Trading Stance: Use your Q, "Decimate," to poke and last-hit minions. Try to hit both the enemy champion and minions to maximize healing from the blade's edge.
Stacking Hemorrhage: Your passive applies stacks of Hemorrhage, which deal damage over time. Aim to hit your opponent with auto-attacks and abilities to stack it up for an all-in.
Applying Pressure: Darius is a lane bully, so try to assert dominance early. Zone the enemy from minions and capitalize on their mistakes. Be cautious of ganks, as you might naturally push with your abilities.
Managing Waves: Control the minion wave by freezing it near your turret to make your opponent vulnerable to ganks or all-ins.
Vision: Always keep the river warded to avoid ganks and provide valuable information to your team.

Playing Darius in the midgame revolves around leveraging your advantage from the laning phase, transitioning it into map control, and continuing to be a significant threat in teamfights. Here's how to play Darius effectively in the midgame:

1. Splitpushing and Pressure:
Darius excels in both teamfights and splitpushing. Use your strong dueling potential to create pressure in side lanes. Push waves deep and use your vision to stay safe. This forces the enemy team to respond, creating opportunities for your team to secure objectives or catch opponents out of position.

2. Objectives:
Darius is great at securing objectives like Rift Herald and Dragon. Coordinate with your team to set up vision control around the objective area, and use your strong frontline presence to zone enemies away from contesting.

3. Teamfighting:
Darius's teamfighting is centered around his ability to disrupt and eliminate priority targets. Here's how to teamfight effectively:

Positioning: Position yourself in a way that you can engage or peel for your carries. Avoid overextending, as Darius can be kited if caught out of position.
Engaging: Use your E, "Apprehend," to catch enemies and initiate fights. Look for opportunities to pull key enemy champions into your team.
Zone Control: Darius's Q, "Decimate," and overall presence can control a specific area in teamfights. Use this to dissuade enemies from engaging on your backline.
Stacking Hemorrhage: During teamfights, focus on stacking Hemorrhage on multiple enemies. This will maximize your damage output and healing potential.
Ultimate Execution: Use your R, "Noxian Guillotine," to execute enemies who are below the threshold. Prioritize squishy or low-health targets to quickly eliminate them from the fight.
4. Vision and Map Control:
Help your team establish vision control in crucial areas of the map. Warding key choke points, jungle entrances, and objectives can set your team up for better decision-making and prevent surprise engages.

5. Roaming:
While Darius is primarily a top laner, there may be opportunities to roam to other lanes, especially if you've taken down your opponent's turret. Coordinate with your team and apply pressure in other lanes, especially if your teleport is up.

In the late game, Darius transitions into a powerful frontline tank with substantial damage potential, making him a threat in teamfights and skirmishes. Playing Darius effectively in the late game requires smart positioning, target selection, and good decision-making. Here's how to excel as Darius during this stage of the game:

1. Stick with Your Team:
Late game is when teamfighting becomes paramount. Stick with your team to ensure that you're present for crucial fights, objectives, and base defense.

2. Map Awareness:
Keep an eye on the map and respond to objectives or pushes from the enemy team. Your presence can make a significant impact on turning the tide of the game.

3. Initiating Teamfights:
As Darius, your E, "Apprehend," is a valuable tool for initiating teamfights. Use it to catch out-of-position enemies, pull priority targets, or peel for your backline.

4. Positioning:
Proper positioning is crucial for Darius in the late game. As a frontline tank, you want to engage while ensuring your backline is protected. Be mindful of enemy crowd control and positioning to avoid getting caught out of position.

5. Focus on Priority Targets:
Identify and prioritize squishy or high-value targets in teamfights. Your goal is to apply Hemorrhage stacks and use your ultimate, "Noxian Guillotine," to eliminate them quickly.

6. Use Crowd Control Wisely:
Your W, "Crippling Strike," has a slow component, which can be valuable for helping your team catch enemies or peel for your carries. Use it strategically to lock down enemies when needed.

7. Stack Hemorrhage:
Your passive ability, Hemorrhage, continues to be essential in the late game. Focus on applying stacks to multiple enemies to increase your damage output and healing potential.