Cho'gath Guide - LOL Fanatics

About
Latest Posts

Jesús' story on League of Legends started thanks to his friends, who introduced him to the summoner's rift just because it was an excuse to get some bonding besides school hours. When he got on the League of Legends' world, he got fascinated because every match was way different from each other; every match could be resumed in a great story, and imagining great beasts fighting against fierce warriors, or deities battling against wizards or vampires was some imagination fuel for Jesús.

Key Info Up Front

Price: 1350 Blue Essence, 850 Blue Essence and a Champion Shard, 585 RP.
Roles: Tank.
Difficulty: Moderate.

Lore and Story

Cho’Gath, “The Terror of the Void.”

Cho’Gath comes from a different world, named the Void. No one knows exactly where the Void is; some people call it the Outside, others call it the Unknown.

So, Cho’Gath, alongside other creatures like Vel’Koz, Kha’Zix, Kog’Maw, and more, was born in the Void and found their way into Runeterra through dimensional cracks between worlds. All of those creatures are named The Voidborn.

Cho’Gath is an alien creature full of violence; it only loves to create destruction on its path, eating anything that tries to stop it. However, it is also intelligent; probably, he loves violence and eating because of his mental capacities.

There’s not much info about the portals that brought Cho’Gath and the Voidborn into Runeterra as that happened a long time ago, but they are waiting for the portals to open up again, and when that happens, the world can get to its end.

Key Relationships and Quotes

The Voidborn: Kha’Zix, Kog’Maw, Rek’Sai, and Vel’Koz, as well as Cho’Gath, come from the Void.
Kassadin: Kassadin was a traveler whose wife and daughter got trapped by the Void a while ago. Now, he’s trying to avoid the Void portals getting opened again. This isn’t good for Cho’Gath, so Kassadin is Cho’Gath’s enemy.
Malzahar: Malzahar is a “religious zealot” who wants to open the Void and let the creatures enter the world again. He got brainwashed by the power he discovered in the ancient city of Icathia.

“Death is not the end for you; I have seen to it. For eternity, you are mine!”

Key Features

Cho’Gath has two main factors that make it a great champion to start; it’s easy to use and can carry a match by itself thanks to his tankyness and the damage it can make. Nonetheless, to make it work, you’ll always have to build it in a certain way and have a good early because it is easy to fall behind if you don’t farm properly or don’t scale as Cho’Gath needs to.

Let’s check some of the pros of using Cho’Gath:

This is the most obvious one; even if Riot Games says it is a moderate-difficulty champ, Cho’Gath is really easy to use. I always recommend it for learning the basics on how to play Top and maintain a consistent farm, as well as Tryndamere. It can also carry matches while being very tanky, which is great.
Cho’Gath doesn’t need to recall every 5 minutes as it has a great sustain system thanks to its passive.
Cho’Gath’s moveset is outstanding; it has great amounts of CC, and its ultimate deals a lot of True Damage, which is a serious threat in the mid and late game. Also, its Ult makes it chunky, which gives it a lot of HP, making it very hard to take down.
Cho’Gath’s ultimate is great to secure objectives, so it can help the jungle a lot.
It’s easy for Cho’Gath to adapt to any team as all its features are really useful.

But not everything is great about our favorite monster. Cho’Gath can work perfectly, that’s true, but only under certain circumstances. So let’s check the weak points of the Terror of the Void:

Cho’Gath is very weak in the early game. It won’t work as a tank or fighter until level 6. Before getting its Ult, Cho’Gath only relies on its pokes and sustain.
Cho’Gath won’t work if it can’t eat; this means that it needs to scale. Also, if you don’t use its Ult constantly, Cho’Gath will fall apart quickly.
Cho’Gath struggles against two kinds of enemies: those with a lot of mobility and those who have their damage scaled on a percentage of the max HP of the objective.

As I said, two kinds of enemies can make Cho’Gath have a bad time. So let’s see who they are and how can you get out of their situations:

Vayne

Either on Top or in Botlane, Vayne can make Cho’Gath’s life a true hell. Vayne’s abilities scale their True Damage based on a percentage of the max HP Cho’Gath has; this means that the more HP Cho’Gath has, the more True Damage will receive from Vayne.

Some tips I would use against here should be trying to focus on farming, and if she doesn’t let you farm, being close to the minions not to lose EXP should be enough. As for the late game, try to land her CC. As soon as you stop her feet, your teammates should be able to dispatch her easily. Remember that your W can make her unable to use her Q, so use that advantage to focus and kill her.

Sett

Lately, Sett’s has become a big problem for Cho as his damage scaled on max HP of the objective on his Q, plus the True Damage on his W and his Ultimate’s AoE (Area of Effect) Damage is a headache.

If Sett uses his Ultimate on you and lands on your team, they will probably die. Try to get in a position where it’s impossible to kill your teammates when fighting. And for the Lane phase, try to farm as much as you can and don’t try to engage in battles as he has a lot of advantages against you. Be under your tower and wait for assistance if needed.

Fiora

Fiora has the same problem for Cho’Gath as Vayne; she has True Damage based on Max HP of the objective. Also, she has mobility healing, and her W can block anything you throw at her, even tower shots, and it gets even worse if she blocks a CC ability as she will stun you and considerably reduce your Attack Speed.

I recommend building Bramble Vest as the first item against her, keeping the trades short, and not giving her advantages. Lastly, don’t use your Ult until she wastes her W as she can block it.

Darius

This is another tough matchup. Darius has all the advantages to rip you apart if you try to engage him in a fight in the early game, so don’t do that. Instead, go for Doran’s Ring as your first item, and poke him safely from a distance. Also, try to farm on your tower and at a safe distance. If he tries to engage you, you can use your Q and W to disengage.

Related Perks and Special Abilities

Carnivore (Passive)

When Cho’Gath kills a unit, it will recover some health and mana based on its level. This passive gives Cho the sustain it needs to keep itself in the lane for a longer time.

Rupture (Q)

Cho’Gath creates a rupture in a targeted location, and after a small delay, it deals magic damage and knocks all enemies in the location up for one second. After the knock-up, the enemies will be slowed by 60% for 1.5 seconds. Cho’s main weapon in both lane phase and late game because it works perfectly to close distances with your enemies. This ability can also be used to cancel channelings like TPs or, as an example, Shen’s Ultimate.

This ability is perfect to be used in tight spaces, and I recommend maxing this ability first if you are going for a full AP build and maxing it last if you are aiming for a tanky build.

Feral Scream (W)

Cho’Gath screams in a cone in front of it, dealing Magic Damage and silencing every enemy affected for 1.6 to 2 seconds depending on the ability level. Also, the silence doesn’t let them use Summoner Spells, which is great to close distances.

A great ability to stop those full-mobility champions, like Yasuo, Fiora, Irelia, etc. I recommend maxing this ability first if you are against one of these champions and using it to poke instead of your Q, as it is way easier to dodge. If you are not against one of those champions, max this ability second.

Vorpal Spikes (E)

Cho’Gath’s next three basic attacks will launch spikes that deal Magic Damage based on the target’s max health and increase by 0.5% of it for each Feast (R) stack Cho’Gath has. So basically, the bigger Cho’Gath is, the strongest the E basic attacks will be.

Vorpal Spikes has a cool feature; it resets the basic attack timer, so you can combinate them to make a basic attack and then use the ability to deal a decent amount of damage.

I normally use this ability to push the lane and farm as its mana cost is low, and its cooldown is good.

Under normal circumstances, I max this ability first as it is a perfect tool for farming. However, if you are against full-mobility champions, you should max this ability second.

Feast (R)

Cho’Gath devours an enemy, dealing True Damage based on its AP and Bonus HP. If the target dies by this ability, Cho’Gath will acquire a stack of “Feast,” which increases Cho’Gath’s size, HP, and Attack Range up to a cap. Cho’Gath can only stack Feast 6 times with minions or jungle monsters, but it can stack infinitely on champions and epic monsters.

This ability makes Cho’Gath unique as it can execute champions, a perk usually seen in assassins, but as a tank. Also, the True Damage dealt scales with your AP and your HP, so you can deal a big amount of damage by only using a tank build.

Also, the ability is easy to land as you only need to click on an objective, and it can work to secure objectives. I recommend keeping this ability for fighting for a Dragon or a Baron, as it can out damage the jungler smite. As you can see, Cho’Gath’s ability set is easy to understand and use; it doesn’t have intricate passives or weird usages; most of the time, you have to be close to the objective and do damage.

Anyway, Cho’Gath has a combo that you can use every time; it’s easy to land, and it works perfectly to trade in the Lane Phase.

Combos

To start a combo with Cho’Gath, you need to land a Rupture (Q), and when the objective is in the air, use Feral Scream (W). Then, while the objective is silenced, start by auto-attacking them and then use Vorpal Spikes (E).

Remember that Vorpal Spikes reset the auto-attacks timing; it’s hard to time it right, but you can constantly make the auto-attack reset with enough practice. Also, it’s easy to do with Cho’Gath as its Attack Speed isn’t fast at all. Finally, you can finish the combat by using Feast (R) if you have the opportunity.

Champion Playstyle: Runes and Summoner Spells

I won’t recommend various rune pages for Cho’Gath as it has one that suits it perfectly, and the other ones, like full AP builds, are more for a troll match that can work but is more for having some fun instead of playing seriously.

Grasp of the Undying is the perfect rune for Cho’Gath as it deals extra damage based on your max health, gives you permanent health, and heals you a bit when used. This rune is perfect for having a power spike in the early game, and it works perfectly in tandem with Vorpal Spikes.

Demolish deals extra damage to turrets based on your max HP, so this rune can let you destroy turrets with no effort; it’s very useful to use it as Cho’gath doesn’t have tools to push other than Vorpal Spikes, but they don’t do extra damage to turrets.

Conditioning gives you free Armor and Magic Resist while increasing those stats by 5%. This is useful to use in tandem with the Feast stacks to make Cho’Gath almost indestructible. Nonetheless, this is more of a rune to use in the late game as it takes 12 minutes to activate.

Tip: if you are against a laner with constant pokes like Gangplank or Teemo, I recommend taking Second Wind instead.

Overgrowth gives Cho’Gath even more extra HP, which is always useful. But, if you are against a strong-CC team comp, you should take Unflinching instead, as the extra slow resistance and Tenacity can help you deal with the CC.

As for the secondary runes, I usually go with Triumph because it makes you recover some HP and gain extra gold once you get a kill, and the healing combined with your passive heal can help you get out of sketchy situations alive.

Legend: Tenacity is always a great tool to have, regardless of the enemy team.

Lastly, the rune shards. I usually go with Attack Speed since this extra speed will be useful for trades by mixing it with Vorpal Spikes, and the last two will harshly depend on the enemy team. Still, I usually take Armor and Magic resist double shards.

Summoner Spells

No matter the situation, always take Flash and Teleport with Cho’Gath. Flash will give Cho’Gath a bit of mobility; it needs it a lot because Cho’Gath is very slow. Teleport can give you a lot of global pressure by helping allies with unexpected ganks or secure objectives with your Ult.

Recommended Build

With Cho’Gath, you’ll usually want items that give a lot of HP, Armor and Magic Resistant, and Ability Haste. Still, you’ll also need something to engage in battles because of the poor mobility Cho’Gath has.

Frostfire Gauntlet

This will be the mythic you will build the most, as it feels like it was made for Cho’Gath.

The passive on this item is amazing on Cho’Gath since it lets it stay near the enemies and close distances with the slowness it applies, so the enemies will have a bad time trying to kite you. Also, this item gives you extra health, so that’s a great bonus for your Ultimate.

Tip: If your team lacks engaging tools, you can opt for Turbo Chemtank, or if you need extra Tenacity, go for Sunfire Aegis.

Boots

The boots you’ll use will depend on the enemy team. For example, if the enemy team is composed of AD threats, go for Plated Steelcaps, but if the other team has heavy CC, I recommend going for the Mercury Treads.

Thornmail

I always recommend using this item on Cho’Gath because almost all champions have healings nowadays. You can also apply the 60% Grievous Wounds with Rupture, so that’s also a great tool to have.

Gargoyle Stoneplate

Gargoyle‘s a good item that gives you a percentage of Armor and Magic Resist that increases when receiving damage, which is helpful to handle a lot more in team fights and resist burst damage. It also has an active, which gives you a really big shield that scales with your Max Health. However, it decays fast, so don’t waste it!

Warmog’s Armor

Warmog is a must in every tank build, not only on Cho’Gath but also in every tank in the game. Warmog gives you 800 health, which synergizes really well with your Ultimate, and the passive gives a really good sustain in the late game that can help you recover faster after battles.

Tip: Be careful with those champions that can use Blade of the Ruined King or Liandry’s Torment as they have DPS based on your max HP. They will try to focus, so be aware of them.

Force of Nature

This is a great item that gives you Magic Resist, and even if there are no AP threats, it also has Movement Speed that will help you with the lack of mobility.

When fully stacked, this item gives you 10% Movement Speed and a 25% Magic Damage reduction.

Tip: If you need an Armor-based mobility item, you should go for Deadman’s Plate.

As an extra, I’ll give some laning tips for those starting on the Top lane and choosing Cho’Gath as their first option. Let’s go!

Laning and Teamfighting Tips

In the early game, you should try to take short trades whenever Grasp of the Undying is up and farm as much as possible. If your enemy doesn’t let you farm because they are constantly trading, be always behind your minions and wait for the minions wave to get to your tower and kill them there.
When you get Level 6 and unlock your Ultimate, you have two options; you can trade with your opponent and try to eat them, or you can eat minions to get some stacks of Feast.
During the team fights, your goal is providing CC and securing objectives for your team in case you are fighting for them. Thanks to your cone-shaped W’s silence, you can prevent the enemy from running away when the battle is going, and your Q is useful as the enemy can’t get away from the knock-up. So, remember, if you are fighting for a Dragon or a Baron, keep your R to secure the objective, and while fighting, use your W to prevent the enemies from repositioning and your Q to provide CC for your team.

FAQs

Question: Why isn’t there Much Information about the Story of Cho’Gath?

Answer: Well, officially, it’s because Cho’Gath is an ancient beast that appeared in the world a long time ago, and the people back then didn’t take much information about it.
But the principal reason is that Riot Games left some champions that aren’t appealing to the Asian market behind, and Cho’Gath, alongside the other Voidborns, got relegated. It’s a shame that Riot Games forgot this kind of champion.

Question: In what is Cho’Gath Based on?

Answer: There’s no concrete answer to that question as Cho’Gath takes inspiration from various sci-fi and games culture characters, like Shoggoth from H.P Lovecraft books, Ku’gath from Warhammer, or Malebolgia from Spawn.

Question: How Good is Cho’Gath?

Answer: Cho’Gath is really good in certain circumstances. I don’t usually play ranked matches with him as it is easy to counter it, but it works perfectly for low-elo ranked matches and also for learning the fundamentals of the Top lane.

Cho’gath Guide: Conclusion

If you ask me for a champion to start playing Top, for sure, Cho’Gath will be on that list, alongside others like Nasus or Garen. It’s a shame that Riot Games left behind the Voidborns as they did; I hope that you all get in love for Cho’Gath as I did in the past and, if you all play it a lot, hopefully, it will get noticed by Riot Games again.