Is so bad, is it even worth going AP? His base damage is enormous and his true damage is also high but doesn't utilize AP at all. Because of this you get less than half of the benefit from AP as you do from many champions such as Malzahar or Veigar.
I like Vel'Koz but I dislike champions that scale poorly, unless they're support. So I guess my question is, would going AD or full tank be better than AP? I feel like going AP just isn't worth it.
hisPetMunkey1 voteswhy would going AD make any sense at all? And not building AP would be a total waste as well. Although he doesnt scale as well as others to a certain extent, Vel is still a powerhouse team member throughout the match. With the long range, continuous ult laser increasing in damage with AP, knock up with a follow-up w that is going to do some mean damage and true damage, and a q that can hit 3 enemies for a nice chunk of damage....vel is great for helping escape, interupting, and doing a ton of damage to multiple enemies.
FistOfSharkiesha1 votesWhy? Because he has options. He is simply not as item reliant as other mages and a huge amount of AP doesn't benefit him as much. I was wondering if building him tanky would allow him to not suck in the late game.
hisPetMunkey1 votesWell the true damage at level 18 is 205 or 235...and if you know how to use vel, you're going to be 3 hitting everyone at the very least. sure you could build tanky, but then you take away the fact that he is a huge crowd control mage that deals alot of damage. His crowd controls are amazing, and probably the only reason that you could get away with building him tanky. But I wouldn't sacrifice any AP for some armor or magic resist....without DFG you can't break 750 AP with Vel'Koz unless you don't want boots and a well rounded build i.e. magic pen, AP, CDR and a little mana regen (just a perk of morellinomicon). vel Koz gets targeted because he can be squishy and does nice damage, but don't engage and use his range, and you'll be happier with the extra AP rather than some defense.
Btw, zhonyas is the only defensive item I build on vel as a static and that's cause it has 120 AP. Abyssal scepter is situational.
Serpens1 votesVel'koz has average scalings. 60% on nearly all abilities is not bad, and is quite average. All of his abilities deal damage meanwhile some mages have a utility spell that doesn't do damage at all (eg: Annie). Comparing burst scaling : Vel'Koz scaling - 60% + 62.5% + 50% + 60% = 232.5%. Annie - 80% + 85% + 80% = 245%. Very comparable. Of course this is not factoring in bases (Vel'Koz are much higher) or Vel'Koz true damage. And of course timbers dot (ticks right on spawn) and her sheild. Overall velkoz is a great utility, burst, poke mage.
Centuros1 votesOn one hand, the 60% on ult is only if you hit with ALL of it, but on the other hand, he does get to cast W TWICE (which is pretty big)
Given that all of his abilities can hit more than one target, he is very good lategame if you can apply his damage to a majority of the enemy team when they group up in a teamfight.
Also, due to his scalings being "low," you cold say he scales better with mpen and CDR, both of which often come with AP that he can use (also Liandries is pretty good since 3 of his abilities have some sort of CC attached)
ModKnightsKemplar1 votesHow about doing exactly what you suggest and going support? That's what a lot of Vel'Koz players do.
JustMyBassCannon1 votesHaving low AP scaling means he can benefit from utility items while still being a strong pick. The only offense item you really need with him is Liandry's Torment.