Bard’s ultimate is one of the trickiest abilities in the game. And you never really know what may happen when he uses it.

You might get slain right after it, or you might emerge and score a Pentakill, no matter whether Bard was on your team or not.

But the key question that we have to answer is: Does Bard’s ult do damage?

What Does Bard’s R Actually Do?

Bard's ult

If it doesn’t (in 99% of the situations) deal damage, then what does this ability do then?

R: Tempered Fate

Target range: 3400

Effect Radius: 350

Cast Time: 0.5s

Cost: 100 mana

Cooldown: 110 / 95 / 80

Active: Bard sends magical energy arcing to the target location, granting sight of the area before putting all units inside into stasis for 2.5 seconds upon impact. Enemies hit are revealed for the duration.

Despite normally being crowd control immune, epic monsters and turrets also enter stasis.

What does this mean exactly?

Bard’s ult is an AoE effect that freezes (or puts into stasis) all champions in its radius. It has a pretty big range, and you can comfortably cast it from the bot lane turret to the dragon pit.

Tempered Fate’s effect works the same way as Zhonya’s Hourglass. But instead of being an item that everyone can buy, Bard’s ultimate puts everyone into Zhonya’s effect for the same duration of 2.5 seconds. It also reveals the targets if they are in a brush or in the fog of war.

While inside the stasis, both allies and enemies can’t move or attack. They all become untergatable and immune to all other magic effects and damage.

And even though Tempered Fate doesn’t deal damage, it can be a very useful ability in many different situations.

Does Bard’s Ult Do Damage in LoL?

Bard's ult with and without Elixir of Sorcery
Bard’s ult deals 25 true damage with Elixir of Sorcery

Bard’s ultimate does NOT deal damage. It’s an effect-only type of ability that you can dodge but don’t necessarily need to. Bard’s ultimate also doesn’t increase the damage done after the effect ends, so it has completely nothing to do with dealing damage in League of Legends.

However, I’m sure you’ve noticed that despite Bard not having any damage or AP ratios on his ultimate, the ability still does a bit of damage. No, you haven’t gotten it wrong and it isn’t a hallucination. Bard’s ult can really do damage, but only under “special” circumstances.

What are these special circumstances?

If you purchase Elixir of Sorcery, Bard’s ult – Tempered Fate will deal damage. Elixir of Sorcery buffs all of your abilities to do 25 bonus true damage, including this ult. The damage is dealt immediately when you freeze the target, despite that they can’t be hit for a few seconds afterward.

Now, 25 bonus true damage is almost nothing. It isn’t enough to hurt anyone, but if you’re chasing down a target that’s below 25 HP, you can certainly kill them with Bard’s ult and Elixir of Sorcery.

Read Also: Bard AP or AD Build Guide

How to Use Bard’s Ultimate Effectively?

If you’re new to playing Bard in League of Legends and you aren’t sure how his ult is supposed to be used, here are the top 5 ways to utilize its effect!

  1. Tempered Fate can be used to save allies.

The most obvious use of this ability is casting it on your allies as a replacement to Zhonya’s Hourglass. If you time it correctly, you can turn your ADC or another ally untergatable and therefore immune to damage. This also gives their abilities time to recharge so they can escape afterward.

  1. You can use Bard’s ult to freeze enemies in place.

Probably the most useful way of using Bard’s ultimate is to freeze enemies before the fight begins. When you do that, your teammates have 2.5 seconds to enter a good position and attack the enemies as soon as they get out of stasis. This is how you set up kills with Bard.

  1. Bard’s ultimate can be used to save neutral objectives.

You can often see Bard mains taking full advantage of Tempered Fate in this way. They often cast it on the Dragon or the Baron to stop their enemies from taking it. This buys time for his own jungler.

  1. Use Tempered Fate to save your Nexus.

As the tooltip says, Tempered Fate works on the Nexus as well as turrets, monsters, and champions. Sometimes it can save you a game if you use it to deny your opponents the victory. The 2.5 seconds may be enough for your allies to respawn and defend your base.

  1. Tempered Fate can shield your turret from the Rift Herald.

If the enemy jungler releases the Rift Herald, you can cast Bard’s ult on your turret. The Rift Herald will still charge, but it won’t deal any damage.

Read Also: How to Use Kindred’s Ult Effectively in LoL?

How Does Bard’s Ultimate Work on Unstoppable Champions?

Bard's ult

Unstoppable effects aren’t too common in League of Legends, but many champions have them. Malphite’s R and Kled’s R are some of the most popular examples, but there are others too.

Bard’s ultimate does NOT have an effect on unstoppable champions in LoL. You can’t use it to put unstoppable champions into stasis if they already have used their abilities. In other words, Bard’s ult does not work when Malphite or Kled use their ultimates.

Let me explain this a bit further.

Stasis is a form of crowd control in League of Legends. Bard’s Tempered Fate and Zhonya’s Hourglass both are active stasis effects, which means that they count as crowd control, too, no matter that you cast them on yourself. 

But unstoppable champions are immune to ALL types of crowd control in League of Legends. And since Bard’s ult is a type of CC, it doesn’t work against them.

Read Also: The Best Items Against Shields

All Champions with Unstoppable Effects in League of Legends – List

Here is a list of all champions with unstoppable effects in LoL, so you know not to waste Bard’s ult on them!

ChampionAbility with the Unstoppable Effect
FioraW – Riposte
GalioR – Hero’s Entrance
KarthusPassive – Death Defied
KledR – Chaaaaaaaarge!!!
Kog’MawPassive – Icathian Surprise
MalzaharPassive – Void Shift
MorganaE – Black Shield
OlafR – Ragnarok
PantheonR – Grand Starfall
RammusR – Soaring Slam
SionR – Unstoppable Onslaught
WarwickR – Infinite Duress
VolibearR – Stormbringer
HeimerdingerR – H-28Q Apex Turret 
ZacPassive – Bloblets
CamilleR – The Hextech Ultimatum
CorkiW – Special Delivery
HecarimR – Onslaught of Shadows
IllaoiR – Leap of Faith
Jarvan IVR – Cataclysm
KalistaR – Fate’s Call
MalphiteR – Unstoppable Force
NocturneR – Paranoia
OrnnW – Bellows Breath
Rek’SaiR – Void Rush
SettR – The Show Stopper
ShyvanaR – Dragon’s Descent
VexR – Shadow Surge
ViR – Assault and Battery
ViegoR – Heartbreaker
YoneE – Soul Unbound
Tahm KenchR – Devour

Keep in mind that not all unstoppable effects are the same.

For example, you can’t use Bard’s ult to put Warwick into stasis while he dashes towards his target with his R. But as soon as he reaches the target, you can put him into stasis. On the other hand, Kled is completely immune to Bard’s ult during the entire duration of his ultimate.

Read Also: LoL Items That Increase the Size – How Do They Work?

Can Bard Ult Olaf?

Olaf and Bard's ult

One of the most popular examples of unstoppable effects in League is Olaf and his own ultimate – Ragnarok. This is one of the most confusing interactions in League of Legends.

So, does Bard’s ult work on Olaf?

Bard’s ultimate doesn’t work on Olaf if his ultimate is up. So you can’t put Olaf into stasis while his R – Ragnarok is in effect. But you can put Olaf into stasis before he activates his Ragnarok. And Olaf can’t use his ultimate to break free from Bard’s ult.

Olaf works similarly to Kled – once his ult is up, you can’t freeze him anymore. But you can do it before!

Read Also: Yasuo’s W: Wind Wall – Guide

Does Cleanse Remove Bard’s Ult?

Cleanse does NOT remove Bard’s ult. And you can’t use Quicksilver Sash (QSS) to remove Bard’s ult either, no matter whether he is on your team or not. If you’re hit by Bard’s ultimate, you can’t get out of it. You have to wait for 2.5 seconds, meaning the ability’s entire duration.

But even though Cleanse and QSS don’t work on Bard’s ultimate, the ability can still be dodged and blocked.

For example, many players choose to Flash away from Bard’s ult. You can also block Tempered Fate with Sivir’s E – Spell Shield and Morgana’s E – Black Shield. Side-stepping away from the radius of this ability is also an effective strategy to avoid its effect.

And that’s how Bard’s ult works in LoL!

Here’s the official tooltip for Bard’s ultimate – Tempered Fate we have in League of Legends.

Read Also: The Best Synergy ADCs for Bard in League of Legends

Categorized in:

Guides, League of Legends,

Last Update: March 2, 2024