Karthus is a power-farming mage jungler whose entire identity is R — Requiem. Farm fast, watch the map, R when enemies are low. He has the highest damage output of any jungler in the late game.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Death Defied
Passive
Upon dying, Karthus enters a spirit form that allows him to continue casting spells.
Death Defied — you stay alive for 7 seconds after dying, casting freely with no mana cost. Die in the middle of the enemy team for max passive value.
Q
Lay Waste
AoE · Skillshot · Spam
Karthus unleashes a delayed blast at a location, dealing damage to nearby enemies. Deals increased damage to isolated enemies.
CD: 0 · Cost: 20/25/30/35/40
Q deals DOUBLE damage if it hits only one target. On camps, position so Q isolates the large monster. In fights, aim at lone targets.
W
Wall of Pain
Zone · Slow · MR Shred
Karthus creates a passable screen of leeching energy. Any enemy units that walk through the screen have their Move Speed and Magic Resist reduced for a period.
CD: 15 · Cost: 70
W slows and shreds MR. Place it on top of enemies before Q-spamming them for amplified damage.
E
Defile
Toggle · AoE · Drain
Karthus passively steals energy from his victims, gaining Mana on each kill. Alternatively, Karthus can surround himself in the souls of his prey, dealing damage to nearby enemies, but quickly draining his own Mana.
CD: 0.5 · Cost: 30/42/54/66/78
E toggled on deals AoE damage around you and drains mana. Toggle it on in camps and fights, off when walking.
R
Requiem
Global · Channel · Damage
After channeling for 3 seconds, Karthus deals damage to all enemy champions.
CD: 200/180/160 · Cost: 100
R channels for 3 seconds then hits ALL enemy champions globally. Track enemy HP bars — R when multiple enemies are low.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then E, then W · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Q — isolated damage for clear | ||||
| 2 | Take E — AoE toggle | ||||
| 3 | Level Q | ||||
| 4 | Take W — slow + MR shred | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R — Requiem global | ||||
| 7 | Level Q | ||||
| 8 | Level E | ||||
| 9 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level E | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level E | ||||
| 13 | Level E | ||||
| 14 | E maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level W | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level W | ||||
| 18 | W maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter Items
Scorchclaw Smite
Burn adds damage to R and clear.
450g
Amplifying Tome
AP for clear.
435g
Core Build
Malignance
Ultimate CDR. More R casts = more global pressure.
2700g
Sorcerer's Shoes
Magic pen for R and Q damage.
1100g
Rabadon's Deathcap
Massive AP multiplier. R damage becomes lethal.
3600g
Void Staff
40% magic pen. Ensures R kills through MR.
2800g
Situational
Zhonya's Hourglass
Stasis during passive — keeps you alive longer to Q spam in death.
3250g
Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Q and E slow enemies. They can never escape your AoE.
2600g
Banshee's Veil
Spell shield prevents R channel interruption.
2600g
Malignance → Deathcap → Void Staff. Maximize R damage and uptime.
Runes
Domination Primary
Dark Harvest
R hits all 5 enemies — Dark Harvest procs on each low-HP target for execute damage.
Cheap Shot
Bonus damage on W-slowed targets.
Eyeball Collection
Free AP.
Ultimate Hunter
Lower R cooldown. More Requiems = more global pressure.
Precision Secondary
Presence of Mind
Mana regen on takedown. E toggle drains mana fast.
Last Stand
Bonus damage when low HP — you deal more damage during your death passive.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Karthus
01
Early Game
Power Farm to 6
- Start Raptors → Red → Krugs → Wolves → Blue → Gromp. One of the fastest full clears in the game (3:05-3:15).
- Q deals double damage to isolated targets. Position so only the large monster is in the Q circle.
- Do NOT gank pre-6. You have no gap close, no CC (except W slow), and no escape. Just farm.
- If invaded, Q them while running away. You win extended trades with E toggle + Q spam but lose burst fights.
- Track enemy HP bars globally. At level 6, R secures kills your laners couldn't finish.
02
Mid Game
R to Win Lanes, Farm Constantly
- R is your ganking tool. You don't walk to lanes — you farm and press R when enemies are low.
- After R, immediately go back to farming. Your clear speed means you should never have empty camps.
- In fights, toggle E on and walk into the enemy team. Q spam while alive, then die and Q spam for 7 more seconds.
- W before Q combos for the MR shred. W + Q isolated deals massive damage.
- Buy Dark Seal early if getting R kills. Karthus stacks Mejai's safely from across the map.
03
Late Game
Highest Damage in the Game
- You deal the most damage of any champion in the game at full build. R alone can half-health the entire enemy team.
- In teamfights, walk into the middle of the enemy team, toggle E, spam Q, and die. Your passive keeps you dealing damage for 7 seconds after death.
- Zhonya's during passive keeps you 'alive' even longer. Die → passive → Zhonya's → continue Q spamming.
- R after you die in a fight. Passive + R together deals catastrophic damage to any surviving enemies.
- Track enemy stopwatch/Zhonya's/Banshee's/Edge of Night cooldowns before R. These block your ult.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Karthus
Karthus fights by walking into the enemy team, dying, and dealing damage from beyond the grave. His passive makes death a feature, not a failure.
1
Walk In — Toggle E, Spam Q
Suicide engage
01
Walk into the enemy team. Yes, intentionally.
02
Toggle E on for constant AoE damage.
03
Spam Q on isolated targets for double damage.
Don't run away. You WANT to die in the middle of the enemy team. Your passive is your strongest teamfight tool.
2
Death — Passive Q Spam
After dying
01
You're dead but still casting. 7 seconds of free, no-mana-cost Q spam.
02
W the cluster for MR shred.
03
Q isolated targets for maximum damage.
3
Requiem — R to Finish
Global cleanup
01
R during passive for guaranteed channel (you can't be interrupted while dead).
02
R hits all 5 enemies. Anyone low from the fight dies.
03
Dark Harvest procs on each low-HP target for execute damage.
R channel can't be interrupted during passive. Die first, THEN R for a guaranteed full channel.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Karthus.
Basic
Q Isolated Damage
Q deals DOUBLE damage if only one target is in the circle. On camps, only hit the large monster. In fights, aim at isolated champions.
Intermediate
R Timing
Watch ALL lanes constantly. R when 2+ enemies are below 30% HP. Getting a double kill with R swings the entire game.
Advanced
Die in the Right Spot
Position your death in the middle of the enemy team. Your passive Q spam from the center covers the most area.
Basic
E Toggle Management
E drains mana while toggled. Turn it off between camps and while walking. Only toggle on during combat.
Intermediate
R Blockers
Track items that block R: Zhonya's, Banshee's, Edge of Night, Stopwatch. Don't R if the kill target has one of these up.
Advanced
Passive R Combo
Die → passive → spam Q for 4 seconds → R during final 3 seconds of passive. R can't be interrupted while you're dead.
Basic
Fast Clear
Karthus has one of the fastest full clears. Always be farming. Empty camps = lost gold. Clear everything on cooldown.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Karthus struggles against invading junglers who kill him in his own jungle and champions with R-blocking abilities. He excels when left alone to farm.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Lee Sin invades you at level 3 and kills you instantly. You have no escape and no dueling power.
Ward everything. Run immediately if he invades. You outscale massively — just survive.
Kha'Zix's isolation damage one-shots you. He invades freely and you can't fight back.
Ward your jungle. Farm in groups of camps. Never be alone in your jungle.
Rengar's burst from stealth kills you before you can even toggle E. His R makes you permanently unsafe.
Stay near teammates. Buy Zhonya's early vs Rengar. He can't one-shot through stasis.
Wins Against
Amumu doesn't invade and can't match your farming speed. You outscale him in damage.
Free farm. Your late game damage dwarfs his. Just don't get caught by his R.
Sejuani clears slowly and doesn't threaten you. You outfarm and outscale.
Farm everything. You'll have a full item lead by 15 minutes.
Ivern has no kill pressure on you. His shields slow your damage but can't stop your R.
Farm freely. R through his shields — your damage output overwhelms enchanter heals.