Ability range: only 14 of 692 abilities gain range with skill level. Taliyah's Weaver's Wall grows 2.6x, from 2500 to 6500

Leveling an ability raises its damage and usually lowers its cooldown. What about range? I went through the range data for all 692 abilities (Q, W, E and R for 173 champions), and only 14 gain range with skill level. That's about 2%. At the top is Taliyah's Weaver's Wall, which grows from 2500 to 6500, 2.6x.

What ability range means

It's the distance an ability can be cast or reach. All numbers come from Riot's official static data for patch 16.21. For almost every ability, putting more points in doesn't change how far it reaches. Range is basically fixed, and if you want more of it you're looking at items or runes (I honestly assumed leveling R would at least add a little).

The 14 abilities that gain range

Champion	Ability	Range by skill level	Ratio
Taliyah	R Weaver's Wall	2500, 4500, 6500	2.6x
Nocturne	R Paranoia	2500, 3250, 4000	1.6x
Kai'Sa	R Killer Instinct	2000, 2500, 3000	1.5x
Vex	R Shadow Surge	2000, 2500, 3000	1.5x
Teemo	R Noxious Trap	600, 750, 900	1.5x
Rengar	R Thrill of the Hunt	2500, 3000, 3500	1.4x
Wukong	Q Crushing Blow	250, 275, 300, 325, 350	1.4x
Galio	R Hero's Entrance	4000, 4750, 5500	1.38x
Kog'Maw	R Living Artillery	1300, 1550, 1800	1.38x
Swain	W Vision of Empire	5500, 6000, 6500, 7000, 7500	1.36x
Evelynn	W Allure	1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600	1.33x
Kled	R Chaaaaaaaarge!!!	3500, 4000, 4500	1.29x
Tahm Kench	W Abyssal Dive	1000, 1050, 1100, 1150, 1200	1.2x
Zoe	W Spell Thief	3000, 4500, 6000, 3000, 3000	see note

Note: According to the data, Zoe's Spell Thief goes up to 6000 at rank 3 and drops back to 3000 at rank 4.

Almost all ultimates

Of the 14, nine are ultimates and five are basic abilities. That's 9 of 173 ultimates (about 5.2%) versus 5 of 519 basic abilities (about 1.0%). Ultimates are about 5 times more likely to gain range. With only three ranks, each step is also bigger.

Weaver's Wall raises a long wall out of the ground (Taliyah can ride it too). It gains 2000 per rank and reaches 6500 at rank 3. Its 4000 total gain is by far the biggest of the 14, double the runner-up, Swain's Vision of Empire (2000).

Nocturne's Paranoia, second by ratio, cuts enemy vision and lets him leap at an enemy champion. It goes from 2500 to 4000, 1.6x. Rank 1 and rank 3 Paranoia cover very different areas. Kai'Sa's Killer Instinct and Vex's Shadow Surge are tied at 1.5x, both from 2000 to 3000.

Teemo's Noxious Trap is also 1.5x, from 600 to 900. Small numbers, but being able to throw shrooms 1.5 times farther is pretty annoying for the enemy.

The five basic abilities

The longest-reaching one is Swain's Vision of Empire, from 5500 to 7500. That 7500 is the highest max range of all 14. The ability reveals and strikes a far-off area, so more range simply means a wider scouting radius.

Wukong's Crushing Blow goes from 250 to 350. Tiny in absolute terms, but 1.4x, the same as Rengar's ultimate. It extends the reach of his empowered attack. The smallest gain belongs to Tahm Kench's Abyssal Dive, 1000 to 1200, 1.2x.

Takeaway

98% of ability ranges stay fixed no matter the skill level. Nine of the 14 that grow are ultimates, and for Taliyah, Nocturne and Galio, rank 1 and rank 3 differ by 1.4 to 2.6x. When an enemy's ultimate ranks up, their threat range grows too. Against a mid-to-late-game Nocturne or Taliyah, judging distance by early-game feel is risky. On the other hand, apart from a few like Swain and Evelynn, you rarely need to think about range when leveling basic abilities.

Source: Riot Games' official static data.

If only 14 of 692 abilities grow, my shrooms are basically a rare drop