League of Legends: Aphelios guide

Everything we know about the new Champion Aphelios

When is Aphelios releasing?

Aphelios is due to release on the 11th December with the next patch. Don’t expect him to hit the live servers straight away, but he’ll definitely be available for testing on the PBE. Given the complexity of his abilities, we’ll likely need as much as time as possible to get used to him.

Who is Aphelios?

Aphelios is essentially a religious zealot, who is prepared to kill to protect his Lunari faith. He’s guided by his sister Alune in her temple sanctuary, where she pushes an “arsenal of moonstone weapons” into his hands.

For a complete rundown of his background, his official lore page has you covered.

What are Aphelios’ abilities?

Aphelios is easily one of the most complex Champions ever to hit the Rift, so learning his kit will be a serious undertaking. Riot claims he’s got one of the highest skill ceilings in the game, so manage to master this tricksy champion and you’ll be able to outplay practically anyone – sort of.

Here’s a rundown of all Aphelios’ abilities. Be warned, this is quite something.

Guns, basic attacks & ammo

Aphelios cycles through five weapons, each with its own basic attack. He’ll attack with his main-hand weapon, and hold an off-hand weapon which he can swap to with [W].

He can pick and choose which two weapons he equips at any given time. Each weapon has 50 ammo, and when a weapon runs empty you’ll get the next one in line. Empty weapons go to the end of the line to recharge.

As Aphelios swaps between his main-hand and off-hand, weapon order changes throughout the game based on which weapons you use first.

Unlike practically every other champion, Aphelios only has three buttons: Q, W, and R. W swaps between his two weapons, so that’s why he’s only really got two ‘true’ abilities so to speak.

Each of Aphelios’ five weapons has its own Q ability when equipped as his main-hand weapon. Each Q applies bonus attacks and effects based on the weapon in his off-hand. All of these Qs has its own cooldown, mana and ammo costs. It’s worth noting that you can Q, switch guns, and Q again.

Aphelios learns Q at level 2, and it’ll grow stronger as the game progresses.

Aphelios’ ultimate, Moonlight Vigil, sends forward a moon bomb that explodes on the first enemy hit, damaging nearby enemies. He then follows this up with enhanced basic attacks from his main-hand weapon against all enemies caught in the explosion. He automatically learns R at level 6, and it’ll grow in strength automatically once he hits level 11 and 16.

Individual Weapons

Calibrum, the Rifle

• Calibrum is a poke/harass weapon. It’s basic attacks have extra range.
• When abilities deal damage with Calibrum, they mark enemies hit. Aphelios can right-click on marked enemies anywhere on the map to follow up with a basic attack from his off-hand weapon (or his non-Calibrum weapon if he swaps to it before firing). This attack detonates other nearby marks for bonus damage too.
• Q – Moonshot: Fire a skillshot that damage the first unit hit and marks them.
• Moonlight Vigil Calibrum Effect – Moonlight Vigil’s follow-up attacks mark all enemies hit. These marks deal higher damage when consumed.

Crescendum, the Chakram

• This is a close-range DPS weapon that behaves like a boomerang. Once he throws a boomerang, he can’t attack again unless it returns to him. However, his attack resets when it does. Attack speed increases Crescendum’s travel speed instead. Also, the closer Aphelios is to his target, the less distance Crescendum has to travel – meaning he can attack exceptionally fast if he closes the distance.
• Q – Sentry: Deploy a turret that shoots the nearest target with your off-hand weapon.
• Moonlight Vigil Crescendum Effect – If Moonlight Vigil hits fewer than three enemies, its follow up attacks still increase the damage of Crescendum’s basic attacks as if at least three enemies were hit.

Gravitum, the Cannon

• This is Aphelio’s utility weapon that applies a decaying slow to enemies.
• Q – Eclipse: Damage and root all enemies on the map affected by Gravitum’s slow. Eclipse doesn’t use Aphelios’ off-hand weapon.
• Moonlight Vigil Gravitum Effect – Moonlight Vigil’s follow-up attacks apply a huge slow to enemies.

Infernum, the Flamethrower

• It’s an AoE/waveclear weapon. It deals increased basic attack and ability damage, and creates a damage cone behind enemies hit.
• Q – Duskwave: Spout a wave of flame, damaging enemies. Then basic attack all enemies hit with your off-hand weapon.
• Moonlight Vigil Infernum Effect – Moonlight Vigil’s follow-up attacks create damage circles around enemies hit instead of damage cones behind them.

Severum, the Scythe Pistol

• Severum is a sustain weapon that heals Aphelios for a portion of the damage it deals. If you’ve already got full health, dealing damage with the weapon grants you a small shield instead.
• Q – Onslaught: Gain movement speed and rapidly fire your main-hand and off-hand weapons at the nearest enemy, prioritising champions. Onslaught shots behave like basic attacks but deal reduced damage.
• Moonlight Vigil Severum Effect – Moonlight Vigil grants Aphelios a flat heal.

What’s Aphelios like in action?

Below we’ve linked a couple of videos by pro players and former pro players who’ve been trying out Aphelios on the PBE. Let’s just say that right now he’s looking very, very strong. However, Riot has a habit of releasing new heroes on the PBE in a pretty broken state, so we expect him to be toned down for his official launch.

Here’s Sneaky giving Aphelios a whirl:

And here’s imaqtpie trying out Aphelios:

Excuse the spicy language at times.

More great League of Legends guides:

• 1. Beginner Champs – LoL: Best Beginner Champions guide
• 2. Hotkeys – LoL: Best hotkeys and keybindings
• 3. Fast Levelling – LoL: How to level up fast
• 4. Mouse Settings – LoL: Best mouse DPI and settings guide
• 5. Aphelios – LoL: Aphelios guide

That’s it for the first iteration of our Aphelios guide, but we’ll update this page as soon as Riot delivers his Champion Spotlight. Stay tuned!