Thereformedgamers– Darius is now a common pick in many League of Legends games, no matter the patch or meta. Darius is a big fan of the Noxian Guillotine, which has some cool moves that should be put together in a collection. Or to put it another way, Darius is just an Alpha in LoL. His history makes it clear that he “refuses to ever take a backward step,” making him the ultimate lane bully.
Darius is built to always win fights because his kit is so good at dominating his lane that it can beat almost anyone. If you decide to main him, or even if you get auto-filled to the top, this is a great choice. This is an easy guide on how to play Darius in Season 11 of League of Legends.
Darius Item Builds – Core Items
Depending on the player in the next lane, you can build Darius in several different ways. In either case, you want your opponent to lose a lot of health so that you can kill them. Going the tank way is better if you’re in a lane that can easily kite or poke you out. On the other hand, you should be very aggressive if you can bully your opponent.
Early Game
- Dorans Blade / Dorans Shield – A Doran’s start is best as it gives Darius even better early laning strength. This will allow Darius to better pressure scaling champions in the early game, and increase your chances of 1 v 2’ing during ganks. The Blade start is better for tanky matchups as it gives better sustain when you have established lane control, and most importantly, the best all-in potential. Going the shield round is better when against ranged champions, or ones that can constantly spam ability harass, Eg. Teemo or Gankplank. The shield in combination with Decimate’s heal will enable Darius to sustain champion poke until they run out of mana.
- Kindlegem / Phage – Depending on your lane and the build path you chose (read below), two items are likely going to be the target on your first back.
Mid Game
Husker: Because Darius Plays so Aggressively, the Husker Is the Best Bruiser Item for Him. This Gives Darius Full Control of The Lane and A Great Chance to Go 1v2 when Junglers Try to Gank.
Ninja Tabi or Mercury Treads? While Both Can Be Useful in Some Situations, Defensive Boots Are Always a Good Idea Since Darius Already Does a Lot of Damage. if Darius Has Defensive Boots, He Can Stay Alive Longer and Have a Better Chance of Using Decimate’s Heal More than Once. Because Darius Can’t Move, Boots Are One of The Most Important Early to Mid-Game Items.
Late Game
Spirit Visage—spirit Visage Works Well with Darius Because It Helps Him Heal More with Decimate. The item’s Health and Protection from Magic Also Help Darius Stay Alive Longer in Battle so That His Passive and Ultimate Skills Can Do Their Full Damage.
Randuin’s Omen: Randuin’s Passive Is Very Helpful, and Its High Health and Defense Stats Will Help You Stay Alive Longer. the Randuin’s Passive Slows Down Several Enemies, Which Lets Darius Chase Them Since He Can’t Move. When used Early, Darius Can Also Slow Down an Enemy, Which Makes It Easier for The Outside Edge of Decimate to Hit a Champion.
Darius Mythical Item
- Divine Sunderer – Divine Sunderer is the best option to maximize Darius’s damage. This item is for players with an extremely aggressive playstyle. It should be built in situations Darius is already ahead in the landing phase, as it is on the cheaper side, and allows Darius to get his Mythical item earlier to 1 v 2 enemies.
- Sunfire Cape – Sunfire cape is always a go-to Mythical item for players going the tank route. However, while this item is strong, it should only be built when Darius is behind as it does not give Darius the lane dominance he usually holds.
- Trinity Force – Trinity Force while a riskier item to build due to its high cost is the strongest mythical item for Darius in the late-game phase. Trinity Force should only be built at the start if already significantly ahead due to its risky nature as Darius needs established tank items to sustain him.
Tips & Tricks
Darius is a fairly easy champion to play given his simple kit. However, there are a few tips and tricks you should try out to properly learn how to play Darius in League of Legends and climb your way to the top. These tips will not only take down your lane opponent on one but also give you a better chance to fight multiple enemies during ganks.
- Constantly trade with Decimate (Q) – Successfully using Decimate on the outer edge almost always leads to a successful trade. This is because the ability not only deals bonus damage but also heals Darius. Going in for trades will generally lead to Darius on top, or enemies being forced back, losing exp and CS (minion kills / creep score) as a result.
- Auto cancel with Crippling Strike (W) – Crippling strike can cancel your last auto attack’s animation. To maximize your damage, you should always use an auto attack and use W straight away after the damage has been applied.
- Apprehend (E) enemies then use Decimate (Q) immediately – Hitting Decimate on the outer blade gives an enormous advantage over its inner handle. Using this combination will pull enemies in, shortly making them airborne for one second, and effectively guarantee enemies will be hit on the outer edge.
- Use Noxian Guillotine (R) at max stacks – Every stack of Hemorrhage (Passive) applied on enemies, up to 5 stacks, will increase Noxian Guillotine’s damage by 20%. Considering Darius’s ultimate is true damage, maximizing your stacks before ultimately is extremely significant. Using Noxian Guillotine at max stacks in the laning phase is also a very viable option even if you are unable to kill the enemy.
Darius Favorable Matchups
As Darius is a champion where you are expected to be heavily clearing waves and shoving in, enemies that cant clear waves effectively early or heave to get close to Darius to do so are in danger. These three top lane picks easily get countered by Darius in 98% of matches.
- Yassuo – Able to outdamage and sustain
- Sion – Able to cancel Sion Q and duel him due to passive
- Malphite – Can kill Malphite despite armor built due to passive and true damage.
Read More: The Best Hacks for Pokémon Roms in 2024– Everything You Need to Know!
Guide for Cheats and Mods in Red Dead Redemption 2!
Fortnite Guide For PC, PS4, XBOX, And Switch: How Much Time You Played!
Final Tip
Simply ward up and constantly apply pressure, when facing ganks, do not be afraid in fighting 1 v 2. If your laner is extremely passive, shove in the wave and roam towards the enemy jungle or mid depending on map awareness.
During the early to mid-game phase Darius is at his peak. Fight fight fight, that’s the true answer to how to play Darius in League of Legends.