League of Legends - Nautilus Champion Strategy and Item Build Guide

Nautilus

Basic Information

Champion Stats

Lore

Skills

Icon	Description
	Staggering Blow (On-target Cooldown: 9/8/7/6)Nautilus’ basic attacks deal bonus physical damage and immobilize his targets. This effect cannot happen more than once every few seconds on the same target.
	Dredge Line (Target Range: 1100, Speed: 2000, Cost: 60 Mana, Cooldown: 18/16/14/12/10)ACTIVE: Nautilus hurls his anchor forward. If it hits an enemy unit, Nautilus drags himself and the target together dealing 60/105/150/195/240 (+75% Ability Power) magic damage and stunning them briefly.If the anchor hits terrain, Nautilus will drag himself forward and the cooldown is reduced by 50% (0.5). Mana cost is also refunded upon hitting a wall.
	Titan’s Wrath (Effect Radius: 175, Cost: 80 Mana, Cooldown: 18)ACTIVE: Nautilus surrounds himself with dark energies for 10 seconds, shielding him from the next 65/70/75/80/85 (+10% of bonus Health) (9/11/13/15/17% of his max Health) damage.While the shield persists, Nautilus’ basic attacks deal 30/40/50/60/70 (+40% Ability Power) bonus magic damage over 2 seconds to all enemies around his target.
	Riptide (Effect Radius: 600, Cost: 50/60/70/80/90 Mana, Cooldown: 7/6.5/6/5.5/5)ACTIVE: Nautilus slams the ground, causing the earth to explode around him. Each explosion deals 55/85/115/145/175 (+30% Ability Power) magic damage to enemies in the area and slows them by 30/35/40/45/50% for 1.25 seconds. This slow diminishes over time.A unit can be hit by more than one explosion, but they take 50% less damage from additional explosions.
	Depth Charge (Target Range: 825, Cost: 100 Mana, Cooldown: 140/110/80)ACTIVE: Nautilus fires a shockwave that chases an enemy champion, dealing 125/175/225 (+40% Ability Power) magic damage to other enemies it passes through, knocking them into the air, and stunning them for 1/1.5/2 seconds.The shockwave explodes upon hitting its target dealing 200/325/450 (+80% Ability Power) magic damage, launching them into the air and stunning them for 1/1.5/2 seconds.

Strategy

• (W) Titan’s Wrath is Nautilus’ main damaging and tanking skill. Before engaging any team fight, be sure to activate this skill to maximize your damage out and tanking potential.
• To maximize the damage of (W) Titan’s Wrath, try to hit different targets while the skill is active. This effectively spreads the area-of-effect damage of his auto attacks.
• (W) Titan’s Wrath‘s shielding scales with your bonus health. It is best to invest in items that bolster your health pool.
• (Q) Dredge Line can be casted on walls and structures to help Nautilus get back in the lane quicker, or escape enemy ganks. (Q) Dredge Line is also an effective initiating skill, so long as you hook the correct enemy champion.
• Ensure to hit low-health enemy champions with your auto attack. Nautilus’ Staggering Blow (passive) roots enemies he hits for the first time.
• Use (E) Riptide when you’re in the fray during team fights. It deals decent damage and slows enemies down. During the early laning phase, be careful not to spam (E) Riptide too much, as your mana regeneration is not that good early game.
• When you use (R) Depth Charge, it is best to target the enemy team’s back line first. (R) Depth Charge will go through enemy champions, knocking them up until it reaches its target who will get knocked up as well.

Runes & Masteries

COMING SOON

Summoner Spells

Top Lane
Flash	Teleport

Item Builds

Top Lane

Starter Item Sets

Starter Items 1
Doran’s Ring	Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation x2	Warding Totem

This Starter Item Build gives Nautilus early game health and potency when dueling against his enemy laner.

Doran’s Ring – This item provides decent bonus health, Ability Power and mana regeneration. It helps Nautilus regulate mana during the early game, whether he’s dishing out damage or farming with (E) Riptide or (W) Titan’s Wrath.

Starter Items 2
Doran’s Shield	Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation	Warding Totem

This item build focuses on garnering more health and lane sustain during the early game.

Doran’s Shield – This item provides good early-game bonus health and health regeneration, as well as bonus damage when attacking enemy minions. This benefits Nautilus, as it helps him focus on farming his items quickly.

Starter Items 3
Cloth Armor	Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation x4	Warding Totem

This final starter item build addresses enemy top laners who deal Attack Damage via auto attacks or their skills.

Cloth Armor – This item gives Nautilus good bonus armor, enabling him to tank the enemy laner’s physical attacks. It also builds into a number of Nautilus’ core items.

Core Items

Core Items
Sunfire Cape	Gargoyle Stoneplate	Ninja Tabi

Sunfire Cape – This item increases Nautilus’ capacity to farm for his other core items. It gives him bonus health, armor and a damaging aura whenever he is around enemies. Sunfire Cape synergizes well with (W) Titan’s Wrath and (E) Riptide.

Gargoyle Stoneplate – This item greatly bolsters Nautilus’ tanking power. Gargoyle Stoneplate provides bonus armor and magic resistance, as well as an active item skill that increases its user’s current and maximum health. Using this item in conjunction with (W) Titan’s Wrath during team fights makes Nautilus a solid meat shield that can lock enemies in place.

Ninja Tabi – This item gives bonus armor and lessens the damage of auto attacks Nautilus incurs. Ninja Tabi is often bought to address enemy laners who deal Physical Attack Damage.

Full Item Build

Full Item Build
Sunfire Cape	Gargoyle Stoneplate	Ninja Tabi
Abyssal Mask	Locket of the Iron Solari	Dead Man’s Plate

Abyssal Mask – This item gives bonus health, mana, magic resistance and cooldown reduction. Abyssal Mask also increases Nautilus’ damage output, as it lowers enemies’ magic resistance if they are too close to him. This item synergizes well with (W) Titan’s Wrath, (E) Riptide, and more importantly, with your team’s magic damage skills.

Locket of the Iron Solari – This item gives decent armor, magic resistance, and an active skill that shields teammates that scales with its user’s health. Given that Nautilus builds health items, Locket of the Iron Solari is an excellent defensive item if you feel your team needs more protection during team fights.

Dead Man’s Plate – This item gives decent armor and health, increasing Nautilus’ tankiness and (W) Titan’s Wrath‘s damage. Dead Man’s Plate’s passive also provides Nautilus bonus movement speed once he gains enough momentum charges, and can spend all the charges to slow enemy champions he auto attacks, giving him more sticking power against enemy carries.

Situational Items

Situational Items
Thornmail	Warmog’s Armor	Mercury Treads
Zz’Rot Portal	Zeke’s Convergence	Spirit Visage

Thornmail – This item covers enemy teams that comprise mainly of Physical Attack damage (especially auto attackers). Thornmail gives significant bonus armor and health. Its passive also redirects physical damage its user takes back to the attackers, while inflicting Grievous Wounds, which lessens the effectiveness of their lifesteal and health regeneration.

Warmog’s Armor – This item significantly bolsters its user’s health and health regeneration. This is an excellent item for Nautilus, but what keeps it from being a core item is its price – usually Warmog’s Armor is bought as the final item in longer games.

Mercury Treads – This boots upgrade is a good option to buy to address enemy teams that have more magic damage and crowd control. Nautilus shines when he is in the fray and dealing his area-of-effect damage, but if he is locked down with a stun or any other crowd control, it will diminish his potential. Buying Mercury Treads aids him by decreases the effects of crowd control he receives from enemies.

Zz’Rot Portal – This item provides good armor and magic resistance, increasing its user’s tankiness. It also gives lane pressure with its active skill, where its user can place a portal that summons void spawns that target enemy structures for decent damage. The spawns’ damage scales with its user’s health, so having Zz’Rot Portal on Nautilus, who builds health-boosting items, is a viable option.

Zeke’s Convergence – This item is a good alternative to Locket of the Iron Solari. Zeke’s Convergence builds from Aegis of the Legion, and gives decent armor, magic resistance, bonus mana and cooldown reduction.

Nautilus’ skills complement Zeke’s Herald’s conduit skill – each time Nautilus casts an ultimate near the paired ally champion, he’ll be surrounded by a frost storm that slows enemies and amplifies his team’s auto attacks and skills against the slowed champions.

Spirit Visage – This item covers Nautilus’ issue when battling champions who deal magic damage. Spirit Visage gives bonus health, magic resistance and increased health regeneration, enabling Nautilus to recover from enemy magic damage.

Playing Against

• Avoid getting hit with (Q) Dredge Line, as it moves Nautilus closer to you, where he will severely hinder your movement speed and deal considerable damage.
• Do not engage Nautilus when (W) Titan’s Wrath is active. His auto attacks deals area-of-effect damage, apart from his Staggering Blow (passive) which can root you in place.
• Nautilus loses his damage and tanking capabilities if you deal enough damage while (W) Titan’s Wrath is active.
• When you get hit with (E) Riptide, stay in place until you see the third pulse ripple out to lessen its slow effect.
• If you get targeted with (R) Depth Charge, do not fall back into your team. Instead, move laterally or in a location where it will less likely knock up more of your teammates.
• Nautilus usually builds items that boost his armor and health. It is wise for your carries to buy anti-tank items such as Blade of the Ruined King or items that build from Last Whisper (f0r ADCs) and Morellonomicon (for Mages).

Hard Counters

Olaf – He can constantly poke Nautilus with Undertow. If you engage an Olaf, he can stand toe-to-toe with Vicious Strikes, where he gains lifesteal and increased Attack Speed, and can finish you off with Reckless Swing, which deals true damage. His ultimate, Ragnarok, renders him immune to all forms of crowd controls and disables.

Darius – Darius’ Hemorrhage and Decimate can keep Nautilus’ health in low levels in the lane. Should you try to run away, he can reel you back in with Apprehend, put more Hemorrhage stacks on you with Crippling Strike and basic attacks, and finish you off with Noxian Guillotine.

Vladimir – Vladimir can out-sustain Nautilus in the laning phase while dealing consistent magic damage. He can regain health and deal damage using Transfusion, Crimson Rush and Tides of Blood which can quickly pop the shield threshold of (W) Titan’s Wrath. He can bait Nautilus into using (Q) Dredge Line which he can easily dodge with Sanguine Pool.

Strategy Videos

COMING SOON

Related articles