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Community rank
#–
of 63 champions
Where players rank Nidalee on the community tier list. One vote per account.
– net score
Classic loadouts
Builds for Nidalee
View build
Abilities
P
Prowl
Moving through brush increases Nidalee's Movement Speed by 15% for 2 seconds.
Q
Javelin Toss / Takedown
Human: Nidalee tosses her javelin, dealing between ([ 55 / 95 / 140 / 185 / 230 ] +65%) and ([ 137.5 / 237.5 / 350 / 462.5 / 575 ] +162.5%) magic damage on impact based on how far Nidalee is away from the target. Cougar: Nidalee's next attack deals ([ 40 / 70 / 100 ]x[R:0-3] +100%) physical damage, and the damage is increased against wounded targets (up to 300% total damage).
55 / 95 / 140 / 185 / 230137.5 / 237.5 / 350 / 462.5 / 57540 / 70 / 100xR:0-3+65%+162.5%+100%
W
Bushwhack / Pounce
Human: Nidalee lays a trap that deals ([ 80 / 125 / 170 / 215 / 260 ] +40%) magic damage over 2 seconds, reveals the target, and reduces their Armor and Magic Resist by [ 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 ]% for 12 seconds. Traps last for 4 minutes. Cougar: Nidalee lunges forward, dealing ([ 10 / 125 / 175 / 225 ]x[R:0-3] +40%) magic damage to surrounding enemies.
80 / 125 / 170 / 215 / 26010 / 125 / 175 / 225xR:0-3+40% AP
E
Primal Surge / Swipe
Human: Nidalee heals an allied champion for ([ 50 / 85 / 120 / 155 / 190 ] +70%) and grants them [ 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 ]% Attack Speed for 7 seconds. Cougar: Nidalee claws at enemies in front of her, dealing ([ 10 / 150 / 225 / 300 ]x[R:0-3] +60%) magic damage.
50 / 85 / 120 / 155 / 19010 / 150 / 225 / 300+70% AP
R
Aspect Of The Cougar
Ultimate
Human: Nidalee transforms into a vicious cougar, gaining 20 Movement Speed, and her basic abilities become Takedown, Pounce, and Swipe. Cougar: Nidalee transforms back into human form.
How Nidalee plays
Editorial Reading of the kit above, not a sourced claim - the numbers inside it were checked against the client before publishing.
Nidalee is really two champions stitched together, and Aspect of the Cougar is the seam. In human form she plays a poke game from range, Javelin Toss dealing more damage the farther it travels, which rewards good spacing and punishes anyone who walks straight at her. Bushwhack lays a trap that reveals and shreds resistances, useful for scouting brush or setting up a fight before it starts. Once she transforms, the same button becomes Takedown, a close range execute that hits much harder against wounded targets, and Pounce turns Bushwhack into a gap closer instead. Primal Surge heals an ally at range, or as Swipe becomes a straightforward cleave once she's in cougar form. Prowl passively speeds her up in brush, which fits her whole playstyle of poking, ducking into cover, and reengaging on her own terms. Deciding when to transform is the whole skill of playing her, since committing to cougar form too early gives up her range advantage.
Counters & matchups
Strong against
Weak against
Plays well with
Javelin Toss pokes down immobile mid mages and kited top laners; sticky duelists (Jax) and burst gap-closers (Kassadin, Lee Sin) catch Cougar form before traps grant escape.
"In lane" means both champions are played in the same role in Classic; "across the map" represents cross-lane dynamics (e.g. jungler ganks, roaming supports). All matchups evaluated strictly within the 63 Classic launch champions.
What Nidalee's kit scales with
Read from Nidalee's ability text.
Resource
ManaMana and mana regen apply
Range
Ranged525 units
Ability ratios
W
Bushwhack / Pounce
E
Primal Surge / Swipe
Skins · 7
Catalog and art read directly from the client files (build 18848366a9cb) - exactly the skins the client lists for Nidalee, including the Classic throwback skins with their era models. © Riot Games.
Historical Context & Version
Classic Client State
Patch 3.8 (Classic PBE)Nidalee features her pre-rework siege kit, spears that hurt from a very long way off, and a heal that scales hard with AP.
- Javelin Toss (Q): Scales up to 162% AP at maximum range, capable of chunking or one-shotting fragile champions.
- Primal Surge (E): Restores health with a 70% AP ratio and grants up to 60% Attack Speed.
- Aspect of the Cougar (R): Cougar form abilities have no mana cost and scale primarily with AP and AD (lacks the Hunt mechanic).
Era Patch History
Patch 4.10 (June 2014)
Gameplay Update
Nidalee received a major gameplay update. Spear damage and width were reduced, and the 'Hunt' mechanic was introduced, converting her from a siege mage to a skirmisher.
Modern vs Classic · 7 tracked changes
Nidalee
Base Health
610
460
Health per level
109
90
Base Mana
295
265
Base Attack Damage
58
52.5
Base Armor
32
18.5
Armor per level
5
3.5
Base Attack Speed
0.638
0.67
Classic: the Classic client's files · Today: patch 16.14.1.