How items and emblems (arcana) work together — and how to adapt both per match on the international server.
Quick answer
A build is the set of in-game items you buy with gold during a match. An emblem — called arcana on the international server — is a pre-match stat page that costs no gold. Builds adapt as the game develops; arcana lock in before the match starts. You need both set up correctly to perform at your hero's ceiling.
Honor of Kings has 107 items on the international server, bought with gold earned from farming, kills, and objectives. You can hold up to six items at once, plus a boots line. A build is not a fixed shopping list — it is a priority order you adapt to the match.
The per-hero pages on HoKStats.gg list recommended builds with the exact item order, use case, and the lane each build is meant for. Use those as your core, then read the phase guidance below to know when each item should come online.
Buy your starting item and boots line. The goal is lane sustain and your first power spike, not full damage. Marksmen and mages rush attack/magic components; tanks and fighters buy early defense plus a sustain component so they can trade in lane.
This is where your build identity locks in. Damage carries finish their first two damage items to hit the team-fight spike; tanks finish one defensive item plus their team utility item. Most heroes are strongest relative to the enemy in this window — group and take objectives.
Replace your boots or starting item with a situational pick: armor against a fed marksman, magic resist against burst mages, or anti-heal against sustain comps. A finished build should answer the enemy threat, not just stack raw damage.
Arcana are the international server's emblem system: 27 runes you equip before a match. Each character carries 30 arcana divided across 3 colors (10 each), and arcana scale from Level 1 to Level 5 — Level 5 is the ranked standard.
Red — Attack
Damage, attack speed, critical rate, lifesteal — for offense.
Green — Survival
Max health, regen, movement speed, lifesteal — for sustain.
Blue — Utility
Armor, magic resist, cooldown reduction, penetration — for resilience and tempo.
For the full rune list and per-role loadouts, see the dedicated Honor of Kings arcana guide.
The single biggest mistake is copying the same build every game. The recommended core build is a starting point — your last one or two item slots should answer the enemy team:
A build is the set of in-game items you buy with gold during a match. Emblems — called arcana on the international server — are stat pages you equip before the match starts and that cost no gold. Both shape your stats, but builds adapt mid-game while arcana are locked in once the match begins.
Yes. Many players coming from other MOBAs call them emblems; on the Honor of Kings international server the pre-match stat system is called arcana (runes). They function like emblem sets: stat pages you prepare before queuing.
Each character equips 30 arcana, split evenly across 3 colors (10 Red, 10 Green, 10 Blue). Arcana go from Level 1 to Level 5, and Level 5 is the standard used in ranked play.
Use the recommended core build as a default, then swap your last one or two items based on the enemy team. Buy armor against heavy physical damage, magic resist against burst mages, and anti-heal items against sustain-heavy comps.
Yes. Every build and arcana recommendation on HoKStats.gg targets the Honor of Kings international server, not the Chinese 王者荣耀 server.