How to Actually Get Good at ARAM: A Guide from the Chaos

What’s up, fellow gamers? It’s Ayefkay here, back to drop some ARAM knowledge bombs. If you’ve been living under a rock (or just ignoring the blue rectangle on the League of Legends client), ARAM stands for “All Random All Mid.” 

It’s basically League’s most chaotic and fun game mode, where strategy meets randomness, and the only thing that’s guaranteed is that someone’s gonna die in a teamfight every 30 seconds.

Now, some people think ARAM is all about luck because of the random champions. But trust me—there’s way more strategy than you think. As someone who plays way too much ARAM, I’ve found ways to navigate the randomness and consistently carry games. Whether you’re a filthy casual or a wannabe challenger, this guide is for you.

Let’s dive into how to be the best damn ARAM player out there!

1. General ARAM Strategy: Embrace the Chaos, But Stay Smart

The first rule of ARAM? Accept that things will get wild. This isn’t Summoner’s Rift where you can safely farm for 20 minutes and wait for the perfect engage. ARAM is fast, messy, and full of non-stop brawls. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a plan.

• Map Awareness: Yes, it’s one lane. Yes, everyone’s clustered together. But that doesn’t mean you should tunnel vision on your lane opponents. Keep an eye on the health relics, watch for pings from your teammates, and, for the love of all that’s holy, don’t overextend when the enemy team is respawning.
• Timing and Engage Windows: ARAM is all about teamfights, but that doesn’t mean you should be the first one to dive into 5 enemies as a squishy ADC. Know your champion’s engage windows and fight around your cooldowns. If you’re playing a champion like Malphite, wait for the perfect ult moment. If you’re on the backline, like with Jinx or Xerath, hang back until your tanks go in. Pretty common sense, but too often it’s easy to get caught up in the moment.
• Health Relic Control: It’s a huge deal. Grabbing relics not only heals your team but also denies the enemy healing. Play around them, especially when both teams are poking each other down at low health. A well-timed health relic grab can completely shift a fight in your favor.

2. Champion Pool: Yes, It Matters…Kind Of.

The champions you get are random, but how you use them isn’t. ARAM forces you to play champs you might not be comfortable with, but that’s where strategy comes in.

• Understand Your Role: Every champion fits into a specific role, whether it’s tank, poke, burst, or sustain. Even if you’re not playing your main role, recognize what your champion does best and lean into it. Got Sona? Congrats, you’re the team healer now. Pulled Yasuo? Time to wait for that knockup combo. Whatever you get, your job is to play to your champion’s strengths and support your team’s overall comp.
• Re-Rolls and Champion Trading: Managing your re-rolls is key to success in ARAM. You get these pretty liberally, but you don’t want to just reroll spam. If you give one away, hold onto your second reroll for when your team truly needs a better comp. And don’t be afraid to ask for trades—sometimes that random person on your team is a Rumble one-trick who can carry if you give them their main.
• ARAM Favorites: Let’s be real, some champs are just straight busted in ARAM. Poke mages like Ziggs, Xerath, and Lux are kings of the mode. Then there are sustain monsters like Soraka and Sona, who can single-handedly keep their team alive through poke wars. And of course, we can’t forget about those hard-engage champions like Malphite or Amumu, who can turn the tide of a fight with a single ability. Know these champs and how to play with or against them.

3. Advanced Strategies: Mastering the Chaos

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s get into the juicy stuff—the advanced strategies that separate the decent ARAM players from the legends.

• Wave Management Matters: Even though ARAM is one lane, you can still control waves. If you’re playing a poke or siege comp, keeping the wave pushed into the enemy tower can create massive pressure and get those idjits on the other team antsy enough to try and make a dumb a play. Just make sure to watch your positioning when you do this, as overextending can lead to a nasty surprise if the enemy respawns with hard engage champs.
• Itemization Is Key: ARAM gives you tons of gold compared to regular modes, so your item choices are super important. Adapt your build to the situation. For instance, if your team has a lot of poke but no frontline, prioritize items like Locket of the Iron Solari or Redemption to keep your team alive in extended fights. On the flip side, if you’re on an engage-heavy team, consider picking up items like Zhonya’s to survive the dive.
• Don’t Underestimate Tanky Champions: Sure, poke champs can be annoying, but tanks are invaluable in ARAM. Champions like Maokai, Sejuani, or Sion can absorb so much damage that they create tons of space for your carries. Plus, their engage potential often forces the enemy team to blow key cooldowns on them, giving your team a huge advantage.
• Positioning and Bush Control: ARAM may be one lane, but don’t sleep on those bushes! Positioning around the side bushes can give you an edge in skirmishes or teamfights. Use them for surprise engages, sneaky pokes, or to dodge incoming skillshots. Vision might be limited in ARAM, but the side bushes are a game-changer when used correctly. I personally like to rush the solo bush at the beginning of the match for a stronger position and avoiding the usual poke that goes back and forth from the other bushes on the opposite side.
• Patience is a Virtue: Yeah, I know it’s tempting to throw yourself at the enemy after respawning. But sometimes the best strategy is to wait for the right moment. If your team is behind, turtle under your tower, wait for a solid engage opportunity, and don’t waste your ultimates on small skirmishes. ARAM can turn quickly with one solid teamfight, so don’t rush it.
• Objectives Are Worth Your Lives: Nothing tilts me more than a team who doesn’t want to take the teleporter in to defend a turret. Even if you’re hot dropping into a 1v5 situation, best case scenario – you get targeted and your tower starts heating up and firing back while your teammates find their manhood and come in to help. On the opposite side of the coin and you’re the attackers – ignore that squishy Twitch, sacrifice your life, do what needs to get done in order to take out a turret. Those who are used to playing the other game modes are used to thinking “Meh, if I lose a turret I have 7 more”, but in Aram – you lose your lane, you’ve lost the game.

4. Tilt Happens: Dealing with Randomness

Let’s be real, ARAM can feel a wee bit unfair sometimes. Sometimes you get a great comp and stomp the enemy. Sometimes the enemy gets all poke champions and you’re stuck with five melee champs with no engage. It happens. But the beauty of ARAM is that every game is different, and there’s always an opportunity to turn it around if you stay focused.

• Adaptability Is Key: Since your champion pool is random, you need to be flexible. If you get a champ you’ve never played, look up a quick guide, adapt to the situation, and don’t be afraid to ask for advice from your teammates! A lot of ARAM success comes from how well you can adapt on the fly.
• Don’t Rage, Innovate: If you get stuck in a tough match-up, think outside the box. Try unexpected item builds, use your environment creatively (hello, turret dives), or just focus on supporting your team in the best way possible. Sometimes, the fun in ARAM comes from making the best of a terrible situation and finding weird, off-meta strategies that actually work.

Winning in ARAM is About Controlling the Chaos

At the end of the day, ARAM is about embracing the chaos and thriving within it. Sure, randomness plays a part, but the real fun comes from learning how to make the most out of whatever hand you’re dealt and I personally enjoy getting to know each champ better.

Whether you’re popping off with a 1v5 play or barely scraping by with a clutch heal, ARAM is a blast—and it’s even more fun when you know how to play the game inside and out.

So next time you find yourself in the Howling Abyss, remember this: It’s not about what champion you get, it’s about how you use them. Play smart, control the chaos, and, most importantly, have fun. After all, if you’re not having fun in ARAM, you’re doing it wrong.

Stay AFK, my friends. Or don’t—because your noob ass team probably needs you to carry.