Guide Sections (15)
- Champion Stats
- The Stack Farm
- Ranking Nasus's Skins
- When They Ban Nasus
- Nasus's Keystone Choice
- Skill Max Order for Nasus
- Mastering Nasus's Kit
- The Nasus Matchup Sheet
- Stacking Over Teamfighting
- When Splitting Won't Work
- Flanking or Frontlining
- The Infinite Stacking Build
- When Nasus Comes Online
- The 1000-Stack Q
- Recent Patch History
Champion Stats
Low elo players don't know how to freeze a wave or punish Nasus properly in the first 10 minutes. They will push the wave to your tower, allowing you to stack safely. They also notoriously underestimate the power of Wither (W), which is essentially a point-and-click stun for ADCs. In the late game, their lack of coordination allows Nasus to split-push to the Nexus while they are chasing butterflies.
The Stack Farm
Nasus has no level 1 cheese. Your early game is about survival. Start Q (Siphoning Strike) and focus exclusively on last-hitting minions with it. Start E (Spirit Fire) only if you are in a lane where you literally cannot approach the wave and need to farm from range.
Your passive lifesteal increases as you level up. This makes you one of the best sustainers in the game. If you're low, just Q a few minions and you're back to full. Use the 'ignore-them-and-farm' strat to tilt the enemy top laner.
Ranking Nasus's Skins
'Lunar Guardian Nasus' is an amazing skin with great animations and a satisfying sound on the Q. 'Infernal Nasus' is the classic 'raid boss' skin—the R transformation is terrifying. 'Nightbringer Nasus' offers a very dark and modern look. Avoid 'Archduke Nasus' if you want to look intimidating, although the top hat is a funny flex.
'Lunar Guardian' has a very satisfying Q sound effect. It makes the 'bonk' feel heavier, which is purely psychological but incredibly effective for your own confidence. Bonk away.
When They Ban Nasus
Yorick if you want to split-push until they cry. Kayle if you want to scale until you're a god. Dr. Mundo if you just want to walk at people and not die. Nasus is the stack-king—if he's gone, be the summoner or the immortal.
Yorick for the split-push army. Kayle for the late-game scaling. Dr. Mundo for the unkillable tank vibe. Yorick is the best tower-taker alternative.
Nasus's Keystone Choice
Fleet Footwork is the best choice for lane sustain and the movement speed to catch targets. Lethal Tempo is an alternative for insane dueling potential with your R. Secondary Inspiration with Biscuit Delivery and Cosmic Insight to survive and have more TP/Flash uptime.
Skill Max Order for Nasus
Max Q first—this is your entire champion. Max W second—the attack speed and movement speed slow is your only way to catch and stick to targets. Max E last as its primary use is the armor shred and early wave management.
Mastering Nasus's Kit
Siphoning Strike. Your next attack deals bonus damage. If it kills a unit, the bonus is permanently increased by 3 (12 for champions/monsters). Always, always last hit with this.
Wither. You slow an enemy's movement and attack speed over time. This is one of the strongest slows in the game. Use it on ADCs and mobility-reliant champions.
Spirit Fire. You create a zone that deals magic damage and shreds the armor of anyone inside. It's great for waveclear and increasing your Q damage against tanks.
Fury of the Sands. You grow in size, gain HP, armor, and magic resist. While active, your Q cooldown is halved. This is your 'raid boss' button.
The Nasus Matchup Sheet
Easy Matchup. After level 6 and a Spectre's Cowl, he cannot stop you. Wait for him to use his blind, then Wither and kill him. Your sustain will out-last his poke.
Skill Matchup. His E blocks your Q. You have to bait his E before you commit. Late game, you out-scale him in the 1v1 if you have enough stacks.
Hard Counter. He will punish you for every stack and can kill you level 1-5. You must play perfectly safe, give up farm if necessary, and wait for your level 6 and jungle help.
Stacking Over Teamfighting
Stop missing stacks! Every missed stack is a delay on your power spike. Also, don't just sit in lane for 40 minutes. Once you have 400+ stacks and your core items, you need to group or split-push to end the game. A Nasus with 1000 stacks who loses the game is just a failed curator.
Don't miss a single Q! Early game, every +3 matters. By 20 minutes, you should have 400. If you don't, you're failing. Also, don't stay in lane forever—once you have the stacks, walk Mid and take the tower in two hits.
When Splitting Won't Work
Dodge if facing Vayne—she will shred you before you can even reach her, even with Wither. Also dodge into Aatrox or Darius if you aren't confident in your ability to survive the early laning phase.
Vayne and Aatrox are your main issues. Vayne kites you regardless of Wither, and Aatrox will bully you out of lane before you hit 100 stacks. If you see them, farm under tower and hope for ganks. Don't int for a caster minion.
Dodge Vayne/Fiora. True damage ruins your armor stacking. Vayne kites you forever. Fiora parries Wither. You just lose.
Flanking or Frontlining
In teamfights, you are a meat grinder. Activate R (Fury of the Sands) and walk at the most vulnerable target. Use Wither on the ADC to delete them from the fight, then use your Q to start deleting health bars. Your Spirit Fire (E) should be placed under the enemy frontline to shred their armor for your team.
You're a juggernaut. R, walk in, Wither the ADC, and Q them once. They're dead or out of the fight. Use E to shred the armor of the frontline for your ADC. You don't need to be fast—you just need to be inevitable.
The Infinite Stacking Build
Full AP Nasus ('E-Max Nasus'). Liandry's Torment -> Luden's Companion -> Shadowflame. With this build, your E deals massive damage and can zone the entire enemy team. It's hilariously annoying for opponents who expect a traditional Nasus, though it scales poorly compared to the Q build.
Trinity Force or Sundered Sky is your core. Build full tank after that. You don't need damage items when you have +500 stacks. Frozen Heart is mandatory for the mana and armor. You're a walking mountain—act like it.
When Nasus Comes Online
Level 6 is your first survival spike—the extra HP and Q cooldown from your R allow you to turn ganks. 20 minutes is your 'golden hour'—if you have 400+ stacks and a Trinity Force/Sundered Sky, you are the strongest champion on the map.
Level 6 is your first 'you can't kill me' window. 15 minutes is when the stacks start to hurt. 25 minutes is your peak—if the game goes past 40, people might actually buy enough armor to survive you. End it early.
The 1000-Stack Q
Type '+12' in all-chat after you kill an enemy champion with your Q. The sound of Nasus's Wither being applied to an ADC is enough to make them tilt and buy a QSS prematurely. Standing still and dancing while the enemy team tries to kill you in your R is the ultimate show of dominance.
Type '+12' in all-chat after every Q kill. Standing still in your R while five people try to kill you is the ultimate Nasus move. Remind them that time is on your side, and your side is winning. The curator has arrived.
Recent Patch History
Recent Balance Changes
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V14.18 | Sep 11, 2024 | NERF | E nerfed |
| V14.11 | May 30, 2024 | BUFF | E buffed, Base stats buffed |
| V14.7 | Apr 3, 2024 | BUFF | P buffed, Q buffed |
| V13.12 | Jun 14, 2023 | BUFF | P buffed, R buffed |
| V13.4 | Feb 23, 2023 | ADJUST | R adjusted |
