( At this moment I have only changed the Items, Runes and Masteries for season 4. Don't mind the rest of the text at the moment. I will sart working on that as soon as possible! This guide is focused on 3v3 gameplay, but also works for 5v5 - ALSO removed Hybrid and replaced with AD bruiser. )
Hello! I'm Sisask and i wish to share my build and knowledge of Nidalee.

I have played quite a few games with Nidalee and I simply fell in love with her. Her sniper spears and cougar form can net you some pretty neat and troll kills. She can play almost every role, but she excels at top and mid.

Please give this guide a chance before downvoting. I put many hours and games into making this guide and perfecting the build. Keep in mind that this is also my very first guide. And without further ado, I give you my Nidalee guide.

GENERAL
Pros
+ Spears hit really hard
+ Got mini wards ( traps )
+ Turns into a huge cat
+ very hard to chase due to passive
+ Great boost to damage at lvl 6
+ Heals + attack speed boost
+ Can play in every lane

Cons
- Can be very mana hungry if not managed right
- No CC
- Spears are skill shots
- Only half the champion pre lvl 6
- Needs good team composition to fit in



HYBRID
Pros
+ Great lane pushing
+ Strong auto attacks but also decent spears
+ Can dish out huge amount of damage
+ Being hybrid will make your heals stronger ( compared to bruiser/ad )
+ Great poking
+ Turns into a huge cat!

Cons
- Squishy
- Spears hurt little less than AP Nidalees



AP
Pros
+ OP Spears
+ Strong heals
+ Traps deal good damage
+ Late game spears can 1 hit squishy opponents
+ Great Poke with spears
+ Turns into a huge cat

Cons
- Very squishy
- Auto attacks don't do much damage ( Lich Bane helps )

HYBRID
I like to start out with Bushwhack and rush to my lane and put traps into key bushes. This will give your team good early map awareness.
I max out Javelin Toss and Primal Surge simultaneously for good damage and sustain at the same time.
And of course take Aspect Of The Cougar whenever possible.
I max Bushwhack last and only take 1 point early.



AP
Again start out with Bushwhack and head to your lane. Put traps into key locations for the early awareness.
I max out Javelin Toss first for the huge damage from spears.
I max Primal Surge second for strong heals.
Max Bushwhack last and only take 1 point in it early.
And of course max out Aspect Of The Cougar whenever possible.

HYBRID

* greater mark of hybrid penetration- Very good on Nidalee as they allow your auto attacks as well as skills penetrate that nasty armor and magic resistance.
* Greater Seal of Armor- Most of the times we will take hybrid Nidalee top. So these runes give that needed armor against AD champions.
* Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist- For some late game Magic resist.
* Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage- These runes are meant for that early harass and easier last hitting. These will help your laneing phase.

Alternatives

* Greater Mark of Magic Penetration- You can swap hybrid penetration ones for these if you don't have them.
* greater mark of armor penetration- You can swap hybrid penetration ones for these if you don't have them.
* Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration- When you want better mana regen late game.
* Greater Seal of Mana Regeneration- When you want better mana regen early game.
* Greater Glyph of Ability Power- For more early game AP boost to make those spears hurt harder early on.
* Greater Glyph of Magic Resist- For when you are facing AP heavy champion.
* Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power- For that late game AP boost.
* greater quintessence of hybrid penetration- These runes will work great with hybrid penetration marks.







AP

* Greater Mark of Magic Penetration- These are pretty standard on AP champions.
* Greater Seal of Scaling Ability Power- To increase your AP and make your spears even more OP late game.
* Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power- To increase your AP and make your spears even more OP late game.
* Greater Quintessence of Ability Power- These give you some early game AP to give you good boost in laneing phase.

Alternatives

Marks- I don't think you should swap out Greater Mark of Magic Penetration.
* Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration- When you want better mana regen late game.
* Greater Seal of Mana Regeneration- When you want better mana regen early game.
* Greater Glyph of Ability Power- For more early game AP boost to make those spears hurt harder early on.
* Greater Glyph of Magic Resist- For when you need a little bit more sustain early on.
* Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist- For some late game Magic resist.
* Greater Quintessence of Scaling Ability Power- To increase your AP and make your spears even more OP late game.

HYBRID

AP

For summoner spells i use

Flash- for that positioning for final blow or getting away from one.
Ignite- to tick away those final health points or reduce healing effects.

Alternatives

Ghost- to stick on to your enemy or to LEGG IT!! from sticky situations.
Teleport- for easy split pushing and awesome ganks by teleporting on a ward or a shroom.
Exhaust- take this if no one in your team took it or if your team doesn't have enough CC.

Item Build #1 ( bit more AP focused )

Spawn


This start is good for when you don't want Manamune nor Archangel's Staff. Still gives decent sustain and boots give better poking ability early on.

Core Items

catalyst the protector

catalyst the protector- For good early sustain.
Rod of Ages- Gives really good HP, Mana and AP. Plus its passives is good for sustain pre level 18.
Guinsoo's Rageblade- Good item to have on a hybrid Nidalee. Gives both AP and AD and also good amount of attack speed. Also passive keeps you alive in important moments.
Sorcerer's Shoes- Mandatory on Nidalee for those OP spears even when Hybrid.
Iceborn Gauntlet- To empower those auto attacks and to provide needed CC with the slow. Also good amounts of Mana, AP and Armor. And we can't forget the 10% CDr.
Rabadon's Deathcap- Godly boost in AP for those Spears.




Item Build #2 ( bit more AD focused )

Spawn

sight ward
This start is for when you want to get that Manamune or Archangel's Staff, besides it gives really good sustain.

Core Items

catalyst the protector

Boots- Pretty mandatory at first back. You need that movement speed.
Tear of the Goddess- Get this early to stack it up. ( Although Nidalee stacks it up really fast with cougar form ).
catalyst the protector- For good early sustain.
Rod of Ages- Gives really good HP, Mana and AP. Plus its passives is good for sustain pre level 18.
Guinsoo's Rageblade- Good item to have on a hybrid Nidalee. Gives both AP and AD and also good amount of attack speed. Also passive keeps you alive in important moments.
Sorcerer's Shoes- Mandatory on Nidalee for those OP spears even when Hybrid.
Iceborn Gauntlet- To empower those auto attacks and to provide needed CC with the slow. Also good amounts of Mana, AP and Armor. And we can't forget the 10% CDr.
Muramana- Gives you really good AD when paired with Rod of Ages + 1000 mana you get from it goes long way for those never ending spears and heals. Also its active will hit really hard.




Enchantments

Enchantment: Alacrity- I usually prefer this as i find movement speed to be very useful. Easier to stick on to your enemies and easier to get away from them.
Enchantment: Furor- This is useful for sticking on to your enemy.
Enchantment: Homeguard- Take this when your opponents are pushing hard and you need to defend.




Finish Your Build With 1 From Here




Hextech Gunblade- It adds to your Hybrid nature and the lifesteal and spellvamp are really useful.
Rabadon's Deathcap- Godly boost in AP for those Spears.
Rylai's Crystal Scepter- Gives good HP and AP. Slow gives good cc as Nidalee can spamm spells in cougar form pretty quick + traps will work as Teemo shrooms!
Void Staff- For good AP boost and great magic penetration. Your spears will hurt even more.
Athene's Unholy Grail- When against heavier AP opponents. Plus the mana regen will keep you sustained via heal. Also due the regen and 20% cooldown reduction you can keep those spears flying.
Liandry's Torment- Decent heal and AP boost. Good passive against HP stacking opponents. Will make your spears hurt!
Frozen Mallet- For when you feel you lack in HP but also want some AD. Passive wont let your opponent escape.
Warmog's Armor- The new meta! Godly HP boost + good HP regen.
Guardian Angel- The old meta ( but still useful )! Even tho it got nerfed, the passive is still really good.
Frozen Heart- For when against heavy AD team. Will give you Super armor boost + cooldown reduction will keep those spears flying. Also gives good amount of mana
Maw of Malmortius- For when against heavy AP team. Also gives good AD + passive is really useful.
Mercurial Scimitar- For when against heavy CC team but you also want some AD.
Banshee's Veil- For when against heavy CC team but you also want some HP and Mana.
Muramana- Gives you really good AD when paired with Rod of Ages + 1000 mana you get from it goes a long way for those never ending spears and heals. Also its active will hit really hard. ( Get Tear of the Goddess early if you want to buy this item to stack up its mana ).
Seraph's Embrace- Gives you really good AP when paired with Rod of Ages + 1000 mana you get from it goes a long way for those never ending spears and heals. Also its active will give you that extra defense. ( Get Tear of the Goddess early if you want to buy this item to stack up its mana ).

Item Build

Spawn #1



Go with this start when against a hard poking enemy.

Spawn #2


sight ward
A good sustained start + the ward will keep you safer from ganks.




Core Items




Boots- When starting with Faerie Charm, get these on first back.
Tear of the Goddess- Get this early to stack it up. ( Although Nidalee stacks it up really fast with cougar form ).
Rabadon's Deathcap- Godly boost in AP for those Spears.
Sorcerer's Shoes- Mandatory on Nidalee for those OP spears.
Seraph's Embrace- Gives you hell a lot of Mana and AP. And that active will give you that extra defense when getting low.
Lich Bane- This one will give your auto attacks some HUMF which basically gives you 1 more strong hitting "spell". The movement speed and AP boost are also very good.




Enchantments

Enchantment: Alacrity- I usually prefer this as i find movement speed to be very useful. Easier to stick on to your enemies and easier to get away from them.
Enchantment: Furor- This is useful for sticking on to your enemy.
Enchantment: Homeguard- Take this when your opponents are pushing hard and you need to defend.




Finish your build with two from these




Athene's Unholy Grail- When against heavier AP opponents. Plus the mana regen will keep you sustained via heal. Also due the regen and 20% cooldown reduction you can keep those spears flying.
Liandry's Torment- Decent heal and AP boost. Good passive against HP stacking opponents. Will make your spears hurt!
Rylai's Crystal Scepter- Gives good HP and AP. Slow gives good cc as Nidalee can spamm spells in cougar form pretty quick + traps will work as Teemo shrooms!
Void Staff- For good AP boost and great magic penetration. Your spears will hurt even more.
Zhonya's Hourglass- To increase your AP even further + that passive can save your sorry *** many times.
Rod of Ages- Gives really good HP, Mana and AP. Plus its passives is good for sustain pre level 18. When getting this item try to get it early to let it stack up and to take use of its passive.
Warmog's Armor- The new meta! Godly HP boost + good HP regen.
Guardian Angel- The old meta ( but still useful )! Even tho it got nerfed, the passive is still really good.
Banshee's Veil- For when against heavy CC team but you also want some HP and Mana.

HYBRID

Early Game:

Early game goal is to farm farm farm. Last hit and harass your enemy. Harass your opponent with auto attacks and well aimed spears, but be careful not to waste mana too much - we still need the heal. But be careful not to miss farm on harass. Trap bushes and be aware of ganks. Simply last hit because we don't want to push our lane too much, because it will make us vulnerable to ganks.

Mid Game:

Mid game usually starts when you have 2-3 main items and you have killed your opponent a few times. Good idea is to get his tower down by now and start ganking other lanes. Always try to get that Dragon for extra gold. By now you should probably have Sorcerer's Shoes, Rod of Ages and Guinsoo's Rageblade. You should try to force a few team fights.

Late Game:

Late game comes when you usually have 4-5 core items. In late game there will happen a lot of team fights. Your job is to harass and poke your enemies, when they come too close burst them down with your cougar form. When poking with spears try doing it behind your allays or behind walls to reduce opponents reaction time. Keep placing traps everywhere to keep up map awareness. Also place traps while in team fight to decrease their resistance.




AP

Early Game:

Mostly same as Hybrids - Farm Farm Farm - last hit and harass. Try to get that spear flying every time your opponent looses focus - punish him! Keep bushes trapped to increase your survivability.

Mid Game:

Try force a few team fights. When in team fight sit behind your line and keep those spears flying! Heal your own and poke them - easy. Gank your lanes and keep pressure on your own. When you have been successful so far, you should be having Sorcerer's Shoes, Rabadon's Deathcap and Seraph's Embrace.

Late Game:

Late game comes when you usually have 4-5 core items. In late game there will happen a lot of team fights. Your job is to harass and poke your enemies and keep those spears flying and hitting. Trap trap trap, poke poke poke, heal heal heal and when team fight is over - clean up afterwards with cougar form ( chase with bounce and passive and strike those enemies down ).

Thank you for reading my guide. Please also comment and vote. I have put long hours into making and editing this guide. I will keep upgrading and updating it to perfect it, so constructive criticism is very welcomed.
Big ups to all my friends!

Special thanks to Mooninities and Crow149 for great ideas and tips.