Nidalee is the most skill-intensive jungler. She dominates the early game with spear snipes and cougar form burst, then falls off hard late. You need to snowball lanes and close the game before 25 minutes. Miss spears, lose the game.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Prowl
Passive
Moving through brush increases Nidalee's Move Speed by 10% for 2 seconds, increased to 30% toward visible enemy champions within 1400 range.Hitting champions or monsters with Javelin Toss or Bushwhack triggers a Hunt, granting True Sight of them for 4 seconds. During this time, Nidalee gains 10% Move Speed (increased to 30% toward the Hunted target) and her Takedown and Pounce are enhanced against them.
Prowl: moving through brush gives MS. Hitting a champion with Human Q/W marks them as Hunted — cougar abilities deal bonus damage to Hunted targets.
Q
Javelin Toss / Takedown
Skillshot · Execute (Cougar)
In human form, Nidalee throws a spiked javelin at her target that gains damage as it flies. As a cougar, her next attack will attempt to fatally wound her target, dealing more damage the less life they have.
CD: 6 · Cost: 50/55/60/65/70
Human Q: spear skillshot. Max range deals massive damage. Cougar Q: pounce execute — deals more damage to low HP + Hunted targets.
W
Bushwhack / Pounce
Trap · Dash (Cougar)
In human form, Nidalee lays a trap for unwary opponents that, when sprung, damages and reveals its target. As a cougar, she jumps in a direction, dealing damage in an area where she lands.
CD: 13/12/11/10/9 · Cost: 30/35/40/45/50
Human W: trap that marks targets as Hunted. Cougar W: pounce dash. Pounce resets on Hunted kill.
E
Primal Surge / Swipe
Heal · AS Buff (Cougar)
In human form, Nidalee channels the spirit of the cougar to heal her allies and imbue them with Attack Speed for a short duration. As a cougar, she claws in a direction, dealing damage to enemies in front of her.
CD: 12 · Cost: 50/55/60/65/70
Human E: heals ally and gives AS buff. Cougar E: swipe AoE damage.
R
Aspect Of The Cougar
Transform · Toggle
Nidalee transforms into a cougar, gaining new abilities.
CD: 3 · Cost: 0
Toggle between human and cougar forms freely. Combo: Human Q → W → R → Cougar W → E → Q.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then E (human heal), then W · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Q — spear damage | ||||
| 2 | Take W — trap + cougar pounce | ||||
| 3 | Take E — heal + cougar swipe | ||||
| 4 | Level Q | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R transform at level 1 — cougar from start | ||||
| 7 | Level Q | ||||
| 8 | Level E (heal) | ||||
| 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
Gustwalker Smite
MS for roaming between ganks.
450g
Amplifying Tome
AP for spear damage.
435g
Core Build
Hextech Rocketbelt
Dash closes gap for cougar Q execute. Magic pen for spear damage.
2600g
Sorcerer's Shoes
Magic pen stacking.
1100g
Lich Bane
Sheen proc on cougar Q for massive execute burst.
3000g
Rabadon's Deathcap
AP multiplier. Spears start one-shotting.
3600g
Situational
Zhonya's Hourglass
Stasis after diving in cougar form.
3250g
Void Staff
40% magic pen vs MR.
2800g
Cosmic Drive
CDR + MS for kiting and spear spam.
3000g
Rocketbelt → Lich Bane → Deathcap. Hit a spear, cougar in, execute. If you miss spears, you're useless.
Runes
Domination Primary
Electrocute
Spear + cougar W + Q procs instantly for massive burst.
Sudden Impact
Magic pen after cougar W pounce.
Eyeball Collection
Free AP.
Relentless Hunter
Out-of-combat MS for roaming.
Sorcery Secondary
Absolute Focus
Bonus AP above 70% HP. You're usually full HP when throwing spears.
Waterwalking
MS + AP in river for scuttle fights and roaming.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Nidalee
01
Early Game
Fastest Clear, Constant Ganks
- Start Red → Raptors → Wolves → Blue → Gromp → Scuttle. Your clear speed is the fastest in the game (~3:00).
- Cougar form auto-reset: auto → cougar Q immediately for a double hit. Use on every camp.
- Level 3 ganks with a landed spear are lethal. Spear → R → Cougar W → E → Q execute.
- Invade constantly. You win every 1v1 early if you land the spear. Miss the spear, walk away.
- Place traps (W) in high-traffic areas. They provide vision and mark targets as Hunted.
02
Mid Game
Snowball or Struggle
- If you're ahead, keep invading and diving. Nidalee snowballs harder than almost any champion.
- If behind, you're a heal bot. Human E heals allies and gives attack speed. Support your carry.
- Spear from fog of war for max surprise damage. Max range spears deal nearly 70% HP to squishies.
- Cougar W pounce resets on Hunted kills. Chain kill marked targets for infinite pounce resets.
- Use Human E heal on your ADC in fights. The AS steroid is significant.
03
Late Game
Poke and Heal — You're a Support Now
- You fall off HARD. Your burst can't one-shot anyone with defensive items.
- Play as a poke champion. Throw spears from max range and heal your carry.
- Don't cougar-dive into the enemy team unless someone is at 20% HP. You'll die instantly.
- Use traps for vision around objectives. Free wards in every bush.
- If you're behind, play full support — heal, AS buff, spear poke. Don't try to assassinate.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Nidalee
Nidalee doesn't teamfight well. She pokes with spears, heals allies, and only cougar-dives confirmed kills. She's a skirmisher, not a team fighter.
1
Poke — Spears from Max Range
Before fight
01
Throw spears from fog of war. Max range = max damage.
02
Don't cougar in yet. Stay in human form and poke.
03
Heal your carry with E. The AS steroid helps them DPS.
Missing every spear makes you useless. Practice spear accuracy in tool — it's your ONLY teamfight contribution.
2
Execute — Cougar on Hunted Targets
Confirmed kills only
01
Only cougar-dive if the target is below 30% HP.
02
R → W → E → Q execute. Pounce resets on kill.
03
Get out immediately. You're squishy in cougar form.
3
Support — Heal and Poke
Extended fight
01
Human E heal your carry between spears.
02
Place traps in retreat paths to slow chasers.
03
Keep throwing spears. One lucky spear can swing the fight.
Spear damage scales with distance traveled. Throw from max range — close-range spears deal pathetic damage.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Nidalee.
Basic
Spear Distance
Spear damage increases with distance. Max-range spears deal MUCH more damage than close-range ones. Always throw from far away.
Advanced
Auto-Cancel in Cougar
In cougar form, auto → Q immediately for a double hit. This is an auto-attack reset that dramatically increases your burst.
Intermediate
Hunted Mechanic
Spear and trap mark targets as Hunted. Cougar abilities deal bonus damage to Hunted targets. Always land a spear before cougar diving.
Basic
E Heal + AS
Human E heals and gives attack speed. Use it on your ADC in fights. The AS steroid is significant.
Advanced
Pounce Reset
Cougar W pounce resets on Hunted target kills. Chain kills with spear → pounce → kill → pounce → kill.
Intermediate
Close Early
Nidalee falls off a cliff after 25 minutes. If you're ahead, force objectives and end. Don't let the game go late.
Advanced
Wall Hops
Cougar W can hop over thin walls. Practice which walls you can hop in tool — it's essential for escapes and surprise engages.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Nidalee struggles against tanky champions who absorb spears and scaling junglers who outvalue her late. She excels against squishy, slow junglers she can invade and bully.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Rammus is too tanky for your burst. Spears bounce off him and he rolls you down in cougar form.
Don't fight Rammus. Focus on killing his squishy laners with spears.
Udyr's tankiness and sustained damage outlast your burst combo. He runs you down.
Kite with spears. Don't cougar-dive him. Only fight if spear lands at max range.
Warwick sustains through your burst and his R suppression catches you in cougar form.
Avoid 1v1. His damage reduction on E negates your burst. Focus on outganking him.
Wins Against
Karthus is the ultimate Nidalee target. No mobility, no escape. Spear → cougar = free kill every time.
Invade on repeat. He can never escape your combo. Kill him at every opportunity.
Evelynn pre-6 is helpless. You invade and kill her in her own jungle repeatedly.
Live in her jungle. She can't fight back. Track and kill on cooldown.
Amumu's slow clear lets you steal his camps and kill him freely. He can't fight your burst.
Invade at level 3. Spear + cougar combo kills him instantly. Repeat.