League of Legends Nocturne Guide: Best Build, Runes, Items, Combos

Nocturne is one of the scariest junglers in League of Legends, known for his global presence and ability to dive onto the backline with devastating speed. With the right build and runes, Nocturne becomes a nightmare for squishy targets, capable of turning the tide of a game with a single well-timed ultimate. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to master Nocturne, including his best item build, rune choices, and deadly combos that will help you carry from the jungle.

Nocturne Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Here’s a full overview of Nocturne’s abilities in League of Legends:

Passive – Umbra Blades
Every few seconds, Nocturne’s next basic attack hits nearby enemies and heals him based on how many units he hits. Attacking reduces the cooldown of this passive. It’s great for jungle sustain and wave clear.

Q – Duskbringer
Nocturne throws a shadow blade that deals damage and leaves a trail. If Nocturne walks on the trail, he gains bonus movement speed and attack damage. Always aim to hit this before engaging—it empowers your duels.

W – Shroud of Darkness
This is a spell shield that blocks the next enemy ability. If successful, Nocturne gets bonus attack speed. Mastering the timing on this is key for surviving crowd control and turning fights.

E – Unspeakable Horror
Nocturne targets an enemy and fears them if they don’t escape range within a few seconds. This ability deals damage and is powerful for locking down targets, especially after using your ultimate.

R – Paranoia
Nocturne’s iconic ultimate reduces vision for all enemies and allows him to dash to a selected enemy champion anywhere within range. It’s ideal for catching carries off-guard or initiating fights. Use it with Duskbringer and E for a full combo lockdown.

How To Play Nocturne In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells For Nocturne

The best summoner spells for Nocturne are Smite and Flash.

Smite is essential since Nocturne is primarily played in the jungle—it lets you secure camps and objectives like Dragon and Baron. Upgrade it into Chilling Smite for better ganks or Unleashed Smite for faster clears. Flash gives you critical mobility, helping you reposition in fights, escape bad engages, or secure kills when your ultimate isn’t enough. These two spells give you everything you need to dominate as a jungler.

Best Runes For Nocturne

The best runes for Nocturne focus on burst damage and fast clears. Here’s the optimal rune setup:

Primary – Domination
• First Strike (for scaling burst and extra gold) or Lethal Tempo (if you’re going more auto-attack focused)
• Sudden Impact (synergizes with his dash from Q or ultimate)
• Eyeball Collection (for bonus AD as you get kills)
• Ultimate Hunter (lowers cooldown on his R, making him a constant threat)

Secondary – Precision
• Triumph (helps you survive skirmishes and heal after takedowns)
• Legend: Alacrity (boosts attack speed for faster clears and dueling)

Stat Shards:
• Attack Speed
• Adaptive Force
• Armor or Magic Resist (based on enemy team)

This setup gives Nocturne strong early clear, great burst, and late-game snowball potential.

Best Build For Nocturne

The best build for Nocturne focuses on burst damage, strong dueling, and fast jungle clears. Here’s a solid core setup:

Mythic Item:
• Stridebreaker (best all-around for sticking to targets and better teamfighting)
or
• Eclipse (for bursty assassin-style builds if your team lacks damage)

Core Items:
• Youmuu’s Ghostblade – for high mobility and damage
• The Collector – great for snowballing and executing low-HP targets
• Edge of Night – provides a spell shield for safer engages
• Serylda’s Grudge – adds slow on abilities and helps vs armor-stacking enemies
• Guardian Angel – for safety in late-game fights

Boots:
• Plated Steelcaps or Mercury’s Treads – depending on enemy team comp
• Lucidity Boots if you want lower cooldowns for ult spam

This build makes Nocturne a high-threat assassin or fighter, capable of diving backlines and carrying mid to late-game fights.

Best Combos To Learn For Nocturne

To master Nocturne, start with his basic trade combo: Q (Duskbringer) > E (Unspeakable Horror) > auto attacks, which helps you deal consistent damage while fearing the enemy. For full engages, use R (Paranoia) to close the gap, then immediately Q mid-air, followed by auto > E > more autos to maximize burst and apply fear. If you have Stridebreaker, use it right after landing for the slow, ensuring E lands without the target escaping. A great jungle gank combo is R > Q > auto > E > auto > Stridebreaker, securing both burst and crowd control. Always weave in autos between skills to benefit from Nocturne’s passive and maximize your DPS. These combos make Nocturne deadly in both solo picks and teamfight flanks.

Conclusion

Nocturne is one of the most dangerous assassins in League of Legends when played right, especially with his ability to dive into the backline and delete squishy targets. With the right runes, build, and combos, you can dominate the jungle and control the map through fear and darkness. Mastering his timing and understanding when to engage with Paranoia can turn teamfights in your favor and carry games with ease. Whether you’re looking to climb ranked or just enjoy his high-risk, high-reward playstyle, this guide gives you everything you need to make Nocturne a nightmare for the enemy team.