Heartsteel Nilah Build

Heartsteel Nilah Build.

Heartsteel Nilah build with runes and items. Heartsteel Nilah guide offers in-depth how-to play, skill order and tips. Play Heartsteel Nilah build in League of Legends Patch 26.2!

Author: Wrekah

TLDR

Starting items
Giant's Belt should be final item in your build.
Ruby Crystal should be final item in your build.
Quick Skill Order
Nilah ability Formless Blade should be leveled first.
Q
Nilah ability Jubilant Veil should be leveled second.
W
Nilah ability Slipstream should be leveled third.
E
Final items
Plated Steelcaps should be final item in your build.
Heartsteel should be final item in your build.
Overlord's Bloodmail should be final item in your build.
Warmog's Armor should be final item in your build.
Thornmail should be final item in your build.
Kaenic Rookern should be final item in your build.
Quick Runes
Major rune Grasp of the Undying from Resolve tree.
Minor rune Precision.
Summoner spells
Pick Mark as your Summoner Spell.
Pick Flash as your Summoner Spell.

Heartsteel Nilah Runes

Resolve
Resolve major tree Grasp of the Undying rune.
Resolve major tree Aftershock rune.
Resolve major tree Guardian rune.
Resolve major tree Demolish rune.
Resolve major tree Font of Life rune.
Resolve major tree Shield Bash rune.
Resolve major tree Conditioning rune.
Resolve major tree Second Wind rune.
Resolve major tree Bone Plating rune.
Resolve major tree Overgrowth rune.
Resolve major tree Revitalize rune.
Resolve major tree Unflinching rune.
Precision
Precision minor tree Absorb Life rune.
Precision minor tree Triumph rune.
Precision minor tree Presence of Mind rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Alacrity rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Haste rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Bloodline rune.
Precision minor tree Coup de Grace rune.
Precision minor tree Cut Down rune.
Precision minor tree Last Stand rune.
Passive
Passive tree Adaptive Force rune (+9 Adaptive Force).
Passive tree Attack Speed rune (+10% Attack Speed).
Passive tree Ability Haste rune (+8 Ability Haste).
Passive tree Adaptive Force rune (+9 Adaptive Force).
Passive tree Move Speed rune (+2 Movement Speed).
Passive tree Health Scaling rune (+10-180 Health (based on level)).
Passive tree Health rune (+65 Health).
Passive tree Tenacity And Slow Resist rune (+10 Tenacity and Slow Resist).
Passive tree Health Scaling rune (+10-180 Health (based on level)).

Optional Summoner Spells

Ghost

Ghost

Ghost for extra mobility and chasing - great for staying on top of enemies and farming more Heartsteel procs.

Exhaust

Exhaust

Defensive option. Exhaust for peeling against enemy divers and assassins and protecting your carries.

Ignite

Ignite

Offensive option if you are feeling spicy. Grievous Wounds + some damage. Good in early fights and you can score some kills, but reduces your going-in potential. Especially later.

Optional Runes

Presence of Mind

Presence of Mind

Triumph is better overall (heal + gold), but if you want to have easier time with your mana, go Presence of Mind.

Demolish

Demolish

If you are into taking objectives, you can consider taking Demolish rune. Usually it is worth it and lets you push turrets quicker. Utility slash team oriented option.

Looking for another tank build? Check this:
TankNilah

How it works

  1. You play Heartsteel Nilah.
  2. You rush Heartsteel #1 and stack as much HP as possible.
  3. You build items that scale and benefit from HP, then add Armor and MR depending on the enemy team.

Playstyle

  1. Rush Heartsteel and get tons of HP. 💪
  2. Auto attack everything to get stacks - your HP depends on it. ⚔️
  3. Adapt your tank items to what the enemy team is throwing at you. 🎯

How to play

Getting started

  1. You rush Heartsteel #1 unless it is going to be hard to proc it - they are all ranged and just poke you. Then you start slow with Guardian's Horn instead.
  2. Guardian's Horn is a surprisingly good item for its price. You can keep it for a very long time (or even have it as 6th item).

Item Order

  1. Item Order after Heartsteel is flexible. You need to see what you need in particular game:
    • Get Overlord's Bloodmail for more damage and AD.
    • Get Warmog's Armor as anti-poke item (helps you stay in lane) and for some sweet HP.
    • Get Unending Despair, if there are prolonged fights in which you can stay near enemies (or enemies near you). The items gets better, the more HP you get.
    • Get various Armor and/or MR items to counter enemy team.
    • Get Titanic Hydra for more fun, more damage and some survivability.

During fights

  1. Your main damage and power comes from auto attacks - Grasp of the Undying and Heartsteel.
  2. This is auto attack oriented Nilah build, so do it! Especially if running with Titanic Hydra or Sundered Sky.
  3. You can prioritize switching between champions in the fight, just to farm more Heartsteel procs.
  4. Remember to consume your Heartsteel procs!

Adapting

  1. You need to adapt your items to the game. Enemy team heavy on AP? Buy MR. They heavy on AD? Buy Armor. You need some damage? Well buy that.
  2. Sundered Sky is very good damage item for this build (as #2-#4 depending on the game). It scales off your HP. It gives damage and pretty good sustain in fights. Remember to switch targets to maximize the effect!
  3. You can use Bandlepipes to give your whole team an attack speed boost whenever you CC enemies. Great synergy with auto attackers.

Runes

  1. Second Wind scales off with your HP, so it is going to be powerful sustain rune. You can use it by purposefully triggering it by letting enemies poke you a little or walking over some harmful spells.
  2. Shield Bash is good rune for this build, since you can proc it reliably.
  3. Triumph is better (heal + gold), but if you want to have easier time with your mana, go Presence of Mind.
  4. Remember to consume your Grasp of the Undying procs!

Skill Order

  • Nilah [object Object] ability.
    Q
    Formless Blade
  • Nilah [object Object] ability.
    W
    Jubilant Veil
  • Nilah [object Object] ability.
    E
    Slipstream
  • Nilah [object Object] ability.
    R
    Apotheosis

Items

Starting items
Giant's Belt item.
Ruby Crystal item.
Starting items vs poke
Guardian's Horn item.
Ruby Crystal item.
Boots
Mercury's Treads item.
Plated Steelcaps item.
Ionian Boots of Lucidity item.
Rush this
Heartsteel item.
Core items
Overlord's Bloodmail item.
Unending Despair item.
Heartsteel item.
Warmog's Armor item.
Dmg items
Additional considerations for these items is advised!
Sundered Sky item.
Wit's End item.
Phantom Dancer item.
Blade of The Ruined King item.
Runaan's Hurricane item.
Titanic Hydra item.
Sterak's Gage item.
Good tank items
Jak'Sho, The Protean item.
Protoplasm Harness item.
Good MR items
Spirit Visage item.
Force of Nature item.
Hollow Radiance item.
Kaenic Rookern item.
Abyssal Mask item.
Good Armor items
Randuin's Omen item.
Dead Man's Plate item.
Thornmail item.
Frozen Heart item.
Sunfire Aegis item.
Unending Despair item.
Iceborn Gauntlet item.
Situational items
Bandlepipes item.
Zeke's Convergence item.
Knight's Vow item.
Trailblazer item.
For the last fight
Additional considerations for these items is advised!
Elixir of Wrath item.
Cappa Juice item.
Elixir of Iron item.
Example final build
Plated Steelcaps item.
Heartsteel item.
Overlord's Bloodmail item.
Warmog's Armor item.
Thornmail item.
Kaenic Rookern item.