Assassin-bruiser build for blackout: Nocturne wins when his ultimate turns a playable target into one that is suddenly alone. The build must therefore serve access, kill reliability, and enough durability that the dive is not automatically traded back.
Three builds, one right answer per draft. The advisor reads the five enemies (and your allies) and names who triggers what — the same rule as the Draft MVP sheet and Ask Nexus.
Best Nocturne build (Jungle): Black Cleaver › Sundered Sky › Spear of Shojin › Death's Dance › Overlord's Bloodmail, boots Boots of Dynamism, keystone Conqueror. Three variants and when to pick each are below.
Standard build maximizing damage output. Use on neutral matchups or when ahead.
15,300 total cost
Nothing dominates on the other side: the standard build maximizes your damage.
Open this draft in the tool →Anti-resist build for tanky enemies. Choose when multiple enemies build armor/magic resist.
15,600 total cost +300gSustain build leaning on heal/omnivamp to win prolonged duels.
15,100 total cost -200g
Scores out of 10: where this champion sits against the whole roster, phase by phase. The strip shows its own power ramp level by level — it does not compare across champions.
Your hardest matchups in this role, and the item from your situational list that answers each one.
Olaf
Guardian Angel
Physical damage
Rammus
Stridebreaker
Highly mobile
Dr. Mundo
Chempunk Chainsword
Recurring healing
Maokai
Blade of the Ruined King
Very durable
Same advisor in the Draft (the MVP sheet applies it to your real draft) and in Ask Nexus, which explains the choice. On counters pages: the variant to take against each counter-pick.
Foundational item core, without recent situational additions — kept as a base for understanding the kit. For the up-to-date build, see the section above.
The build maximizes instant burst to capitalize on each ultimate while adding just enough safety to exit after the pick. Nocturne plays short decisive engages, not extended fights.
Long Sword
Lethality + slow, burst assassin after R Paranoia
anti-shield for break through the protections after R dive
Slow + penetration, colle à the target after R atterrissage
Boots of Dynamism
Boots of Dynamism
Stridebreaker
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Q, AoE passive and fast autos stack it quickly — max-stack omnivamp carries your post-R duels.
the Q Duskbringer dash and the R Paranoia trigger penetration on impact.
Every converted R dive stacks adaptive force — the next darkness one-shots sooner.
Each kill gank nighttime boosts his AD to assassinations more powerful.
You land alone in the enemy team — the three blunted hits let you finish the target.
Trinity Force
Death's Dance
Coup De Grace
Giant Slayer
Level 5 completely changes the map. Nocturne does not need to win every duel before this timing: he mainly needs to reach Paranoia cleanly, identify the least mobile lane, and convert the first ultimate into a kill or objective.
Youmuu’s Ghostblade gives Nocturne the access he sometimes lacks after ultimate. The spike is strong because it reduces the delay between Paranoia’s darkness and real contact with the target, leaving less time for Flash or peel.
With Duskblade then Edge of Night, Nocturne gains both burst and safety. He is no longer only a champion who arrives fast: he can threaten a fragile target while absorbing the first control spell that would normally break his entry.
