This guide is for players who wish to play Wukong as a durable DPS or a full-blown offtank. The build I've chosen is a mixture between Phreak's, from the Wukong champion spotlight, and my own notes of when I've been playing the Monkey King. I, myself am fond to playing Wukong as an early game high damage-harrasser, building up, as levels progress, to a more durable DPS and a great chaser, slower and initiator to fights.

To note:

The rune picks aren't the absolute absolute in either of the builds. They are simply there to show you what the monkey king, as a tankish DPS, works best with, in my opinion. As he is a durable DPS in this particular build, I would suggest having marks and quintessence runes as armor penetration. If your team hasn't got a main tank, pick up flat health point quintessences - always tweek builds to your needs. For an offtank Wukong, the seals being flat armor work the best, although if you're playing Wukong as solely a DPS, pick up critical chance seals over the armor. As comes to glyphs, I prefer flat magic resistance, rather than per level -, as I tend to play more aggressive early game (due to the E+Q-burst damage), but if you plan on saving cash and getting a good amount of items before departing your lane, go for the per level ones.

To note (2):

Please do remember, that the builds may be mixed between each other, when it comes to the defensive items. For example, go ahead and change the positions of Force of Nature and Warmog's Armor for a whole 'nother experience. The defensive items are there merely to show in which order and spot to buy the items in, not the "must" to go with the particular damage increasing items.

Pros:

A quite easy champion for just-starting players
Proper escapism using Decoy (and Nimbus Strike in jungle)
A pretty good survivability without stacking items, due to passive
A turretdiver's arch enemy, your ultimate smacks people!
Decoy easily blocks skillshots and such, saving your butt
A very nice ultimate for teamfights
Gank-initializations using Nimbus Strike and Cyclone

Cons:

Very vulnerable against high CC-teams
Has no other CC than Cyclone
Quite often quickly targeted in teamfights
If Decoy and/or Cyclone are on CD, no escape methods

Wukong need a pretty good itemization to be a successful late gamer, so whenever there's a jungler in your team, be sure to ask to take the solo top spot. Soloing the top as Wukong is relatively easy, playing fairly passively and striking foes whenever they get in range of your Nimbus Strike. Especially if you manage to get a solo top lane, be sure to get wards whenever you have about ~90 extra gold when leaving the fountain. These could be the difference between life and death!

Early game:

Be sure to get as many last hits as possible (at least ~60% of the killed minions in a 2-lane), as you'll be needing the money. Now, Wukong exceeds at harrassment - that's the main thing to remember. So as soon as you hit level 2, you should have 1 point in each Nimbus Strike and Crushing Blow. Be sure to strike an enemy whenever you have the chance to do it without dying, lol. Just about every time when facing an equal amount of enemies (or less), you'll be having their turret at 50% health pretty early on, due to them having to bluepill, and yours standing at almost a 100%.

Mid game:

At this point you should have a pretty good item build going on, and you'll be smacking the enemies a bit harder and quicker than they'll be smacking you for. When you can start dribbling out of your lane safely without losing anything too valuable, remember to punish overextended enemies (especially the solo mid people are good and easy catches). If you have a main tank in your team, wait for him to rush i (this should take about 0,5 - 1 second) (if you don't skip the waiting and initiate yourself!)... Jump in with a Nimbus Strike, pop on Cyclone, throw everyone in the air and let your team feast upon the enemy. DO NOT FORGET that pressing R again will disable the spinning effect, enabling you to escape easily, using Decoy, if the teamfights are doomed.

Late game:

You should be getting the last of your build at this point, if not finished. Keep Baron warded if your teammates don't, and keep moving together. If the enemy team is to take Baron, hurry up there and kill them all, taking the buff as well. If not, an a teamfight occurs, do as before: (wait for the tank to initiate) jump in with Nimbus Strike, pop Cyclone, and keep on hitting and hitting those Crushing Blows and Nimbus Striking. As before, if getting too many hits, jump in and out of the combat stage with Decoy (and your summoner spells).

The builds I enjoy playing the most are high-damage based, yet with great survivability. Both of them start off pretty much the same, but as levels progress, they change from each other. I personally have never stuck with just one build per champion, but instead keep on finding new methods of kicking ***, and switching between builds. These are only the top two builds I've found so far, who knows what the future will bring?

Remember to change and mix between the builds, as I didn't make one for only AP and one for only AD. Feel free to pick up, for example, the Warmog's with the Infinity Edge, and mix and blend until you find the best suited combination for you. The best tip I can give, considering itemization, is to go around and test what suits you the best. From my experience, these 2 builds have been the ones running the most successfully for me.

The defensive items are in the main core only to show you which slot and spot to buy them in. Therefore, if you wish to go for "the rush"-build against AD, just pick up the "against AD"-defensive items.

The offensive items

Greater Mark of Desolation - For marks I take the standard Armor Penetration. This is not only due to them being the standard baseline for AD DPS's, but also because it works amazingly well combined with Wukong's Q-ability, Crushing Blow.

- For seals I take flat Armor. Works well when framing minions, and not to forget, you'll be able to take a couple more punches than the guy next to you, therefore giving you the edge in a 1v1.

- For glyphs I take flat Magic Resistance. These are a matter of personal preference, I believe. If you like to lay back a bit early game, stacking items and money for late game, pick up Glyphs of Shielding, you'll find them working better. As of myself, I tend to harass like hell early game, and the flats work very well there.

Greater Quintessence of Desolation - For quints I take the standard Armor Penetration. As I said in the marks, it works amazingly with Crushing Blow. Especially with both quints and marks being ArPen, you'll be able to go through all of your enemy's armor in early game. However, if your team does not pick up a proper tank, I'd say go for the Quints of Fortitude.

My choices:

- I'd say Flash is almost a must-have for Wukong. When it comes to chasing an enemy down, you'll have that extra edge. When it comes to fleeing, you know the deal... One thing that should not be forgotten is that you can use Flash in the stealth from Decoy. It may seem like a small add, but it works amazing in many spots in the battlefield.

- After testing around with Exhaust and Ignite versus Ghost, I had to stand with my old result: Ghost being the best secondary summoner spell for my playstyle of Wukong. Chasing an enemy works wonderful, Nimbus Striking to an enemy and slowing with item procs letting the team catch up as well, killing them all. Not to mention the fleeing, using it together with Decoy... a proper combination indeed.

Other candidates:

- Exhaust is the best friend of the first blooder. Popping Exhaust in a 2-lane is just about a guaranteed first blood. Also, if you tend to be finding and enjoying a lot of 1v1's, Exhaust gives you that extra edge. In teamfights as well, you can easily target a specific person. If you plan on taking Exhaust, take one point off of Utility in to Offense's Cripple-mastery and replace Ghost.

- If you know you'll lane against a heavy healer or someone who may escape with a low health, grab Ignite. As with Exhaust, it works well in first blooding and dueling. If you know you'll pick Ignite, be sure to replace Ghost.

- Against a very high CC-team, which often may be the destruction of an otherwise great Wukong, I highly recommend picking up Cleanse. When it comes to fleeing from masses of enemies, don't fret to pop Cleanse with Decoy - it works swell. If you're going to pick up Cleanse, be sure to pick the Willpower-mastery from Defense. Weirdly, I'd say to replace Flash.

Throughout your game your fighting will, pretty much, work the same way.

- Q: Crushing Blow's a mean, old, grumpy staffhit, that causes severe brain damage and breaks bones. Among with your Armor Penetration runes, you'll just about go through the armor of your foe in the early levels, hitting them for a very nice amount of damage. After using the attack, you'll ignore 30% of the enemy's armor, making your Monkey King a pain up the butt of your enemy. It deals a stupendously good burst damage when used with the initial Nimbus Strike-hit - after a few bursts your enemies must flee, or they'll die. Always use it after jumping in with Nimbus Strike!

- W: Even though we only take one point in Decoy during the earlier game phase, it's not to be forgotten. It's the holy grail of your Wukong's survivability. You'll enter stealth for 1,5 seconds, leaving a decoy of your Monkey King where you used the ability. This is an amazing block for skillshots, saving stupid amounts of health, and of course it is a juke/fleeing ability. It does deal a small amount of damage, but should not be used for that purpose. Don't forget that if your enemy team has an Oracle's Elixir, they'll notice what you're doing. In those situations just use it as a meatshield and also offensively to get near an enemy with a bit of extra damage. You can use Flash while in the 1,5 second stealth!

- E: Meet mister Nimbus, your E-button. It attacks 3 foes in front of you, dealing some pretty serious damage. When you have your upgraded boots, you'll be able to catch most enemies with it, pretty easily. Even though it exceeds in chasing, but is not to be underestimated in fleeing either: when confronted in the jungle, be sure to jump in the creep camps to get that extra few steps from your enemy. It works as an amazing initiator, and a pre-attack for your Cyclone. You should always use his best friend, Crushing Blow, when you jump in combat with it!

- R: Cyclone is your ultimate ability. Where it does not shine in the utmost highest damage, it makes up in CC and chase/flee-a-bility. Not to forget that it's an amazing teamfight-starter! Also, in those cases, where you're just about to die to a melee champion and have nothing left, Cyclone may be your unholy god of doom to send prayers to - only do this if you're about to die, as it has an unfortunately long cooldown. It also works wonders when people are trying to turretdive, knock them up in the air and deal high sustained damage to them while your turret also shoots at them... Easy.

Thank you for reading my first champion guide here on MOBAFire!

First published 12-13.8.2011.

Special thanks to: CHaBi, Munkeroinen, Lunkki, Taliaivo, dem, K1554, reAti, kArhu, jondee, and all the rest!