Ling is one of the hardest assassins in MLBB, and one of the most rewarding when you put the time in. His wall-hopping mobility, built-in crit scaling, and invincibility ultimate make him a threat that enemy backlines cannot ignore. This Ling build guide covers the best items, emblem setup, combos, energy management, and matchup tips you need for S40 ranked.
Ling sits at roughly a 54.9% win rate in the current patch with a modest 2.2% pick rate, which tells you something: the players who pick him tend to know what they're doing. If you want to join that group, keep reading.
#Why Ling Works in S40
Ling's passive, Cloud Walker, gives him 1.6x Critical Chance from all item sources, capped at 150% Critical Damage. That multiplier means you hit full crit with fewer items than any other hero in the game. Two crit items on Ling do the work of three or four on a standard marksman.
His wall mobility also makes him one of the best split pushers in the game. In a meta where map control and rotation speed decide games, Ling can push a side lane and escape over walls before the enemy collapse reaches him. His ultimate, Tempest of Blades, provides 1.5 seconds of invincibility, which lets you dodge burst combos, dodge CC chains, and reposition in teamfights.
The tradeoff: energy. Every skill costs Lightness Points, and if you run dry mid-fight, you're a sitting target. Everything in this guide circles back to managing that resource.
#Best Ling Build for S40
This is the standard build that works in most ranked games from Epic to Mythic.
- Tough Boots (or Magic Shoes)
- Berserker's Fury
- Endless Battle
- Haas's Claws
- Blade of Despair
- Malefic Roar
Why this order matters: Berserker's Fury first gives you the crit spike you need to start one-shotting squishies after your jungle item. Thanks to Cloud Walker's 1.6x crit multiplier, Berserker's Fury alone pushes your crit chance to around 40%. Endless Battle second gives you sustain, cooldown reduction, and the True Damage proc that amplifies your burst after each skill.
Haas's Claws third provides the lifesteal you need to survive extended skirmishes. Some top global players, including Tazz, have been rushing Haas's Claws as a first item instead. This works if your team has enough damage dealers and you need jungle sustain, but you delay your burst window by roughly 2 minutes. In solo queue, the Berserker's Fury rush is more reliable because you need to snowball early.
Boots choice: Tough Boots against CC-heavy teams (Khufra, Franco, Chou). Magic Shoes if the enemy lacks hard CC and you want shorter cooldowns on Defiant Sword.
Situational Swaps
- Replace Malefic Roar with Wind of Nature if the enemy has burst physical assassins targeting you (Saber, Lancelot).
- Replace Blade of Despair with Immortality if you keep dying before using Tempest of Blades. The revive gives you a second chance to reposition.
- Swap Haas's Claws for Demon Hunter Sword if the enemy team has two or more tanky heroes stacking HP. DHS percentage damage scales better against 5000+ HP targets.
For more on how items interact with assassin emblems, check the MLBB emblem guide.
#Best Ling Emblem Setup
Use the Assassin Emblem with this talent configuration:
- Tier 1: Adaptive Penetration (+16)
- Tier 2: Adaptive Attack (+10)
- Tier 3: Killing Spree
Why Killing Spree over Bounty Hunter? Killing Spree restores HP and increases movement speed after each kill. For Ling, this is critical. You drop from a wall, delete a target, and Killing Spree immediately heals you while boosting your speed to reposition to the next wall. Bounty Hunter gives gold, but Ling's issue is never gold. It's surviving after the initial burst.
If you're still learning Ling and dying frequently, swap to Lethal Ignition in Tier 3 instead. It gives burn damage on multi-hit combos, which is more forgiving because it doesn't require kill confirmation to activate.
Battle Spell: Retribution. No exceptions. Ling is a jungler. You need jungle items, you need Retribution to secure objectives, and you need the flame or ice Retribution effect for ganks. Flame Retribution (damage reduction) is the safer pick. Ice Retribution (slow) is better when you're confident in your combos and want to chase kills.
#Ling Skill Priority and Mechanics
Skill upgrade order: S2 > S3 > S1
Defiant Sword (S2) is your primary damage tool. It has a 2.5-second cooldown and costs 35 energy on the ground, but costs zero energy when used from a wall. This is the single most important mechanic to internalize: always initiate from a wall to save 35 energy.
Skill Breakdown
- Passive (Cloud Walker): Ling regenerates 4 Lightness Points per second while on walls, 5 per second when dealing damage. All crit chance is multiplied by 1.6x.
- S1 (Finch Poise): Leap to a wall. Grants half-stealth and 30% movement speed while on the wall. 20-second cooldown, 30 energy cost. Passively gives +2.5% crit chance per skill level.
- S2 (Defiant Sword): Dash that deals 300 (+50% Total Physical Attack) damage. From a wall, it becomes a targeted jump that slows by 30% for 1.5 seconds. 2.5s cooldown, 35 energy (free from wall).
- S3 (Tempest of Blades): Leap into the air for 1.5s of invincibility, then land dealing 250 (+100% Total Physical Attack) damage. Knocks up enemies for 1 second. Creates a Sword Field for 8 seconds where you can pick up swords for bonus damage. 52-second cooldown.
#Ling Combo Sequences
Primary Burst Combo (Wall Engage)
S1 (to wall) > S2 (from wall, free) > AA > S3 > pick up swords > S2 > AA
This is your bread and butter. You jump to the nearest wall, S2 down onto the target for free (no energy cost), land an auto attack to proc Endless Battle, then immediately S3 for invincibility and the knock-up. While on the ground in the Sword Field, pick up the scattered swords for bonus damage and use S2 again to chase or finish.
You should practice the timing between S2 landing and your auto attack. If you cancel the auto too early, you lose the Endless Battle proc, which is a significant chunk of your damage.
Quick Assassination Combo (No Ult)
S1 (to wall) > S2 (from wall) > AA > S2 (ground) > AA
Use this when your ultimate is on cooldown or the target is low enough to kill without it. Two S2 casts plus two auto attacks with full crit is enough to delete most mages and marksmen. This combo costs only 35 energy (the ground S2), so it's energy-efficient.
Teamfight Entry Combo
S3 (engage) > land on priority target > S2 > AA > S1 (to wall) > S2 (from wall) > AA
Open with Tempest of Blades when enemies are grouped. The knock-up disrupts their formation and the invincibility lets you dodge the initial wave of CC. After landing, combo your S2 onto the highest-value target, then wall-hop out and re-engage.
Sword Field Pickup Tip
After casting S3, four swords scatter around the field. Walking over each sword empowers your next basic attack with bonus damage. The optimal pattern is to weave sword pickups between auto attacks: pick up sword, AA, move to next sword, AA. This maximizes your DPS during the field duration. Do not rush to pick up all four swords at once, as you lose auto attack windows.
#Energy Management
Energy is what separates good Ling players from great ones. You have a maximum of 100 Lightness Points. Here's how the math works:
- S1 costs 30 energy. Jumping to a wall.
- S2 costs 35 energy on the ground. Free from a wall.
- S3 costs no energy but also doesn't generate any.
- Regeneration on walls: 4 points per second (5 when dealing damage).
A full S1 > S2 (from wall) > S2 (ground) > S1 (escape) sequence costs 95 energy. That's nearly your entire bar. If you had 80 energy at the start instead of 100, you cannot complete this sequence.
Rule of thumb: Never engage with less than 80 energy unless you're committing to a kill and your team can cover you. Before every gank, sit on a wall for 5 seconds to top off your energy. Those 5 seconds give you 20 extra energy, which is the difference between escaping and dying.
When farming jungle camps, alternate between wall attacks and ground attacks. Jump to the wall above the camp, S2 down (free), auto attack, then jump back to the wall to regenerate. This keeps your energy high while clearing.
#Jungle Path and Early Game
Ling's early clear is slower than meta junglers like Helcurt or Fanny. You need to be efficient.
- Start blue buff. Ling is energy-dependent, and blue buff increases energy regen. Ask your support to help leash.
- Clear the small camp next to blue.
- Take red buff. The slow effect from red buff makes your ganks significantly more dangerous.
- Take Lithowanderer (river crab) for gold and experience.
- Look for a gank on the gold lane or mid. If no gank is available, continue farming.
You hit your first power spike at level 4 with Tempest of Blades unlocked and Berserker's Fury completed (or nearly completed). Before that, avoid fights. Your damage without crit items is mediocre.
If the enemy jungler invades your blue buff, do not contest it alone. Ling loses most 1v1s before level 4 without items. Ping your team and either collapse or take the enemy's opposite camp instead.
#Matchup Tips
Hard Counters (Avoid or Ban)
- Khufra (43.2% WR for Ling): Bouncing Ball interrupts your wall jumps. If Khufra is on the enemy team, you can still play Ling, but you must bait his S1 before engaging. Wait for him to use Bouncing Ball on someone else, then go in. If he holds it specifically for you, switch your target priority.
- Chou (44.8% WR for Ling): His kick combo locks you down before you can escape. Against Chou, hold your S3 to dodge his ultimate. If he flickers into you, immediately S3 for invincibility and reposition. Never engage a Chou who has his full combo available.
- Akai: Spin pins you against walls, which is ironic for a wall-climbing hero. Stay away from Akai in teamfights. Target the backline behind him.
Check the full counter matchup data for Ling to plan your draft.
Favorable Matchups
- Layla, Lesley, Hanabi: Immobile marksmen cannot escape your wall engage. Jump in, delete them, jump out.
- Kagura: She has escape tools, but your S3 invincibility dodges her ultimate burst. Time your S3 to avoid Yin Yang Overturn, then combo her during cooldown.
- Granger: Slow attack speed and no hard CC means he loses the 1v1 once you're on top of him.
General Rule
If the enemy team has two or more heroes with knockback, displacement, or instant hard CC (Franco, Khufra, Chou, Ruby), consider picking a different jungler. Ling thrives against teams that lack the tools to interrupt his mobility. If you're committed to Ling, build Tough Boots and Purify instead of Retribution. But honestly, switching heroes is better than forcing Ling into a full-counter draft. Use the draft assistant to check before locking in.
#Split Push Strategy
Ling is one of the best split pushers in the game because of his wall escape. Here's when and how to split push:
- When to split: Your team is behind in teamfights, or the enemy groups as five. Pushing a side lane forces at least one enemy to respond, creating a 4v4 (or 4v3 if they over-rotate).
- How to split safely: Push the wave to the enemy tower, then immediately jump to the nearest wall. Watch the minimap. If two or more enemies rotate toward you, jump away through walls and let your team pressure the opposite objective.
- When NOT to split: Lord is up and your team needs you, or you're the only damage dealer left. Losing a Lord because you were farming a side lane costs more than the tower you'd take.
Ling clears waves fast with S2 and crits. Two to three auto attacks plus an S2 wipes a full minion wave once you have Berserker's Fury and Endless Battle.
#FAQ
Is Ling good for solo queue?
Ling is viable in solo queue from Epic to Mythic, but he demands strong mechanical skill. If you're below 50 games on Ling, practice in Classic first. His win rate climbs significantly with experience because energy management and wall positioning become muscle memory over time.
What to do when the enemy invades your jungle early?
Ping your team and avoid fighting 1v1 before level 4. Swap to the enemy's opposite buff if possible. Ling's wall mobility lets you rotate across the map faster than most junglers, so losing one buff early isn't a death sentence if you recover by taking something else.
Should I use Ling in Mythical Glory?
Ling's pick rate drops in Mythical Glory because players know how to counter him with draft and vision. He's still effective as a pocket pick when the enemy drafts immobile carries and lacks knockback CC. Do not blind-pick Ling in high rank. Counter-pick him into favorable matchups.
How many games to learn Ling?
Expect 30 to 50 games before you're comfortable with wall positioning and energy management. The first 15 games will feel frustrating because you'll run out of energy at bad times. By game 50, wall routes and energy budgeting become instinct.
