Welcome to my Nasus build!
When I first started playing this hound I tried the top-rated DPS build... Sure, great for pub-stomps but I wanted to play Nasus in Ranked and I stumbled across Hyfe's guide. After reading everything he had written on MOBA and Leaguecraft, watching everyone of his videos and trialing items, armours, weapons and skills I believe I have found the way to play..

Nasus, Fury Unleashed

Nasus' farming abilities!


The lifesteal passive that makes people want to build Nasus into something he's not (DPS) this passive is just the icing on top of this fantastic champion. It keeps him in the lane longer and can help him tank NPCs like buffs, the dragon or even Baron.


This skill seems to be pretty ****.. Until you see that every last hit gains you 3 bonus damage! By end game you can be hitting phenomenal amounts. The ArP also greatly increases the damage this skill does. Bear in mind that this attack CAN crit AND can be used on turrets. and turn Nasus into the greatest lane pusher of the game.


IMO the greatest single target slow in the game. Disables AAers in a pinch and combined with is a sure fire way to get a kill or disable 2 enemies in a team fight.


The skill that makes Nasus into the greatest farmer of all time. Clearing waves is a breeze with this skill. Late game team fights you will be using this for the armour debuff it applies to enemies trapped on it.


The most epic ultimate to date. This allows Nasus to tank EVERY NPC in the game. Also turns Nasus into a form of anti-tank (God knows there aren't enough of them in the game) as he saps a % of health off enemies, it means that the more health they have, the stronger you are. Knowing how to time this skill is very important and comes with practice.

ANYWAY.
I want you all to read this guide through if you want to really understand the way to play Nasus, you can't tank the greatest and you can't go DPS but you can...
1. Scatter the enemy
2. Cripple their carry
3. Deliver a blow that could shatter bones (into the crotch of Indiana Jones)
4. ???
5. PROFIT
The layout of my guide will be the same as my others so I don't confuse you all, PROS/CONS, summoner skills, masteries, skill selection, runes, items, play style, etc.

PROS

Possibly THE greatest lane presence
Possibly THE greatest pushing power
Ultimate is ANTI-TANK (Sap % of total health, add to damage!)
Gets stronger in late-game
Knocks down towers amazingly fast
With this guide, you have 2 disables! (3v5 anyone?)
Can tank any NPC at level 6, Baron at lvl 11

CONS

All his damage is lost if blinded
Mana hungry
Your team still needs another tank
Fairly squishy until lvl 11

Summoner Spells


Ghost, nuff said. Nah but seriously, catching, running, and most importantly, staying in range when you Ultimate. IMPORTANT.

A second disable to help protect against those AAers or to simply slow down for a kill. Having 2 disables is WAY more important then 2 escape skills as the enemy GENERALLY won't focus you too much.

Other options include


I'm really not a fan of this but I'm told it's good!

Don't get stuck in those stun-locks =O

Only if you know you will be taking a 2v1 and you're not sure about your skills in handling that.

Masteries

Alright so I was fiddling around and this is the best I have found so far. The sweet points from Offense; AS, ArP, Improved exhaust. The sweet points from Defense; MR, Dodge, Speeeeeeed dodge. And the sweet points from Utility; Mana Reg, Extra mana, Improved Ghost. All my mana regeneration is so that I can breathe a little easier in the laning phase. If you are going to be taking a 2v1 lane then take Awareness in the Utility tree to really get the edge on your opponents! Trust me on these masteries. Combined with the runes they really kick ***!

Skill selection

Now for me, this changes every game. The first 6 stay the same but after that I take stock of the situation;
Am I laning against physical damagers?
If yes, are they a threat?
If yes again then chuck some more points in over .
ALSO;
Are they pushing hard?
If yes, do I need to keep them off tower?
If yes again then grab more points in .
Also please don't be a fan boy, what use is a +100 extra last hits with it if you don't help your team?

Runes

MARKS: ArP helps with last-hitting and gives a lot more power end game.
SEALS: If you conserve mana more or grab blue buff alot then go for dodge seals.
GLYPHS: MR is better then CDR 'cause we don't want to go over 40%.
QUINTS: I love the AS off these and my masteries (saves me buying AS in-game) but grab health quints if you are really worried.

Items

Doran's Shield is my favourite way to start as Nasus. Well, at least before the change, now I just do whatever. Sometimes Mana crystal and 2 health pots and sometimes boots and a variety of pots. Since the change to Doran's I don't feel disadvantaged when I don't have them.
I used to rush Sheen but I was always pissed off about how bad my team mates were so I rush an Aegis now with Tier 1 boots AND THEN I grab my Sheen. After Sheen I finish Merc Treads or Tabi or even Ionian boots if you're feeling daring.
Next item is your choice, if they have more magic/cc then you grab Veil, if not rush a Randuins Omen. Either way grab the item you missed next and finish your build with Guardian Angel and a completed Trinity Force.

Play style

You generally want to have the 2v1 lane (if your team has a jungler) but laning with a support is just fine. Laning with champions like or is not advisable as they need a lot of last hits too. Solo mid is an option but there are better choices then you. Jungling is an option aswell but you lose Nasus' amazing lane presence and a lot of last hit chances. ANYWAY;

You generally want to take it easy the first few levels, losing a few last hits with is highly recommended over dying. You want to be tower feeding as it's the safest way for you to farm up last hits and gold.
It does seem to be hard to do but here is the rule to help you.
For melee minions; Let the tower hit them twice, then you last hit them.
For caster minions; You hit them once, let the tower hit them, then you last hit them. Last hitting the caster ones is more difficult then the melee ones but this rule will help you.

When laning DO NOT SPAM every wave! In fact I put points into it but I don't use it until it's at level 3 for these reasons; You don't want to be pushing past the middle of the lane, it's such a mana drain for how little damage it does early on. I mainly use it to zone out the enemy champions or bring minions into last-hit range. I want you to worry less about farming up and more about farming gold up.

When you reach level 6 it's a good idea to head over to your teams (or the enemies) mana buff and use your ult to nab it in 10 seconds. Who cares if you wasted your ult? You just got a buff which lets you farm 5x faster then you were before! Your ult will be back in no time but that gold is hard to get! You can also ult the dragon for the 650 gold it gives to your team.

At level 11 you can now successfully tank Baron Nashor. Only do this after you place wards around him and at least 2 of the enemy team are dead or recalling. You will need at least 4 of your team mates to do this efficiently.

Late Game/Team fights

Ok, with my revised build you CAN initiate team fights, but NOT UNDER TOWERS (Unless your team is godly fed). Once the enemy is completely committed to a fight you can use your ultimate, leaving the enemy with 3 choices; 1. Scatter, 2. Fight you, 3. Ignore you. All three of these are bad decisions and you will completely roll faces. After you use your ultimate you want to, a melee champion, a fleeing champion or ranged champion and then spam on the squishies until you win!

More scores coming later!


Credit goes to Hyfe, his guides and videos. I took a lot of his tips and inserted them in here for you all to learn from!

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