Nasus Scaling: Grade B
Reasonably well, with conditions. Nasus keeps real value at full build. Grade B, Okay late, in The Scaling Codex.
Reviewed for League of Legends Season 16 (2026).
Verdict. Q infinite stacking is immense, but he gets kited badly in coordinated 5v5 fights. Primarily a split-push threat, however, he does scale infinitely, so in theory, very strong late if the game goes long enough for him to stack Q.
- Split-push value
- Infinite scaling
Why Nasus stays relevant
Siphoning Strike has no cap. A heavily stacked Nasus threatens single targets and structures beyond what ordinary item scaling is set up to answer, and Wither remains one of the strongest single-target slows in the game.
Both of those keep working at full build. The question is where he gets to use them.
Where Nasus can actually use the stacks
In a side lane, against a tower, or against whoever gets sent to stop him, the stacks are worth full value. In a five versus five they usually are not. He has no dash, no gap closer and no ranged threat, so a team with slows and knockbacks can walk backwards and shoot while he follows. Damage that never connects does nothing, however large the number is.
That difference accounts for most of his good games and his bad ones. Pushing a side lane with Baron up forces a real decision from the enemy: send two and contest the objective with fewer players, or send nobody and lose an inhibitor. Grouping mid and withering one target while trailing their backline forces much less.
The stacks are real. The walk is the problem. Use them where the enemy has to stand and fight you: under a tower, in a side lane, or against the defender sent to stop you.
Common questions about Nasus scaling
Does Nasus scale well into the late game?
Reasonably well, with conditions. Nasus keeps real value at full build. Grade B, Okay late, in The Scaling Codex.
What holds Nasus back?
In a side lane, against a tower, or against whoever gets sent to stop him, the stacks are worth full value. In a five versus five they usually are not.
Does Nasus scale infinitely?
Nasus carries a permanent stacking mechanic with no cap, so the numbers keep growing after the build is finished. Siphoning Strike has no cap.
What is the late-game rule for Nasus?
The stacks are real. The walk is the problem. Use them where the enemy has to stand and fight you: under a tower, in a side lane, or against the defender sent to stop you.
How this grade was judged
The grade weighs range, target access, sustained and burst damage, crowd control, mobility, durability, healing and shielding, resets, cooldown structure, objective and formation control, split pressure, and how well the champion survives a long fight. Builds and forms that scale differently are graded separately. This is Vambient's gameplay evaluation of coordinated late-game fights, not a win-rate calculation. Full methodology.
Related champions
- Quinn also gains value through split pressure
- Sion also scales infinitely
- Tryndamere also gains value through split pressure
- Urgot also gains value through split pressure
- Other champions that share this: split-push value
- Other champions that share this: infinite scaling
- See the full Grade B tier
The grade measures one thing: how much a champion can influence a coordinated late-game objective fight once both teams reach full builds. It does not measure early strength, snowballing, or win rate. A weak late-game champion still wins by ending the game first, which is what the rest of the library teaches. How the grades are decided.