Hello everyone, I'm MisterFirstBlood from EUW, and today I'm excited to guide you through mastering Varus. Varus is a versatile AD carry known for his powerful poke and high burst damage. Whether you prefer playing him as a lethality marksman or a traditional crit-based ADC, this guide will provide you with the knowledge and strategies you need to dominate the Rift. We'll cover runes, item builds, combos, and essential gameplay tips to help you make the most out of this formidable champion. Let's dive in and unlock the true potential of Varus together!

Pros:

+ A lot of crowd control (CC) for an ADC

+ Mixed damage

+ High-range abilities

+ Can melt tanks with on-hit builds or squishies with lethality builds

+ Reduces healing effects of enemies

+ Has the biggest variety of item builds among all ADCs

Cons:

- No mobility, making him easy to gank

- Not a duelist

Passive : Living Vengeance

On kill or assist, Varus temporarily gains Attack Speed. This bonus is larger if the enemy is a champion.

Q: Piercing Arrow
Varus readies and then fires a powerful shot that gains extra range and damage the longer he spends preparing to fire.
W
Blighted Quiver

Passive: Varus' basic attacks deal bonus magic damage and apply Blight. Varus' other abilities detonate Blight, dealing magic damage based on the target's maximum Health. Active: Varus empowers his next Piercing Arrow.
E
Hail of Arrows

Varus fires a hail of arrows that deal physical damage and desecrate the ground. Desecrated ground slows enemies' Move Speed and reduces their self healing and regeneration.
R
Chain of Corruption

Varus flings out a damaging tendril of corruption that immobilizes the first enemy champion hit and then spreads towards nearby uninfected champions, immobilizing them too on contact.

W: Blighted Quiver
Passive: Varus' basic attacks deal bonus magic damage and apply Blight. Varus' other abilities detonate Blight, dealing magic damage based on the target's maximum Health. Active: Varus empowers his next Piercing Arrow.

E: Hail of Arrows
Varus fires a hail of arrows that deal physical damage and desecrate the ground. Desecrated ground slows enemies' Move Speed and reduces their self healing and regeneration.

R: Chain of Corruption
Varus flings out a damaging tendril of corruption that immobilizes the first enemy champion hit and then spreads towards nearby uninfected champions, immobilizing them too on contact.

The two outstanding item builds I want to recommend for Varus are on-hit and lethality. The on-hit build is pretty basic, starting with Blade of the Ruined King into Guinsoo's Rageblade, followed by Terminus. To round it up, items like Wit's End are great choices.

The lethality build focuses more on raw stats and requires a different start:

Start with Tear of the Goddess and rush Eclipse and Edge of Night before finishing Muramana. Ionian Boots of Lucidity are the best choice.

The last two items should also be lethality items if possible. Youmuu's Ghostblade and Serylda's Grudge are excellent choices, but feel free to experiment.

Your rune choices will also depend on the build you choose. Hail of Blades is amazing with a lethality build, offering tons of AD and armor penetration, while Lethal Tempo is better suited for on-hit/crit builds. If you prefer a burst-poke playstyle rather than a traditional ADC, Arcane Comet can be an excellent choice.

For the secondary tree, Inspiration with Magical Footwear and Biscuit Delivery is my favorite. The primary tree depends on the keystone you picked. If you're in the yellow tree, Presence of Mind is mandatory, in my opinion. If you go with Hail of Blades, I personally recommend Ravenous Hunter and Taste of Blood for additional sustain, as you might lack lifesteal in those builds.

Use E at the beginning of a trade to deny healing in fights. Do three auto-attacks and then shoot Q instantly to remove the Blight marks, and continue attacking.

R is easier to hit if your enemies are slowed by your E beforehand.

You can charge your Q ability while pressing W. Make sure you land your abilities so their cooldowns get refunded. It's easier to land them when your enemies are rooted by R or slowed by W/Red Buff.

Many people underestimate the range of your ultimate. You can catch a lot of people with it, but make sure your team has a follow-up for it.

It's not always necessary to attack the carries. You can melt tanks very quickly with this item build, so it might be better to kill the tank first rather than going out of position to try and kill a carry and dying.

All of your abilities will trigger the Blight marks from your W passive. So if you didn't hit your E, you can still use Q or R to deal the damage when needed.

Red Buff is very strong with on-hit builds.

Don't channel Q during a fight. You will deal much more damage by constantly attacking your enemies.

Varus is extremely strong against tanky team compositions in the late game but also very vulnerable to ganks, which can be frustrating. Despite this, Varus is a versatile and fun pick with a great potential for success. His ability to adapt to different builds and playstyles makes him a valuable asset in various team compositions. Give him a try and let me know about your experiences with this champion.

If you enjoyed my guide, I would appreciate a vote. Also, if you want to see more of my content, check out my other ADC guides.

Here are links to my other guides:


Caitlyn
Ezreal
Jinx
Xayah
Miss Fortune
Draven
Ashe
Jhin
Kalista
Kog'Maw
Lucian
Sivir
Tristana
Twitch
Varus
Vayne
Kaisa
Zeri
Samira
Aphelios
Senna
Nilah
Smolder