Hello everyone! I am bringing you a Preseason/Season 5 Nautilus guide! The new changes to the jungle and game bring new ways to build Nautilus, and I am here to share what I find to be the most effective way to play Nautilus.

First, I would like to tell you that i am a hardcore Nautilus main and I consider myself to excel at playing him. The changes to season 5 jungle I believe hurt him in some ways, but he is still one amazing champion. Early game when Nautilus has no items clearing the new harder jungle camps can be taxing on your health and mana. ESPECIALLY if you don't get a good leash on your first camp (I always start bot side buff no matter what it is). However, once Nautilus purchases his Rangers and Warmog's he should alright at clearing camps.

I find this set of runes to be the most effective on Nautilus when he is going tank. Attack speed marks help make up for his ungodly slow attack speed and help him clear camps faster. Armor Seals and Magic Resistance Glyphs give him the resistances to make it through the heavy damage camps that season 5 brings. Finally, flat health Quints give him overall tankiness and hp... Who doesn't love that :)

I find that 4-23-3 is the best combination of masteries for a tank Nautilus jungle. The four points in offense for the attack speed help him apply more damage to jungle camps while Titan's Wrath is up, and make up for Nautilus's slow base attack speed. Three points in Fleet of Foot help Nautilus roam the jungle quicker because Big Daddy has a very slow base movement speed. 23 points in Defense help give him the extra tankiness to truly dominate the game, by grabbing points in all of the important masteries.

Pros


+ Best Ganks in the game.
+ Tons of damage mitigation!
+ Can become unkillable, due to tankiness
+ Large HP pool, armor and magic resist!
+ His CC can lock down heavy damage burst champions
+ Titan's Wrath is an amazing shield.
+ Has enough CC for an entire team.
+ Can carry a team by setting up kills
+ Can dive enemies under tower and come out unharmed.

Cons



-Will lose most 1v1s
-Needs his team for Damage.
-Can get shutdown early if counter jungled
-If his W is on cooldown, no consistent damage.
-Medium clear speed
-High Mana costs make him Blue Buff reliant early to mid game.

Nautilus relies heavily on his team for damage and support. Nautilus may be able to hold down the enemy team, but without proper damage from his team to back him up he will surely die. Nautilus is best when teams have good communication and coordination so his ganks will be more effective. With out teamwork Nautilus cannot survive.

The best and most effective gank is one in which Nautilus can run up apply Staggering blow and auto attack and riptide from there, saving Dredge Line for when they try to flash away.

AA = Auto Attack

Number 1/most effective gank:

AA-W-E-AA+ and if they attempt to flash away Q them back and repeat

Remember, you also have the potential to use Ghost in order to close the gap faster to land Staggering blow.

Number 2

R-AA-W-E-AA+ Q only if they try to run.

Number 3

Q-AA-W-E Only use this if ult is on CD or you can't close the gap between them fast enough

To become an effective Nautilus you mush master each skill he was to offer.

Dredge Line-

Dredge Line is Nautilus's Q ability. When used, Nautilus throws his anchor out latching on to any Enemy or terrain it hits. If it hits an Enemy Nautilus pulls himself and the enemy together meeting in the middle. If Nautilus hits terrain he pulls himself all the way to the terrain he hits. He can pull himself to Anivia's Wall, Trundle's Ice Pillar, and Jarvan's Cataclysm. NOTE: If you hit terrain the Cool down of Dredge line is reduced by 50%, this is amazing for roaming the jungle quickly and when trying to escape. Also, at any point during the Dredge Line animation, whether the anchor is still traveling to its target or Nautilus is pulling himself in you can cast Riptide to slow potential chasers to make a clean, clutch getaway.

Titan's Wrath-

Titan's Wrath is Nautilus's W ability. Titan's Wrath is Nautilus's bread and butter ability. When activated it gives Nautilus a large sheild and empowered Auto Attacks that apply a Damage over time affect to nearby enemies for 2 seconds. The damage it brings allows him to quickly clear camps and the shield gives him extra protection to prevent him from losing any health. Titan's Wrath is a powerful ability dealing heavy damage at all stages of the game. However, if Titan's Wrath's shield is destroyed even if the spell itself isn't over Nautilus will lose the extra damage it gives. NOTE: Titan's Wrath is an auto attack reset. So make sure to use it just after auto attacking to maximize your damage output.

Riptide-

Riptide is Nautilus's E ability. Upon activation Nautilus slams his boot on the ground sending 3 shortwaves out in a circle around him. Each shockwave has little explosions in it that slow enemies and deal damage. Enemies can be struck by more than on explosion but take reduced damage for each additional one. Riptide is a powerful skill in teamfights, as it is easy to hit and slow all members of the enemy team. Riptide can be cast while using Dredge Line to create a slow zone while Nautilus pulls himself to safety.

Depth Charge-

Depth Charge is Nautilus's Ultimate ability. Upon targeting an enemy champion Nautilus sends out a shock wave that tracks down the, knocking up anyone in its way and finally launching the targeted enemy high into the air. Depth Charge is a powerful team fight ability as it is very easy to shutdown enemies with it and disrupt the enemy team during teamfights. Depth Charge used best when it can knock up the maximum amount of enemy champions. I find it best during teamfights to select an enemy hiding in the back lines of a fight most likely the ADC or midlaner. This ensures that it will hit the most enemies possible. Depth Charge will never miss. The only way to dodge this ability is to become untargetable via Zhonya's hourglass or other means.

Staggering Blow-

Staggering Blow is Nautilus's passive. His first auto attack Nautilus roots his enemy for 0.5 seconds (time scales with lvl) and deals extra physical damage. This is very usfull when ganking as it can give your allies time to land important skill shots and what not. Make sure to apply this to as many people as you can during teamfights, especially ones directly attacking your ADC or midlaner.

Smite-

Nautilus works best in the jungle and taking smite is essential to any jungler.

Ghost-

I choose Ghost over Flash on Nautilus for many reasons. Nautilus is a very slow champion with a base movement speed of 325. The fact is that after Nautilus flashes any enemy will easily be able to run him down, if he is trying to escape. Ghost is the better option because the consistent movement speed helps him to run away from pursuing enemies and close the gap between his targets when trying to land his CC.

Nautilus is a good tank that fights in nicely with any team comp. However, since he lack high damage it is always better to select him when you have a champion in the top lane that can deal high amounts of damage. Nautilus is best picked after the enemy solo laners are chosen. I myself will always pick Nautilus as he is my main, but for someone who is learning him it is best to steer clear of champs with high escape potential like zed or fizz. If you see a champion picked on the other team like Lux or Xerath, Nautilus works extremely well against them.