Nidalee Jungle Build

Nidalee Champion Guide

Role: Assassin

Lane: Jungle

Nidalee Jungle thrives with a core build of Liandry's Torment, Sorcerer's Shoes, Horizon Focus, Zhonya's Hourglass, and Rabadon's Deathcap. The most effective rune setup for Nidalee Jungle includes Conqueror, Triumph, Legend: Haste, and Coup de Grace in the primary tree, along with Transcendence and Waterwalking in the secondary tree.

Nidalee Champion Abilities

Prowl

Moving through brush increases Nidalee's movement speed by 10% for 2 seconds, increased to 30% toward visible enemy champions within a range of 1400.

Damaging champions or neutral monsters with Javelin Toss or Bushwhack marks them as 'Hunted' for 4 seconds, granting Nidalee vision of them, 30% increased movement speed toward them (within a range of 1400) and enhancing her next Takedown, Pounce, and Swipe against them. Also grants 10% movement speed to other directions. P

Javelin Toss / Takedown

Human: Nidalee tosses her javelin forward in a line, dealing 70 / 90 / 110 / 130 / 150 (+50% of ability power) magic damage to the first enemy it hits, which is increased by 0−200% (depending on distance traveled) for a maximum of 210 / 270 / 330 / 390 / 450 (+150% of ability power) magic damage.

Cougar: Nidalee's next attack deals a minimum of 4 / 20 / 50 / 90 (+36% of ability power) (+0.75 per attack damage) magic damage and she gains +75 range when using this attack. Takedown's damage to enemies is increased by 1 / 1.25 / 1.5 / 1.75% for every 1% of the target's missing health.

If the enemy is Hunted, Takedown deals 30% increased damage. Q

Bushwhack / Pounce

Human: Nidalee lays an invisible trap that deals 40 / 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 (+20% of ability power) over the duration of 4 seconds and marks the target as Hunted. The traps last 2 minutes and Nidalee can have a maximum of 4 / 6 / 7 / 10 traps active at once (at levels 1 / 6 / 11 / 16).

Cougar: Nidalee lunges forward dealing 55 / 100 / 145 / 190 (+30% of ability power) (+0.5 per bonus attack damage) magic damage. If the enemy that Nidalee is directly jumping towards to is Hunted, Pounce will have 750 range and the cooldown of the ability will be reduced by 40 / 50 / 60 / 70%. Killing a unit in cougar form will also reduce Pounce's cooldown by 40 / 50 / 60 / 70%. W

Primal Surge / Swipe

Human: Nidalee heals an allied champion for 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 (+35% of ability power) health, increased to a maximum of 100 / 150 / 200 / 250 / 300 (+70% of ability power) health and grants them 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 / 70% bonus attack speed for 7 seconds.

Cougar: Nidalee claws at enemies in a cone in the direction of mouse, dealing 70 / 130 / 190 / 250 (+40% of ability power) (+0.7 per bonus attack damage) magic damage to the enemies. E

Aspect Of The Cougar

Passive: Each additional rank increases the effectiveness of Nidalee's cougar abilities.

Nidalee transforms into a vicious cougar, gaining a new set of abilities. R

Nidalee Summoner Spells

Flash

Flash is a location-targeted summoner spell that causes your champion to blink to the location in range of your cursor.

Smite

Smite is a unit-targeted summoner spell that deals true damage to the target large or medium monster, enemy minion, or pet.

Nidalee Runes

Nidalee Items

Nidalee Ability Order

Nidalee Matchups Overview

Strong against

Taliyah

Gragas

Sejuani

Wukong

Shaco

Kindred

Weak against

Bel'Veth

Hecarim

Karthus

Kha'Zix

Diana

Rengar

Nidalee Tips and Tricks

Nidalee is a highly dominant jungler in the early game. Take advantage of this by looking to gank frequently to get ahead. You can use alternative ganking routes by jumping over small walls with your W, allowing you to bypass wards commonly placed by the enemy. In team fights, delay your engagement and poke the enemies down with long-range Qs to wear them out before fully committing.

The Best Nidalee Builds, Runes, and Items for Jungle

Most Popular Build

For the most popular Nidalee Jungle build, take Flash and Smite as your Summoner Spells. In the primary rune tree, choose Conqueror as your keystone, followed by Triumph, Legend: Haste, and Coup de Grace. For the secondary tree, pick Transcendence and Waterwalking. Your rune shards should be Attack Speed in offense, Adaptive Force in flex, and Health Scaling in defense, depending on the matchup. For your items, start with Liandry’s Torment, then get Sorcerer’s Shoes and Horizon Focus. Finish your build with Zhonya’s Hourglass, Rabadon’s Deathcap, and Banshee’s Veil. Stick with Q - E - W for your skill order.

Alternative Build

An alternative build for Nidalee Jungle involves Flash and Smite for Summoner Spells. For runes, select Dark Harvest as your keystone, followed by Sudden Impact, Grisly Mementos, and Treasure Hunter in the primary tree. For the secondary tree, use Transcendence and Waterwalking. Rune shards should be Attack Speed in offense, Adaptive Force in flex, and Health Scaling in defense. Begin with Liandry’s Torment, followed by Sorcerer’s Shoes and Horizon Focus. Finish your build with Zhonya’s Hourglass, Void Staff, and Shadowflame. Keep the ability order Q - E - W.

Off-Meta Build

For an off-meta Nidalee Jungle build, take Flash and Smite as your Summoner Spells. In the primary tree, choose Electrocute, Sudden Impact, Grisly Mementos, and Treasure Hunter. For the secondary tree, pick Transcendence and Waterwalking. Your rune shards should be Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and Health Scaling. For items, start with Lich Bane, then get Sorcerer’s Shoes and Shadowflame. Finish the build with Zhonya’s Hourglass, Rabadon’s Deathcap, and Void Staff. Stick with Q - E - W for the ability order.

Situational Nidalee Runes and Items

Nidalee's build should be adapted depending on the situation, including your team composition, the enemy champions, and the overall state of the game. For example, if you're facing heavy physical damage dealers, you might want to adjust your rune shards to include Armor or consider adding defensive items such as Zhonya's Hourglass. Always plan your build based on the specific needs of the match and your role in the game.