a fight has 0 additional SUFFERING bonus, after 1 second it’s +2%, after 2 seconds +4%, and after 3 seconds the cap of +6% is reached. For burst mages who end fights in under 3 seconds, SUFFERING may never reach maximum stacks during the critical damage window.

The multiplicative stacking with other damage multipliers is SUFFERING’s most powerful characteristic. Rather than adding +6% damage additively alongside other damage bonuses, SUFFERING multiplies the entire outgoing damage calculation — including TORMENT ticks, ability damage, and other on-hit effects. Against a target with multiple damage multipliers already applied (Void Staff magic pen, Rabadon’s AP, MR reduction from other sources), SUFFERING’s +6% compounds on top of all of them.

TORMENT & SUFFERING — Full Mechanics Table

🗺️ Map-Specific Differences

🎯 When to Build Liandry’s Torment

Liandry’s Torment is one of the most matchup-dependent AP items in the game. Its damage output scales directly with the enemy team’s HP investment — making it exceptional against tank-heavy compositions and much weaker against squishy teams where 6% of 2,000 HP (120 damage) is modest compared to raw AP items that deal flat burst damage.

✅ Build Liandry’s When:

• Enemy team has 3+ high-HP champions: tanks with Warmog’s (800+ HP), Heartsteel stackers (growing HP over time), Cho’Gath (R HP scaling), Sion (P HP growth) — every HP item the enemy builds increases TORMENT’s damage per application; Liandry’s is the item that punishes HP investment directly
• Playing an ability-spam AP champion: Cassiopeia (Twin Fang every 0.25-0.75s), Ryze (rapid multi-ability rotation), Malzahar (Null Zone + Malefic Visions tick damage), Brand (Blaze stacking) — frequent ability casts consistently refresh TORMENT, maintaining near-continuous burn; SUFFERING reaches max stacks in every extended rotation
• Enemy heals heavily to survive: TORMENT is HP-percent burn — it deals the same percentage whether the target is full HP or half HP; against healing champions (Mundo, Aatrox, Soraka-sustained targets), the consistent HP-percent tick bypasses some of the healing advantage by dealing damage relative to their maintained HP pool
• Teamfights are extended (3+ seconds): SUFFERING reaches maximum stacks after 3 seconds in combat; against tanks who can’t be burst down in 2 seconds, SUFFERING consistently reaches full stacks during any sustained fight; the multiplicative damage bonus compounds on every TORMENT tick fired after the 3-second mark

❌ Do NOT Build Liandry’s When:

• Enemy team is squishy (no HP stacking): 6% of 1,800 HP = 108 damage per TORMENT proc. Against 4 assassins and a support with minimal HP, TORMENT contributes modestly compared to Shadowflame (execute magic pen at 35% HP) or Luden’s Tempest (burst AoE proc). Burst AP items provide more total damage against low-HP targets in short fights
• Playing a burst combo mage whose fight lasts under 2 seconds: SUFFERING never reaches max stacks in a 2-second burst; TORMENT fires 4 ticks before the target dies (3 seconds needed for full 6 ticks). Against targets who are dead in under 3 ability hits, the HP burn doesn’t complete its full rotation. Shadowflame or Rabadon’s Deathcap provide more burst value in those patterns
• Team already has 2+ Liandry’s users: TORMENT can stack from multiple users, but the diminishing-return question applies — two Liandry’s holders both burning the same tank is strong, but a third holder providing 6% additional burn alongside the other two provides less marginal value than building a different anti-tank tool

👥 Best Champions for Liandry’s Torment

✅ Ideal Picks — Ability Spammers

• Cassiopeia — Twin Fang (E) fires every 0.25-0.75 seconds against Poisoned targets — each E cast refreshes TORMENT, maintaining a near-continuous burn. Petrifying Gaze (R) locks the target for 2 seconds while TORMENT and other damage resolve. Cassiopeia’s DoT nature (Noxious Blast Q poison, Miasma W pool) layers with TORMENT for multiple damage sources on the same target simultaneously. SUFFERING reaches max stacks during every extended Cassiopeia rotation.
• Malzahar — Void Swarm (W) void lings, Malefic Visions (E) DoT, and Null Zone (W) ground damage all apply ability damage and refresh TORMENT. Call of the Void (Q) hits → E infection → TORMENT chain creates compounding DoT. Nether Grasp (R) suppression locks the target for 2.5 seconds — all of TORMENT’s 6 ticks fire during the suppression window. SUFFERING reaches max stacks before R ends at 3 seconds.
• Brand — Blaze (P) passive: every spell hit stacks Brand’s burn; at 3 stacks, Blaze detonates for bonus damage. TORMENT layers on top of Blaze’s own HP-burn DoT for double HP-percent damage against HP-stacking targets. Brand’s Pyroclasm (R) bouncing ultimate repeatedly refreshes TORMENT across multiple targets in a group. Brand support particularly leverages Liandry’s because tank targets in lane receive TORMENT from every Q/W/E rotation.
• Teemo — Toxic Shot (P) poisons on basic attacks and Noxious Trap (R) mushrooms continuously deal ability damage — each tick refreshes TORMENT. A Teemo positioned in a mushroom-dense jungle zone forces the enemy jungler to constantly re-trigger TORMENT ticks when farming mushrooms. Move Quick (W) combined with Liandry’s +300 HP provides solid survivability for an AP ranged champion who needs to kite melee tanks.
• Amumu — Cursed Touch (P) + Bandage Toss (Q) + Tantrum (E) + Curse of the Sad Mummy (R) AoE ability chain. TORMENT applies to all enemies hit by the R AoE — a 5-target R hit starts burning all 5 simultaneously. SUFFERING stacks during the engage sequence and reaches max during the extended teamfight following R. Amumu’s tank role means he benefits from the +300 HP on Liandry’s for additional frontline durability.
• Rumble — Flamespitter (Q) persistent AoE fire damage, Electro Harpoon (E) two-shot slow, The Equalizer (R) long-duration fire zone. Flamespitter’s channeled AoE repeatedly refreshes TORMENT every 0.5 seconds of contact — against a tank caught in Q’s fire zone, TORMENT and Q damage layer into a rapid HP-drain. The Equalizer fires 1 TORMENT application per second while enemies remain in the zone.

Off-Meta / Situational

• Vel’Koz — Plasma Fission (Q) split, Void Rift (W) DoT, Tectonic Disruption (E) — full ability rotation applies TORMENT repeatedly. RESEARCH PROGRESS (P) true damage stacks from each ability kind — TORMENT ticks themselves do not contribute to P stacks (proc damage), but the ability casts that trigger TORMENT do. Liandry’s is a strong pickup on Vel’Koz against tank-heavy enemy compositions.

❌ Less Optimal

• Burst mages (Lux, Syndra, Veigar): TORMENT’s 3-second burn and SUFFERING’s 3-second ramp don’t align with burst patterns that end fights in under 2 seconds. Shadowflame (execute pen), Luden’s Tempest (burst proc), or Rabadon’s Deathcap (raw AP) provide more total damage in the burst window where Liandry’s doesn’t complete its full HP-burn rotation
• AP assassins (Fizz, Zed AP, Ekko burst): assassins end fights in 1-2 combos; TORMENT’s benefit is maximized in fights lasting 3+ seconds. The +300 HP and +60 AP are modest stats for assassin builds that typically prioritize maximum AP burst or defensive survival tools like Zhonya’s Hourglass

⚙️ Recommended Build Paths

Cassiopeia — Sustained DoT Anti-Tank

1. Fated Ashes — First back (~900g) — TORMENT component active immediately; Twin Fang (E) spam maintains burn from 8-10 minutes; AP input for Twin Fang damage
2. Liandry’s Torment — First full item (complete with Haunting Guise + 800g combine) — full TORMENT + SUFFERING live; +60 AP and +300 HP for lane sustain; SUFFERING consistently reaches max stacks during Cassiopeia’s sustained rotations
3. Rylai’s Crystal Scepter — Second item — RIMEFROST slow on every ability hit; Cassiopeia’s near-constant ability firing = near-permanent slow on primary target; +75 AP + HP; slow enables reliable ability landing against mobile tanks
4. Rabadon’s Deathcap — Third item — MAGICAL OPUS +30% AP multiplier; amplifies Twin Fang and all ability damage; TORMENT’s SUFFERING +6% multiplicatively stacks on the amplified damage
5. Void Staff — Fourth item — 40% magic pen; TORMENT’s HP% damage is magic damage — magic pen amplifies every TORMENT tick against MR-stacking tanks; the magic pen + SUFFERING multiplicative stacking creates compounding damage
6. Zhonya’s Hourglass — Fifth item — STASIS survival; Cassiopeia is a sustained fighter who stays in melee range; Zhonya’s through burst assassination attempts while TORMENT continues ticking

Malzahar — Suppression + DoT Combo

7. Fated Ashes — First back — Void Swarm (W) + Malefic Visions (E) ability spam from early levels; TORMENT component adds HP burn to E’s natural DoT
8. Liandry’s Torment — First full item — TORMENT + SUFFERING; Nether Grasp (R) 2.5-second suppression allows all 6 TORMENT ticks to fire during suppression; full 6% max HP burn guaranteed against any target caught in R
9. Rylai’s Crystal Scepter — Second item — RIMEFROST slow on every ability; Malefic Visions (E) spread + slow enables TORMENT application to all infected targets; slowed enemies take full TORMENT duration
10. Shadowflame — Third item — CINDERBLOOM execute pen; TORMENT pushes targets below 35% HP threshold where Shadowflame activates; the DoT-to-execute pattern is natural on ability-spam mages
11. Void Staff — Fourth item — 40% magic pen; TORMENT’s magic damage benefits from pen against MR-stacked tanks
12. Rabadon’s Deathcap — Fifth item — pure AP amplification for late-game ability damage ceilings

🔄 Similar Items — HP-Scaling and AP DoT Family

❌ Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

• Building Liandry’s against squishy enemy compositions: 6% of 1,800 HP is 108 damage per TORMENT proc. Against 4 squishy carries with 1,800-2,000 HP, TORMENT contributes less than 120 damage per ability cast. Shadowflame (execute pen at 35% HP) or Luden’s Tempest (burst proc amplification) provide 50-100% more effective damage against those specific low-HP targets in the same burst window that Liandry’s needs 3 seconds to fully resolve
• Expecting TORMENT to trigger rune procs: TORMENT is proc damage — each tick does NOT trigger Electrocute, Arcane Comet, Conqueror, or Predator. The ability casts that trigger TORMENT may trigger rune procs (those are the actual ability hits), but the burn ticks themselves are supplementary proc damage outside the rune proc calculation entirely
• Not realizing TORMENT ignores spell shields: unlike Luden’s Echo ECHO (blocked by Banshee’s Veil), TORMENT bypasses spell shields entirely. Against a Banshee’s Veil target, the ability that triggers TORMENT may be absorbed by the shield — but if any ability gets through and applies TORMENT, the burn continues regardless. This makes Liandry’s stronger than Luden’s in specific Banshee’s Veil matchups for the DoT portion
• Rushing Liandry’s without checking enemy team HP first: check whether the enemy team’s tanks have begun building HP items before completing Liandry’s. If 20 minutes in and the enemy team has no HP stackers yet (everyone at 2,000 base HP), the TORMENT value is lower than it will be in 10 minutes when the tanks complete Warmog’s. The timing of Liandry’s completion matters more than for flat-damage items
• Underestimating SUFFERING’s 3-second ramp: in fights that end in 2 seconds or less, SUFFERING is at 1 stack (+2%), not 3 stacks (+6%). Against carries who die in a 2-second burst combo, SUFFERING contributes only 2% additional damage rather than the 6% advertised maximum. Design the champion’s fight pattern to extend into 3+ seconds (through CC chain, TORMENT pressure, Rylai’s slow) to consistently reach max SUFFERING value

✅ Best Practices

• Buy Fated Ashes at first back (900g): TORMENT component burn active from minute 8-10; early anti-tank pressure before Liandry’s is complete; AP input for sustained ability damage
• Pair with Rylai’s Crystal Scepter for the classic slow + burn: Rylai’s 30% slow prevents tanks from walking out of ability range; TORMENT burns for full 6-tick duration rather than being cut short by the target escaping range; the combined +600 HP from both items provides meaningful frontline durability for sustained fighters
• Target the enemy tank with the most HP items: TORMENT’s damage scales with the target’s HP pool; in a teamfight, prioritize applying ability damage to the champion with the highest HP (tank who completed Warmog’s + Heartsteel) rather than squishier targets where flat damage items would outperform
• Maintain ability spam to keep TORMENT running: TORMENT refreshes with each new ability hit; ability-spammers can maintain near-continuous burn against a single target; ability gaps longer than 3 seconds allow TORMENT to expire before reapplication
• In extended teamfights: engage early to let SUFFERING stack: SUFFERING reaches max stacks after 3 seconds; getting into combat range before the primary damage phase allows the +6% multiplicative bonus to be active for the critical burst window of the fight

FAQ

Q: Does Liandry’s TORMENT trigger Electrocute or spell effects?

A: A: No — TORMENT is proc damage, which explicitly does not trigger spell effects. Each 0.5-second burn tick is supplementary magic damage, not an ability hit. The ability cast that TRIGGERS the TORMENT debuff may proc runes (the actual ability hit counts), but the subsequent burn ticks do not contribute to Electrocute stacks, Arcane Comet, or Conqueror. Plan rune procs around the actual ability casts, not the TORMENT burn duration.

Q: Does Banshee’s Veil block Liandry’s TORMENT?

A: A: No — TORMENT is explicitly NOT blocked by spell shields. This is a key difference from Luden’s Echo ECHO (which IS blocked by spell shields). If the ability that triggers TORMENT is absorbed by Banshee’s Veil (the ability damage is blocked), then TORMENT doesn’t get applied from that ability — because there’s no ability damage to trigger it. But once TORMENT is successfully applied by any ability that penetrates the shield, the burn ticks themselves bypass any remaining shield status.

Q: Does SUFFERING affect TORMENT damage?

A: A: Yes — SUFFERING’s damage bonus applies multiplicatively to ALL outgoing damage, including each TORMENT tick. At max 3 SUFFERING stacks (+6% multiplicative), TORMENT’s 6% max HP base becomes 6% × 1.06 = 6.36% of the target’s maximum health over 3 seconds. Against a 6,000 HP tank, the difference is 360 vs 381.6 magic damage per TORMENT application — SUFFERING adds approximately 20+ damage per TORMENT proc specifically at max stacks.

Q: Can two teammates both run Liandry’s Torment and stack the burns?

A: A: Yes — TORMENT can stack from multiple users on the same target. Each holder’s burn runs independently. However, there is a nuance: subsequent applications from additional sources don’t refresh the debuff for all sources simultaneously. Each holder’s TORMENT application has its own timer. Two teammates both applying ability damage maintain two independent TORMENT burns, each running their own 3-second cycles. The combined maximum damage from two Liandry’s holders is approximately 2× TORMENT ticks on the same target.

Q: Is Liandry’s Torment good against healing champions like Dr. Mundo?

A: Yes — TORMENT’s HP-percent magic damage is effective against regenerating champions in a specific way: the damage is calculated from maximum HP regardless of current HP, so Mundo’s regeneration (which restores HP but not the maximum HP value TORMENT scales from) doesn’t reduce TORMENT’s per-tick damage. However, for the most effective anti-heal pattern, Mortal Reminder (GRIEVOUS WOUNDS 40-60% healing reduction) or Thornmail (GRIEVOUS WOUNDS on being hit) should complement Liandry’s — Liandry’s provides the HP-percent burn damage, while a GRIEVOUS WOUNDS source reduces Mundo’s effective healing. The two items together create the most effective sustained damage + healing counter against regenerating tanks.

Q: When should I build Liandry’s Torment vs Shadowflame?

A: Shadowflame is superior against squishy targets below 35% HP (CINDERBLOOM execute magic pen activates) and in short burst fights where TORMENT doesn’t complete its full 6-tick cycle. Liandry’s Torment is superior against tanks with 4,000+ HP where TORMENT’s 6% HP burn per proc deals more effective damage than Shadowflame’s flat AP bonus, and in extended fights where SUFFERING consistently reaches max stacks. The rule of thumb: if the primary threat has 3,000+ HP, Liandry’s TORMENT per proc (180+ damage) starts outperforming flat damage items; below 3,000 HP, Shadowflame provides more burst damage per cast for the same gold investment.