In the context of the League of Legends (LoL) game, lethality is a statistic that allows champions to ignore a portion of their target’s armor. This armor penetration enhances the damage output of physical attacks and abilities, effectively reducing the damage mitigation provided by the enemy’s armor stat. As an example, if a champion possesses 20 lethality and attacks an enemy with 50 armor, the attack will treat the enemy as though they only have 30 armor.
The incorporation of armor penetration mechanics into gameplay enhances strategic diversity. It allows for counter-building strategies where champions can be specifically built to counter tanky opponents with high armor values. Prior to its implementation, the meta relied heavily on the percentage-based armor penetration from “Last Whisper” items to counteract armor stacking. Lethality, however, provides flat armor penetration and has been crucial in the game’s evolution, offering champions an additional tool for increasing their damage output. Its implementation helps avoid an imbalance of power that can be created when tank champions gain too much dominance.
