League of Legends is a game of over 150 characters. Riot Games releases new champions on a pretty consistent basis, always changing the game in one direction or another.
And even though these champions introduce new mechanics and playstyles, we rarely see a new champion with a global ult.
Why is this the case? What are global ults in LoL and why are they so unique?
What is a Global Ult in League of Legends?
A “global ult” in League of Legends refers to an ultimate ability that has no range limitations. It can be used anywhere on Summoner’s Rift with the same effect.
You can use global ults to damage enemies that are on the opposite side of the map. Or to help allies that are far away from you.
If you take a look at my list below, which is actually the complete list of champions with global ults in League of Legends, you’ll quickly realize that most of the champions are fairly old.
And we can safely conclude that Riot was keener to create champions with this type of abilities in the past than now. But why?
Global ults are powerful cooldowns that can change the outcome of a fight.
Let’s take Soraka’s ultimate as an example.
Soraka’s R – Wish is a simple ability that heals all of Soraka’s allies, regardless of where they are on the map. So if Soraka sees that a 1v1 fight is going on in the top lane, she can quickly heal her ally while being in the bot lane herself.
This will give her top laner an advantage and also grant Soraka an assist when the enemy is dead.
Global ults can be used to score kills all over Summoner’s Rift.
So, let’s rank the top 10 best champions with global ults in LoL!
Read Also: Top 10 Best Champions with Dashes
The Top 10 Best Champions with Global Ults in LoL – a List
1. Karthus
Karthus’ R – Requiem is the simplest and most effective global ult in League of Legends. It doesn’t require any skill to pull off some sick pentakills with this ability, only a good map awareness.
Once activated, Karthus’ult selects all enemy champions and after a 3-seconds delay, it deals damage to the. The damage of Requiem is actually insanely high because it scales with 75% of Karthus’ total AP.
Players combine this damage with Dark Harvest which allows them to one-shot enemies from 100 to 0 from across the map.
Now, Requiem can be also be dodged. For example, Fizz can dodge Requiem by hoping with his E – Playful / Trickster before the ult deals damage.
And similarly, Zhonya’s Hourglass allows everybody to absorb the Requiem’s damage.
Yet, Karthus’ R is the best global ult in LoL because it deals so much damage and it’s so easy to use.
Read also: All Champions with Fear
2. Soraka
Some say that Soraka’s R is the antidote for Karthus’ R. And in a way, this is true.
Soraka’s ultimate – Wish works the same way as Karthus’ Requiem but in the opposite direction. While Karthus can damage all enemies with just his R button, Soraka can heal all of her allies by simply activating Wish.
What’s more, Soraka’s R removes all Grevious Wounds effects from her allies, making her heals much greater.
Experienced Soraka players often win games by influencing fights all over the map. Healing teammates in 1v1 fights from across the map is a huge advantage for any team in League of Legends.
Read Also: AD Soraka Build Guide
3. Gangplank
Gangplank’s Cannon Barrage is one of the best abilities in the entire League of Legends. It’s super effective for setting up kills around the map or assisting allies in team fights when you aren’t there.
Even though Cannon Barrage is technically magic and scales with AP, it does a LOT of damage overall. If Gangplank is a few levels ahead of everybody, his ultimate will win nearly all team fights.
And all bot lane players fear playing against GP because every 2v2 turns to 2v3 for the enemy team.
Gangplank’s global ult can also be used to check whether the opponents are doing Dragon, Baron, or if they’re hiding in a brush. All in all, it’s a very useful tool to have in LoL.
Read also: Top 7 Best Champions without CC
4. Shen
To anyone who doesn’t play him, Shen is one of the most unfair champions in LoL. And to those that do play him, Shen is one of the most useful picks in the game.
Shen’s R – Stand United is considered a global ult because it can be activated on any teammate anywhere on the map.
Once Shen selects an ally, he grants them a shield while he channels for 5 seconds. And once the channeling is finished, he teleports to the exact location of his chosen ally.
This gives Shen and his teammates an enormous potential for outplaying. For example, his ADC can safely bait the enemy team because Shen can always shield him and teleport to him to turn the tides of the fight.
Since Shen’s R is a channel, it can also be interrupted. If the enemy stuns or silences Shen during his channeling, he won’t teleport to his chosen ally.
In this sense, Stand United works the same way as the Summoner Spell Teleport.
You can actually play Shen with AP items to make the shield from Stand United even greater!
Read Also: Top 5 Best Champions Like Lux
5. Twisted Fate
Twisted Fate’s R – Destiny can both be considered a global ult and not. And that’s because this ability has two parts.
First cast – Twisted Fate reveals all enemy champions on the map, regardless of where they are. Second cast – Twisted Fate teleports to a chosen direction within 5500 range.
So even though Twisted Fate can’t teleport anywhere on the map, he can still see all enemies with no range limitation.
Because of this, Destiny is one of the most useful abilities in League of Legends. It can be used offensively to pressure the enemy team into a retreat.
Or it can be used to check whether TF’s opponents are taking objectives like Baron or Dragon.
Read Also: Top 15 Best Off-Meta Supports
6. Ashe
Ashe is one of the first champions we got to play in League of Legends and she’s still dominant today.
A large part of her power is her ultimate – Enchanted Crystal Arrow which is easily one of the most useful global ults in League of Legends.
Enchanted Crystal Arrow can be used in many different ways. I often use Ashe’s R to start team fights and stun one overextended enemy.
This gives my team a huge lead and it often turns the potential 5v5 into a sure 4v5.
However, you can also use Ashe’s R to disengage. This ability stuns the first target hit (primary target), but it also slows all enemies around him for 2 seconds.
With Ashe, you can easily set up kills for your team by launching your arrow elsewhere on the map. Friendly tip: aim your Enchanted Crystal Arrow through the mid lane whenever you recall.
This may surprise the enemy mid laner and give your teammate a free kill.
Read Also: The 10 Best Champions without Skillshots
7. Ezreal
Ezreal is another marksman in LoL with an amazing global ult. His Trueshot Barrage deals way more damage than Ashe’s R, but it doesn’t stun or slow enemies.
Instead, it’s a plain bolt that damages all enemies in its path, regardless of the distance.
Trueshot Barrage deals magic damage, but it scales with both AP and AD. This makes the ability always relevant, regardless if Ezreal is building Ability Power or Attack Damage.
Experienced Ezreal players are always on the lookout for potential kills around the map. And Trueshot Barrage will kill anyone on low HP, as long as you’ve aimed it right.
What’s great about Trueshot Barrage is that Ezreal can lower its initial cooldown, which is 120 seconds on all ranks.
Each time he hits an enemy with Q – Mystic Shot, he lowers the cooldown of all abilities by 1,5 seconds, including his R. And this doubles the value of Trueshot Barrage!
8. Senna
Senna is one of the latest champions in LoL with a global ult, even though she was released years ago. Her R – Dawning Shadow doesn’t the most damage nor does it grant a huge shield. But, it does both!
Unlike Soraka, Senna can simultaneously help allies and damage enemy champions.
The only problem with this ability is that it’s a skill shot and not an automatic effect. But if you can aim and time it right, you’ll always influence the fight to your advantage.
One thing many players forget is that Senna can technically empower her ultimate all the time.
Yes, Dawning Shadow scales with AP, but it also takes 1.5% of Senna’s collected stacks. So, the longer the game goes on, the larger the shield of Senna’s ult is.
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9. Draven
Draven’s R – Whirling Death is another iconic global ult in League of Legends. Initially, Draven could fling this ability across Summoner’s Rift and damage all enemies.
But now Draven can also execute enemy champions, depending on how many League of Draven stacks he has.
Whirling Death is now deadlier than ever. The great about this ability is that it travels in both directions, outward and toward Draven.
Draven can also move or Flash to an angle just so his R can pass through his opponents. He can also reactivate the ability to send it back if he needs to.
A fed Draven with Whirling Death available is one of the scariest things you can face in LoL. It allows him to pressure the entire map and score more kills overall.
10. Jinx
Jinx’s Super Mega Death Rocket isn’t the most unique global ult compared to the other LoL champions in this list. It’s a simple rocket bolt that travels without a limit across Summoner’s Rift and damages the first enemy hit.
However, Jinx’s R deals a lot of damage to its primary target, but it also does a great AoE damage.
Besides AD scaling, this ability also scales with a percentage of the target’s missing health. In other words, the lower the enemy is, the more damage Super Mega Death Rocket does!
Additionally, Jinx’s ult does more damage the longer it travels. That’s why she can snipe and slay opponents from 40% HP. And that makes it one of the best global abilities in the game!
Read Also: Full Lethality Jinx Build Guide
Other Global Abilities in League of Legends
Besides these 10, there are other basic and ultimate abilities that work globally in League of Legends. Here are some of them:
- Qiyana – R Supreme Display of Talent – it spreads through the entire available terrain like the sides of Summoner’s Rift, for example.
- Ekko’s R Chronobreak – it always takes him to his 4-seconds-ago position, no matter where that is.
- Vex’s R Surging Shadow – once the ability hits an enemy, the second cast will follow it where the enemy goes.
- Yone’s E Soul Unbound – always returns him to his initial position, even if it’s on the opposite side of the map.
- Lilia’s E Swirlseed – travels across the whole map or until it hits a terrain.
Global abilities aren’t that common in LoL. Not too many players are fond of them because they always trigger questions about game balance.
I partly agree with this, but I also think that global ults and abilities can work well in LoL if they’re balanced properly. I don’t think any player considers Ashe’s R broken, so there’s proof.
That said, good luck and have fun!
Watch this YouTube video to see how Ekko can ult back to lane after a recall.