Nunu & Willump ARAM Build and Guide

Updated for patch 26.22. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch; ARAM balance numbers come from the League of Legends Wiki’s champion data.

A Nunu & Willump ARAM build mixes Ability Power with Health, so the snowball and the blizzard hit hard while Willump stays upright in the middle of the fight. The Howling Abyss buffs them almost everywhere: Nunu & Willump deal 110% damage, take 90% damage, heal for 110% and get 120% tenacity in ARAM. Few champions get a better deal.

The build comes from reading their patch 26.22 abilities next to the current shop, not from win-rate pages.

How are Nunu & Willump changed in ARAM?

Five modifiers, all of them buffs. Damage up 10%, damage taken down 10%, Consume heals for 10% more, and crowd control on them wears off faster thanks to the tenacity bonus. The shielding value applies to shields they receive, since their own kit has none (a support’s shield on Willump goes further). Why so many buffs? A jungler built around ganking from fog of war loses most of his identity on a single lane, and the modifiers make up for it. Is it enough? On paper, comfortably.

Why do Nunu & Willump fit the Howling Abyss?

Because the snowball has nowhere else to go but into the enemy team. Riot’s patch 26.22 ability text:

• Call of the Freljord (passive): boosts the Attack Speed and Move Speed of Willump and a nearby ally, and Willump’s attacks splash around the target.
• Consume (Q): a bite on a minion, monster or enemy champion that deals damage and heals Willump. Cooldown 13/12/11/10/9.
• Biggest Snowball Ever! (W): a snowball that grows larger and faster as it rolls, then damages and knocks up enemies. Cooldown 14.
• Snowball Barrage (E): several snowballs thrown by Nunu, with Willump rooting every champion hit once the volley ends. Cooldown 14/13/12/11/10.
• Absolute Zero (R): a slowing blizzard over an area that deals massive damage at the end. Cooldown 110/100/90.

On the Rift, the snowball’s job is to arrive unseen. Here it’s a battering ram down a straight lane, and since it grows with distance, a long roll from behind your own minions lands at full size. Snowball Barrage roots every champion it touched, which in a clumped teamfight can be three or four people. And Absolute Zero? To be fair, its slow keeps rooted enemies in place for the big damage at the end, and in a corridor that’s a lot of enemies. Thing is, Consume is the glue. It heals Willump with the 110% modifier between fights, so the duo rarely needs a relic.

What should a Nunu & Willump ARAM build focus on?

Health and Ability Power together. Look, they’ll be in the middle of the enemy team after every snowball, so pure AP gets them killed and pure tank wastes the blizzard.

Liandry’s Torment goes first. Torment burns enemies for 2% of their max Health per second for 3 seconds when an ability damages them, and Suffering ramps damage up to 6% the longer the fight runs. Snowball Barrage hits several targets, so the burn spreads across the whole enemy front. The 300 Health is the other reason it’s first.

Rylai’s Crystal Scepter is second. Rimefrost makes damaging abilities slow enemies by 30%, so every snowball, every barrage hit and every bite slows the target, which keeps people inside Absolute Zero for the finish. It adds 400 Health too (the build never stops caring about Health).

Third, Riftmaker. Stay in a champion fight and Void Corruption keeps stacking extra damage, capping at 8%, at which point Omnivamp kicks in as well. Void Infusion turns 2% of bonus Health into Ability Power, which suits a build that’s half Health anyway. That Omnivamp also benefits from the 110% healing modifier.

Unending Despair finishes the four. Anguish pulses magic damage at nearby enemy champions every 4 seconds in combat and heals Willump for 250% of the damage dealt, and the 50 Armor covers the physical damage side. Against a magic-heavy team, Hollow Radiance takes its slot. For boots, Mercury’s Treads stack 30% Tenacity on top of the ARAM tenacity bonus, which makes Willump very hard to hold down.

How do you play Nunu & Willump on the Howling Abyss?

• Start the snowball from far back. It grows in size and speed while rolling, so a long run hits harder than a short one.
• Throw Snowball Barrage into the biggest clump you can see. Willump roots every champion hit at the end.
• Cast Absolute Zero on rooted enemies. The slow plus the root keeps them inside for the damage at the end.
• Use Consume on minions or champions whenever Willump is hurt; it heals on a short cooldown.
• Keep an ally near you. Call of the Freljord gives them Attack Speed and Move Speed too.

How do no-recall shopping and Mark change things for Nunu & Willump?

You never recall in ARAM. Items get bought at the fountain, at the start and after a death, while the lane’s relics fill in between. With Consume’s heal boosted by the 110% modifier, they stay healthy longer than most champions, so watch for gold piling up. In practice, a long life without spending is the one way their sustain works against them.

Mark is ARAM’s snowball spell (yes, a second snowball): hit a champion and you can dash to them. Summoners are chosen before loading and stay for the match. On this duo, Mark is a follow-up tool. Roll Biggest Snowball Ever!, knock someone up, then Mark onto the carry behind them and start Snowball Barrage. Honestly, it’s a lot of snow for one champion. It works, though.

Are Nunu & Willump good in ARAM?

Yes. The 110% damage dealt, 90% damage taken, 110% healing and 120% tenacity modifiers all favour them, and a single lane turns the snowball and the blizzard into teamfight tools. Their weak point is the start of a fight: Absolute Zero has a 110 second cooldown at rank 1, and a duo without it is a tank with a bite and a root.

The junglers who punish them are in our Nunu & Willump counter list. Wondering what a jungler does normally? See the LoL roles overview. Every item’s stats are in the LoL item catalogue, and their skins are on the Nunu & Willump skins page.

The Nunu & Willump ARAM build, then: Liandry’s Torment, Rylai’s Crystal Scepter, Riftmaker and Unending Despair on Mercury’s Treads, with every snowball rolled from as far back as you dare.

FAQ

Are Nunu & Willump buffed in ARAM?

Yes. The League of Legends Wiki’s data for patch 26.22 lists 110% damage dealt, 90% damage taken, 110% healing, 120% shielding and 120% tenacity.

What items should Nunu & Willump build in ARAM?

Liandry’s Torment, Rylai’s Crystal Scepter, Riftmaker and Unending Despair, with Mercury’s Treads. Hollow Radiance replaces Unending Despair against magic damage teams.

Why build Rylai’s Crystal Scepter on Nunu?

Its Rimefrost passive makes damaging abilities slow, which keeps enemies inside Absolute Zero until the damage lands.

Does Biggest Snowball Ever! get stronger the longer it rolls?

Yes. The snowball grows in size and speed as Willump rolls it, then damages and knocks up enemies on impact.

Where does this build come from?

From comparing Nunu & Willump’s patch 26.22 abilities with each item’s passive. We don’t use win-rate data.