This guide is a totally off meta guide on how to play Nunu and his yeti friend Willump.

My Experience:
I have played over 5000 games as Nunu in my many years playing League, both ranked and normal. Although I primarily play Nunu AP for fun in normal games now.

This guide has changed a lot since it was first created, and I try to keep it as up to date as possible.

I should also note that the guide is intended to appeal to as many players as possible not just those that are diamond or think they are - I want everyone to be able to appreciate Nunu - my favourite champion ever.

It's crazy to think that the very first version of this guide appeared nearly ten years ago. In that time I still enjoy playing League, and I still love playing Nunu. Although I don't play him in ranked, I still love playing him in lane in casual games to 'cool off' (get it?). I hope that anyone who uses this guide can have as much fun playing him as I have over the past 10 years. Please enjoy.

If you have any ideas on improving the guide, questions, or just general feedback then don't be afraid to comment!

Pros
- Easy to learn all his moves, not overly complex to 'master'.
- Good lane sustain thanks to Consume.
- Strong slows.
- Under appreciated laner, causing people to let their guard down and make poor plays.
- Excellent at slowing enemies with his Snowball Barrage.
- High utility for the rest of his team with slows and buffs.
- Gains buffs from jungle camps to help him throughout the game.
- Deals massive damage to Baron/Dragon with Consume.

Cons
- Absolute Zero is easily interrupted in team fights.
- Can be difficult to solo lane against two ranged heroes.
- Absolute Zero can be hard to master.
- Can be pushed around in lane by strong ranged champions.
- Lacks late game damage.
- Can be mana hungry if you don't use passive correctly.
- Is 'off-meta' in lane so can be bullied under the tower.

Summoner Spells

Teleport is helpful when solo laning so you to quickly get back to your tower. It also allows you to get around the map extremely quickly - a well placed ward can get you lots of kills and assists. For example a ward placed in a brush bot lane lets you teleport behind the enemy and using Absolute Zero when they retreat, giving you a potential double kill in the process.

Flash is almost a must for Nunu, not only because it allows you to escape ganks and flash over walls, but because it can help you cover the extra distance you may need to land that last ice ball, or position perfectly for an ultimate.

Ignite is a useful replacement for teleport, if you're not laning alone then take ignite, it's useful for those situations when your Snowball Barrage just doesn't do quite enough damage, allowing you to secure the kill on a fleeing enemy. It's also good when laning against champions that have heals.

I would not advise any other spells, but this is just a guide, not a strict set of rules. Really I'd advise that you find two spells that you're comfortable with and try them out.

Solo Lane

Despite what many people think Nunu can be a really good solo laner. When his auto attacks are timed correctly Nunu can farm easily - it takes time and practice but it is doable. Use Snowball Barrage to harass your opponent, Consume to maintain your health and last hit creeps. I usually go back when I have enough gold for my second Doran's Ring and Boots. The slow from your Snowball Barrage can be excellent for initiating ganks and escaping ganks. If your jungler has a stun or a slow the gank a gank with this combo is very likely to be successful. It's also a good idea to use the ward from your trinket to help prevent enemy junglers ganking you.

Summary:
- Nunu can be an efficient farmer if you learn his damage and practice your timing.
- Snowball Barrage is an excellent early game spell for harassment/escape.

Double Lane

The advice above applies here too, but there are a few extra tips that should be applied when laning with someone else:

- Push harder and harass more, this gets much easier once you have your second Doran's Ring.
- Consume gives you good longevity so you can stay and hold the lane while your ally shops.

- Warding is underrated not only can it give you an easy kill it also protects Nashor and Dragon, and in many cases stops you and your team mates from being ganked.

- Don't be afraid to defend it's better to hug the tower and not die than feed your enemy.

- Team work is key, always be aware of your team and what they are doing! The mini-map is there for a reason.

- Don't get angry at yourself/team mates, we all have bad games even the highest elo players in the world have loss streaks, it's about pushing on through and learning from your mistakes.

- If a team mate is flaming ignore them by typing '/ignore [Player name here]'.

- Practice. Practice. Practice. If that doesn't work - practice some more!

- Above absolutely everything - enjoy yourself. That is what this guide, and game is all about.

This is where you can mix the build up depending on how things are going, many of us will play hundreds, if not thousands of games in league, no two are quite the same. This is why it's important to remain flexible with your build depending on who you're playing against.

If you are having trouble farming then maybe consider a passive gold item.

If the enemy team is crowd control intensive and AP heavy (they have lots of stuns and slows) then take Mercury's Treads instead of Sorcerer's Shoes.

Most importantly: Use your own judgement, there are thousands of combinations of teams on LoL, do your best to judge what will best counter the enemies specific team. As I have said before this is a guide not a strict set of rules, the more you play the better you will get! (Hopefully).

I have loved playing Nunu ever since I started League - I hope this guide helps you love Nunu as much as I do.

I want to reiterate what I said about him in the introduction - this guide is, and has always been about playing Nunu to have fun, not to play him to climb into high ranks. My primary audience for this guide is for those players who might be picking up LoL for the first time, might not care about ranked matches, and/or just want to play to have fun and/or relax.

If you have any feedback do not hesitate to add me in game or comment below, I am always trying to improve the guide, and the way I play so your comments will be appreciated.

05/06/2021 -
To celebrate the upcoming 10th anniversary of this guide I thought I'd update it. While Nunu has gone through lots of changes since I made this guide, I have tried to update it to remain in the spirit of the original guide - which is about having fun with both Nunu & Willump - let me know what you think.


11/11/2017 -

Updated Runes to reflect new Season changes - will keep experimenting and try to improve tihs.

09/10/2016 -

Updated the item build and made some revisions to the text to take into account the recent buffs to Nunu & Willump that happened in patch 6.20. Enjoy :)

15/10/2011 -
Edited the item build as to have a better late game.
Added a short 'Runes and Masteries' section.
Extended the friends and enemies section. (I will do this more in the future.)
Added 'Change Log'.
Added 'Your Videos' section.

16/11/2011 -
Fixed some details
Changed the mastery tree for Season 2.

31/01/2012 -
Updated Mastery tree, now uses summoner insight
Updated the Rylai's Scepter question.

02/08/2012 -
Added a short section on recent buffs.

30/12/2012 -
Redone Masteries and Item build for Season 3
Added a new Video in Tips section.
Will be updating the other Videos soon.

7/03/2013 -
Updated the Video Guide for Season 3.
Re-worded large sections of the guide to make things clearer.
Changed the order of the Chapters.

2/06/2013 -
Changed runes from Mana per level to flat Armour
Added information on changes to Nunu's consume in the 'regarding buffs' section.
Updated the item section.

2/08/2013 -
Removed Bulwark and updated item set.

19/01/2015 -
Re-wrote and updated every chapter.
Removed Video Guide chapters - these will be updated at a later date.
Changed the item build for the new season.

07/02/2016 -
Updated Masteries and Items for Season 6 - will update written segments soon.

28/02/2016 -
Updated items and some descriptions based on feedback received. More to come soon. :)