Aatrox Top Lane Build Guides, Runes, Items, and Abilities

Aatrox, the Darkin Blade, is a fearsome juggernaut known for his devastating crowd control, sustained damage, and high mobility in team fights. As a top-lane powerhouse, Aatrox thrives in extended skirmishes, excelling at outlasting opponents while dealing significant area-of-effect damage. Whether you’re looking to dominate the laning phase or carry team fights, understanding the optimal build, runes, and ability order is crucial to unleashing his full potential. This guide will walk you through the essentials of mastering Aatrox in the top lane, helping you adapt to various matchups and team compositions.

See more: How to Play Aatrox in League of Legends

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1. Strengths

• Aatrox is a lane bully who can snowball quite quickly. If you can get an early lead, try to abuse it to get more kills in the lane to increase your chances of winning the game.
• You’re a very mobile champion thanks to your Umbral Dash E. It can be used in multiple ways and is a good way of turning around exchanges with the enemy.
• You have tons of sustain thanks to your Passive and Ultimate. This will increase your survivability in team fights and skirmishes.

2. Weaknesses

• Make sure you’re only using your abilities when you have to, especially your Umbral Dash E. Aatrox suffers from long cooldowns and is easily abusable when they’re on cooldown.
• You’ll fall off in the later stages of the game. Try and end the game as quickly as you can or snowball your lead so you’ll be a huge threat in team fights.
• Aatrox is not an easy champion to learn. He has a unique mechanic on his The Darkin Blade Q which does take some time getting used to. You’ll need to put in a lot of practice to master this champion.

• Try and play around with your Passive and trade when it’s up. Don’t look for an extended fight unless your Passive is up; otherwise, you’ll miss out on extra damage.
• You can use your Umbral Dash E to reposition your The Darkin Blade Q sweet spots. This includes using your E forwards, backwards and even left or right.
• Play safe at level 1, and then look to play aggressive from levels 2 to 6. Aatrox is an early game dominant champion, so make sure you play aggressive early on.

• Q + E: Trade normally with Q then E mid animation to line up your sweet spot.
• Q + Q + Q + E + AA: Extend your trade by using Q three times then E to land your third Q. Average
• W + E + Q + AA + Q + AA + Q: All in at level 3 with W and instantly E Q to help keep them in place, follow it up with AA Q2 into AA Q3.
• R + Q + W + E + AA + Q + AA + Q: After level 6 R to get into Q range then instantly Q W E AA, Q2 to keep them in your W then AA Q3 for an easy dunk.
• W + E + Q + AA + Q + AA + Q + AA + Q: With more Ability Haste you can combo smoother and use E again. W E Q instantly one after another then AA Q2 followed by AA Q3 and using E mid air to guarantee the sweet spot landing.
• W + E + Q + AA + Q + AA + Q + E + Flash: With more Ability Haste and Flash you can chase opponents much easier. W E Q instantly one after another then AA Q2 followed by AA Q3 and using E and Flash mid air to guarantee the sweet spot landing.
• W + E + Q + AA + Q + AA + Q + Flash: Flash can be used to secure your Q3 damage. W E Q instantly one after another then AA Q2 followed by AA Q3 and using Flash mid air to guarantee the sweet spot landing.

1. Early game

• Avoid committing to extended trades with the enemy in the very early game. Wait until you have a few levels under your belt before looking to fight.
• Play around your The Darkin Blade Q hotspots in the lane, and avoid using them unless you’re able to trade. When your The Darkin Blade Q is on cooldown; you’re pretty vulnerable and will lose 1v1 fights.
• Make sure you make use of your Passive empowered auto. If you’re able to use it periodically on the enemy laner, your chances of winning the lane increases.
• Aatrox’s first significant spike is at level 3 when he has access to all his basic abilities. This will allow him to go for favourable trades.
• Once Aatrox gets his first component item, he will be able to go for favourable trades. Look to play more aggressive once you get your first component item.
• When Aatrox has obtained his Ultimate World Ender R; his kill pressure increases dramatically. The extra damage and healing he gets from this ability can help him start a snowball.

2. Mid game

• When your team isn’t looking to fight, split push and apply pressure elsewhere on the map.
• Avoid team fighting during the mid-game unless you have your Ultimate World Ender R up. When it’s on cooldown, you’ll miss out on a lot of sustain and damage, so you must play around with this abilities cooldown.
• In mid-game team fights, look for picks by flanking the enemy backline. If you can get on to an enemy carry, you will increase your chances of winning a fight.
• Once Aatrox hits level 9, his The Darkin Blade Q will be maxed. The reduced cooldown and additional haste will mean this ability is on a very short cooldown.
• During the mid-game, Aatrox will have brought items that will reduce his abilities cooldown. Through levels 9-13, his abilities will be on a very short cooldown.
• When Aatrox hits level 11 and puts two points in his Ultimate World Ender R, he will be a severe threat to the enemy in team fights. Fight around your Ultimate to deal a ton of damage and survive the team fight.

3. Late game

• In the later parts of the game, stick with your team and look for picks. Avoid splitting up or being too far apart from them as the enemy may force a fight while you’re nowhere nearby.
• Play around your Ultimate World Ender R and avoid committing to fights while it is on cooldown. If you fight while it’s on cooldown, you’ll miss out on a lot of healing and extra damage, which can make the difference in a late-game team fight.
• In team fights, flank the enemy to make it easier for yourself to get onto the enemy backline. Positioning away from your team but close enough to join the fight could give the enemy a false sense of security, making the enemy think the fight is 4v5: forcing them to overextend.
• Aatrox tends to fall off later in the game as the enemy will buy items that counter him. They will also be grouping which makes it harder for Aatrox to secure kills.
• If he can get on to them, you will still be able to take down carries in late game team fights. Suppose you’re able to land a W on high priority target- go in and try to take them down.
• You must play around with your Ultimate World Ender R in the late game. Fighting while it’s on cooldown could be the difference between winning a fight and losing it. When you have 3 points in your Ultimate, your sustain is very difficult to deal with.

Aatrox remains a formidable force in the top lane, capable of turning battles with his exceptional sustain, mobility, and AoE crowd control. By optimizing his build, runes, and ability order, you can maximize his potential to dominate opponents and carry your team to victory. With practice and a focus on precise ability usage, Aatrox can be a game-changer in both laning and team fights. Embrace the power of the Darkin Blade and carve your path to glory on the Rift!

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