Wild Rift Nidalee Guide: Best Build, Runes and Gameplay Tips

Story Highlights

Nidalee is the latest Assassin champion to join the Rift.
She’s capable of freely switching between Human and Cougar Form on the battlefield
Her Human form is best for poking, while her Cougar Form is for aggressive engages.

Nidalee is a new Assassin champion added to League of Legends: Wild Rift. She’s a strong jungler who can safely attack enemies from a distance in her Human form, then quickly switch to Cougar form to deliver a powerful, close-range attack. This guide will cover everything you need to know about Nidalee in Wild Rift, including her abilities, optimal builds, and helpful strategies to give you an edge in the game.

Wild Rift Nidalee Guide: Skill Analysis

Passive: Prowl

Nidalee starts with a rank in Aspect of the Cougar.

Queen of the Jungle: Gains 15% Movement Speed in brush, increased to 30% while moving toward enemy champions. This bonus persists for 2 seconds after leaving the brush.
Hunter’s Mark: Hitting champions or monsters with Javelin Toss or Bushwhack marks them as Hunted for 4 seconds. While an enemy is Hunted, they are revealed and Nidalee gains 15% Movement Speed; it is increased to 30% while moving toward the Hunted enemy. The two Movement Speed bonuses stack, with a total cap of 30.

Skill 1: Javelin Toss/Cougar

Javelin Toss: In human form, Nidalee throws a spiked javelin at her target that gains damage as it flies.
Cougar: As a cougar, she grabs her opponent by the throat and attempts to bring them down, dealing more damage depending on how wounded the target is.

Skill 2: Bushwhack/Pounce

Bushwhack: Places an invisible trap for 10 seconds. When an enemy walks over it, they are revealed, receiving some magic damage over 4 seconds. Do note that only 4 traps can be active at once.
Pounce: Pounces toward a target location, dealing magic damage to enemies in the area she lands. Killing an enemy in Cougar Form or using this ability on a Hunted target reduces its cooldown to 1.75 seconds.

Skill 3: Primal Surge/Swipe

Primal Surge: In human form, Nidalee channels the spirit of the cougar to heal her allies and infuse them with attack speed for a short duration.
Swipe: As a cougar, Nidalee rapidly claws enemies in front of her.

Ultimate ability: Aspect of the Cougar

Passive ability

While in Human Form, applying Hunted refreshes this ability’s cooldown.
While in Cougar Form, Nidalee’s basic ability damage scales with this ability’s level, and she gains bonus Armour and Magic Resist.

Active ability

Human Form: Transforms into Cougar Form, gaining melee attacks and replacing her active abilities.
Cougar Form: Transforms into Human Form, gaining ranged attacks and replacing her active abilities.

Skill-up method for Nidalee

Focus on improving Skill 1 first, as it makes getting resources and safely attacking enemies much easier. Next, upgrade Skill 3 to move around more quickly and deal more damage. After that, work on Skill 2. Whenever you can, unlock and upgrade your ultimate ability.

Best Runes and Spells for Nidalee in Wild Rift

Nidalee is a strong pick for the Jungle role because she’s skilled at moving between lanes and quickly eliminating enemy champions.

Best Rune Setup for Nidalee

Okay, so when I’m building Nidalee, I really focus on runes that let me quickly burst down enemies and then keep winning. Basically, I want to get ahead early and stay ahead all the way to the late game, turning her into a real assassin. Here’s what I usually pick to make her perform her best in Summoner’s Rift.

Dark Harvest: Amplifies Nidalee’s burst by stacking bonus damage on low-health enemies, ideal for cleaning up fights.
Sudden Impact: Boosts magic penetration after using Pounce, enhancing her follow-up damage.
Chain Assault: This Rune synergises well with your passive Hunter’s Mark, as it deals bonus damage to marked enemies.
Eyeball Collection: Grants bonus AP for every takedown, enhancing Nidalee’s snowball potential.
Coup de Grace: Deals extra damage to low-health targets.

Battle Spells

The best battle spells for Nidalee on the Rift include:

Smite: This battle Spell is highly recommended when playing Nidalee as a Jungler. It grants her an edge over Jungle monsters, allowing her to secure Jungle objectives easily.
Flash: This spell aids in quick repositioning during teamfights.

Best Builds for Nidalee in Wild Rift

Nidalee is built to deliver quick, powerful attacks, stay alive in fights, and move around the map quickly, making her a dangerous assassin. The items she uses improve her ability to switch between her two forms, increasing her long-range damage in Human Form and her close-combat power in Cougar Form. Here’s a look at her best item choices:

Boots of Mana: Provides mana and bonus Magic Pen, allowing Nidalee to spam her abilities more during Jungle clears.
Lich Bane: Perfect for Quick combos as it boosts each follow-up attack after using a skill.
Yordle Infinity Orb: Grants burst potential against low-health targets and valuable magic penetration.
Rabadon’s deathcap: Provides a massive increase to your Ability Power, amplifying all your damage.
Crown of the Shattered Queen: Boosts Nidalee’s survivability, reducing risk in close-ranged fights.
Riftmaker: Greatly boosts Nidalee’s sustain and damage potential, allowing her to be very dominant in prolonged teamfights.

Wild Rift Nidalee Guide: Gameplay Tips

Nidalee is a nimble Assassin champion in League of Legends known for her quick movements, long-range attacks, and ability to transform between a human and cougar form. This guide will cover how to play Nidalee effectively throughout the early, mid, and late stages of a match, helping you master this versatile champion.

Early Game

Nidalee is very strong early in the game thanks to her quick jungle clearing and ability to move around the map easily. Focus on killing jungle monsters, and use her Bushwhack ability to explore and gain vision of the map. Prioritize clearing the jungle quickly and look for chances to attack enemies from a distance with Javelin Toss, which deals significant damage and applies Hunter’s Mark.

A good path for clearing jungle camps is Red Brambleback, Raptors, Wolves, Blue Buff, and then Scuttle Crab. This order helps you level up quickly, earn gold, and protect your buffs from enemy players. Nidalee’s passive ability, Prowl, lets her move rapidly between jungle areas, making it easier to get early Scuttle Crabs and quickly apply pressure to the lanes.

Don’t hold onto your Summoner Spell, Smite, for too long. Use it to quickly kill powerful jungle monsters, especially if an enemy player is trying to take them as well. It’s also a good idea to focus on getting the Rift Herald, because the advantages it gives your team are very helpful. Here’s a skill combination that can help you succeed early in the game:

Skill 1 → Ult (Cougar Form)→ Skill 2 → Skill 1 → Skill 3 → Ult

Nidalee’s powerful ultimate ability is unlocked at the very beginning of the game, allowing her to play aggressively and effectively from the start. This lets her quickly switch between her forms to clear minion waves faster and launch early, impactful attacks on other players.

Mid Game

As the game progresses, Nidalee excels at moving quickly around the map and controlling large areas. Use her Javelin Toss to mark enemies, then transform into her cougar form and use Pounce to chase them down and deal significant damage.

Always reset the cooldown on your Pounce ability. This allows you to relentlessly pursue Hunted enemies, making you very strong in smaller fights, especially in the jungle. During team battles, use Primal Surge to help your team stay alive while taking objectives like Rift Herald or Elder Dragon.

Nidalee’s quick movement and ability to see hidden traps let you move around the map and surprise vulnerable enemies. As the game progresses, she excels at controlling the map, moving rapidly, and picking fights carefully. Here’s a strong combo to use with Nidalee when the game reaches its later stages:

Skill 2 → Skill 1 → Ult (Cougar Form) → Skill 2 → Skill 1 → Skill 3 → Basic attacks

Late Game

Where Nidalee stands during a team fight is crucial. Later in the game, she becomes a strong source of damage. She excels at staying at a safe distance, using Javelin Toss to weaken important enemies, then shifting into her cougar form to finish them off.

Nidalee excels at lowering enemies’ health and then quickly eliminating them when they’re vulnerable. She’s most effective when played from a safe distance, using her agility, range, and ability to change forms to outmaneuver opponents and secure kills. Let’s take a look at who counters Nidalee well, as well as her key strengths and weaknesses.

Champions that counter Nidalee	Champions that Nidalee is strong against
Rengar	Gragas
Evelynn	Fiddlesticks
Zed	Amumu

Final Thoughts

2025-10-24 11:13