How to win lane as Gwen against Nautilus · 52.47% win rate over 1,193 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | You're both weak at level 1, but his Dredge Line hook plus the Staggering Blow auto-root can chain you with no W mist to break vision yet — last-hit at max range. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Still a coinflip — neither of you has a kill button yet, so deny the hook and farm even. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Snip Snip lets you poke and Skip 'n Slash resets it, but his hook-into-Riptide trades evenly back — no one owns this stage outright. |
| Levels 4-5 | Nautilus | Pre-6 and before your kit's online you're a melee with no untargetability into his hook plus Riptide and auto-root — this is his strongest window. |
| Level 6 | Gwen | Needlework plus Hallowed Mist flips it: drop W on his hook or Depth Charge and Snip Snip grinds his tank HP while Thousand Cuts healing eats his damage. |
| First item | Gwen | Your first AP item makes the %-max-HP Q and on-hit passive out-trade anything Nautilus stacks — force the all-in here. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | Your anti-tank DPS shreds his health, but his point-and-click Dredge Line and Depth Charge never fall off and can pin you out of mist — it nets even. |
Levels 1-3 are a coinflip and his Dredge Line hook decides it — get caught and the Staggering Blow auto-root locks you, Riptide chunks you, and your W mist isn't up yet to break his line of sight. Don't walk into hook range to last-hit when Q is up; farm at max Snip Snip cone range and respect that one hook chains his full combo. The flip side: his trade does damage but has no kill pressure if you dodge the hook, so just refuse the catch and farm even.
The full Gwen vs Nautilus report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Nautilus vs Gwen guide →
All Gwen top lane matchups →