So much of the action in the League of Legends Swarm game mode revolves around endless enemies pouring in to kill you, which makes Briar’s tanky build that much more fun as she turns the tables on the Primordians.
In Swarm, Briar is a former Primordian who defects to the Anima Squad midway through the mode’s story. Once Briar becomes playable, you can take advantage of her furious attacks—fast auto-attacks, a dual-phase Fish Frenzy/Survival Scream ability, and an Ultimate that helps her escape waves.
Just like in League, the Insatiable Hunger is at her very best when she’s right up in the enemy’s face, so making sure she survives is a big key to her gameplay.
Here’s the best way to build Briar in League’s Swarm mode.
Tank AOE: Briar’s best LoL Swarm build
The best way to play Briar in your Swarm matches is to turn her into an explosive tanky weapon that flies around the battlefield destroying everything she touches—while taking basically zero damage in return. This Tank AOE build fits the Insatiable Hunger to a tee as she gobbles up everything in her path.
There’s going to be RNG around what upgrades and items you’re offered midgame, but that doesn’t mean you can’t focus on some of the best for Briar.
Best weapons for Briar’s Tank build in Swarm
Because we’re making Briar as tanky as she can get, there are a few very clear Swarm weapon picks from among the many options. The key here is more health and explosive area-of-effect damage.
Here are the weapons you’ll want to prioritize:
- Aurora Weapon
- Iceblast Armor
- Radiant Field
- Statikk Sword
- The Annihilator
First up, grab the Iceblast Armor whenever you see it. This frosty protection does exactly what we want in the build, granting a big shield that freezes nearby enemies when it’s destroyed. Even better, it scales with the armor and health we build—both of which will be key focuses, as we’ll discuss later.
Then, there are two zonal Swarm weapons we’ll want to collect here: Radiant Field and Statikk Sword. The first builds on our damage by making enemies explode, while the second fires a lightning shock into crowded ads. Both evolve off Max Health.
Finally, who can say no to The Annihilator? This big boy evolves into Animapocalypse (through EXP) and detonates in an area and forces gold drops.
I think you can see where all this is going—more health and AOE damage effects are very clearly the name of the game for this Tanky Briar build.
Best passive upgrade prioritization for Briar’s Tank build in Swarm
Now that you’re armed to the teeth with a bundle of exploding weapons, you’re going to want to make sure your passive stats are getting some love too. There’s another simple focus here: Area damage and survivability.
Here are the main upgrades you should prioritize:
- Max health
- Health regeneration
- Area size
- Damage
- Experience
- Armor
While all of these are very helpful, you’re going to want to prioritize Health and Health Regeneration as much as possible. You’re going to get hit (a lot) and that means you’ll want to be able to live through all that damage. These two top picks will make sure you can wade through even the biggest swarms.
Damage, area size, and armor are all pretty crucial here too, with each pairing nicely with your item build and the flurry of beef attacks you’ll be dishing out.
Once all this is put together, the gameplan is super simple: Get into the middle of the Primordians ads and go crazy, just like Briar.
For other League champ picks, check out our Swarm tier list.
