For years, the Support role in League of Legends was defined by two things: map vision and a persistent state of financial destitution. While damage-focused Supports could often scrape by, traditional Tank and Enchanter Supports often struggled to complete even their first core item before the mid-game team fights began.

The Pre-Season 2026 (Patch 16.01) Item Rework has fundamentally fixed this. Riot Games has introduced a completely revamped starting item system that guarantees income for every sub-class of Support, effectively ending the gold famine and making the role far more impactful in the early and mid-game.

The Four Paths to Riches

The new system removes the old passive income system and replaces it with four distinct starting item lines. Each item path is specifically designed to reward a different playstyle, ensuring that every Support can generate consistent income by simply playing their champion correctly:

  1. The Combat Path (Aggressive Supports): This line rewards Supports who deal damage to enemy champions (like Brand or Senna). Income is generated quickly through trading and poking.
  2. The Healing Path (Enchanters): This line rewards Supports who actively heal or shield allied champions (like Soraka or Nami). Income is generated efficiently during skirmishes and sustaining their lane partner.
  3. The Control Path (Mage/Utility): This line rewards Supports who land hard crowd control (like Morgana or Zyra). Income is tied directly to successful displacements, stuns, or roots.
  4. The Tank Path (Vanguards): This crucial new line rewards Supports who actively block damage or engage in team fights (like Leona or Braum). Income is generated every time they successfully absorb damage for their ally, making passive tanking finally profitable.

Immediate Power Spikes

The main benefit of this overhaul is the accelerated power curve for Supports. Since income is guaranteed and directly tied to action, Supports can now complete their mandatory gold quest much faster.

  • Faster Itemization: Supports now reliably hit their first core item power spike (like Shurelya’s Battlesong or Locket of the Iron Solari) approximately two to three minutes sooner than in the previous system. This means that teams now benefit from critical utility, shields, and team-fight auras earlier in the game.
  • More Influence: By giving financial viability to Tank and Enchanter roles, the developers have increased the strategic diversity of the Bot Lane. Supports are no longer forced to rely on high-damage output to stay relevant; they can now build robust defensive items and still contribute meaningfully to the team’s gold income.

The new Support item system ensures that the Support role is no longer a dependent position. They are now key economic contributors, ready to influence the map and team fights with powerful items when it truly matters.