Game patch 26.20Data Dragon 16.20.1

Reference patch 16.20.1

Aphelios

the Weapon of the Faithful

Aphelios is a ranged damage dealer who needs safe spacing and time to keep attacking. This overview keeps the explanation practical and leaves patch-sensitive numbers to Riot's structured data and the current in-game tooltip.

BotMostly physical damageRanged attacks

Open matchup guide Find counters Status effects

Usual roleBot

ClassMarksman

DifficultyHigh · 10/10

Basic attacksRangedRanged basic attacks · 550 range.

Damage profileMostly physical damageMost normal kit pressure is physical. Armour may help, but check whether attacks or abilities are the main source.

Reference patch16.20.1

Strengths and limits

What Aphelios does well, and what can go wrong

These are kit-level patterns, not a promise that every lane or matchup plays the same way.

Good patterns

Can maintain ranged damage when positioning and target access remain safe.
Ranged basic attacks can contribute without entering melee distance when spacing is preserved.

Limits to respect

Loses reliable output when forced away, controlled or reached before creating distance.
Needs the player to respect cooldowns, resources and the opponent's route into the fight.

Riot ally tips

Use these while learning the champion

Each of Aphelios' weapons have different strengths, so try to find the right situation for your current weapons.

Riot opponent tips

What an opponent is told to watch for

Each of Aphelios' weapons have different weaknesses, try to exploit the ones that work best for your champion. Watch out for the purple Gravity gun, it can root you.

Practical champion reading

How to read Aphelios in a real fight

Use these patterns to ask better questions before choosing an item, target or commitment. They describe the kit, not a guaranteed result.

Damage delivery

Primarily physical pressure

Armour can reduce the broad physical profile. Separate basic attacks from physical abilities before relying on an item passive that only affects attacks.

Fight rhythm

Repeated access matters

The threat grows while this champion can keep attacking a useful target. Break target access, create distance or use control before the repeated pattern settles in.

Range and access

Spacing protects repeated output

Ranged attacks are useful only while a safe line to the target remains. Flanks, hard control and blocked escape routes can remove that advantage quickly.

Typical team job

Maintain safe, repeatable damage

Target access and survival time usually matter more than one ambitious hit. Reposition between attacks and avoid giving up the safe damage line.

Control check

Identify the exact movement restriction

Tenacity can shorten only eligible control. Displacements, airborne effects and repeated slows need their own positioning, blocking or movement answer.

Protection and sustain

Do not buy a counter that has no target

Reserve anti-heal and anti-shielding for a visible problem in the full team composition; they are not default answers to every champion.

Resource pattern

Mana and cooldowns both matter

A spell being available does not mean the complete sequence is sustainable. Watch the resource bar as well as the setup and escape cooldowns.

Defensive item reference

What can help against Aphelios?

Start with the threat that is actually affecting the match. These are conditional comparisons, not an automatic counter build.

Pre-game choices

DEFENSIVE BOOTS

Plated Steelcaps usually fit better

Armour and attack reduction address repeated physical basic attacks. The passive does not reduce every physical ability.

Choose Mercury's Treads instead when magic damage or reducible crowd control across the full team matters more.

Repeated attacksReducible controlSlowsPossible critical strikes

PHYSICAL DEFENCE

Physical defence

Armour · health · role-appropriate defence

Armour can reduce physical damage, but Plated Steelcaps' passive is specific to attacks.

Match the item to attacks, critical strikes or ability burst rather than buying armour from the label alone.

REPEATED ATTACKS

Repeated attacks

Plated Steelcaps · Frozen Heart

These can reduce attack-focused pressure when their stats fit your champion.

Do not use this as an answer to physical spells that are not attacks.

CRITICAL STRIKES

Critical strikes

Randuin's Omen

Critical-strike reduction can matter after a real critical build appears.

Champion identity alone does not prove that critical strikes will be purchased.

CONTROL AND ONE KEY SPELL

Control and one key spell

Mercury's Treads · Quicksilver Sash · Banshee's Veil · Edge of Night

Tenacity and a removable-control active can help against the relevant disabling effects.

Check the current tooltip and whether the exact effect can be shortened, removed or blocked.

REPEATED SLOWS

Repeated slows

Boots of Swiftness

Slow resistance can be more useful than Tenacity when repeated slowing strength is the main problem.

It gives no armour or magic resistance, so compare the rest of the opposing team.

Normal Draft and Ranked role map

Where Aphelios fits on Summoner's Rift

Each lane is assessed separately. Open a role to reach its queue-specific build and matchup preparation.

TopUnestablished route

Historical reference. Recommendation review pending. Aphelios is normally played Bot and does not currently have a reviewed Top route. Top usually needs independent laning, durable trading or reliable side-lane pressure. Treat this as a deliberate experiment, not a standard recommendation.

Review this role

JungleUnestablished route

Historical reference. Recommendation review pending. Aphelios is normally played Bot and does not currently have a reviewed Jungle route. Jungle usually needs repeatable monster clear, safe pathing and objective control without lane income. Treat this as a deliberate experiment, not a standard recommendation.

Review this role

MidUnestablished route

Historical reference. Recommendation review pending. Aphelios is normally played Bot and does not currently have a reviewed Mid route. Mid usually needs solo-lane safety plus wave control, roaming or reliable burst pressure. Treat this as a deliberate experiment, not a standard recommendation.

Review this role

BotPrimary role

Historical reference. Recommendation review pending. Aphelios has an established Bot carry plan that can scale through shared-lane farm and work with a Support partner.

Review this role Open matchup

SupportUnestablished route

Historical reference. Recommendation review pending. Aphelios is normally played Bot and does not currently have a reviewed Support route. Support usually needs useful engage, peel or utility while operating on low gold income. Treat this as a deliberate experiment, not a standard recommendation.

Review this role

Kit reference

Aphelios abilities

Ability names, descriptions and numeric fields come from Riot Data Dragon. Practical reads are independently written; the current in-game tooltip remains authoritative.

Abilities Data Dragon 16.20.1Cooldown / Cost / Range Data Dragon 16.20.1

Passive

The Hitman and the Seer

What it doesAphelios wields 5 Lunari Weapons made by his sister Alune. He has access to two at a time: one main-hand and one off-hand. Each weapon has a unique Basic Attack and Ability. Attacks and abilities consume a weapon's ammo. When out of ammo, Aphelios discards the weapon and Alune summons the next of the 5.

Practical readThe Hitman and the Seer is an automatic part of the kit involving basic-attack interaction. Track when its condition is active instead of treating every fight the same way.

Q ability

Weapon Abilites

What it doesAphelios has 5 different activated abilities, based on his main-hand weapon: Calibrum (Rifle): Long range shot that marks its target for a long-range follow-up attack. Severum (Scythe Pistol): Run fast while attacking nearby enemies with both weapons. Gravitum (Cannon): Root all enemies slowed by this weapon. Infernum (Flamethrower): Blast enemies in a cone and attack them with your off-hand weapon. Crescendum (Chakram): Deploy a sentry that shoots your off-hand weapon.

Practical readWeapon Abilites creates setup or area pressure. Place it where the opponent must choose between entering its space, changing route or giving up the immediate contest.

Cooldown9 secCost60Listed range1450 units

W ability

Phase

What it doesAphelios swaps his main-hand gun with his off-hand gun, replacing his basic attack and activated ability.

Practical readPhase contributes basic-attack interaction. Its value changes with cooldown, range and target access; recognise the setup before moving into its effective area.

Cooldown0.8 secListed range250 units

E ability

Weapon Queue System

What it doesAphelios has no third ability. This slot shows the next weapon Alune will give him. Weapon order begins fixed but may change over game time -- when a weapon is out of ammo it goes to the end of the order.

Practical readWeapon Queue System is part of Aphelios's E pattern. Read its listed effect first, then track the cooldown and condition that make the next use valuable.

Listed range1000 units

Ultimate

Moonlight Vigil

What it doesFire a concentrated blast of moonlight that explodes on enemy champions. Applies the unique effect of Aphelios' main-hand gun.

Practical readMoonlight Vigil is part of Aphelios's R pattern. Read its listed effect first, then track the cooldown and condition that make the next use valuable.

Cooldown120/110/100 secCost100Listed range1300 units

Levels 1–18

Aphelios · Health / Mana · Abilities

Base values exclude items, runes, temporary buffs and mode-specific modifiers. Cooldowns are the listed base cooldown before ability haste.

Level 1600 Health348 Mana

Level 3750 Health410 Mana

Level 61,003 Health514 Mana

Level 111,495 Health717 Mana

Level 162,076 Health956 Mana

Level 182,334 Health1,062 Mana

Cooldown Data Dragon 16.20.1

Basic abilityWeapon Abilites

Learned automatically at level 2; each equipped weapon supplies its own Q.

All ranks9 sec

Basic abilityPhase

Weapon swap is available from level 1 and is not ranked with skill points.

All ranks0.8 sec

Basic abilityWeapon Queue System

Shows the weapon queue rather than acting as a normal cast or ranked ability.

CooldownRead current tooltip

UltimateMoonlight Vigil

Learned automatically at level 6 and improves automatically at levels 11 and 16.

Rank 1120 secRank 2110 secRank 3100 sec

Open every levelHealth and mana from level 1 to 18

Level	Health	Mana	Ability milestone
1	600	348 Mana	W weapon swap available
2	673	378 Mana	Q weapon abilities unlock automatically
3	750	410 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
4	831	443 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
5	915	478 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
6	1,003	514 Mana	R improves automatically
7	1,094	551 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
8	1,189	591 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
9	1,287	631 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
10	1,389	673 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
11	1,495	717 Mana	R improves automatically
12	1,604	761 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
13	1,717	808 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
14	1,833	856 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
15	1,953	905 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
16	2,076	956 Mana	R improves automatically
17	2,203	1,008 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats
18	2,334	1,062 Mana	Spend the level point on champion stats

Choose the next question

Turn the profile into a pre-game plan

Choose a queue-aware build, compare a lane opponent, or return to the full champion library.

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