Varus
Patch 7.3Base Stats
- Base Attack Damage54 → 58
Our take
Four more base Attack Damage and nothing else. His abilities are untouched.
the Arrow of Retribution
Varus Build
DifficultyMedium
Role
MarksmanMage
Lane
Duo
Roles and difficulty from the global official site, lane from the China-server official site
Varus Win Rate, Pick Rate, Ban Rate & Tier
| Rank tier | Win Rate | Pick Rate | Ban Rate | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ranks | 52.5% | 4.5%#17 | 0.9% | B |
| Diamond+ | 51.1% | 5.7%#16 | 0.3% | B |
| Master+ | 51.1% | 5.9%#14 | 0.3% | B |
| Challenger | 50.5% | 6.5%#15 | 0.2% | B |
| Rift Apex | 50.3% | 6.2%#14 | 0.1% | B |
The tier list shows Master+ figures by default.
Popular Varus builds in game
Taken from the in-game loadout screen as of 2026-10-07. The pick count and win rate are shown exactly as the game reports them.
Build 1DuoWin rate 55.09%Picks 6,889
Build 2DuoWin rate 53.99%Picks 4,212
Skill Order (Lv 1 - 15)
1
3
2
1
Ult
1
1
3
Ult
3
3
2
Ult
2
2
Max Skill 1, the piercing arrow that is your biggest damage source, then Skill 3 for its area Slow and healing reduction.
Varus Strengths
- ✓Long-range poke with Skill 1
- ✓Ult engage and catch that opens teamfights
- ✓Max-HP percent damage from popping Skill 2 stacks
Varus Weaknesses
- ×No mobility; easy target for ganks and assassins
- ×Damage and CC depend on skillshot accuracy
- ×Few answers once enemies close the gap
Varus Early Game
Use your long range early to poke often and hold lane priority. Varus's core combo is three basic attacks to stack Skill 2, then a skill to detonate it for a big chunk of HP.
Varus Mid Game
When Ult is up, look for kills. Follow your jungler's ganks or catch an isolated enemy. With a lethality poke build, fully charged Skill 1s from the fog of war alone wear the enemy down.
Varus Late Game
In the late game, poke the enemy down before committing to objectives. You have no mobility, though. Watch your position so an assassin cannot catch you where your team cannot peel.
Varus Teamfights
Follow your team's engage by firing Ult into the middle of the enemy and spreading the root. Then stack with basic attacks from a safe distance and detonate with skills to take them down one by one.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Spamming skills without weaving basic attacks
Varus only reaches full damage by stacking with basic attacks and popping the stacks with skills. Poking with Skill 1 from range is fine. But dumping every skill in an all-in without a single basic attack throws away damage. Even after landing your level 5 Ult root, weave in a few basic attacks before you detonate.
Varus Combos
Basic Burst
Open with the root from Ult, build up stacks, then detonate them with your skills.
Ult
AA
3
AA
AA
1
Varus Skills
Passive
Living Vengeance
On champion takedowns, gains:
- 55% Attack Speed that can exceed the Attack Speed cap
- 0 AD (20 x bonus AS)
- 0 AP (20 x bonus AS)
On non-champion takedowns, gains:
- 20% Attack Speed
- 0 AD (10 x bonus AS)
- 0 AP (10 x bonus AS)
These bonuses last 5 second(s).
- 55% Attack Speed that can exceed the Attack Speed cap
- 0 AD (20 x bonus AS)
- 0 AP (20 x bonus AS)
On non-champion takedowns, gains:
- 20% Attack Speed
- 0 AD (10 x bonus AS)
- 0 AP (10 x bonus AS)
These bonuses last 5 second(s).
Skill 1
Piercing Arrow
⏳ 15s
Hold: Draws the bow, gradually increasing the range and damage of his next shot. Varus is slowed by 20% while preparing to shoot.
Release: Fires the arrow, dealing 80-120 physical damage (80 + 110% bonus AD to 120 + 165% bonus AD), reduced by15% per enemy hit (minimum 33%).
Release: Fires the arrow, dealing 80-120 physical damage (80 + 110% bonus AD to 120 + 165% bonus AD), reduced by15% per enemy hit (minimum 33%).
| Details | LVL 1 | LVL 2 | LVL 3 | LVL 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooldown | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
| Cost | 75 | 80 | 85 | 90 |
| Base Damage | 80 | 140 | 200 | 260 |
| Max. Damage | 120 | 210 | 300 | 390 |
Skill 2
Blighted Quiver
⏳ 25s
Passive: Attacks deal 15 bonus magic damage (15 + 35%AP) and apply a Blight stack for 6 second(s) (max 3 stacks). His other abilities detonate Blight, dealing 3% of the target's max HP (3% + 0.012%AP) as magic damage.
Detonating Blight on enemy champions or epic monsters reduces his basic ability cooldowns by 13% per stack.
Active: Varus's next Piercing Arrow deals 6%-9% (Lv) of the target's missing HP as bonus magic damage, increased by 0% to 50% based on charge time.
Detonating Blight on monsters deals up to 120 damage per stack.
Detonating Blight on enemy champions or epic monsters reduces his basic ability cooldowns by 13% per stack.
Active: Varus's next Piercing Arrow deals 6%-9% (Lv) of the target's missing HP as bonus magic damage, increased by 0% to 50% based on charge time.
Detonating Blight on monsters deals up to 120 damage per stack.
| Details | LVL 1 | LVL 2 | LVL 3 | LVL 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Damage | 15 | 25 | 35 | 45 |
| % Damage | 3% | 3.5% | 4% | 4.5% |
Skill 3
Hail of Arrows
⏳ 13s
Fires a hail of arrows that deals 70 physical damage ( 70 + 90% bonus AD) and desecrates the ground for 4 seconds. Desecrated ground slows enemies by 25% and applies 40% Grievous Wounds.
Grievous Wounds reduces the effectiveness of Healing and Regeneration effects.
Grievous Wounds reduces the effectiveness of Healing and Regeneration effects.
| Details | LVL 1 | LVL 2 | LVL 3 | LVL 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooldown | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 |
| Base Damage | 70 | 115 | 160 | 205 |
| Slow | 25% | 30% | 35% | 40% |
Ult
Chain of Corruption
⏳ 75s
Flings out a tendril of corruption that deals 150 magic damage (150 + 80%AP) and roots the first enemy champion hit for 2 seconds.
The corruption then spreads toward nearby enemy champions, also immobilizing them on contact. Immobilized units gain 3 Blight stacks over the next 1.5 seconds.
The corruption then spreads toward nearby enemy champions, also immobilizing them on contact. Immobilized units gain 3 Blight stacks over the next 1.5 seconds.
| Details | LVL 1 | LVL 2 | LVL 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooldown | 75 | 65 | 55 |
| Base Damage | 150 | 250 | 350 |
Varus Base Stats
Official ratings
Damage3/3
Survivability1/3
Utility1/3
Difficulty2/3
A three-step guide set by the official champion library. For difficulty, a higher number means harder to play.
1
Health600LV15 2392
Mana390LV15 852
Attack Damage58LV15 114
Armor35LV15 98
Magic Resist30LV15 49.6
Movement Speed340
Critical damage is 200% for every champion. These figures exclude items and runes.
Varus Patch History
Varus
Patch 7.2Chain of Defilement
- Time for Blight to reach maximum stacks on a target3s → 1.5s
Our take
Halving the ramp means the stacks now cap while the target is still snared. Previously the stacks only completed after the root had worn off, forcing Varus to chase for the detonation; now the whole sequence resolves inside the crowd control. It shortens Varus's follow-up and, on the other side, makes the timing of the payoff far easier for opponents to read.
Varus
Patch 7.1bLiving Vengeance
- Attack Speed on non-champion kill15%/20%/25% → 20%/25%/30%
- Attack Speed on champion kill50% → 55%
Our take
Both halves of the passive go up, making it easier for Varus to keep momentum by farming through minions and monsters. Non-champion kills now grant up to 30%, which speeds up his wave clear and lets him shove the lane more freely. Champion kills give 55%, so his follow-up right after a takedown in a teamfight is clearly faster. The buff helps both how quickly he finishes items and how much sustained damage he brings to fights.
Varus
Patch 6.3Living Vengeance
- Bonus attack speed on takedown reduced
Blighted Quiver
- On-hit magic damage20/30/40/50 → 15/25/35/45
Our take
Varus used to snowball a fight on two fronts: attack speed after every takedown and magic damage riding on each basic attack. Both come down together, so the follow-up after a kill is slower and each shot lands lighter. Lane trades chip less as well, which puts more weight on landing his abilities cleanly. The on-hit damage loses the same 5 at every rank, so levelling the ability never closes the gap.
