Elise is an early game assassin jungler. She wants to gank constantly from level 3, snowball lanes, and close the game before 25 minutes. She falls off hard late game, so every minute matters.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Spider Queen
Passive
Human Form: When Elise's abilities hit an enemy, she gains a dormant Spiderling.Spider Form: Basic attacks deal bonus magic damage and restore health to Elise.
Spiderlings tank camps for you — always have them active before starting a camp. They also block skillshots.
Q
Neurotoxin / Venomous Bite
Execute · %HP
Human Form: Deals damage based upon how high the target's Health is.Spider Form: Lunges at an enemy and deals damage based upon how low their Health is.
CD: 6 · Cost: 80/85/90/95/100
Human Q does %current HP, Spider Q does %missing HP. Always open with Human Q, finish with Spider Q for max damage.
W
Volatile Spiderling / Skittering Frenzy
AoE · Summon
Human Form: Releases a venom-gorged Spiderling that explodes when it nears a target.Spider Form: Elise and her Spiderlings gain Attack Speed.
CD: 12 · Cost: 60/70/80/90/100
Human W is a skillshot AoE. Spider W gives attack speed. Use Human W on camps, switch to spider for the AS steroid.
E
Cocoon / Rappel
Stun · Rappel
Human Form: Stuns the first enemy unit hit and reveals them if they are not stealthed.Spider Form: Elise and her Spiderlings ascend into the air and then descend upon target enemy. After descending on an enemy target, Elise's bonus damage and healing from Spider Queen is increased.
CD: 12/11.5/11/10.5/10 · Cost: 50
Human E is a cocoon stun — your most important ability. Spider E (Rappel) drops tower aggro and dodges abilities.
R
Spider Form
Transform · Toggle
Transforms into a menacing spider, reducing her attack range in exchange for Move Speed, new abilities, and a Spiderling swarm that will attack her foes.
CD: 3 · Cost: 0
Toggle between forms freely. Human form pokes from range, Spider form bursts up close. Combo: Human Q→W→E→R→Spider Q→W.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then W, then E · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Q — %HP damage for clear | ||||
| 2 | Take W — AoE + spiderling | ||||
| 3 | Take E — Cocoon stun online | ||||
| 4 | Level Q | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R rank 2 — spider form enhanced | ||||
| 7 | Level Q | ||||
| 8 | Level W | ||||
| 9 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level W | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level W | ||||
| 13 | Level W | ||||
| 14 | W maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Start leveling E | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level E | ||||
| 18 | E maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter Items
Gustwalker Smite
MS burst for roaming between ganks.
450g
Amplifying Tome
AP for early damage.
435g
Core Build
Hextech Rocketbelt
Dash + magic pen. Closes gap for Cocoon.
2600g
Sorcerer's Shoes
Magic pen for burst.
1100g
Morellonomicon
Grievous wounds + AP.
2500g
Zhonya's Hourglass
Stasis for tower dives. Rappel + Zhonya's = unkillable diver.
3250g
Situational
Void Staff
40% magic pen vs MR.
2800g
Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Slow on Human W for easier Cocoon.
2600g
Imperial Mandate
Utility option — Cocoon procs it for bonus team damage.
2300g
Rocketbelt → Sorc Shoes → Zhonya's. Your job is to burst someone and Rappel/Zhonya's out.
Runes
Domination Primary
Electrocute
Human Q + W + E procs it instantly. Massive burst on ganks.
Cheap Shot
Bonus damage on Cocoon-stunned targets.
Eyeball Collection
Free AP per takedown.
Relentless Hunter
Out-of-combat MS for faster roaming between ganks.
Inspiration Secondary
Magical Footwear
Free boots saves gold for Rocketbelt rush.
Cosmic Insight
Summoner spell + item CDR.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Elise
01
Early Game
Gank Relentlessly from Level 3
- Start Red → Raptors → Gromp → Blue. Hit level 3 at 2:50 and immediately look for a gank.
- Elise's level 3 gank is the strongest in the game. Cocoon → Human Q → W → R → Spider Q → W.
- Tower dives are your specialty. Cocoon under tower, burst in spider form, Rappel to drop tower aggro.
- If no ganks are available, invade the enemy jungler. You win almost every 1v1 early.
- Always carry a Control Ward. Vision control enables your ganks.
02
Mid Game
Snowball Leads, Siege Towers
- After first item, your burst can one-shot any squishy. Roam constantly and pick off isolated enemies.
- Force early dragons. Your burst + Smite secures objectives safely.
- Set up vision around objectives and catch enemies rotating. Cocoon from fog of war is almost guaranteed.
- If lanes are winning, dive towers with your laner. Rappel makes dives almost risk-free.
- Start falling off around 20 minutes. Force fights NOW, not later.
03
Late Game
Catch Picks, Avoid 5v5
- You're not a teamfighter. In late game, your job is to land one Cocoon on the carry and burst them.
- Peel for your carry if you can't reach theirs. Cocoon the diving assassin to save your ADC.
- Rappel is your outplay tool. Use it to dodge critical abilities (Karthus R, Zed R, etc.).
- Splitpush with your team on Baron. Pick anyone who comes alone with Cocoon.
- If very behind, play full utility — Cocoon spam and vision control.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Elise
Elise is not a traditional teamfighter. She's a pick champion who catches one person with Cocoon and bursts them. In full 5v5s, she feels weak.
1
Pre-Fight — Fish for Cocoon
Before engage
01
Stay in fog of war and throw Cocoons from the side.
02
One landed Cocoon = a dead carry. Don't engage without it.
03
Wait for your frontline to engage first. You follow up, you don't initiate.
Never walk into 5 people hoping to land Cocoon. You'll die before the stun animation finishes.
2
Burst — Full Combo on the Stunned Target
Assassination
01
Cocoon → Human Q → W → R → Spider Q → W. Full combo in under 1.5 seconds.
02
If target survives, auto in spider form. Spiderlings add DPS.
03
Rappel immediately after the kill to drop aggro and reposition.
3
Escape — Rappel Out
After burst
01
Rappel after the kill. Target a minion or jungle camp to escape.
02
Switch to human form for more Cocoons if the fight continues.
03
Peel with Cocoon for your carry if needed.
Rappel can target any enemy unit. In jungle fights near camps, Rappel to a jungle monster to escape over walls.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Elise.
Basic
Combo Order
Always start in Human form: Q → W → E (Cocoon) → R → Spider Q → W → Autos. Human form does %current HP, Spider Q does %missing HP. Order matters.
Advanced
Tower Dive Rappel
After bursting under tower, immediately Rappel. It drops tower aggro completely. Time it before the lethal tower shot.
Intermediate
Cocoon Through Minions
Cocoon is a skillshot that stops on the first target hit. Angle your Cocoons from the side to avoid minion block.
Basic
Spiderling Camp Tank
Start camps in Spider form so spiderlings tank the damage. Switch to Human for abilities, then back to Spider.
Advanced
Rappel Timing
Rappel has a brief untargetable window at the start. Use it to dodge critical abilities like Karthus R or Caitlyn R.
Intermediate
Close the Game Early
Elise falls off hard after 25 minutes. If you're ahead, force Baron and end. Don't let the game drag.
Advanced
Flash Cocoon
Flash → Cocoon catches enemies completely off-guard. The stun lands before they can react. Use for guaranteed kills on priority targets.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Elise struggles against tanks who survive her burst and late-scaling champions who outscale her. She excels against squishy, immobile junglers.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Udyr's tankiness absorbs your burst and his stun trades back harder. He clears faster and outscales you.
Avoid 1v1. Outgank him — your ganks are better than his. Win through lane pressure.
Warwick's sustain heals through your burst. His R suppresses you before you can Rappel. He wins every extended trade.
Don't fight him alone. Gank lanes he's not near. Counter-jungle when he shows on the map.
Rammus is too tanky for your burst. Thornmail reflects your spider form autos. He just rolls away from your Cocoon.
Ignore Rammus. Gank his laners and win through map pressure. He can't match your gank speed.
Wins Against
Karthus has no escape from Cocoon. You invade and kill him freely. Rappel dodges his R.
Invade at level 3. Kill him on repeat. He's a free kill every time you find him.
Evelynn is weak pre-6 and you dominate early. Invade her camps and kill her repeatedly before she can scale.
Track her camps and invade constantly. She can't fight you at any point in the early game.
Amumu's slow clear and weak early game make him a free target. Cocoon + burst kills him in his own jungle.
Steal his camps after killing him. Deny his scaling. Force the game to end before he's useful.