Mobile Legends Nolan Guide: Best Build, Skills, Emblems & Combos

Nolan is a fast-paced assassin in Mobile Legends who thrives on precision and momentum. Known as the Cosmic Wayfinder, he brings a unique blend of burst damage, mobility, and debuff-cleansing utility that sets him apart from other energy-based assassins like Ling or Fanny. His kit allows him to dive in, eliminate priority targets, and reposition before the enemy has time to react — making him a perfect fit for aggressive, snowball-heavy playstyles.

What makes Nolan so dangerous is his ability to chain low-cooldown skills and burst down squishy backliners while disrupting even the most durable frontliners. On top of that, his built-in cleanse gives him an edge in sticky situations, allowing him to reset or escape when things get chaotic. Whether you’re looking to dominate early skirmishes or take over team fights, this guide covers everything you need — from the best build and emblems to skill tips and deadly combos that will help you master Nolan and carry your team to victory.

Nolan Skills Overview in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Passive – Dimensional Rift

Nolan’s skills create dimensional rifts on the battlefield that slow enemies and linger for a few seconds. When two rifts overlap or intersect, they trigger an explosion that pulls enemies toward the center and deals Physical Damage after a short delay. Each time a rift activation hits an enemy or creep, Nolan regenerates Energy, allowing him to spam abilities more frequently. If the same target is hit by multiple rift activations, the damage is reduced on subsequent hits.

His passive also includes Cosmic Leap — when Nolan hasn’t taken or dealt damage for a short time, his next Basic Attack becomes enhanced. He dashes to the target, deals bonus Physical Damage, and creates a rift on impact. This functions similarly to Blade of the Heptaseas’ passive, rewarding stealthy or well-timed engages. Mastering the placement and chaining of rifts is essential for maximizing Nolan’s burst and mobility, especially in jungle rotations.

Skill 1 – Expansion

Nolan slashes a rectangular area in front of him, dealing Physical Damage and creating a rift at the first enemy hit. This skill is low on cooldown and extremely effective for both wave clear and jungle farming. It’s best used after Cosmic Leap to trigger multiple rift activations, enabling quick combos and energy regeneration. Max this skill first to boost your early-game damage and map control.

Skill 2 – Gauge

Nolan dashes forward in a chosen direction, slashing enemies in his path and leaving a rift behind. This is his main mobility tool, useful for chasing down targets, dodging skill shots, or repositioning during fights. It also synergizes well with Expansion to create intersecting rifts, triggering his passive. With a low cooldown and decent damage, Gauge plays a key role in Nolan’s fast-paced, combo-heavy playstyle.

Ultimate – Fracture

Nolan purges all debuffs on himself and slashes a target area three times, each strike dealing Physical Damage and leaving behind a rift. These rifts automatically activate after a short delay as Nolan dashes backward to reposition. Fracture is incredibly versatile — use it to escape heavy crowd control, finish off a combo, or dive in and immediately retreat. It acts as a mix between Purify and Flicker, making it one of the safest and most aggressive ultimates for assassins in the game.

How To Play Nolan In Mobile Legends

Best Battle Spell for Nolan

Nolan shines brightest in the jungle, where his low-cooldown, energy-based skills let him clear camps rapidly and stay active across the map. For that reason, Retribution is the best battle spell to use — specifically, Ice Retribution. This version not only boosts your jungle clearing speed but also steals movement speed from enemy heroes, slowing them down while giving you a burst of mobility for a few seconds.

This added speed steal is perfect for chasing down slippery targets like mages or marksmen who try to escape once a fight turns against them. It also gives you a safety tool when things get risky, allowing you to disengage more easily. With Nolan’s playstyle centered around quick kills and fast rotations, Ice Retribution enhances both his farming efficiency and kill pressure, making it the top pick for any high-tempo jungle play.

Best Emblem Setup for Nolan

To maximize Nolan’s early-game dominance and high-tempo playstyle, the Assassin Emblem is the best choice. It enhances everything that makes him dangerous — bonus adaptive attack, physical penetration, and extra movement speed — all of which help him rotate faster and hit harder from the start.

For your first-tier talent, go with Rupture. The added Physical Penetration gives Nolan an edge when clearing jungle camps and taking early trades, allowing you to clear faster and show up for ganks sooner. In the second tier, Seasoned Hunter is the perfect pick, boosting your damage against Turtles and Lords so you can control objectives with ease and out-secure enemy junglers in tight situations.

Finish off the setup with Lethal Ignition as your core talent. It triggers additional damage when you hit an enemy multiple times in quick succession — something Nolan does naturally with his rift combos. This talent helps you secure burst kills more reliably, making it easier to snowball and take over the map early.

Best Build for Nolan in Mobile Legends

To fully unlock Nolan’s carry potential, you’ll want a build that amplifies his burst damage, snowball power, and ability to shred even tankier opponents. Since Nolan thrives on picking off targets quickly and rotating across the map, stacking up Physical Attack and Penetration early is key to getting ahead.

Start with Tough Boots for added durability against crowd control and magic damage, especially useful during early ganks. Your first core item should be Blade of the Heptaseas — its passive synergizes perfectly with Cosmic Leap, letting you deal bonus damage on your first basic attack after staying out of combat.

Next, grab Sky Piercer to further boost your Physical Attack and energy regeneration, keeping your skill usage fluid during back-to-back skirmishes. Hunter Strike follows up nicely, giving you cooldown reduction, bonus damage, and a movement speed boost that helps you chase or disengage when needed.

As the game moves into the mid to late stages, enemies will likely start building Physical Defense. Counter this by picking up Malefic Roar, which gives you massive Physical Penetration, and Blade of Despair to greatly increase your finishing power when attacking low-HP targets.

For a safer late-game option, consider swapping your last damage item for Immortality to gain a second chance in critical team fights — perfect when diving deep into the enemy backline.

Recommended Nolan Build:
• Tough Boots
• Blade of the Heptaseas
• Sky Piercer
• Hunter Strike
• Malefic Roar
• Blade of Despair (or Immortality for survivability)

This build gives you everything Nolan needs — high burst, fast clears, mobility, and anti-armor — to dominate from early ganks to late-game kills.

Best Combos to Master with Nolan

While Nolan’s skills are simple on the surface, mastering his Dimensional Rift passive is what sets great players apart. To fully capitalize on his burst potential, you need to chain your abilities in a way that forces rift activations — the true source of his damage and energy sustain.

One of the easiest and most effective combos to learn is the Triple Rift Combo. Start by using Cosmic Leap to dash in and trigger your empowered basic attack. Immediately follow up with Expansion (Skill 1), then cast Gauge (Skill 2) at a slight angle to cross over the first rift. This sequence triggers two rift intersections, dealing massive burst damage. When timed well, it’s enough to instantly delete low-defense heroes like mages and marksmen — especially with a strong early build.

For ganks or extended chases, use the Chase Combo. Open with Gauge to close the gap, then immediately strike with Cosmic Leap for bonus damage and a rift. Follow up with Expansion to create another rift and activate the passive. As you continue the pursuit, cycle between Gauge and Expansion to keep triggering rifts and overwhelming your target. This combo is perfect for jungle rotations, lane dives, and quickly punishing out-of-position enemies.

The key to Nolan’s playstyle is smooth rift chaining — once you learn how to angle your skills to make rifts intersect consistently, you’ll unlock his true assassin potential.

Conclusion

Nolan is a fast-paced, high-impact assassin who thrives on quick combos, smart positioning, and precise rift placements. With the right emblem setup, burst-heavy build, and mastery over his skill timings, he can quickly snowball and dominate both squishy backliners and tanky frontliners alike. Whether you’re clearing the jungle, chasing down kills, or diving into the heart of a team fight, Nolan rewards aggressive and calculated play. Master his rift combos, rotate efficiently, and you’ll become a deadly force in every match.