- Win Rate
- 49.5%
- Pick Rate
- 1.4%
- Ban Rate
- 0.7%
Bard Skill Order, Abilities & Cooldowns
- Patch
- 26.20
- Games
- 1,787
- Lane
- All Lanes
- Tier
- All Tiers
- Last Updated
- Oct 14, 2026 UTC
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
Bard's abilities include Magical Journey, Tempered Fate, Cosmic Binding, Caretaker's Shrine, Traveler's Call. Learn how to use Bard's Passive, Q, W, E, and R abilities effectively in League of Legends patch 26.20.
- Max order
- Q > W > E
- Levels 1-3
- Q > W > E
- Ultimate at level
- 6 / 11 / 16
- Q cooldown
- 11/10/9/8/7s
- R cooldown
- 110/95/80s
Traveler's Call
Chimes: Ancient chimes randomly appear for Bard to collect. These grant experience, restore mana, and provide out of combat Move Speed.
Bard Skill Order (Patch 26.20)
1,682 games
Q
W
EBard Support maxes Q (Cosmic Binding) → W (Caretaker's Shrine) → E (Magical Journey): 93% of players use this order and win 49.6% of 1,584 games. The usual first three levels are Q → W → E. Ultimate points go in at levels 6, 11, 16.
| Max order | Players | Win Rate | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q > W > E Most played | 92.7% | 49.6% | 1,584 |
| Q > E > W | 5.7% | 44.9% | 98 |
Skill order comes from the level-up timeline of every ranked game this patch. The level grid shows the most common path among players who used the top max order.
Bard Passive: Traveler's Call
Meeps: Bard attracts lesser spirits that assist with his basic attacks to deal extra magic damage. When Bard has collected enough Chimes, his meeps will also deal damage in an area and slow enemies hit.
Chimes: Ancient chimes randomly appear for Bard to collect. These grant experience, restore mana, and provide out of combat Move Speed.
Bard Q: Cosmic Binding
Cooldown 11/10/9/8/7sBard fires a missile which will slow the first enemy struck, and continue onward. If it strikes a wall, it will stun the initial target; if it strikes another enemy, it will stun them both.
Ranked up at levels 1, 4, 5, 7, 9 in the usual skill order.
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooldown | 11s | 10s | 9s | 8s | 7s |
| Cost (Mana) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Range | Global | ||||
| Cooldown at 100 ability haste | 5.5s | 5s | 4.5s | 4s | 3.5s |
Bard W: Caretaker's Shrine
Reveals a Health shrine which powers up over a short time, disappearing after healing and speeding up the first ally that touches it.
Ranked up at levels 2, 8, 10, 12, 13 in the usual skill order.
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost (Mana) | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
| Range | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
Bard E: Magical Journey
Cooldown 22/21/19/18/16sBard opens a portal in nearby terrain. Allies and enemies alike can take a one-way trip through that terrain by moving into the portal.
Ranked up at levels 3, 14, 15, 17, 18 in the usual skill order.
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooldown | 22s | 21s | 19s | 18s | 16s |
| Cost (Mana) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Range | 900 | 900 | 900 | 900 | 900 |
| Cooldown at 100 ability haste | 11s | 10.5s | 9.5s | 9s | 8s |
Bard R: Tempered Fate
Cooldown 110/95/80s
Bard sends spirit energy arcing to a location, putting all champions, minions, monsters, and turrets hit into stasis for a brief time.
Ranked up at levels 6, 11, 16 in the usual skill order.
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooldown | 110s | 95s | 80s |
| Cost (Mana) | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Range | 3,400 | 3,400 | 3,400 |
| Cooldown at 100 ability haste | 55s | 47.5s | 40s |
Bard Cooldowns with Ability Haste
Ability haste lowers every cooldown by the same rule: cooldown × 100 / (100 + haste). 50 haste cuts cooldowns by a third and 100 haste halves them. Here are Bard's max-rank cooldowns at common haste values — drag the slider to try your own build.
| Ability (max rank) | 0 haste | 50 haste | 100 haste |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q · Cosmic Binding | 7s | 4.7s | 3.5s |
| E · Magical Journey | 16s | 10.7s | 8s |
| R · Tempered Fate | 80s | 53.3s | 40s |
Ability haste cooldown calculator
| Ability (max rank) | Rank 1 | Rank 2 | Rank 3 | Rank 4 | Rank 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q · Cosmic Binding | 11s | 10s | 9s | 8s | 7s |
| E · Magical Journey | 22s | 21s | 19s | 18s | 16s |
| R · Tempered Fate | 110s | 95s | 80s |
Help us maintain accuracy! If you notice incorrect stats, missing data, or any issues, your feedback directly improves the quality of our data for the entire community.
Bard Abilities FAQ - Patch 26.20
What should I max first on Bard?
Most Bard Support players max Q (Cosmic Binding), W (Caretaker's Shrine), E (Magical Journey) in that order — 93% of ranked games this patch, with a 49.6% win rate.
What is Bard's ultimate cooldown?
Bard's ultimate, Tempered Fate, has a 110 / 95 / 80 second cooldown at ranks 1, 2 and 3. With 100 ability haste the max-rank cooldown drops to 40 seconds.
When should I level Bard's ultimate?
At levels 6, 11, 16, as soon as each rank unlocks — that is what the most common Bard skill order does.
What does Bard's passive do?
Bard's passive is Traveler's Call. Meeps: Bard attracts lesser spirits that assist with his basic attacks to deal extra magic damage. When Bard has collected enough Chimes, his meeps will also deal damage in an area and slow enemies hit. Chimes: Ancient chimes randomly appear for Bard to collect. These grant experience, restore mana, and provide out of combat Move Speed.
How much does ability haste lower Bard's cooldowns?
At 100 ability haste every cooldown is halved: Bard's Cosmic Binding goes from 7 to 3.5 seconds and Tempered Fate from 80 to 40 seconds at max rank.