Nidalee Build Guide by Robo Ninja Monky
This build has been archived and is for historical display only.
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Build 1 (Cheat Sheet)
Champion Build: Nidalee
| Health | 3900 |
| Health Regen | 15.8 |
| Mana | 1430 |
| Mana Regen | 16 |
| Armor | 156.69 |
| Magic Resist | 79.3 |
| Dodge | 0 |
| Tenacity | 35 |
| Movement Speed | 405 |
| Gold Bonus | 0 |
| Attack Damage | 247.3 |
| Attack Speed | 31.04 |
| Crit Chance | 25%S |
| Crit Damage | 0% |
| Ability Power | 55 |
| Life Steal | 25% |
| Spell Vamp | 0 |
| Armor Penetration | 10 |
| Magic Penetration | 0 |
| Cooldown Reduction | 10% |
Recommended Runes
Ability Sequence

3
8
10
12
13

1
14
15
17
18

2
4
5
7
9

6
11
16

Mastery Tree Is Outdated
WARNING: These masteries are still using the old tree and have not been updated to the new tree by the guide author. As such, they will be different than the masteries you see in-game.
Masteries
Guide Table of Contents
Introduction - Nefarious Nidalee
Welcome to my first real guide! Okay, this guide is for a some-what unconventional, yet completely viable AD Nidalee Bruiser build I have used for a long time now. It is seen as "some-what unconventional" because it includes
The Brutalizer in the early game. I ask you do not down-vote my guide or criticize the item order until you give it a try. I understand that this is not "the most preferred order", however it has served me incredibly well for I would guess hundreds of games with Nidalee. I even played her and only her for two weeks straight (Playing all day, yes nerdy, shhh). Enjoy the build and don't forget to TRY the build before commenting on the items! Thanks! =)
Nidalee is a very versatile champion and can be played as an Ability Power Poker, an Attack Damage Bruiser, or an Ability Power Support (Poke bottom combined with decent but not amazing support).
However, in my opinion,
Nidalee is most effective when played as a Solo-Top AD Bruiser. What does this mean? It means you will be building a mix between Attack Damage and Health oriented items. The result is a Bursty Attack Damage Carry that is relatively Tanky at the same time; it's very effective and considerably less conditional as the other styles you could play
Nidalee as.
Special thanks to Joijoi for her extensive guide on making a guide. I used a lot of his tips and tricks as well as her lovely line-dividers. Thanks again!
Her guide to making a guide can be found here: Joijoi's How-to-make-a-Guide!
Predatory Pros / Carnivorous Cons
Ravaging Runes
Greater Mark of Strength x9
Greater Seal of Resilience x9
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Greater Glyph of Shielding x9
Greater Quintessence of Strength
Greater Mark of Desolation
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If you do not have |
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Greater Glyph of Warding
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If you do not have |
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Greater Glyph of Focus
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These are definitely not your preferred Glyphs, however if you do not have either |
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Greater Quintessence of Desolation
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Again, these are just as viable as using |
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Greater Quintessence of Resilience
Malevolent Masterys
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Savage Summoner Spells
Recommended Summoner Spells
Ignite
Flash
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Flash, again this is a spell I have grown attached to. Maybe even too attached. The uses for this spell are so expandable and virtually endless I love it. With |
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Exhaust
Teleport
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Teleport, another great alternative spell. With teleport you can go to base, buy items, and return to your lane almost instantly which is very helpful. You can also split-push very effectively with this spell which is one of |
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Ghost
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Ghost, as usual this is for those who dislike |
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Heal
Impeccable Items
**Item Note**
Once you complete your full build you will want to sell your
The Brutalizer and replace it with better scaled armor penetration
Last Whisper.
Finished Build
OR
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Mercury's Treads should be the second item that you rush. I almost always get Mercury's Treads instead of other boots. The only other set of boots I would consider would be the |
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The Brutalizer although this item tapers off late game and becomes less useful beginning in mid-game it is Extremely powerful until around levels 15+. You can feel free to skip buying this item and instead continue rushing your |
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Phage, this item will usually be your next target item when team fights begin to collapse. It just so happens that this build to this point is set up so that by the end of lane-phase you will be working on this Phage. If you already have it, good job, move on to the next item =P. If not, then it's time for you to save up the money for it. Now that lane-phase is/almost is over you need to get more tanky. People might try to focus you down and so you need the health boost this item provides, not only that but this item will enable you to chase those down who get away from your teams nuking. Everyone loves a Phage on their team =). (It also builds into the desired |
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Giant's Belt, well this one is obvious. Not much to explain other than why you need more health at this point. The Phage helped make you more tanky but seeing as you are a bruiser you need more than just a Phage for team-fights to go smoothly. Get the Giant's Belt which will later be turned into a |
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Trinity Force!! The item you've been building parts of and wanting all game! Yay! Over-excitement aside...Now that you have all the health you need for Mid-Game finish your Trinity Force ASAP. You might even want to tell your team you need to buy if you have enough and are roaming as a team. This will give you an overall boost in all areas/aspects. You will also gain new benefits you do not already possess ( |
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Warmog's Armor has nothing special about it other than it being one of the best tank items in the game, and certainly one of the best AD Bruiser items. With your newly obtained |
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These next items require one of your current items to be sold and replaced.
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Serrated Skill Sequence
- Use it to escape. If you are being chased, run through the bushes as much as possible, this is true for all champions as it will give you cover from being targetted until they also get to the bush, with
- Use it to chase. If you are hunting someone in the jungle and you see a bush you can "Clip" on the way to your target, do it, it will give you that extra speed boost you need to pounce on them.
- Use it from levels 1-5 to auto attack the enemy hero at top lane while frequently hitting the bush to get the creeps off of you. This is a pro-tip for players that wish to dominate their lane.
Don't Neglect This Amazing Passive!
Skill Priority
From this point on, you will take points on a priority basis. This priority is outlined below.
How to Play AD Nidalee (Important Tips)
Play defensively and poke the enemy with your auto-attacks. Utilize
Prowl to stay out of their range. Stay un-targettable while utilizing
Prowl by moving to the bush Directly after throwing an Auto-Attack, repeating this while watching the health of the creeps. Switch to targetting the creeps only when one is about to die and you must Last Hit it. Do not Over-Commit past river without knowing where the jungle is. Before level 6 crossing the river is too risky and you are susceptible to death from a gank.
Tips and Tricks:
- While using the above method to harass the enemy champion use your
- Continuously place
- If you get the enemy to 1/4 life or so, try waiting in the bush for an assault using
- If you are getting pushed back and having issues just tower hug. With this build you have more than enough damage to sit at the tower and last hit minions (Both kinds) if you let the tower hit them first and wait for the last hit.
This is where you get to take the offensive without worrying Too Much about being Ganked. It's still a huge concern, don't get me wrong, especially with people like
Nocturne.
However, with your jump and traps set in jungle, you can be pretty aggressive at this point. Throw auto-attacks at your opponent until they look like they are going to come at you or do come at you. This is when you want to chuck a Javelin Toss (Q) at their face and pop
Aspect Of The Cougar. Once you have transformed line up a Pounce (W) and jump right in front of them, if you land in front of them, like you should, use your Swipe (It's an AOE that projects in front of you, easily missed if not done right). Directly after using Swipe (E) use your most damaging skill, which is Takedown (Q).
This will leave the enemy staggered with damage and this is when you want to use Pounce (W) to get away from them since they are going to want to return the damage.
If you continue to repeat this process you can freely farm your lane while they can't even compare with the damage you are dealing (You jump away meaning they get hurt and you get minimally hurt). Once they get low enough you can Pounce (W),
Ignite and auto-attack them in Cougar Form. They will most likely run, although they might try to out-burst you, which means you can just wait for you cooldowns prioritizing Q > E > W. If they escape your range and you know you won't be able to Pounce (W) on them you can Pounce (W) behind them and quickly leave Cougar Form by using
Aspect Of The Cougar and lead into an auto-attack +
Javelin Toss for the finishing hits.
Tips and Tricks:
- Use your
- Lead into a fight by throwing a
- It is important to place your
- If you see an enemy charging at you, place a
This section is to describe how to act with your team. It does not in any way imply you should not split-push. It simply outlines what to do should you collapse with your team for any reason.
This is probably where a lot of people get confused when playing AD
Nidalee. However it's a simply miss-understanding of the mechanics of
Nidalee. When you are rolling with your team/teammates, however many, you should stay behind them (Don't lead unless you are ganking or chasing a single/couple enemies). Once the fight starts, preferably initiated by your Tank, you need to jump at the Carry or Squishy. Do NOT go for Tanks or people who built a lot of health/health regen. Work your way through them from weakest to strongest last. This is because with your burst you will destroy Squishy champions and your moves are on Cooldown which means against a Tank you will find yourself running away instead of chasing. Stick with your teammates and see yourself as a weapon and only a weapon. Weapons must wait for the right moment to strike, do not just blatently attack people. If you do this you will become a prowling monster that is farming the heaviest damaging enemies.
Tips and Tricks:
- Right when the teamfight is about to begin place a
- Throw
- Pay Close Attention to Your Own Health during a team fight. I can't stress this enough. A lot of people will burst you down and considering you are a melee carry you will be in the heart of the action. Know when you need to jump out and heal yourself. You are incredibly mobile so you can get back to the fight when you won't be dead in 3 seconds.
Bushwhack/Wriggle's Lantern Locations
Correctly using
Bushwhack is an important ability for any
Nidalee player. I always take
Bushwhack first and riddle the top jungle/river with them to ensure that around level 3 nobody will spontaneously gank me. This allows me to freely harass the enemy champion out of the lane with comfort in my own safety, however if I see someone coming to gank and I am not level 6 yet I run...fast. Below are the best locations, in my opinion, to place Bushwhacks/Wards when you are Solo-Top.
How to Pounce (Wall Jumping)
Wall jumping using
Pounce is one of the most important aspects of
Nidalee. It is what makes you one of the best Roamers in the game. There are too many locations for me to explain so I will do what most guide-makers do with
Nidalee and use someone else's hard work. However, I will certainly give them full credit and thank them greatly for supplying everyone including me with the video below. Use these locations to escape ganks, chase people who are running away from team fights, or you yourself, and all in all instill fear/frustration in your opponents.
Below are the most popular jump locations.
Note: For some reason 1-3 GIFs at any given time will not show both frames. This happens at random. So, if you experience this try refreshing the page once or twice to see the GIF, that is glitching, in proper motion.
Lane Phase
Lane Phase is simple with AD Nidalee Solo-Top. You want to out farm your opponent and that's your main concern. Just use your auto attacks which will hit VERY hard if you use my build. The trick to doing this well is using the bushes at your disposal. Try to throw a spear at the enemy and right away return to the bush giving you a speed buff and making the creeps divert attention away from you (They will aggro you when you hit the enemy hero). Repeat this process until you see a creep about to die, at this point kill the creep, you want to farm every single creep if possible.
When you hit level 6 you should return to base to purchase
Boots of Speed and a
Vampiric Scepter. Do this only when you have forced the enemy out of the lane/have your creeps pushing the enemy tower. This way you can continue to single handedly Zone the enemy champion. Return to your lane quickly and begin farming, wait for the enemy champion to approach the creeps for a last hit and then, assuming you won't miss out of many, if any, creeps, use pounce to close the gap and begin tearing at him with your moves. Once you have all of your moves on cooldown jump AWAY from the enemy hero (Assuming he's a threat) and repeat this process.
At this point taking Top Tower is at your discretion since when you use
Primal Surge on yourself your auto-attacks will annihilate the tower. Take the tower if your team needs help, otherwise keep it up so you can continue zoning whoever you are facing and simply Roam to support your team. When you roam you want to stick with ganking Mid and Jungle. Your teams jungle will take care of bottom lane and if you try to take care of it you might jeopardize your Top Tower.
Post-Lane Phase - Teamfights
Okay now you need to work with your team to get kills. How do you do this?
While both teams are questioning initiating try to throw spears and place traps where enemies might be coming behind your team. Once you have poked the enemy team enough or as much as you can it's time for your Tank to go in. You theoretically could initiate as a bruiser and sometimes you need to. However, it is best if you have a Tank on your team go in first and then you go in second in line as a sort of off-tank. This will ensure that you won't get nuked too hard and you can burst whoever their carries are. Once you are on cooldowns it is up to you whether you jump out of the fight and wait for your cooldowns/avoid too much damage or you can simply auto attack enemies if you are not being focused down or hit with too much AOE damage.
This is the basic strategy of
Nidalee as an AD Bruiser. But a lot of the time you will be doing so much damage that you will literally be the carry on your team. This means you need to be extra aggresive while people support you, you have no CC but you have amazing damage and chase.
The last aspect of Teamfights for
Nidalee is chasing. Once all of the nuking is done multiple people might be running away in jungle. Use your pounce to cut people off and assuming you have a
Phage even if you can't take them out (which you will be able to) you can slow them and allow your teammates to catch up to them and finish the job.
Who am I? Why Should You Listen to me?
Fair enough, you don't want to follow a guide without knowing that person isn't just some Noob who wanted to make a guide. You want to know that I made the guide because I have mastered the hero and feel it is time to share my secrets.
In that case I shall prove it to you fellow summoner's. Below is a single match history of mine that I happened to screenshot a while back, you can see for yourself that this build works extremely well and almost always results in a win in an experienced player's hands.
I am Robo Ninja Monky and I have around 700 wins at this point. Before coming to League of Legends I had over 1000 wins in a game called Heroes of Newerth which is a sort of Try hard version of League of Legends. I love these types of games but never did play DoTA (I do love the Basshunter song though). I haven't played too much ranked because I can't stand trying to get past 1400-1500 where a lot of people make you lose for stupid reasons. Other than that you'll just have to trust that I am a seasoned player and you can validate my skill through the screenshot below which is basically how I do every single game with
Nidalee.
If you use this build and have a nice score you would like to share with the community let me know and I will create a new section just for these screenshots as soon as I get one request.
Questions? Comments? Like the Guide?
Questions
Feel free to ask questions and I will answer them here asap.
Q.
A.
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If you liked the guide please show support by Commenting and or Up-Voting the guide (I understand making an account to vote is a hassle, but I put a lot of effort and thought into this guide and would greatly appreciate the opportunity for it to be recognized).
Change/Update Log
5/5/2012
- I added pictures of how each mastery setup should look when completed. I also, as implied, added a secondary mastery set for those seeking a less aggressive setup that is more farm oriented.5/5/2012
- Began adding more artistic pictures of5/9/2012
- Added a GIF section to "How to Pounce" featuring many GIF images showing exactly where and how to complete the most popular Pounce (W) locations. (Will be adding a map with locations later as well)5/9/2012
- Added a5/9/2012
- Added Line-Dividers instead of my ghetto version of them. Huge thanks to Joijoi. He made these dividers as well as an amazing How-to-Make-a-Guide Guide. Props to you man! (Further credited in my Introduction)5/17/2012
- Did a complete rework of the coding for my "Impeccable Items" section. Hope you all enjoy the much nicer look of it as well as the descriptions.5/17/2012
- Hugely revamped the entire look/information provided. I make revisions based on feedback form others. I am in no way finished revising but I did change quite a bit so far. I also did a lot of coding changes to make it look much cleaner/aesthetic.
If anything is missing or should be updated/changed let me know in a comment and I will tend to it promptly!
Don't forget to Vote/Comment plese!
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