Stack-scaling fighter whose enhanced attack outgrows any item spike
FighterEXP LaneDeals physical
Aldous grows through Soul Steal stacks earned from any kill — hero, minion or jungle monster — so his enhanced Contract: Soul Steal attack keeps scaling long after other fighters cap out on items. He can build almost pure tank stats and still one-shot squishies late, at the cost of being genuinely weak until those stacks pile up.
Difficulty
Moderate
Specialities
BurstSupport
The core loop of stacking and landing Soul Steal is simple, but timing the telegraphed wind-up against mobile targets and using the ultimate to interrupt a Recall takes real practice.
Beaten by
83 hard
Strong into
10
Best duos
10
Builds
2
At a glance
Damage
9 of 10
Durability
6 of 10
Crowd Control
5 of 10
Mobility
6 of 10
Utility
5 of 10
Rated against the whole roster, not against their own class.
When Aldous is strong
Attributes
Damage
9
Durability
6
Crowd Control
5
Mobility
6
Utility
5
Strengths
Soul Steal stacks scale off kills, not gold, letting him build pure tank stats and still threaten a one-shot late game
Contract: Explosion's damage reduction and stun buy the time needed to land the enhanced Soul Steal attack
Contract: Chase Fate reveals the whole enemy team and can interrupt a Recall or Arrival on a fleeing low-HP target
Even jungle monster and minion kills grant Soul Steal stacks, so he snowballs from farm alone if left uncontested
Weaknesses
Extremely weak in the early game before stacks accumulate, making him a prime gank target
Soul Steal's wind-up is telegraphed and can be dodged or interrupted, wasting the entire payoff of the attack
Stack growth depends on securing kills, so a team that denies him picks also denies his entire power curve
Contract: Chase Fate's five-second vision window before the dash gives alert enemies time to group up or ready Purify
Skills
Max Contract: Soul Steal first for the enhanced attack's cooldown, then Contract: Explosion, taking the ultimate at every level it's available.
Passive
Contract: Transform
Shield
After every 2 attacks, Aldous gains a 500 (+3 × Soul Steal stack count) shield for 3 seconds on his next Basic Attack. This effect can only be triggered once every 5 seconds.
Always active — no cooldown
What the terms mean(2)
Physical Basic Attack
Deal Physical Damage to enemies. Triggers ATK Effects and Lifesteal.
Shield
Special HP is preferentially deducted when taking damage. The shield with shorter duration or lower points is usually preferentially deducted when multiple shields are stacked.
Skill 1
Contract: Soul Steal
Aldous unleashes his inner energy to enhance his next Basic Attack to kill enemies and absorb their soul each stack gives to deal Physical Damage equal to 200–450 (+100% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage plus 5 times the number of Soul Steal stacks. If this attack kills an enemy hero/Siege Minion/other-non hero unit, Aldous will gain 12/12/10/10/10/4 stacks of Soul Steal (up to 650 stacks).
Our source cuts this description off mid-sentence — the rest is not shown.
Cooldown
4s
Mana
60 → 85
Skill 2
Contract: Explosion
BuffCC
Aldous assumes a defensive stance, gaining 30% Damage Reduction and 20% extra Movement Speed for 2 seconds or until manual cancellation. He then deals 100–200 (+20% Total Physical Attack)–200–400 (+40% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to nearby enemies and stuns them for 0.5–1 second(s) (scales with defensive stance duration).
Cooldown
12s
Mana
80 → 130
What the terms mean(1)
Dodge
You are immune to enemy Basic Attack damage and effects within the duration.
Ultimate
Contract: Chase Fate
MobilityDamage
Aldous gains vision of all enemy heroes for 5 seconds. During this time, if Aldous uses this skill again, he can dash toward an enemy hero. When Aldous hits that enemy hero, he will deal 400–750 (+target's 8% Total HP) Physical Damage and knock back the target for 1 second. (Aldous can interrupt target's Recall during the dash.)Use this skill once again to cancel the dash, and will blink to the designated direction instead.
Our source cuts this description off mid-sentence — the rest is not shown.
Cooldown
60s
Mana
150 → 250
Signature combo
Contract: Explosion (stun) → Contract: Soul Steal (enhanced attack) → ultimate dash to chase down or interrupt the Recall of a fleeing survivor.
Aldous builds
Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.
Standard Split-Pusher
7,320g total
Default EXP lane build for scaling through Soul Steal and dueling side lanes.
The 'Flicker combo' — blinking in right as a hook or stun lands, or blinking out the instant an enemy ultimate is cast — is the single most common high-elo outplay moment in the game.
Swap in when needed
Immortality — As insurance once he becomes the enemy team's priority pick target.
Blade of Despair — For extra early damage before Soul Steal stacks alone can carry fights.
Antique Cuirass — Against skill-combo fighters or assassins punishing his telegraphed wind-up.
Wind of Nature — Against a marksman-heavy team whose basic attacks threaten him during Soul Steal's cast time.
Aldous Standard Split-Pusher build: Warrior Boots, then Endless Battle, then Haas' Claws, then Queen's Wings.
Tank Scaling
7,330g total
Once stacks are high enough that raw damage items are no longer necessary and durability wins fights instead.
The 'Flicker combo' — blinking in right as a hook or stun lands, or blinking out the instant an enemy ultimate is cast — is the single most common high-elo outplay moment in the game.
Swap in when needed
Immortality — As insurance while he's the enemy's main kill priority.
Antique Cuirass — Against skill-combo burst that interrupts his wind-up.
Athena's Shield — Against burst magic damage during the approach.
Aldous Tank Scaling build: Warrior Boots, then Queen's Wings, then Oracle, then Guardian Helmet.
Who counters Aldous
The heroes that make this matchup hard, and the mechanic that does it.
Prioritize clearing jungle camps and minion waves whenever the lane is safe — every non-hero kill still grants Soul Steal stacks
2
Hold Contract: Explosion's defensive stance to bait out an enemy skill before releasing the stun rather than using it on reaction
3
Use the ultimate's dash specifically to interrupt an enemy Recall or Arrival on a low-HP target trying to escape
4
Once past roughly 150 Soul Steal stacks, itemize for pure durability — his stacked attack already threatens a one-shot without more damage items
Aldous — common questions
Is Aldous good for beginners?
He's approachable mechanically, but new players often misjudge how weak he is before stacking up, leading to early deaths that set his whole scaling curve back.
What is the best build for Aldous?
Warrior Boots into Endless Battle, Haas' Claws, and Queen's Wings covers sustain and early damage. Past roughly 150 Soul Steal stacks, shift into pure tank items like Oracle and Guardian Helmet.
Which heroes counter Aldous?
Esmeralda's Frostmoon Shield absorbs a full stacked hit outright, Karina's Shadow Combo true damage bursts him down before he stacks up, and Valentina can steal his own ultimate mid-fight.
What emblem should Aldous use?
Fighter emblem with Firmness for early defense, Weapons Master for scaling stats, and Killing Spree to reward the kills that feed his stacks.
