League of Legends Aphelios Guide: Best Build, Runes & Combos

Aphelios is one of the most unique ADCs in League of Legends, known for his rotating weapon system that offers incredible versatility and outplay potential. Mastering him means understanding each weapon combo and adapting your playstyle to match the situation. Whether you’re poking from range, bursting down enemies up close, or kiting through team fights, Aphelios can carry games when played well. In this guide, we’ll break down his abilities, recommended runes, item build, and the best combos to help you maximize his damage and dominate the bot lane.

Aphelios Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Aphelios has a one-of-a-kind weapon system in League of Legends, cycling through five different guns with unique basic attacks and abilities. He can’t choose abilities in the usual way—instead, he uses each weapon’s active when it’s equipped, and swaps to the next in line once its ammo runs out.

Passive – The Hitman and the Seer: Aphelios rotates through five weapons, each with 50 ammo. Once a weapon runs out, the next one automatically takes its place. His passive explains each weapon’s effects and abilities, which are tied to the current weapon combination.

Main Hand (Q Ability): Depending on the main-hand weapon, Aphelios gains a unique active ability. These range from rapid-fire shots with Calibrum (sniper rifle), AoE damage with Infernum (flamethrower), or lifesteal with Severum (scythe pistol), to crowd control with Gravitum (gravity cannon) and turret deployment with Crescendum (chakram).

Off-Hand: While you can’t directly use your off-hand, it determines which weapon Aphelios switches to next and combos with certain actives for stronger effects.

Ultimate – Moonlight Vigil: Aphelios fires a concentrated blast in a target direction, which explodes on the first enemy hit. It deals AoE damage and triggers a bonus effect based on his current main-hand weapon, making it essential to align your ult with the right weapon for maximum impact.

Managing Aphelios’ weapons efficiently is key to unlocking his full potential, especially in extended fights where weapon rotation becomes a major strategic element.

How To Play Aphelios In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells For Aphelios In League of Legends

The best summoner spells for Aphelios in League of Legends are Flash and Heal.

Flash is essential for escaping danger, repositioning in fights, or dodging key abilities. As a low-mobility ADC, Aphelios heavily relies on Flash to survive aggressive junglers and engage champions.

Heal gives a burst of health and movement speed, helping Aphelios kite enemies, survive burst damage, and turn fights in bot lane. It also benefits your support, making it ideal for duo skirmishes.

If your support is taking Heal, you can opt for Cleanse instead—especially when facing crowd control-heavy enemies like Morgana, Ashe, or Nautilus.

Best Runes For Aphelios In League of Legends

The best runes for Aphelios in League of Legends focus on scaling damage, survivability, and sustain in extended fights. Here’s the optimal rune setup:

Primary Path – Precision
• Conqueror: Aphelios thrives in extended trades, and Conqueror stacks quickly thanks to his rapid auto attacks and abilities. It boosts both his AD and healing.
• Presence of Mind: Gives him mana regeneration on takedowns, helping with his mana-hungry playstyle.
• Legend: Bloodline: Offers lifesteal, which synergizes well with his DPS-heavy kit and helps him stay in fights longer.
• Coup de Grace: Increases damage against low-health targets, making it easier to finish off enemies in teamfights.

Secondary Path – Sorcery
• Absolute Focus: Grants extra AD while Aphelios is above 70% HP, increasing his early- to mid-game poke damage.
• Gathering Storm: Scales his AD as the game progresses, boosting his late-game carry potential.

Stat Shards
• +9 Adaptive Force
• +9 Adaptive Force
• +6 Armor or +8 Magic Resist (depending on matchup)

This rune setup is ideal for players who want to scale hard into the late game while having the tools to survive laning and dominate teamfights.

Best Build For Aphelios In League of Legends

The best build for Aphelios in League of Legends focuses on maximizing his damage output while giving him enough sustain and mobility to survive teamfights. Here’s a strong core build that works in most matchups:

Core Items:
• Kraken Slayer – Ideal for consistent DPS and shredding through tanks or bruisers.
• Berserker’s Greaves – Boosts attack speed, which Aphelios heavily benefits from.
• Infinity Edge – Increases crit damage significantly once you’ve got enough crit chance.

Situational/Follow-up Items:
• Lord Dominik’s Regards – Great against tanky teams or anyone stacking armor.
• Bloodthirster – Gives lifesteal and a shield, helping Aphelios survive longer in fights.
• Guardian Angel – Adds a layer of safety with its revive passive, especially useful in late-game teamfights.
• Phantom Dancer – Grants movement speed and survivability through its passive shield.

This build turns Aphelios into a deadly late-game hyper-carry, giving him strong burst, sustain, and shred potential. Adjust based on the enemy comp — build armor penetration or lifesteal depending on what you’re up against.

Best Combos To Learn For Aphelios

Aphelios is unique because he uses five different weapons with their own abilities, which means his combos depend on the weapon pairings he has. Here are the best combos to learn for Aphelios that are effective in different situations:

1. Calibrum (Sniper Rifle) + Gravitum (Gravity Cannon):
Start by poking with Calibrum’s Q from long range. If it marks the enemy, follow up with an empowered Gravitum auto or Q to root them from a distance. Great for poking or setting up fights safely.

2. Severum (Scythe Pistol) + Crescendum (Chakram):
Use Severum’s Q to dash in and instantly follow with Crescendum autos. This is Aphelios’ best 1v1 combo, especially if you’re ahead. You’ll shred enemies quickly and heal through most damage.

3. Gravitum (Gravity Cannon) + Infernum (Flamethrower):
Open with Infernum’s Q in a group to spread damage and marks, then swap to Gravitum and use Q to root everyone hit. It’s one of his best teamfight combos with huge AoE control.

4. Crescendum (Chakram) + Infernum (Flamethrower):
Use Infernum’s Q at close range to hit many enemies and spawn tons of Chakrams. Then auto-attack with Crescendum to melt everything with massive burst damage.

Mastering these weapon pairings and learning when to use each combo depending on your current weapons is key to carrying games as Aphelios. Always pay attention to which weapon is coming up next and plan your combos around it.

Conclusion

Aphelios is one of the most complex and rewarding ADCs in League of Legends, and mastering him takes time, patience, and a solid understanding of his weapon mechanics. With the right build, rune setup, and weapon combos, you can dominate teamfights, kite enemies with precision, and carry games from the backline. Focus on learning his weapon rotations, use the right combos for each situation, and keep track of your positioning to make the most out of his unique kit. Whether you’re poking with Calibrum or diving in with Severum and Crescendum, Aphelios has the tools to outplay almost anyone in the Rift.