Nasus - is it really that simple?

[quote=Hamduden]Hey guys I've been thinking of Nasus a lot lately. It's difficult for me to figure the most effective build for this boss when you are building him a Hybrid, Tanky DPS .. Of course Trinity is core on him. I don't see why it shouldn't be. However, I'm not sure what should be "core" or simply "best" items for him after Trinity (every game is situational ofc, but we're almost always facing balanced teams with a decent amount of CC - so let this thought be the base for our theories)? [b] Let's think:[/b] 1: A LOT of people build Ninja Tabi on him .. well, of course Ninja Tabi is nice in some (not many imo) situations, but it seems to me that Ninja Tabi is bought more often than it really should. Can someone explain why? It could synergize well with dodge masteries and runes, but still, where do you get the Tenacity then? I prefer Merc's, but what do you think? 2: I almost always see Aegis on him. To many people (including me) Aegis is core. I dunno why I build it all the times; it's an super awesome item, but I was actually wondering why it should be core on excatly Nasus? Is Aegis special to Nasus? :P It should be core on tanks (often), so it seems to me that it's not necessary to build it on him ALWAYS .. or should you build it anyway, and let the tank build another item? Is it really CORE on Nasus? 2,5: From there on .. what to do? 3: Masteries. Well, I love 0/9/21 - dunno about you? :D . 0/21/9 is pretty good too. 4: What is your thoughts on summoner spells? I love Flash/Ghost combo on most champions - but exhaust is also nice in many situations. (Cleanse?) 5: Runes is also a bit difficult for me. 9x ArmP runes - 9x Flat armor - 9x Flat MR - 3x ArmP/3x MS seems to be a common yet effective rune setup. What is your thoughts on Dodge Seals? MP5 seals/Glyphs? [b]Other thoughts:[/b] - Banshee's seems like a core item, like it does on most champions. FoN could be a nice option too. - Early HoG -> Randuins could be a possible item choice, but the tank will most likely build it, and 2xRanduins is most likely an overkill. - Since CDr is zomg-op (imo atleast, since Q is main damage) on Nasus, a Frozen Heart should probably be considered as an important item? - Early Brutalizer could also provide some nice damage + Ghostblade upgrade with Crit% (massive Q-crits) and extra raw damage. - Infinity Edge could give these insane Q-crits needed to pwn everything. What is your thoughts? How do you build him (also what order)? [i]My build-thought so far against a balanced team: Merc's Aegis Trinity Frozen Heart Banshee's Infinity Edge 0/9/21 - with Flash/Ghost(/Exhaust) 9x ArmP runes - 9x Flat armor - 9x Flat MR - 3x ArmP[/i][/quote]

[quote=Searz]1. Only get Ninja Tabi against select enemy setups. Merc are usually best. 2. Nasus is very durable with his ult on and will probably be the last to fall in fights. That's why he's chosen to carry the aura. The item also gives pretty damn awesome bonuses for a tanky DPS like Nasus. 2.5: [[Trinity Force]] is also pretty much core on him. Infinity Edge is bad. Don't bother with crit. Just build tank items after TF and Aegis. Early HoG to turn into Randuin later is just awesome, but so is Sunfire. You'll have to decide on your own. 3. 0/9/21 is just better imo. (1/8/21 if exhaust) 4. [[Ghost]] is a must imo. He can chase down the enemy carry like there's no tomorrow with it. The same goes for [[Exhaust]]. You'll be the enemy carries' worst nightmare with that combo :) 5. The only ones you might wanna switch are the quintessences for HP5, since Nasus belongs in a solo lane. Dodge seals are certainly not bad, but I've started to favor the durability against physical abilities more than the MS from a dodge. So I'd personally go for armor seals.[/quote]

[quote=Hamduden][quote=Searz] 1. Only get Ninja Tabi against select enemy setups. Merc are usually best. [/quote] Excatly - the thought of Ninja Tabi being better on Nasus sounded weird :p [quote=Searz] 2. Nasus is very durable with his ult on and will probably be the last to fall in fights. That's why he's chosen to carry the aura. The item also gives pretty damn awesome bonuses for a tanky DPS like Nasus. [/quote] Ofc. That's a pretty good argument - I did always get (still though), just couldn't really justify it (wow, why did you buy it then? Everyone else did :b) [quote=Searz] 2.5: [[Trinity Force]] is also pretty much core on him. Infinity Edge is bad. Don't bother with crit. Just build tank items after TF and Aegis. Early HoG to turn into Randuin later is just awesome, but so is Sunfire. You'll have to decide on your own. [/quote] I see. HoG -> Randuins is indeed awesome. So is Sunfire in general. I just read a discussion once, stating that Frozen Heart should be even better than Sunfire (both + randuins should certainly be an overkill). The argument was that Nasus' primary damage is from Q, and even though Sunfire synergizes well with his ult, getting a Frozen Heart would first of all benefit the whole team (so does Sunfire ofc), but most importantly lowering the CD on Q, meaning more damage overall. I dunno what your opinion is about that? [quote=Searz] 3. 0/9/21 is just better imo. (1/8/21 if exhaust) [/quote] Gotta love utility ;) [quote=Searz] 4. [[Ghost]] is a must imo. He can chase down the enemy carry [b]like there's no tomorrow[/b] with it. The same goes for [[Exhaust]]. You'll be the enemy carries' worst nightmare with that combo :) [/quote] I like that expression :p (and I agree, btw) [quote=Searz] 5. The only ones you might wanna switch are the quintessences for HP5, since Nasus belongs in a solo lane. [b]Dodge seals are certainly not bad, but I've started to favor the durability against physical abilities more than the MS from a dodge[/b]. So I'd personally go for armor seals. [/quote] Excatly my thought too. Guess I'm not going to change anything there I kinda love MS-quints. I will consider HP5 though. Thanks for the answers Searz![/quote]

[quote=Searz][quote=Hamduden] [quote=Searz] 2.5: [[Trinity Force]] is also pretty much core on him. Infinity Edge is bad. Don't bother with crit. Just build tank items after TF and Aegis. Early HoG to turn into Randuin later is just awesome, but so is Sunfire. You'll have to decide on your own. [/quote] I see. HoG -> Randuins is indeed awesome. So is Sunfire in general. I just read a discussion once, stating that Frozen Heart should be even better than Sunfire (both + randuins should certainly be an overkill). The argument was that Nasus' primary damage is from Q, and even though Sunfire synergizes well with his ult, getting a Frozen Heart would first of all benefit the whole team (so does Sunfire ofc), but most importantly lowering the CD on Q, meaning more damage overall. I dunno what your opinion is about that?[/quote] Frozen Heart is great, but I think other items would be better most of the time. But if you like it; sure, I'm certainly not gonna say that it's a bad choice. Atmog ([[Atma's Impaler]]+[[Warmog's Armor]]) is also a good combo on Nasus for extra offensive power. FoN is also great with Atmog. I think HoG might actually be core, even if you don't get Randuin, but I'm a little unsure about that one.[/quote]

[quote=Dante Rebellion]I go 0-9-21... Merc's, Philo (more spammability), Sheen, Aegis, Trinity Force, FoN/Rand, (sell philo and go G.A)... sometimes I like to go full DPS and I get a Starks after my defensive items... works wonders ;D[/quote]

[quote=Searz]Oh, right! Philo is also great.[/quote]

[quote=Hamduden]Mhm. Philo is great. I tend to buy HoG and Philo on Nasus - works pretty good. HoG is imo almost core. Could sometimes get swapped with something else, but it's awesome - especially because of Randuins upgrade. @Dante's build: Yeah, what I've been building too a couple of times. Actually never made it to [[Infinity Edge]] (even though I talked about it above), but it seemed viable :p [b]I've come closer to awesomeness:[/b] Doran's shield (HoG) (Philo) Merc's Aegis Trinity Randuins FoN or Banshee's GA (sold Philo) [b]Other:[/b] Starks is very viable too imo - however I only get if I, like you Dante, go more DPS. Frozen Heart against heavy physical. Moreover Atmog's is very viable on Nasus too (also had my arguments in the Atmog's thread in "Theory Crafting").[/quote]

[quote=Searz]Stark's isn't very good.. Trust me on this one.[/quote]

[quote=Kirluu][quote=Hamduden] [b]I've come closer to awesomeness:[/b] Doran's shield (HoG) (Philo) Merc's Aegis Trinity Randuins FoN or Banshee's GA (sold Philo) [/quote] I'd say get Philosophers before HoG, simply to be able to spam & farm more very early. Also, you'll probs want to pop that Sheen in somewhere before Aegis, probably. The Sheen effect is the most important one from Trinity after all :3 Also, I'd say getting the Frozen Heart will definitely be a good option. I'd say you don't need to finish the Randuins before getting Frozen Heart. The CD is just more important to me at least. So all in all, I'd say: - Doran's Shield - Philosopher's Stone - Heart of Gold - Mercury's Threads - Sheen - Aegis of the Legion - Trinity Force - Banshee's Veil - Frozen Heart - Randuin's Omen This is ofc not nessessarily THE awesomest build in the world, however it definitely has some good points to it in terms of sequence, the way I see it. :S [b]EDIT:[/b] What about the Chalice of Harmony, btw? The passive from that should really apply well to being able to farm away with Q as much as you want. Of course this would probably, or possibly mean that you'll want to invest in some flat or /level mana regen runes, since otherwise, the effect wont be all that great. I'd say, by getting both Threads and CoH - that's a lot of MR. So you'll probably want the Armor Seals to make up for that, instead of being vulnerable to physical attacks and withstand everything magical, lol. So maybe.. MP5 Glyphs? The early MR from Chalice and Merc's should make up for the lost MR/level glyphs. The only thing you'll really be losing is Health Regen. Not sure how important that is. This might be fixed by bringing a few pots to the lane after first trip back ? Discuss ;O[/quote]

[quote=Dante Rebellion]Mmmm Stark's is a decent item, its always nice to have aura's on nasus, it is also a great lifesteal that provides more attack speed.. plus the item isnt too expensive.. I hardly get it though, its more of a .. what the heck I'm bored ill go DPS nasus. Note that a tanky nasus will nearly always be better. Nasus is very melee oriented and will suffer some kiting damage, plus he still will deal heavy damage with his Q so he can be bulky and deal a truck ton of damage. Play DPS nasus if your bored and for the lulz[/quote]