League of Legends: Aatrox Jungle (LoL Guide)
With Aatrox, a warlike demon enters the fields of the "League of Legends". With this LoL guide, you guide him through the jungle and grab your enemies when they least expect it.
Aatrox's bloody abilities
With a gap closer, a knock-up, a slow and hellish sustain, Aatrox has everything in its luggage that makes it a real danger in the jungle. His passive skill "Blood Well" can also be maintained perfectly thanks to the constant monster battles. The passive speed bonus gives Aatrox an even higher clear speed. This also makes up for the fact that you pay for attacks with life points.
- "Dark Flight" (Q) lets Aatrox hover briefly before flying towards the target point and throwing all opponents into the air in a small radius around the point of impact. A gank initiated in this way leaves deep wounds because you cheerfully beat your opponent during which he cannot defend himself or flee. However, the range is limited and a clean hit is not guaranteed. Above all, familiarize yourself with the delay in the skill and learn to estimate how your goal will escape. It is usually enough to activate this skill once at level 2 or 4 and then bring it to level 5 as the end.
- "Blood Thirst" and "Blood Price" (W) are two passive effects that you can switch between. At every third stroke you either steal life points and regenerate yourself or you cause particularly deep wounds and do yourself harm. An essential detail is that the healing effect is tripled when Aatrox gets below 50 percent of its maximum life. In the jungle you can open well with "Blood Price" to quickly eliminate your goals. Only when you get close to 50 percent do you switch to "Blood Thirst" to make full use of the bonus. This technique can also be decisive in a duel. But "Blood Price" also costs you some life. Therefore, make sure to change in good time. Be the first to bring this skill to level 5.
- Blades of Torment (E) slows targets and does good damage. However, the magic is a bit difficult to hit, as the target area decreases with increasing distance. That's why the skill is especially useful after you've initiated a duel. If your opponent wants to flee wounded, slow him down with "Blades of Torment" and give him the rest in a relaxed manner. But also with hunting or as an opening for a fight the skill can score with a little practice.
- "Massacre" (R) is Aatrox's ultimate ability and is fully focused on its strengths. With a strong speed bonus you strike much faster. The additional range prevents enemies from escaping with luck. The area damage you cause once when activating the skill can be wonderfully combined with "Dark Flight". Jump between several opponents and ignite "Massacre", then you have almost won - as long as you are not stunned now.
Aatrox's demonic runes
Aatrox can be played both with a focus on pure damage and more defensively. That doesn't make a difference for his jungle runes. Its on-hit effect for additional damage or life robbery benefits from attack speed. Armor is mandatory anyway.
- Sign: Aatrox clearly draws the strongest advantage from attack speed. Although he can increase it himself through his passive ability, every little bit helps in the beginning - especially since the ability bonus has to be activated first. Attack damage, armor penetration, or a combination of both work very well in a classic manner.
- Seal: Since the monsters do good damage in the jungle, there is no real alternative to armor. These runes are also helpful in every situation.
- Glyphs: You don't need magic resistance in the jungle itself, but once you gank the lanes you will enjoy every bit of extra protection. Depending on how safe you feel and especially depending on the opposing team, you take scaling runes or direct bonuses.
- Essences: Additional attack damage improves your clear time in the jungle, but increased movement speed is also a good option if you want to be a greater threat to the lanes.
Defensive or offensive masteries
As a melee champion, Aatrox is in the middle of the battle at all times and receives beating from all sides. At the same time, he can deal enormous damage if he gets the opportunity. You can support both aspects sensibly with masteries by putting 21 points in the offensive or defensive tree or by building a flexible hybrid. As with your equipment, it depends on what role you want to take on the team.
- Offense: In any case, four points in "Fury" are mandatory, since your on-hit effect benefits from the attack speed. If you invest a full 21 points, you will generally follow the obvious AD path, but you can ignore the "Lethality" and "Frenzy" crit bonuses. Instead, the points in "Butcher" are worth it to improve your initial clearing time and reduce the damage you have to take.
- Defense: Additional armor and reduced and reflected monster damage are required, not to mention the smite buff, but a full 21-point build is also worthwhile. Aatrox is extremely susceptible to stuns, so "Tenacious" is particularly worth it because of the reduced duration of CC effects.
- Utility: For the extended buff duration you need 9 points that you can hardly pull off the other trees. Unless you play a 12/9/9 or 9/12/9 hybrid. It can be worth it - especially because of the additional speed of movement. But direct attack and defense bonuses are usually more worthwhile in the beginning.
This equipment makes Aatrox's demon blade even sharper
Despite its excellent lifestyle, Aatrox should not go into the jungle without potions. Counter-jungled the opponent, otherwise it could quickly mean the end. The standard opening for Aatrox is therefore, as for most junglers, a Hunter's machete with medicinal potions. The path below focuses on Aatrox's offensive skills. But it can also shine as off-tank and support. To do this, focus on strong defensive items, team effects and auras such as "Runic's Bulwark".
- After shoes, your first bigger goals are the "Blade of the Ruined King" and "Madred's Razor" or for better defensive options the "Spirit of the Ancient Golem". Both bring you extra life robbery that well balances the blood cost of your skills. That's why you build the "Vampiric Scepter" or a "Bilgewater Cutlass".
- If the opponent has a lot of CC, schedule early "Mercury's Threads". Otherwise, "Ninja Tabi" is worth it for daring kills under the enemy turrets or even "Berserker's Greaves" if you feel very safe and want to take out more damage. Build "Wriggle's Lantern" to further reduce the time in the jungle.
- For more offensive power and more life, include "Bloodthirster", "Black Cleaver" or "Ravenous Hydra". At the same time, "Spirit Visage" is worthwhile to benefit even more from every stolen life.
- If you have problems with a particular opponent, you want to play defensively or you even have to take on the tank role, plan items such as "Hexdrinker / Maw of Malmortius", "Frozen Mallet", "Mercurial Scimitar", "Thornmail" or "Randuin's Omen". For a third life, your passive abilities take on a "Guardian Angel". Exact decisions are of course dependent on the situation.
Summoner Spells
Of course, you can also go into the jungle without the Jungler Spell "Smite", but it makes your life a lot easier. The additional gold that you get from the matching Mastery is not to be sneezed at. The bonus damage increases your clear time enormously and with luck you can even steal a dragon or baron with "Smite". "Flash" is extremely flexible, both offensive and defensive. You've just been here, now you are there - to secure kills, flee over walls and slopes or avoid otherwise deadly "skill shots".
General tips
- The Blood Thirst lifestyle is much stronger if your life points drop below 50 percent. In many situations, it can therefore be worthwhile to do a lot of damage with the bonus damage from "Blood Price" and your other abilities at the cost of your life points, in order to then ignite your Ultimate and switch to Lifesteal - you are back to 100 percent in no time.
- Be careful of stuns. Many enemies can make your Ultimate useless by stunning you when you fire it. Therefore, first provoke the stun, take the damage and then strike back twice.
- Activate "Massacre" only in exceptional cases before jumping on your opponent. AoE damage can make the difference and win duels for you. The combination of the knock-up of "Dark Flight" with the additional damage of "Blood Price" and the attack speed of "Massacre" quickly makes very big holes in your opponents. Even if you are stunned afterwards, it can be enough to dominate the exchange of blows.
If you want to dominate the "League of Legends", you not only have to master your own champion, you also have to know your enemies. The League of Legends Champions app is recommended as a quick reference.