WildPick
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Varus
the Arrow of Retribution

Varus

Passive · Living Vengeance

On takedowns, Varus gains a large burst of attack speed.

DamageDurabilityMagicDifficultyMobilityCC
Champion profile (Riot)
  • Damage7
  • Durability3
  • Magic4
  • Difficulty2
  • Mobility3
  • CC8
Counters by laneEach lane has counters + tips
Top

How to play as Varus

Top: hold CS, run TP or Ghost depending on the matchup.

How to beat Varus

Top: punish wave-states and ward river/jungle to dodge ganks.

Jungle

How to play as Varus

Jungle: track Scuttle, gank weak lanes, scale to objectives.

How to beat Varus

Jungle: ward objectives, never walk blind into brush.

Mid

How to play as Varus

Mid: shove wave fast and roam to side lanes.

How to beat Varus

Mid: watch for roams and save Flash for the next gank.

ADC
Primary

How to play as Varus

ADC: kite the frontline, hit the closest tank then the carries.

How to beat Varus

ADC: stay behind minions and focus the enemy ADC in fights.

Support

How to play as Varus

Support: keep vision + peel for ADC, build Locket of the Iron Solari + Knight's Vow.

How to beat Varus

Support: dodge hooks/engages, buy Mikael's into heavy CC.

Abilities

Living Vengeance

PC
Passive

Innate: When Varus kills an enemy, he gains 10 to 20% bonus attack speed as well as bonus attack damage and ability power equal to 10% bonus attack speed for 5 to 11 for 4% seconds.

This is increased to 50% bonus attack speed and bonus attack damage and ability power equal to 25% bonus attack speed upon scoring a champion takedown.

While Living Vengeance's bonus is active, Varus' attack speed cap is increased to 3.

Numbers (latest)
Stats gained on a champion kill or assist
20% Bonus Attack Speed as Attack Damage and 30% Bonus Attack Speed as Ability Power → 20% Bonus Attack Speed as Attack Damage
Stats gained on a non champion kill
10% Bonus Attack Speed as Attack Damage Attack Damage and 15% Bonus Attack Speed as Ability Power → 10% Bonus Attack Speed as Attack Damage
Attack Speed on non-champion kills
20%/25%/30%
Attack Speed on champion kills
55%

Piercing Arrow

PC
Q

Active: Varus channel while being slow by 20% for up to 4 seconds to increase Piercing Arrow's range over the first 1.5 seconds and its effects over the first 1.25 seconds of the channel.

Piercing Arrow can be recast within the duration. If the charge completes without reactivation, Piercing Arrow is cancelled and refunds 50% of the mana cost.

Recast: Varus fires a piercing arrow in the target direction that deals physical damage to enemies hit. The damage of the arrow as well as any detonated Blighted Quiver stacks are both increased by type=channel time%, and the arrow's damage is reduced by type=number of enemies hit%.

Numbers (latest)
Damage
20/70/120/170 + 115% Attack Damage to 30/105/180/255 + 172.5% Attack Damage
Base Damage
80/140/200/260 + 110/120/130/140% Attack Damage
Cooldown16 to 12Rangetype=channel time%70(116.66 per 0.25 seconds). This is capped at 1.5 seconds.}}

Blighted Quiver

PC
W

Passive: Varus' basic attacks are empowered to deal bonus magic damage and apply a stack of Blight on-hit for 6 seconds, refreshing on subsequent applications and stacking up to 3 times. Varus' abilities detonate all Blight stacks on enemies hit, consuming them to apply new effects.

Blight: For each stack consumed, the target is dealt bonus magic damage. If the stacks were consumed with Piercing Arrow, this damage is increased by . This damage is capped at 360/3 per stack against monsters, for a total cap of 360 at maximum stacks. Additionally, each stack consumed against a champion or epic monster reduces the remaining cooldowns of Varus' basic abilities by % of each of their total cooldowns, up to a % cooldown reduction per target. If the stacks were consumed with Piercing Arrow, the cooldown reduction is increased by , up to a cooldown reduction per target from consuming maximum stacks against them.

Active: Varus' next Piercing Arrow within 5.5 seconds is empowered to deal additional bonus magic damage. This damage is further increased by . This damage is capped at 360 against monsters.

Numbers (latest)
Maximum health damage per stack of Blight
4.5/5/5.5/6%
Detonation damage
each stack (5/5.5/6/6.5+1% Ability Power)% maximum Health of target
Cooldown
All levels 25s
Base Damage
20/30/40/50
Detonation Damage per stack
(3/3.5/4/4.5% + 0.012%Ability Power) Target’s Maximum Health
Cooldown40

Hail of Arrows

PC
E

Active: Varus fires a hail of arrows at the target location that land after 0.5 seconds, dealing physical damage to enemies hit.

The area then becomes desecrated for 4 seconds, slow enemies within and inflicting them with Grievous Wounds.

Hail of Arrows will cast at max range if cast beyond that.

Cooldown18

Chain of Corruption

PC
Ultimate

Active: Varus unleashes a tendril of corruption in the target direction that infects the first enemy champion hit, dealing magic damage and root them for 2 seconds, during which they are standard sight. Over the first 1.5 seconds of the root, they are also inflicted with maximum stacks of Blighted Quiver.

Upon impact, the tendril roots into the ground from which it seeks out nearby enemy champions. If a target does not leave the area within 2 seconds, they subsequently become infected as well, taking the same damage and effects. A new tendril is then spread out from the infected target that is closest to a nearby uninfected enemy champion. The infection can spread repeatedly until there are no new targets.

The target does not have to be sight to be caught by the tendril.

Numbers (latest)
Damage
150/250/350 + 100% Ability Power
Ability Power ratio
85%
Cooldown
75/65/55s
Time required to fully stack Blight on the target
1.5s
Cooldown100 to 60Range1370
Balance history9 patches
7.21 changes
  • Chain of Corruption · Time required to fully stack Blight on the target: 3s1.5s
7.1b2 changes
  • Living Vengeance · Attack Speed on non-champion kills: 15%/20%/25%20%/25%/30%
  • Living Vengeance · Attack Speed on champion kills: 50%55%
6.32 changes
  • Living Vengeance · Stats gained on a champion kill or assist: 60 attack speed and 30% Bonus Attack Speed as Attack Damage20% Bonus Attack Speed as Attack Damage and 30% Bonus Attack Speed as Ability Power → 20% Bonus Attack Speed as Attack Damage
  • Living Vengeance · Stats gained on a non champion kill: 15% Bonus Attack Speed as Attack Damage10% Bonus Attack Speed as Attack Damage Attack Damage and 15% Bonus Attack Speed as Ability Power → 10% Bonus Attack Speed as Attack Damage
6.2e3 changes
  • Base Stats · Base Attack Damage: 5854
  • Blighted Quiver · Detonation Damage per stack: (3.5/4/4.5/5% + 0.015% Ability Power) Target’s Maximum Health(3/3.5/4/4.5% + 0.012%Ability Power) Target’s Maximum Health
  • Chain of Corruption · Cooldown: 65/55/45s75/65/55s
6.2b5 changes
  • Base Stats · Base Health: 570600
  • Base Stats · Attack Damage per level: 3.64
  • Piercing Arrow · Base Damage: 70/130/190/250 + 100/110/120/130% Attack Damage80/140/200/260 + 110/120/130/140% Attack Damage
  • Blighted Quiver · Cooldown: All levels 30sAll levels 25s
  • Blighted Quiver · Base Damage: 15/23/31/3920/30/40/50
6.23 changes
  • Base Stats · Damage: 20/70/120/170+125% Attack Damage70/130/190/250+100/110/120/130% Bonus Attack Damage
  • Base Stats · Base attack on-hit damage: 12/16/20/24+20% Ability Power15/23/31/39+35% Ability Power
  • Base Stats · Detonating Blight stack: (5/5.5/6/6.5%+0.01% Ability Power) Target’s maximum health(3.5/4/4.5/5%+0.015% Ability Power) Target’s maximum health
4.4c2 changes
  • Piercing Arrow · Damage: 10/60/110/160 + 110% Attack Damage to 15/90/165/240 + 165% Attack Damage20/70/120/170 + 115% Attack Damage to 30/105/180/255 + 172.5% Attack Damage
  • Blighted Quiver · Detonation damage: each stack (4/4.5/5/5.5 + 1% Ability Power)% maximum Health of targeteach stack (5/5.5/6/6.5+1% Ability Power)% maximum Health of target
4.1a1 changes
  • Chain of Corruption · Ability Power ratio: 100%85%
4.12 changes
  • Blighted Quiver · Maximum health damage per stack of Blight: 3.5/4/4.5/5%4.5/5/5.5/6%
  • Chain of Corruption · Damage: 150/200/250 + 80% Ability Power150/250/350 + 100% Ability Power