S11 Aug 2025 Stat Buffs
Increased Skill 1's Damage
Yao
(曜) B Jungle Clash Lane Difficulty
Fighter/Assassin
Assassin Fighter Balanced Hard
Yao
曜
B Jungle Clash Lane
Difficulty Fighter/Assassin
Assassin Fighter Balanced Hard
Also known as
Yao's Chinese name is 曜.
曜
Quick summary
Yao is a mid-tier Jungle Fighter who wants to close distance and snowball off picks. Public guides recommend a build starting with Relentless Blade.
Current patch decision guide
When to pick Yao, when to avoid them, and how to adapt your build.
Yao is a balanced Jungle Fighter who wants to snowball with kills off early ganks. Public guide data shows a build centered on Relentless Blade, Boots of Tranquility, Meteor, used to clear camps efficiently and convert pressure into ganks. Pick him when the draft lets Yao reach the targets his kit is designed to threaten; avoid when the enemy chains crowd control that stops the engage before damage lands.
Pick Yao when
- The enemy team has carries with limited self-peel that Yao can reach before the team can react
- The enemy team relies on long-cooldown engage skills that leave them vulnerable post-fight
- The enemy draft includes Angela, Mi Yue, and Ziya, who appear in counter data as matchups Yao can pressure.
Avoid Yao when
- The team needs sustained team-fight damage rather than a single-target diver
- The enemy team disengages well, so cleanup windows never open
- The enemy team is built around answers to Gap-Close, removing the windows Yao's kit needs to perform.
Power spikes
Early game: jungle clear into level-4 ganks is the first window where Yao can translate routes into kills.
Mid game: with cooldown reduction online, gap-close skills come back fast enough to chain into multiple fights
Late game: cooldowns become short enough that Starburn (Yao) influences every team fight rather than being a one-shot tool.
Build decisions
Cooldown bruiser jungle core
Yao's official build runs a cooldown bruiser jungle path for his Gap-Close and Cleanup kit. Relentless Blade and Rapacious Bite scale physical attack from monster kills, while Boots of Tranquility and Meteor stack cooldown reduction so his mobility resets quickly. Axe of Torment is the anti-squishy core for punishing carries.
Durability & survivability tail
Cuirass of Savagery (offense and defense) and Dragon's Rage (basic-attack damage) balance bulk and output, Overlord's Might adds burst, and Boots of Resistance shortens crowd control. Blood Rage (temporary shield), Sage's Sanctuary (on-the-spot resurrect) and Destiny (negates fatal damage) are the survivability picks that let Yao dive and recover.
Matchup logic
Versus crowd control
Reliable hard control stops Yao's engage before the combo lands. Bait the most threatening control skill before committing Return to Dust, and wait for ally engage to absorb peel.
Role positioning
Yao is a Jungle pick whose value depends on tempo from objectives and cross-map kill threats. Stick to the role plan rather than forcing fights his kit is not designed to win.
Synergies
Public synergy data lists Guiguzi, Sun Bin, and Zhang Fei as strong partners for Yao. Plan engages around Guiguzi's setup window, then second-engage with Return to Dust.
Common mistakes
- Diving while enemy hard control is still up, which directly counters Yao's engage.
- Engaging first instead of second — cleanup picks lose their value as primary engagers.
- Engaging without checking enemy summoner-spell cooldowns, which often decide whether Yao's commit reaches the target alive.
- Pathing predictably and getting tracked by the enemy jungler — vary first clear and rotate based on ward placement rather than muscle memory.
Background
Starblade
“The stars light up the universe, and I'm one of them.”
As a young admirer of Li Bai, Yao has always been filled with passion and ambition. He seeks the carefree life of a wandering swordsman that his idol practices to perfection. This aspiration prompted Yao to join Jixia Academy and found the Team of Stars, which would let him take part in Zhuangzi's Dream Trial. During this endeavor, he made new friends, gained strength, and learned much about himself. Although his team won the competition, this was just the beginning of Yao's journey...
- Race:
- Human
- Height:
- 176 cm
- Style:
- Martial Arts
- Nation:
- Jixia Academy
- Title:
- Jixia Academy Student
Source: Official Honor of Kings — canonical lore for Yao.
Base Stats
Source: in-game capture (HoK Global v11.x, 2026-04-20)Survivability
3304
Max HP
150
Phys DEF
75
Mag DEF
49
HP/5s
Offense
163
Phys ATK
5%
Atk Speed
200%
Crit DMG
Utility
380
Move Speed
3
Max Mana
Melee
Range
Build
How to choose a build
Start with the safe default badge if the draft looks normal, then swap to burst, anti-tank, sustain, or utility builds when the matchup clearly calls for it.
Jungle Full AD lethality
Safe defaultStart here if the draft looks standard and you want the safest all-around setup.
Jungle AD penetration
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
Jungle Full AD lethality
Burst damageBest when you can reach squishier targets and convert quick kills.
god
Jungle Bruiser
Tanky teamfightBest when your team needs a sturdier front line for repeated engages.
Jungle AD penetration
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
Full AD lethality
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
Jungle Full AD lethality
Burst damageBest when you can reach squishier targets and convert quick kills.
Presets
Jungle Full AD lethality
SnowballBest when you are ahead and can keep tempo through picks and fast clears.
Yao
Jungle Full AD lethality
Burst damageBest when you can reach squishier targets and convert quick kills.
Skills
passive Gift of the Stars
Recovers Health when landing skill hits. Using any 3 skills enhances his next skill, and using the enhanced skill will enhance his next Basic Attack.
skill1 Starlight Slice
Deals damage to nearby enemies.
skill2 Starburn (Yao)
Moves quickly, dealing damage and slowing enemies in his path.
ultimate Return to Dust
Returns to his location 2s ago, removes Star Reduction, and deals damage to enemies in his path. Passive: Some of his damage taken is converted into Star Reduction after a short delay.
ultimate Brilliance: Starlight Slice
Deals damage to nearby enemies.
ultimate Brilliance: Starburn
Moves quickly, dealing damage and slowing enemies in his path.
ultimate Brilliance: Return to Dust
Returns to his location 2s ago, removes Star Reduction, and deals damage to enemies in his path. Passive: Some of his damage taken is converted into Star Reduction after a short delay.
Skins
4 skins
Chilong Sword
Shan Hai Thunder
Eagle General
Return of Dreams
Playstyle
Yao's signature tool is Brilliance: Return to Dust (returns to his location 2s ago, removes Star Reduction, and deals damage to enemies in his path). Use your mobility to reach the back line, but bait the enemy's lockdown before you dash in.
Patch History
S9 Apr 2025 Mechanics Upgrade
Passive Recovery Effect Increased
S7 Sep 2024 Stat Buffs
Increased base Physical Defense and reduced the cooldown of Skill 2.
Show details
Increased base Physical Defense and reduced the cooldown of Skill 2.
S6 Jul 2024 Stat Buffs
Increased base stats and Skill 1 damage
Show details
While Yao's combat style relies on him being able to freely move in and out of battle, his current stats don't really enable him to do this well. So, we increased them to allow him greater freedom to enter and exit fights.