Champion Guide

Nautilus Guide

By LoLSuggest

Support

Nautilus is a tank support with some of the most reliable crowd control in the game. Dredge Line hooks an enemy and pulls them together with him, Staggering Blow roots the first champion he attacks, Titan's Wrath shields him and makes his attacks deal area damage, Riptide sends out waves that damage and slow, and Depth Charge is a targeted shockwave that knocks up its target and everyone in its path. He is an easy-to-play playmaker who sets up kills for aggressive ADCs and starts teamfights.

Recommended Setup

Our recommended Nautilus build

Our recommended runes, summoner spells and items. Compare build win rates on the stats page.

Items

Starting Items

Core Items

Situational Items

Start World Atlas and a Health Potion, and buy Winged Moonplate and a Control Ward on your first back. Finish the support quest into Celestial Opposition, then build Plated Steelcaps, Protoplasm Harness and Locket of the Iron Solari, with Kaenic Rookern and Jak'Sho, The Protean to complete the usual late-game build. Against heavy magic damage, take Mercury's Treads and add Abyssal Mask, Kaenic Rookern, Spirit Visage or Hollow Radiance; against physical damage add Randuin's Omen and Sunfire Aegis against critical strikes, or Frozen Heart against attack speed. Knight's Vow suits a fed ADC, Thornmail cuts enemy healing, and Zeke's Convergence is another team option. Run Aftershock with Shield Bash, Bone Plating and Unflinching, plus Hextech Flashtraption and Cosmic Insight for playmaking; Conditioning and Overgrowth with Biscuit Delivery make a tankier page. Take Flash with Exhaust against burst, Ignite for kill pressure, or Heal otherwise. Max Q, then W, then E.

Runes

Primary Tree

Secondary Tree

Summoner Spells

Skill Max Order

Strengths

Hard crowd control from Dredge Line, Staggering Blow and a point-and-click Depth Charge.
Very durable thanks to Titan's Wrath and tank items, and he shuts down enemy all-ins.
Excellent with aggressive ADCs who follow up on his engages.

Weaknesses

Needs damage and follow-up from his team; a bad engage can get him killed.
No mobility, so a failed engage or a 1v3 ambush is hard to escape.
Struggles against ranged poke and disengage supports.

Laning Phase

Nautilus has big crowd control and solid base damage early, which makes him one of the most threatening engage supports. Start trades with Dredge Line, which pulls you and your target together, then attack immediately to trigger Staggering Blow's root and give your ADC a free window. Cast Titan's Wrath right after an attack to reset your attack timer and absorb the return damage, then use Riptide so the enemy has to walk through its slowing waves. Hextech Flashtraption lets you Hexflash out of an unwarded brush into a point-blank Dredge Line, especially strong for an early level 2 all-in. Stay in lane early to keep your support quest on schedule, and only roam after crashing the wave into the enemy tower.

Mid & Late Game

From level 6, Depth Charge gives you a nearly point-and-click engage that cannot be cleansed, which is perfect for skirmishes and ganks with your jungler. In the mid game, roam with your jungler to secure vision and pick off isolated targets. In teamfights either start the fight with Depth Charge or stand next to your carries and peel with Staggering Blow and Riptide; attacking different enemies roots each of them once. Around dragon, Rift Herald and Baron, hold choke points to deny vision, use Titan's Wrath to absorb poke and Riptide to slow anyone trying to steal the objective.

Key Tips

Dredge Line pulls you to terrain if it hits a wall, so you can use it to cross walls and escape.
Staggering Blow roots each enemy champion separately, so attack different targets in a fight.
Cast Titan's Wrath right after an attack to reset your attack timer.
Use Depth Charge on a backline target so it knocks up everyone standing in its path.

Matchups

Matchups and synergies

Our picks for difficult opponents, favorable lanes and strong allies. Compare matchup win rates on the stats page.