Guide Sections (15)
- Champion Stats
- The Darkness Dive
- Skins Worth Buying for Nocturne
- When They Ban Nocturne
- Nocturne's Rune Page
- What to Max on Nocturne
- Mastering Nocturne's Kit
- Who Nocturne Beats (And Who Beats Nocturne)
- Paranoia Range Ego
- When Splitting Won't Work
- Flanking or Frontlining
- The Lethality Nocturne Build
- When Nocturne Hits Hardest
- The Paranoia Dive
- Recent Patch History
Champion Stats
Low elo players have zero map awareness and even worse vision control. They consistently overextend in side lanes, assuming they are safe if they can't see the enemy jungler. Nocturne exploits this by bypassing wards entirely with his R. They also don't respect his spell shield (W), often throwing their only self-peel ability into it and guaranteeing their own death. When the lights go out, low elo teams panic and scatter, making your job effortless.
The Darkness Dive
Nocturne's level 1 is about clear speed. Start Q (Duskbringer). It gives you AD while you are on the trail. Stand on the trail and hit every camp to reach level 6 as fast as possible. If you meet the enemy jungler at scuttle, use your Q trail to out-stat them in a duel. Your passive (Umbra Blades) also gives you great sustain.
Your Q trail gives you massive AD and ignore-unit-collision. In a fight, always fight on the trail. If they run off it, throw another Q. It's the difference between a kill and a 'close one'.
Skins Worth Buying for Nocturne
'Eternum Nocturne' is the mandatory 'pay-to-win' skin—the auto-attack animations are significantly crisper and the 'Paranoia' sound effect is much more intimidating. 'Haunting Nocturne' is a great 'legacy' flex. 'Old God Nocturne' has beautiful, modern VFX. Avoid base skin if you want the smoothest mechanical feel.
'Eternum' is the only way to play. The R sound effect is significantly louder and more 'piercing' for the enemy team, causing genuine panic. Plus, the auto-attack animations are the smoothest in his kit.
'Eternum Nocturne' is mandatory. The audio is crisp, animations smooth. 'Old God' is cool but Eternum feels like it does more damage.
When They Ban Nocturne
Vi if you want the point-and-click R. Rengar if you want the 'I'm out of nowhere' kill. Hecarim if you want to run at people from Mach 1. Nocturne is the darkness—if he's gone, be the force or the shadow.
Vi for the point-click R. Rengar for the stealth. Hecarim for the speed. Vi is the reliable 'lockdown' alternative.
Nocturne's Rune Page
Lethal Tempo is the best rune for sustained dueling and clearing. Triumph for the takedown healing. Legend: Alacrity for faster passive procs. Secondary Eyeball Collection + Ultimate Hunter to ensure your R is always up for the next kill.
What to Max on Nocturne
Max Q first for the raw AD and clear speed. Max E second to increase the fear duration—this is your primary CC. W is maxed last as the passive attack speed increase is sufficient at rank 1.
Mastering Nocturne's Kit
Duskbringer. You throw a blade that leaves a trail. You gain AD and movement speed while on the trail. Always fight on the trail! It makes a massive difference in your damage output. It also reveals the target if hit.
Shroud of Darkness. A spell shield that lasts 1.5 seconds. If it blocks an ability, your passive attack speed bonus DOUBLES for 5 seconds. Timing this correctly is what separates a good Nocturne from a great one.
Unspeakable Horror. You plant a tether; if you stay near the target for 2 seconds, they are feared. Use your Q and W movement speed to ensure the tether doesn't break. This is your only reliable CC.
Paranoia. R1 turns off enemy vision and disables ally vision for them. R2 dashes to a target. Use R1 even if you aren't going in just to hide your team's objective takes or to incite panic.
Who Nocturne Beats (And Who Beats Nocturne)
Skill Matchup. You can spell shield his Alpha Strike, but he can dodge your fear with it too. It's a game of who uses their ability first. You are stronger mid-game; he wins late.
Skill Matchup. Spell shield his Q2 or his R. If you block his kick, you win the duel easily. Avoid him in the early game jungle; out-scale him with R picks.
Easy Lane. He's immobile and squishy. You can R him on cooldown. Spell shield his Wall of Pain (W) or his R if you're low. He is your favorite target.
Paranoia Range Ego
Stop pressing R just because someone is low HP. If your team isn't nearby and you dive into 4 people, you're just donating a shutdown. Use R to secure objectives or catch isolated targets. Also, time your W! Don't just press it early; wait for the enemy to throw their CC or burst.
Don't just R! Turn the lights off (R1) even if you aren't going in, just to scare them. It forces them to back off objectives. Only dash (R2) if the carry is isolated. Don't be the guy who dives into 5 and dies.
When Splitting Won't Work
Dodge if facing Kindred or Graves. Kindred's R can save your target, and Graves' armor/blind makes it hard to duel him. Also dodge into heavy-tank compositions where you can't one-shot anyone and they have too much CC for your W to handle.
Kindred and Graves are annoying. Kindred R saves your target and Graves just blinds you back. If you see them, avoid the 1v1 unless you have a massive lead. Focus on ganking the immobile side lanes.
Dodge Kindred/Graves. They kite you and out-duel you. Rammus also ruins your day. Don't pick into heavy disengage.
Flanking or Frontlining
Wait for the fight to start. Don't be the primary engage unless you have a Zhonya's or a backup plan. Turn off the lights (R1) to confuse the enemy, then dash (R2) onto the most important carry. Spell shield their first defensive ability, fear them with E, and delete them. Once they are dead, use your Q trail to kite or chase the next target.
Turn off the lights, R2 onto the ADC, W their first CC, and E-tether them. If you have Stridebreaker, they aren't going anywhere. You're the reason they're afraid of the dark—make sure they stay that way.
The Lethality Nocturne Build
Full Crit Nocturne. Kraken Slayer -> Navori -> Lord Dominik's. Your passive cleave can crit, and your Q gives you enough AD to make those crits nuclear. You'll literally two-tap carries. It's glass cannon but hilarious for stomping uncoordinated teams.
Stridebreaker into Axiom Arc is the golden path. Axiom makes your R available every 40 seconds, which is just disgusting for the enemy. If you're really fed, Profane Hydra for the extra burst. You're a one-shot machine.
Stridebreaker/Hexplate -> Axiom Arc. You need the Ult cooldown. You are not a champion without R. Axiom Arc lets you R twice in long fights.
When Nocturne Hits Hardest
Level 6 is your ascension. You go from a farming bot to a god. Every time your R is up, a kill should happen. Your first item (Stridebreaker for stick or Axiom Arc for R uptime) is your primary power spike. At 20 minutes, you should be the reason the enemy team is afraid to leave their base.
Level 6. That's it. Before 6, you're a farmer. After 6, you're a menace. Every time Paranoia is off cooldown, someone on the enemy team should be dead. End the game before they buy GA or Hourglass.
The Paranoia Dive
Spam 'Darkness' in all-chat whenever you press R. Emote after every successful side-lane pick. Nothing ruins an ADC's mental more than hearing a global sound effect and knowing they are dead 2 seconds later. Remind them that wards don't protect them from the shadows.
Type 'Darkness' in all-chat every time you press R. Pinging their carry's grey screen after a 2-second kill is the ultimate Nocturne flex. Remind them that there is no safety in the light. The nightmare is here.
Recent Patch History
Recent Balance Changes
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V14.4 | Feb 22, 2024 | ADJUST | E nerfed |
| V14.2 | Jan 24, 2024 | BUFF | Q adjusted |
| V12.18 | Sep 21, 2022 | NERF | Base stats nerfed |
| V12.17 | Sep 8, 2022 | BUFF | P buffed, Base stats buffed |
| V12.14 | Jul 27, 2022 | NERF | P nerfed |
