By GamGem ResearchLast updated 18 Oct 2026
the Darkin Blade
Patch 26.20 · Stats from the 26.18 Master+ sample (3,921 games).
Fighter
Patch 26.18 · Top · Ranked Solo/Duo · Master+ · EUW · KR · NA · 3,921 games · Preview sample
3,921
Games
High
Confidence
Win rate by lane
57.9%Win Rate
Flash
Ignite61.7%Win Rate
FlashIgnite53.7%Win Rate
Flash
Teleport
This exact page: taken in 13.8% of games·45.7% win rate over 540 games.
Gain stacks of adaptive force when attacking enemy champions. After reaching 12 stacks, heal for a portion of damage you deal to champions.
Takedowns restore 5% of your missing health and grant an additional 20 gold.
Takedowns on enemies grant permanent Basic Ability Haste.
Deal more damage to champions while you are low on health.
After taking damage from an enemy champion, the next 3 spells or attacks you receive from them deal 30-60 (based on level) less damage. Duration: 1.5s Cooldown: 55s
Gain 5% Heal and Shield Power. Heals and shields you cast or receive are 10% stronger on targets below 40% health.
Electrocute8.9% taken · 49.7% win348 games
Stormraider's Surge3.8% taken · 53.7% win149 games
Grasp of the Undying3.4% taken · 51.1% win133 gamesPrecision + Resolve57.5% taken · 47.2% win2,254 games
Precision + Inspiration22.3% taken · 50.5% win876 games
Domination + Resolve6.5% taken · 50.6% win253 gamesWhich ability to max first, and the level each point goes in — Aatrox's most common path.
QAatrox slams his greatsword down, dealing physical damage.
Cooldown 14/12/10/8/6s · No cost
WAatrox smashes the ground, dealing damage to the first enemy hit.
Cooldown 18/16.5/15/13.5/12s · No cost
EPassively, Aatrox heals when damaging enemy champions.
Cooldown 9/8/7/6/5s · No cost
RAatrox unleashes his demonic form, fearing nearby enemy minions and gaining attack damage, increased healing, and Move Speed.
Cooldown 120/100/80s · No costMax Q first, then E, then W. Take R whenever available (6 / 11 / 16).
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QThe Darkin Blade | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | |||||||||||||
| WInfernal Chains | W | W | W | W | W | |||||||||||||
| EUmbral Dash | E | E | E | E | E | |||||||||||||
| RWorld Ender | R | R | R |
How Aatrox performs against enemy top laners
Recommended items by enemy team composition
AatroxTop average
102030
102030
102030
Avoid extended fights — its sustain grows with every trade it survives
Punish the cooldown — Aatrox is exposed while its rotation is down
Ward the flank — vision is what turns its best opening into a worse one
Respect the spike — Riot rates the kit 4/10, so a practised player gets more out of it than the average
Trade on your terms — take the fight where its damage lands on nobody
PDeathbringer Stance
Periodically, Aatrox's next basic attack deals bonus magic damage and heals him, based on the target's max health.
Passive — never cast
QThe Darkin Blade
Aatrox slams his greatsword down, dealing physical damage. He can swing three times, each with a different area of effect.
No costCooldown 14/12/10/8/6sRange 25000
WInfernal Chains
Aatrox smashes the ground, dealing damage to the first enemy hit. Champions and large monsters have to leave the impact area quickly or they will be dragged to the center and take the damage again.
No costCooldown 18/16.5/15/13.5/12sRange 825
EUmbral Dash
Passively, Aatrox heals when damaging enemy champions. On activation, he dashes in a direction.
No costCooldown 9/8/7/6/5sRange 25000
RWorld Ender
Aatrox unleashes his demonic form, fearing nearby enemy minions and gaining attack damage, increased healing, and Move Speed. If he gets a takedown, this effect is extended.
No costCooldown 120/100/80sRange 25000
Riot's notes from patch 25.S1.1 to 26.20 change Aatrox in 6 patches. The latest is patch 26.19, published 2026-09-22.
WInfernal Chains
EUmbral Dash
We think The Darkin Blade has lost a fair bit of power with Sundered Sky nerfs that were aimed more at opening up the jungle meta, so we are giving him a bump so he remains a world-ending threat.
QThe Darkin Blade
We're looking to give Aatrox some love as he's been sitting on the sidelines for some time now, even though signs point to the Darkin being a solid pick in the current meta. We're putting more power into his Q sweet spot to reward him for his core skill check and make him a real threat against lumbering tanks and squishies alike.
PDeathbringer Stance
QThe Darkin Blade
Aatrox has struggled to find a place on the Rift in the new season with split pushing on the rise and fewer chances to flex his team fighting strengths. We're giving him some additional power this patch, primarily in the jungle, where his growing audience has been kneecapped, as well as in the top lane where he could use more ways to benefit from experience. We hope this satiates Aatrox players, especially those with Endless Hunger.
PDeathbringer Stance
QThe Darkin Blade
Here's a fun story: Aatrox's VGU was slated for the jungle for part of his early development before being shipped as a top laner. He's a very interesting champion with fun mechanics to play around, so we're alleviating some max-HP caps and adding some jungle juice to see how he performs in this new role.
PDeathbringer Stance
EUmbral Dash
Our goal was for Aatrox’s changes to be power neutral last patch, but he ended up a bit worse off than anticipated. So we’re back this patch to follow up with some small buffs that should keep him happy to soak up damage on the front line.
PDeathbringer Stance
QThe Darkin Blade
WInfernal Chains
We'd like Aatrox to feel better about some conventional fighter items like Black Cleaver, and now that we have more levers to tune fighter-vs-lethality builds, we're returning W's damage to physical, which should allow him access to more fighter items like Black Cleaver. He's also the current top dog of top lane, so we're adjusting some of his strengths to make landing Q sweet spots more important for both his damage output and healing.
Riot's data lists 13 looks for Aatrox with their own art, the base skin included and 28 chroma variants.
Best ARAM build
This champion’s win rate on each patch the preview sample spans, over its own games there. What actually changed each patch is in Riot’s own notes.
| Stat | Aatrox | Rank | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base health | 650 | =26th | 620 |
| Health per level | 114 | =14th | 104 |
| Base armor | 38 | =9th | 30 |
| Armor per level | 4.8 | =39th | 4.6 |
| Base magic resist | 32 | =32nd | 32 |
| Magic resist per level | 2.05 | =4th | 1.55 |
| Base attack damage | 60 | =72nd | 59 |
| Base attack speed | 0.651 | =88th | 0.656 |
| Attack speed per level | 2.5% | =75th | 2.5% |
| Move speed | 345 | =9th | 335 |
| Attack range | 175 | =87th | 175 |
| Stat | Level 1 | Per level | Level 18 | Rank at 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 650 | +114 | 2588 | =13th of 173 |
| Armor | 38 | +4.8 | 119.6 | 23rd of 173 |
| Magic resist | 32 | +2.05 | 66.85 | =5th of 173 |
Riot Data Dragon 16.20.1. Growth curve: League of Legends Wiki — Champion statistic.
Aatrox, the Darkin Blade, is a Fighter champion in League of Legends. Riot rates the kit 4/10 for difficulty, 8/10 for attack, 4/10 for defense and 3/10 for magic. Aatrox casts every ability without a cost and has 13 skins with their own art. Aatrox's base armor of 38 is the 9th-highest of 173 champions on patch 26.20 (shared with 4 others).
Once honored defenders of Shurima against the Void, Aatrox and his brethren would eventually become an even greater threat to Runeterra, and were defeated only by cunning mortal sorcery. But after centuries of imprisonment, Aatrox was the first to find freedom once more, corrupting and transforming those foolish enough to try and wield the magical weapon that contained his essence. Now, with stolen flesh, he walks Runeterra in a brutal approximation of his previous form, seeking an apocalyptic and long overdue vengeance.
