Galio is one of the best mid lane champions for climbing in League of Legends.
Ever since his rework, he’s been a great fit in every meta. He does well against assassins, and he’s the perfect counter to many mages in the game.
Galio is also an easy champion to play, so everyone can pick him up.
However, questions like “Is Galio AP?”, “Is Galio AD?”, and “Does Galio go AP or AD?” are something I hear very often!
Is Galio AP or AD?
Galio is an AP champion. He mostly deals magic damage, but his passive scales with AD too.
Most players buy AP items on Galio and build him as a mage and a tank hybrid. But you can also go for a full AP build on Galio.
Galio is a simple champion to understand and build. Yes, his passive has an AD component, but he’s otherwise 90% an AP champion.
In my experience, I haven’t seen anyone build Galio AD, although in theory – it should work.
Read Also: Azir AP Or AD – Complete Guide To Azir’s Damage!
Is It Even Worth Trying AD Galio?
Whether you’re playing Galio in the mid lane, top lane, jungle, or as a support – you should always build him AP.
He does very well with items that increase his Ability Power and provide him with defensive stats such as Health, Armor, and Magic Resist.
So, AP is always better than AD on Galio.
Every damaging ability in Galio’s kit scales with Ability Power and is considered magic.
Even his passive that scales with bonus AD is technically magic damage, so we can safely say that Galio AD isn’t really worth trying.
I’m a player that loves experimenting with new builds on different champions. And I’ve tried playing AD Galio as a fun project, so let me spare you the trouble.
AD Galio feels very underwhelming and weak.
Sure, those Colossal Smashes hit hard, but they aren’t too reliable. Just remember that Galio is a melee champion after all, and you can’t always be in range to auto-attack.
Read Also: Leona AD Bruiser Build Guide
What Should I Buy for Galio?
I really meant it when I said that Galio is a very easy champion to play and understand. Here’s the best item build you can go for Galio, no matter the role:
- Hextech Rocketbelt – is overloaded with beneficial stats for Galio and has an amazing active that helps you dash forward and damages your enemies.
- Zhonhya’s Hourglass – provides you with extra Armor and gives you the Stasis effect, which you can use to survive or avoid many abilities in the game.
- Morellonomicon – lowers the healing potential of your enemies and allows you to score kills overall.
- Void Staff – gives you all the Magic Penetration in the game, making your damage lethal.
- Rabadon’s Deathcap – amplifies your Ability Power by 35%, which significantly increases your damage potential.
- Mercury’s Treads – increase your Magic Resist and Tenacity, allowing you to get out of stuns and roots much faster.
And what are the best runes for Galio? Here’s the best rune page for playing Galio:
- Aftershock – is a defensive keystone that also does damage when you immobilize an enemy champion. It can be activated with Galio’s W, E, or R.
- Shield Bash – allows you to deal more damage with your auto-attacks when you gain the magic shield from your W.
- Bone Plating – reduces the damage taken from the first attack or ability every 45 seconds, making it less likely for enemies to one shot you.
- Overgrowth – increases your maximum health as you slay minions and monsters.
- Nimbus Cloak – gives you a burst of Movement Speed after using your Flash, giving you a chance to catch enemies with your W or E.
- Transcendence – grants you a total of 10 Ability Haste and is a useful rune in a team fight.
Read Also: Tahm Kench AP – Build Guide
Is Galio a Tank or a Mage?
Galio is both a tank and a mage. Because Galio’s abilities scale with Ability Power and players build him full AP, you could say that Galio is a mage.
However, Galio has more Health, Armor, and Magic Resist than any mage champion in LoL, which also makes him a tank. Thus, Galio is a tank/mage.
An interesting fact here is that Galio can either go full mage or full tank in any game of League of Legends.
If your team composition lacks a front line, you can purchase 6 defensive items on Galio and become an unkillable tank.
But if you need damage, you can go with my recommended full AP Galio build above and assassinate your enemies!
There is currently no other champion in LoL that shifts so easily and so well between the role of a tank and a mage.
Most champions have a specific build that works, so players mostly stick to it. But Galio can build any tank or mage item and still do very well in every match.
So, if you were wondering whether Galio is AP or AD and what you should buy when playing him, I hope this post helped you out!
Good luck!
Read Also: Bard AP or AD – Guide
