What are Shadow Items in TFT Set 5? New Reckoning mechanic

Draven in TFT Set 5 with Shadow Items

The TFT Set 5 mechanic has been announced: Shadow Items. The cursed items are a spin on your regular builds, giving you a huge boost if played correctly. Here’s all the Shadow items in TFT, and how you can maximize their potential.

We’ve had Elemental Hexes, Galaxies, and Chosens. Now, in TFT Set 5, we’re going to have Shadow Items. The mechanic coming to TFT Reckoning has practically doubled the item pool in Riot’s League of Legends-inspired autobattler. Every item has a Shadow clone, but some are better than others. To help you wrap your head around the Shadow Items mechanic we’ve got everything you need to know right here. From how you can get Shadow Items, to what each item does, be sure to keep this piece open when you jump into TFT Reckoning for the first time so you don’t get lost!

Viego in League of Legends
TFT’s Shadow Items are straight from the Shadow Isles, with big buffs if you use them correctly.

What are Shadow Items in TFT Set 5?

Shadow Items in TFT are variants on the ones you already know and love. The spooky new items allow players to min-max their builds, often offering a big benefit with a downside to counteract it. For example, Sacrificial Infinity Edge gives you bonus critical strike damage, but every time you crit you take 3% of your maximum health as true damage. Dark Shroud of Stillness increases the max mana of everyone ⁠— not just enemies ⁠— for their first cast in a line.

  • Read More: Everything you need to know about TFT Set 5, Reckoning

To make a Shadow Item, you’ll need to combine one Shadow component with another component (Shadow or Regular — but try not to waste your Shadow components by doubling up). Some of the Shadow Items are better than others, so you’ll need to be very selective in how you use them. Sometimes, the Shadow option isn’t the best choice! You’ll have to build the right items that fit your champion to really min-max your builds. A good cursed item can be the difference between getting a Top 4, or even a win.

Vayne TFT Set 5 Reckoning
Some traits and champions, like Forgotten units, get extra stats with Shadow Items.

How to get Shadow Items in TFT Set 5

You can get Shadow Items in two ways in TFT: Off the carousel, or in the new Armory. You cannot get them off of PvE rounds. Shadow Items have a chance of appearing on the carousel; either as components in early stages of the game, or full items as time goes on.

You can also pick and choose the item you want in the Armory. At 2-2, 3-2, and 4-2, you’ll have a selection of two to four items to pick from. These items are usually split 50-50 between Shadow and regular items. Pick wisely, and think about what’ll work best for your team! Players can expect to get two to four Shadow components in any given game, although you can maybe highroll a few more!

TFT Armory Set 5 Shadow Items
The Armory lets you select an item to fill your bench.

Related

List of all Shadow Items in TFT Set 5

One or both of your components must be a Shadow component to make a Shadow item.

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