What is a bruiser?

The thigh guy·Mar 6, 2019·3 votes·3,168 views

Because any time I say anything about (Insert x champion here) I get a load of crap about “they aren’t a bruiser they are a diver,slayer,burster, ass hat, taco maker, minion farmer specialist, or some other convoluted bs to avoid what they are.

Darius, garen, nasus - juggernauts

Irelia, Kled - divers

Fiora, renekton - duelers

Seriously. They are all just fucking bruisers. Call them what they are. Enough of this bs to attempt to dissuade arguments by saying “they aren’t a bruiser, they are a dog meat taco specialist who identifies as a tanky tank slayer assassin, kiter!”

28 Comments

Warlord RhinarkMar 6, 20193 votes

"Bruiser" isn't a categorization utilized by Riot officially, which is why it is hard to find a common agreement on what is, and isn't, a Bruiser.

The thigh guyMar 6, 20192 votes

[{quoted}](name=Warlord Rhinark,realm=EUW,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=a2VIJ6o5,comment-id=0000,timestamp=2019-03-06T09:02:49.365+0000)

"Bruiser" isn't a categorization utilized by Riot officially, which is why it is hard to find a common agreement on what is, and isn't, a Bruiser.

Issue being these same people are the ones who say “conquerer should only be taken by bruisers!” Or “bruiser items are so weak” then when you point out they are the literal best items in the game they back pedal about how titanic is a diver item or some stupid shit.

Moody PMar 6, 20192 votes

bruisers are underpowered

The thigh guyMar 6, 20191 votes

[{quoted}](name=Moody P,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=a2VIJ6o5,comment-id=0004,timestamp=2019-03-06T11:00:44.894+0000)

bruisers are underpowered

Good joke.

Baron BarianMar 6, 20191 votes

While there are different types, a bruiser is generally a damage dealing champ who can jump into a fight and have some for of tankiness or survivability. Divers are mobile bursters, Juggernauts are tanky sustained-damage dealers, and duelists are mobile sustained-damage dealers.

Learn the differences. Learn the champs.

The thigh guyMar 6, 20193 votes

[{quoted}](name=Baron Barian,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=a2VIJ6o5,comment-id=0001,timestamp=2019-03-06T09:09:38.174+0000)

While there are different types, a bruiser is generally a damage dealing champ who can jump into a fight and have some for of tankiness or survivability. Divers are mobile bursters, Juggernauts are tanky sustained-damage dealers, and duelists are mobile sustained-damage dealers.

Learn the differences. Learn the champs.

And everything you just said makes them a bruiser.

That’s like saying Syndra and lissandra aren’t mages because they don’t both have mobility and they don’t both have insane burst potential. No. They are both mages.

Baron BarianMar 6, 20193 votes

[{quoted}](name=The thigh guy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=a2VIJ6o5,comment-id=00010000,timestamp=2019-03-06T09:15:36.522+0000)

And everything you just said makes them a bruiser.

That’s like saying Syndra and lissandra aren’t mages because they don’t both have mobility and they don’t both have insane burst potential. No. They are both mages.

Syndra and Liss are actually both burst mages in particular, as they require a combo of spells to burst down enemies from a (reasonably) short range. Compared to battlemages like Karthus or Ryze, who focus on consistent magic damage with very short cooldowns

Again, learn the differences. Learn the champs. It's more helpful than complaining about how many different sub-types of champions there are.

The thigh guyMar 6, 20191 votes

[{quoted}](name=Baron Barian,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=a2VIJ6o5,comment-id=000100000000,timestamp=2019-03-06T10:54:44.815+0000)

Syndra and Liss are actually both burst mages in particular, as they require a combo of spells to burst down enemies from a (reasonably) short range. Compared to battlemages like Karthus or Ryze, who focus on consistent magic damage with very short cooldowns

Again, learn the differences. Learn the champs. It's more helpful than complaining about how many different sub-types of champions there are.

Except ryze is a bursty caster, just like karthus? Ryze is a bursty caster with hard cc Karthus is a bursty caster with soft cc Syndra is a bursty caster with hard cc Lissandra is a bursty caster with hard cc They are if stripped to the core. The same thing

Baron BarianMar 6, 20191 votes

[{quoted}](name=The thigh guy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=a2VIJ6o5,comment-id=0001000000000000,timestamp=2019-03-06T15:52:44.159+0000)

Except ryze is a bursty caster, just like karthus? Ryze is a bursty caster with hard cc Karthus is a bursty caster with soft cc Syndra is a bursty caster with hard cc Lissandra is a bursty caster with hard cc They are if stripped to the core. The same thing

That's like saying a pistol and an RPG is the same thing if you strip it to the core. You're over looking the massive differences.

Critmaster GarenMar 6, 20191 votes

bruiser is just an old term for juggernauts, divers (both fighter subclasses) and skirmishers.

i mean according to riot skirmishers are grouped in with assassins, but that doesnt really make sense imo. personally id group in skirmishers with the other fighters.

SuicidePlankMar 6, 20191 votes

Yup, GP just fits there perfectly, on paper a fighter but he is in that small niche of the skirmishers.

RalanrMar 6, 20191 votes

And Riot calls him an AD battle Mage, I think because he has no real escapes/isn’t mobile.

Some classifications are weird.

SuicidePlankMar 7, 20191 votes

To be fair, he is a fast boi in midgame.

RalanrMar 7, 20191 votes

Oh I know. But his only escape is a cleanse. Generally one thinks of dashes when they think of escapes.

SuicidePlankMar 7, 20191 votes

A true chad doesn't dash.

BrothaMar 6, 20191 votes

Bruisers = Fighters

Fighters have two subclasses: Juggernauts, Divers

Here is a link to the classifications of champions: Classes

ApathyAndGriefMar 6, 20191 votes

The term "Bruiser" is honestly just a made up term to describe fighter characters like Jax Kled Renekton Trundle Udyr Olaf Generally tanky fighters that deal pretty decent damage but aren't tanky enough to be immune to everything.

Weiner the PoohMar 6, 20191 votes

It really depends on the champ. Bruisers usually build 1-2 damage items then go tank. Fiora isn’t a bruiser, she’s a melee carry, she builds all ad, maybe one tank item depending on the circumstances, but her role is not to soak up damage while putting out damage. She’s a primary damage dealer who is squishy.

Shrek LuigiMar 6, 20191 votes

I was under the impression that Bruiser meant something along the lines of-----a champion that can both deal and soak a proportionally-higher amount of damage than the norm, but lacks any solid means to secure a kill by one's self, hence 'bruising' as opposed to killing lol.

The thigh guyMar 6, 20191 votes

[{quoted}](name=Shrek Luigi,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=a2VIJ6o5,comment-id=0007,timestamp=2019-03-06T21:49:17.546+0000)

I was under the impression that Bruiser meant something along the lines of-----a champion that can both deal and soak a proportionally-higher amount of damage than the norm, but lacks any solid means to secure a kill by one's self, hence 'bruising' as opposed to killing lol.

Exactly. And as soon as you bring up a bruiser. Like say garen. You get people screaming about how he’s actually a juggernaut not a bruiser and that means your entire argument is invalid.

So you fix your post and suddenly now garen isn’t a juggernaut(which riot even labels him as) but he’s a stay at home dad who cooks exclusively with kale or some stupid shit.

Iota ThetaMar 7, 20191 votes

I tend to genuinely ask people this, because often times Inhave no clue what they mean. Part of it is when I started, the class was “fighters”, so that’s the term I’ve always used (it’s always felt the easier term to remember and say for me). The other part is The only consistency I usually see between champs called bruisers is melee and damage dealer. At that point, when people start complaining one way or the other, I tend to try to see if it can broken down to more descriptive because..well, that helps me understand better when the discussion is on skirmishers, divers, or juggernauts. Thankfully no one has tried to correct me when I use fighters as the class name.

Although I’ve experienced the opposite of you, where someone, a fighter main, will be talking about how “bruisers” are weak or strong and I’ll bring up a champ and get “oh they aren’t a bruiser.”

I personally try to break down to details to have a clearer understanding of the discussion and what a champ needs, and the subclasses do that for me.

JarringMar 7, 20191 votes

it's the class that most would-be "strength champs" were pigeon-holed into since the STR/AGI/INT class system was abandoned for a dual class AP/AD system...more or less.

They are the front-line and often initiators of team fights. They can deal damage and take damage. They are mostly all reliant on AD ratios and have relatively good armor/hp ratios to compensate.

Most of the tank supports are also bruisers. All of the tank top laners are bruisers. All melee top laners that build AD are bruisers... and AFAIK the only ranged bruiser is Jayce.. the only ranged "bruiser" in dota I think is Huskar.

In dota all Strength does is increase auto attack damage for every point of strength they have on top of everything else strength does(mainly just give HP). Same for Agility and Intelligence heroes..

I would say bruisers are a mix of strength and agility, because strength heroes can be hard carries and bruisers often build lots of attack speed(which is main stat agility increases).. but all ADCs would be agility.

Iota ThetaMar 8, 20191 votes

Most of the tank supports are also bruisers. All of the tank top laners are bruisers.

Perhaps in your perspective. Ask anyone else on the boards and they draw a harsh line between tanks and the term “bruisers”.

JarringMar 7, 20191 votes

to be able to answer this question most effectively, you have to be able to look at a champion's kit and successfully answer "why is my champion melee and not ranged?" and vice-versa. after looking over all the champions and asking this question for each of them, you should have a decent understanding of what makes a bruiser uniquely melee by nature

The thigh guyMar 7, 20191 votes

{quoted}

to be able to answer this question most effectively, you have to be able to look at a champion's kit and successfully answer "why is my champion melee and not ranged?" and vice-versa. after looking over all the champions and asking this question for each of them, you should have a decent understanding of what makes a bruiser uniquely melee by nature

Issues arise when you talk about let’s say riven. And how she is unrguably broken now, due to how bruiser items are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too strong.

The instant rebuttals you get is “riven isn’t a bruiser, she is a diver, it’s not bruiser items it’s just riven”

So items are “bruiser items” but bruiser isn’t a class of champion in the game. So bruiser items shouldn’t be built on anyone because the game doesn’t have any bruisers.

It’s just one big cluster fuck of “my class is statistically broken af, but I don’t want them nerfed so I’ll say they are something different! Hue hue hue!”

JarringMar 7, 20191 votes

[{quoted}](name=The thigh guy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=a2VIJ6o5,comment-id=000a0000,timestamp=2019-03-07T21:51:13.785+0000)

Issues arise when you talk about let’s say riven. And how she is unrguably broken now, due to how bruiser items are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too strong.

The instant rebuttals you get is “riven isn’t a bruiser, she is a diver, it’s not bruiser items it’s just riven”

So items are “bruiser items” but bruiser isn’t a class of champion in the game. So bruiser items shouldn’t be built on anyone because the game doesn’t have any bruisers.

It’s just one big cluster fuck of “my class is statistically broken af, but I don’t want them nerfed so I’ll say they are something different! Hue hue hue!”

so you're having a problem with AD items that are specific to melee champions? or just AD items in general?

Like, it doesn't make sense to me what you're trying to say.

What you call the item doesn't make a difference. All that matters are the stats.

I've never felt like riven has been broken personally.

The thigh guyMar 7, 20191 votes

{quoted}

so you're having a problem with AD items that are specific to melee champions? or just AD items in general?

Like, it doesn't make sense to me what you're trying to say.

What you call the item doesn't make a difference. All that matters are the stats.

I've never felt like riven has been broken personally.

That was just an example.

Basically people have 2-6 different names for their champions. Riven is a bruiser, tank, anti tank, assassin, burst, Kiter (Insert endless names here)

And when you point out that they are flawed in anyway they point out that you “miss labeled them” and say you don’t know what you are talking about because you isn’t label them right.

GigglesOMar 7, 20191 votes

[{quoted}](name=The thigh guy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=a2VIJ6o5,comment-id=000a0000,timestamp=2019-03-07T21:51:13.785+0000)

Hue hue hue!”

dont bring our lord and savior into this convo.