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Hello everyone, I am Xiaodi from Gaming.

Since Cao Cao's rework, his strength and playability have indeed improved a lot, but his popularity has gradually declined. Now he is mostly seen in professional matches, mainly as a side laner. Recently, some friends asked if Cao Cao can be played in the jungle. The answer is yes, many players have tried it. This time I will introduce a new jungle build for Cao Cao, you might want to give it a try.

Full Tank Jungle Build

The biggest drawback of Cao Cao in the jungle is his lack of crowd control. After the rework, his mobility and damage output have improved significantly, but control is still lacking. On the side lane, it might be acceptable, but in the jungle, the lack of crowd control makes it easy for enemies to escape during ganks.

But obviously, players cannot add crowd control effects to Cao Cao, so we need to change our approach: enhance his chasing ability. Traditionally, once the enemy retreats into their tower, you have to back off because your health cannot withstand tower diving. But what if your health is high enough? That means you can endure longer and eventually defeat the enemy. That's the idea behind the full tank jungle build.

Complete Build Strategy

First, buy the Chasing Blade, which is the tier 2 jungle item. It's a must-have for junglers. Why not the purple jungle item? Because Cao Cao still needs damage; the purple one might make early clearing too slow, so the red one with physical attack is better. Don't rush to upgrade to tier 3. Second, pick up the Boots of Calm for 15% cooldown reduction. As a jungler, Cao Cao frequently moves between lanes and jungle, so he uses skills often. Moreover, Cao Cao is a skill-reliant hero. Faster cooldowns mean smoother use of his first skill's displacement and ultimate, improving jungle clearing and ganking efficiency.

Third, get a Thornmail Bracer as a cheap transitional item that provides both attack and physical defense with great value. Then upgrade to Icebound Grip, which gives HP, physical defense, and cooldown reduction, starting to build tankiness. Its passive enhances the next basic attack after using a skill, with an area slow effect, improving Cao Cao's sticking power. Next, upgrade the jungle item to Greed's Devourer (tier 3) to further boost jungle clearing speed and damage.

Fourth is this season's Formless Artifact, which in warrior form provides 100 physical attack, 7.5% cooldown reduction, and 600 HP. It's quite comprehensive and suits melee heroes like Cao Cao who rely on their ultimate. Fifth is the Dragon's Wrath Shield, offering 1100 HP, 150 physical defense, and 150 magic defense. Its passive, 'Heavy Blow', deals damage to minions and monsters and heals, keeping you healthy during jungle clears. Another passive, 'Divine Power', adds damage to heroes and towers, balancing tankiness and damage.

Last is the Blood Demon's Fury. When activated, it gradually consumes 30% of current HP to grant a shield worth 40% max HP and an attack boost. Combined with Cao Cao's ultimate healing, his ability to turn fights while low on health is ridiculous. Activate the ultimate first, then Blood Demon's Fury—the enemy won't know whether to keep fighting. Then pre-buy a Guardian Angel for late-game team fights, swapping with either the Boots of Calm or the jungle item, adjust based on the situation.

As for runes, use 9 Mutation, 1 Crimson Moon, 10 Concealment, 10 Eagle Eye. This gives 43 physical attack, 96.4 physical penetration, and 10% movement speed. Early game jungle clearing and ganking tempo are sufficient. This is also the common setup for physical warriors, no need to customize separately.

This playstyle greatly enhances Cao Cao's tankiness, making him hard to kill under normal circumstances. Some might think the damage is insufficient, but it's actually enough. As a jungler, Cao Cao naturally has higher economy and a lead advantage. Moreover, although most items are tank-oriented, they come with offensive stats: Blood Demon's Fury, Dragon's Wrath Shield, Icebound Grip, Formless Artifact—all balanced between offense and defense. Combined with the jungle item and rune stats, it's enough to take down squishy targets.

That's all for today. If you found it helpful, please give a like to support. If you have anything to say, ask, or want to see, leave your comments below—I'll read them all~

No game unknown, no matter unspoken; I am Xiaodi, let's chat freely!

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