Should Nunu and Willump always build full tank even when the game is decided mostly by map tempo?

Not necessarily. The tank base remains the most reliable because it lets Nunu and Willump survive their own entries, but some slots should mainly serve map tempo or correct the threat type that makes your ganks and objectives non-convertible. The real criterion is not 'full tank or not,' but 'does the build still let you impose another useful window after first contact?'.

Is Dead Man's Plate really priority when Nunu must repeat his angles across the whole map?

Dead Man's Plate becomes truly priority when the game rewards repeated pathing more than mere toughness in the first fight: chained ganks, fast objective cycles, or side lanes that cannot be locked without extra speed. If the main issue is AP or sustain first, you often need to fix that before paying more for map speed.

Gargoyle or Quicksilver on Nunu & Willump depending on whether they mainly need to survive impact or enter through crowd control?

Gargoyle remains the best choice when you enter correctly but die too quickly after impact, because it turns a good opening into real lasting presence. Quicksilver comes first if one key crowd control effect simply stops you from starting the correct engage or makes you lose the angle before your frontline has even started to matter.

Nunu & Willump Wild Rift Best Build Guide (Patch 7.2a)

Builds — official CN server data (patch 7.2)

Three reads of the same champion, computed by our engine on official CN server data (current-patch stats, ratios and prices): a reliable base to adapt to your game. Why this data? →

Standard — frontline

Thornmail›

14,100 — total cost

Vs AD comps

14,600 — total cost

Vs AP comps

14,450 — total cost

Recommended bootsPlated Steelcaps

Recommended runes

Power spikes (computed)

Early (1-5)

1/10

Mid (6-10)

1/10

Late (11-15)

1/10

Lv 2 Q rank 1Lv 7 Q rank 2Lv 10 Q rank 3

Situational adaptations

Mantle of the Twelfth HourAgainst AD burst (assassins, Zed, Rengar…)

Kaenic RookernAgainst AP burst (Syndra, Fizz, Evelynn…)

The detailed guide below dates from patch 7.0e and is being rewritten — for the current meta, rely on the variants above.

Nunu & Willump create value by accelerating the game's pace and turning space into immediate threat. Their build must preserve that execution speed while preventing a good engage from turning into a free death before a second control cycle.

Recommended Build

Starter

Ruby Crystal

Core

Sunfire Aegis

Dead Man's Plate

Force of Nature

Sunfire Aegis

Logical first item so successful ganks have real follow-through once in melee.

Dead Man's Plate

Comes online when Nunu & Willump want chained map movement and fast threat across multiple zones.

Final Build

Sunfire Aegis

Dead Man's Plate

Force of Nature

Amaranth's Twinguard

Warmog's Armor

Ionian Boots of

Boots & enchant

Ionian Boots of Lucidity

Alternative vs AD

Plated Steelcaps

Runes

Phase Rush

Nunu must stick to his targets after engage with his snowball, Phase Rush allows him to stay in range.

Nimbus Cloak

Strengthens mobility after Smite to secure his ganks and engages.

Transcendence

Amplifies movement speed, core element of his kit.

Hunter: Titan

Grants tenacity to avoid being stopped mid-engage.

Situational Items

vs heavy ap

Force of Nature

vs healing

Thornmail

ahead

Dead Man's Plate

Build timing

Sunfire Aegis + Dead Man's Plate

This item pair makes his movement and entries much more stable. He can cross the map faster, absorb first contact, and stay in the middle of the fight long enough for Aftershock and his crowd control to matter.

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