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Zhou Yu

Zhou Yu

周瑜

C Mid
Difficulty

Mage

Formation Mage Sustained Damage/Pushing Early Game Hard

Also known as

Zhou Yu's Chinese name is 周瑜.

周瑜

Quick summary

Zhou Yu is a situational Mid Mage who wants to play sustained damage.

Current patch decision guide

When to pick Zhou Yu, when to avoid them, and how to adapt your build.

Updated 2026-05-31

Zhou Yu is a situational Mid Mage who wants to win extended trades with regeneration. Public guide data shows a build using the standard mage core path, used to farm safely and rotate to side lanes when the wave allows. Pick him when the draft lets Zhou Yu reach the targets his kit is designed to threaten; avoid when the matchup denies the windows his kit needs.

Pick Zhou Yu when

  • The team draft favors extended team fights where healing scales
  • Your team has the structure to use his ability to farm safely and rotate to side lanes when the wave allows, since Zhou Yu delivers consistent damage output and timely roams.
  • The enemy draft includes Cirrus, Nakoruru, and Xuance, who appear in counter data as matchups Zhou Yu can pressure.

Avoid Zhou Yu when

  • The enemy already builds anti-heal items, neutralizing your sustain plan
  • Your team needs a jungle pick more than Zhou Yu's specialty, leaving the role unfilled if you commit here.
  • A stronger pick in the same role is open and the matchup does not specifically reward Zhou Yu's Sustained Damage.

Power spikes

Early game: Zhou Yu is listed as an early-game threat in public guide data — convert the early window into objectives before scaling picks come online.
Lifesteal item online: trade patterns flip from neutral to favorable once sustain stacks with damage
Late game: cooldowns become short enough that Scorching Bolt influences every team fight rather than being a one-shot tool.

Build decisions

Default mid path

Public build data is incomplete for Zhou Yu. Use the in-game recommended preset, then adapt items based on enemy damage type and team needs.

Matchup logic

Versus anti-heal

Healing reduction items cut sustain by a large margin. Track when the enemy buys the anti-heal item and adjust your trade aggression accordingly.

Role positioning

Zhou Yu is a Mid pick whose value depends on consistent damage output and timely roams. Stick to the role plan rather than forcing fights his kit is not designed to win.

Synergies

Public synergy data lists Dyadia, Kui, and Liu Bang as strong partners for Zhou Yu. Plan engages around Dyadia's setup window, then second-engage with Flames of War.

Common mistakes

  • Forcing all-ins against opponents already wearing anti-heal — your healing barely activates.
  • Engaging without checking enemy summoner-spell cooldowns, which often decide whether Zhou Yu's commit reaches the target alive.
  • Greeding farm in mid lane while side lanes get camped — rotation timing matters more than CS lead in most matchups.

Background

Inferno

Three Kingdoms
“What a precise strike, just flawless!”

Between the interests of the family and Jiang's development, Zhou Yu, who cared deeply for the state and its people, chose the latter. Born into a noble family, Zhou Yu was compassionate and trustworthy, and his acquaintance with Sun Ce further fueled his determination to reform Jiang. The calm and proud noble son is sincere in his passion and willingness to sacrifice for his ideals, and that burning desire extends to his passionate love for Xiao Qiao as well.

Race:
Human
Height:
180 cm
Style:
Sorcery
Nation:
Wu
Title:
Governor of Wu

Source: Official Honor of Kings — canonical lore for Zhou Yu.

Base Stats

Source: in-game capture (HoK Global v11.x, 2026-04-20)

Survivability

3278
Max HP
150
Phys DEF
75
Mag DEF
44
HP/5s

Offense

170
Phys ATK
5%
Atk Speed
200%
Crit DMG

Utility

365
Move Speed
640
Max Mana
16
Mana/5s
Ranged
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.

Standard build

Safe default

Start here if the draft looks standard and you want the safest all-around setup.

#mask-of-agony #boots-of-tranquility #frozen-breath #insatiable-tome #augur-039-s-word #venomous-staff
Arcana
#hok-logo#zhou yu honor of kings#zhou yu
Spells

Flash

Skills

passive Blaze

Damage from Basic Attacks and skills apply marks to enemy units andstructures. At 4 stacks, targets are slowed and suffer damage over time.

skill1 Wildfire

Invokes a wind domain in the target direction, slowing and knocking back enemies in range. Nearby teammates gain Move Speed, and his nearby fires will spread in the direction of the wind.

skill2 Scorching Bolt

Creates a fire domain at the target location that deals burning damage toenemies in it. There can be up to 5 fire domains at a time. He recovers Health over time while in a fire domain. Can stock up to 3 charges of this skill.

ultimate Flames of War

Deals damage to enemies in range. lf there's a fire zone in range, any enemies within it will be stunned and take extra damage.

Skins

4 skins
Zhou Yu skin: Golden Coast

Golden Coast

Zhou Yu skin: Eclipse Blaze

Eclipse Blaze

Zhou Yu skin: Flaming Lotus

Flaming Lotus

Zhou Yu skin: Navy Admiral

Navy Admiral

Playstyle

Zhou Yu's win condition runs through Flames of War (deals damage to enemies in range). Look for angles to land your control from max range, then follow with your damage rotation.

Patch History

S7 Nov 2024 Stat Changes

Increased base Movement Speed and Skill 1's late game cooldown.

Show details

"Zhou Yu needs some preparation to fully ignite the battlefield. We've slightly increased his mobility to help him find the right positioning and angles. At the same time, we've slightly increased the late game cooldown of his Skill 1, giving opponents a fair chance to dodge it."

S6 Aug 2024 Stat Buffs

Increased Skill 2's damage over time and recovery and reduced late game stock time.

Show details

"Zhou Yu's Skill 2 provides damage over time and recovery. We aim to strengthen this playstyle appropriately while adjusting the cooldown between early and late game to balance his power throughout the match."

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