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Hecarim Build Guide by

The Living Will Fall (A Guide to Jungle Hecarim)

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Guide Discussion (10) More Hecarim Guides

Spells:

Smite

Flash

Items

Starting Items

Core Items

Offensive Choices

Defensive Choices

Example Build

Ability Order

Hecarim Passive Ability

	Quick Guide	Preface	Basic Information	Gameplay	Wrapping Up
	Summoner Spells Runes Masteries	Introduction	Abilities Pros/Cons Items	Jungling Ganking Mid to Late game	Summary

Introduction

Hello MOBAfire! I am Electro522, and welcome to my second guide featuring everyone's favorite little pony, . This guide is aimed at teaching you everything there is to know about Hecarim in the jungle, and how to jungle in general. This guide will present build paths, jungle paths, ganking patterns, you name it! Hopefully, after reading this guide, you will have a better understanding of what makes Hecarim (in my opinion) one of the most fun junglers to play.

About Hecarim

is an extremely mobile jungler/fighter excelling in awesome initiations, fight cleanups, and sustain. Due to his mobility, Hecarim is quite difficult to lock down, by using both his Devastating Charge and Onslaught of Shadows. He can dive into an entire enemy team, and push the carries away from their tank line, right into your own carries. Not to mention, his gank potential is simply amazing, with him able to pull off a dive from half a computer screen (or more) away.

Other Guides

If you at all enjoyed this guide, then you should check out my other guide, featuring Mordekaiser (do note that this guide is in need of a major overhaul).

Side Note

This guide will be quite extensive, for I will be focusing more on the jungling aspect more then anything, and there is alot to cover. If you did enjoy this guide, then, by all means, feel free to upvote it! Hopefully, you will be able to see the amount of ~~blood, sweat, and tears~~ work, time, and dedication I put into this.

lore

Since his first sighting on the northwestern shores of Valoran, the towering, armored specter known as Hecarim struck a chilling fear into the hearts of all who laid eyes upon him. No one had ever seen anything like his titanic, ethereal form before, and the mystery of his sudden arrival was deeply unnerving. When Hecarim began to march eastwards, leaving a trail of desolate, lifeless ground behind him, the villagers of the plains fled their homes for the safety of nearby Demacia. In the city's now-overcrowded taverns, rumors about this inhuman phantom spread in hushed whispers. Some claimed that he was the vengeful shade of an ancient warrior, intent on destroying all living beings; one man insisted that they had seen him leading an entire legion of spectral cavalrymen; others still believed him to be the creation of some hateful necromancer. One Demacian commander, seeking to dispel the terror that had gripped the city, assembled a few of his finest soldiers and rode out to turn back or destroy Hecarim.

The commander led his soldiers to stand in Hecarim's path and braced for his assault. As the apparition bore down on them, an overwhelming sensation of dread gripped the warriors. The men, frozen in fear, could only scream as the ghostly titan ran them down, tearing them apart and trampling them beneath his iron hooves. Hecarim turned to the crippled, cowering commander and uttered a chilling statement: "This is merely the beginning. No mortal army can withstand the might of the Shadow Isles." With that, Hecarim departed, resuming his grim march. Driven to insanity by his nightmarish experience, the commander stumbled back to Demacia, where his dire warnings were dismissed as the ravings of a madman. While Hecarim's origin and intent were still a mystery, his destination became clear when he reached the Institute of War and, in a voice both ominous and commanding, demanded entry into the League of Legends.

"You don't understand...the shadows will consume us all."
Former Demacian Commander

Pros

+ Extremely mobile
+ Quite tanky
+ Decent camp clear
+ Amazing initiator
+ Difficult to run away from
+ Can easily steal dragon/baron

is easily one of the fastest and most mobile champions in the game. His entire kit is focused around speed, and being able to dive into the middle of the entire enemy team without a fear in the world. He is very difficult to run away from without any hard cc (snare or stun), flash, or flash like ability (looking at you, and ). He also happens to be an extreme threat when it comes to trying to take dragon or baron, due to his ultimate, , being a ranged AOE fear that can go through walls when need be.

One of 's main weaknesses is that he can easily get shut down by crowd control. A simple snare or stun will lock him dead in his tracks, allowing his opponents to easily run away from him. Also, he is more of a tank than a fighter, meaning his dueling potential sucks, and he simply cannot win 1v1 situations without some help. Since he doesn't deal that much damage, his camp clear is slower then that of other junglers, allowing him to easily get counter jungled. Also, Hecarim is not a carry jungler. He must have a team that knows to follow him in when he dives, and blow up the entire enemy team while he is causing chaos in their backline.

- Easily kited
- Easily shut down by cc
- Doesn't deal alot of damage
- Can easily be counter jungled
- Can be difficult to learn
- Has to rely on a good team

Cons

Ability Sequence
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18

Warpath
Hecarim ignores unit collision and gains bonus attack damage equal to 15 / 17.5 / 20 / 22.5 / 25 / 27.5 / 30% of his bonus movement speed

is essentially what gives is high mobility, and forces you to build mobile. If you do not build any mobility, you will not gain any additional attack damage, which is always good to have when you're making a gank.

Tips and Tricks

Warpath is a free Phantom Dancer passive, allowing you to walk through units. This makes it very easy to catch up to, or get away from your targets. When used with Devastating Charge, it can pull of some interesting ganks.
Riot finally showed Hecarim some love! This ability was buffed in patch 4.13!

Rampage
Hecarim cleaves nearby enemies, dealing physical damage. This skill deals only 66% damage to minions and monsters.

PHYSICAL DAMAGE: 60 / 95 / 130 / 165 / 200 (+ 60% bonus AD)
MINION / MONSTER DAMAGE: 40 / 63.3 / 86.7 / 110 / 133.3 (+ 40% bonus AD)

If Hecarim damages at least one enemy unit with this attack, he gains a stack of Rampage for 8 seconds, reducing the base cooldown of this ability by 1 second. This effect can stack up to 2 times.

This is 's bread and butter ability. Without this, you would honestly have next to no damage capability whatsoever (aside from auto attacks). With it's small AOE, and stacking CDR, it does come in quite handy when clearing camps. Also, since you'll be diving into the enemy team constantly, its best to spam this ability into oblivion, that way you keep up some sustained damage to the entire team (or, at least the back line).

Tips and Tricks

Be sure to start with Rampage when the game starts. It will help quickly clear the first buff camp, and other camps. You aren't as fast as some other jungler's at clearing, though, so keep that in mind.
As stated, spam this ability until your Q key breaks when you dive into the enemy team. Your job isn't really to do damage, but just to cause chaos in the enemy team. A little sustained damage from an ability that's up every 2 seconds is perfect for that.

Spirit of Dread
Hecarim surrounds himself with the spirit of dread for 4 seconds, dealing magic damage per second to all enemies within its reach. Additionally, Hecarim is healed for 20% of the damage dealt by any source to enemies within the area. Healing from damage dealt to minions or monsters are capped per cast.

MAGIC DAMAGE PER SECOND: 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 (+ 20% AP)
MAX DAMAGE: 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+ 80% AP)
MINION/MONSTER HEALING CAP: 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180

's main defensive ability. This is another AOE ability that has a decent range. When clearing camps, this allows you to not use up all of your money on health potions, and keeps you healthy enough for several ganks (if they don't go south).

What is interesting about this ability, though, is that it heals Hecarim for all damage applied to his enemies that is dealt within the AOE. Meaning, in a teamfight, with this ability on, he is healed for far more then in the jungle, due to all of the damage coming in from the rest of his team.

Tips and Tricks

I find it always best to take this ability second, because after your first buff, you will more then likely go to a smaller camp (wolves or wraiths), and you won't be getting a leash from anyone on that. Thus, you need some sustain in order to stay healthy.

Devastating Charge
Hecarim gains 75% movement speed over the course of 3 seconds, starting with initial 25% upon cast, and ending one second afterward. While Hecarim is charging, he gains 150 extra attack range (325 total). His next attack knocks the target back, dealing physical damage based on how far Hecarim has traveled during Devastating Charge's duration.

MINIMUM PHYSICAL DAMAGE: 40 / 75 / 110 / 145 / 180 (+ 50% bonus AD)
MAX PHYSICAL DAMAGE: 80 / 150 / 220 / 290 / 360 (+ 100% bonus AD)

This ability is what makes such a mobile champion (that, and his ult, but we'll get to that). All it is a movement speed boost, but if you click on an enemy when this is active, it will change his next auto attack into a small knockback.

Tips and Tricks

Its best to take this ability last, since you will not really be needing it until level 3 when you make your first gank (more on that later).
When making a gank, it is very important to note that this ability works astoundingly well with his passive. If you are trying to get to someone, first catchup to them, walk right through them to get in front of them, and then knock them back into your team.
That won't always happen though. On normal occasions, its best to use this ability to make sure you get in front of the person you're ganking, meaning you'll more then likely be coming from an angle. Just have Hecarim move to the location where your opponent will end up when you get there.

Onslaught of Shadows
Hecarim summons spectral riders and charges forward with them in a line, dealing magic damage to enemies in their path. Enemies within range of where Hecarim stops will flee in terror for 1 second. The wave of spectral riders will travel the maximum distance possible in the direction of the cast, regardless of where Hecarim himself stops.

MAGIC DAMAGE: 150 / 250 / 350 (+ 100% AP)

Your primary initiation/diving tool! This ability is, by far, the most fun to use on 's kit. With quite a long range, a decent width, and a good sized AOE fear, you can use to dive into, damage, and fear the entire enemy team (if they are closely grouped up).

This ability is also what makes Hecarim a significant threat when trying to take Baron or Dragon, since it forces the enemy team away from what they were trying to take.

Tips and Tricks

As with every ultimate, it is extremely important that you take this ability whenever you can.
Onslaught of Shadows can be used to make a gank, but it is better used for counter-ganks (more on that later).
It is extremely important to remember that this ability can go through walls, allowing you to stick to any opponent that decided to use their flash, dash, etc. OR get into the Dragon or Baron pit.
Remeber that the AOE fear is applied to where ever Hecarim stops. He can stop at any location within the ultimate's range, allowing for a quick fear on a target that is in close range.

Taking 13 points into the offensive tree allows you to clear camps faster then if you were to go 0/21/9, and that is the only reason why you have this many points in this tree.
Sorcery gives a little bit of CDR. It may not be much, but it will increase the amount of times you can use Rampage which will help you clear camps just a little bit faster.
You only need to get Butcher in order to get to Feast . Since you're jungling, this will give just a little more sustain to survive the monsters.
Brute Force , Martial Mastery , and Executioner are only there to give you a little bit of damage, and to help just a bit if you end up cleaning up a fight.
If you would rather not have Executioner , you can apply those 3 points into the defense tree.

You are a tank, and a jungler, meaning it is highly essential that you take some points in the defensive tree.
Tough Skin and Bladed Armor are great masteries to have when jungling. They really only apply to junglers, which is why you have them.
Enchanted Armor has been the subject of debate for quite some time, because people generally feel as if this mastery is extremely weak. However, with the recent changes to Spirit of the Ancient Golem, this is now a very liable choice when picking Hecarim.
As stated in the offensive tree, it is best to put the three points from Executioner into the defensive tree. Block , Unyielding , and/or Juggernaut would benefit you the most from those points.

There is one reason, and one reason alone as to why you take nine points in the utility tree: Runic Affinity . Possibly the best mastery to have on a jungler by far. Without it, you would be making your first gank with your first buff already more then half way through its duration. With it, you can make an entire jungle sweep, make a gank, and then get half way through another jungle sweep before your first buff finally expires. It is that strong.
Everything else in this tree is only there to get to Runic Affinity , but wisely, of course. Fleet of Foot is to help with mobility, and Alchemist helps you sustain the damage from the jungle monsters. Also, you're a jungler, so having to wait just a little bit less for your Smite to come back up always comes in handy. Summoner's Insight is strictly for that purpose.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Q
U
I
N
T
S

.....

runes are an absolute must have on since your damage scales with your movement speed, and you will sometimes need to travel from one side of the map to the other. There really is no alternative to these runes, but, if you wanted to be ballsy, and try something different, you could try some of the runes below.

Q
U
I
N
T
S

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______________________________________________________________________________________

M
A
R
K
S

.....greater mark of armor penetration

Since you will building mostly tank items, getting a little bit of damage from runes will help alot, thus, runes benefit the most. However, if you don't want just straight damage, you can go for any of the runes below.

M
A
R
K
S

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______________________________________________________________________________________

S
E
A
L
S

.....

You are a tank, thus, any additional tank stats you can get always come in handy. So, that is why runes are the best to use. Just like the quints, there really is no alternative for these runes. The runes I am listing below I highly do not recommend, and they are there solely for visual and organizational purposes, however, if you are someone who has yet to buy armor runes (which is kind of confusing as to why you wouldn't have them) you can try some the runes below.

S
E
A
L
S

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G
L
Y
P
H
S

.....

Again, you are tank, so you always want some additional tank stats. However, jungle monsters only deal physical damage, thus, you do not need any immediate magic resist to survive the jungle. Thus, runes will help deter some of the mid to late game damage that will come from the enemy APC. If you would rather have some different runes then these, you can try the ones listed below. runes are a recommended choice if the enemy team has alot of magic damage.

G
L
Y
P
H
S

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Ideal Summoner Spells

You are jungling (is this apparent now?), so, taking is an absolute must. There is no arguing this. This ability helps you secure buffs, dragon, or baron, or it helps you steal them.

is just an awesome summoner spell. This helps you reach targets that are just out of reach, gets you out of a tough situation if you don't want to waste your ultimate, , or if it is on cooldown. It can also help jump walls and terrain.

I tend to prefer over for reasons unknown. I just simply do not like the spell (don't ask me why). However, that isn't to say it isn't a liable choice on . When coupled with , this spell will get you places in a very short amount of time.

Not So Ideal Summoner Spells

isn't a bad choice to have, it's just that there are better choices. With being an absolute must, and then or taking up the other spell slot, there simply is no room for it.

There are some rare junglers that will take . I'm not sure as to why, because it's pointless, especially on since you are so incredibly mobile.

Just like , isn't bad to have, there is simply no room for it. The three spells listed above are simply more important to have.

Starting Items

A standard build for every jungler in the game. is that extra bit of damage and sustain against jungle monsters, and s are a must have on every champ. As for trinkets, you can either go for the or the . It simply depends on which you prefer.

Core Items

These are your core items when playing . The changes brought to was a massive boost to tank like junglers, and this includes you. It helps clear camps a little more efficiently, and it even has a built in ward. is great for two reason: it helps clear camps, and you'll be diving the enemy team, putting the damaging aura it has to great use.

Now, you might be wondering "Why not ? Don't they give more movement speed than ?" That they do, however, the movement speed bonus they give is taken away once you get into combat. Since your damage scales off of your movement speed, it is far better to have a constant amount of speed, not one that drops in the middle of a fight. Thus, with the is a far better boot combination. The combined movement speed may not be as much as out of combat , but sure is a hell of a lot more in combat. Not to mention, the slow resistance is just icing on the cake.

I will add though that can get to hilarious speeds if you couple with . I, myself, have been able to reach over 1000 movement speed when they were both active, allowing me to get in between the inner and outer mid lane towers before Homeguard's duration expires.

Offensive Choices

should always be a go to item when playing , because he can benefit off of every stat it gives. More movement speed, more attack speed, more mana, a bit of ability ability power, more health, more damage, an auto attack steroid, I mean come on, what more do you want from an item?

As for , I tend to build this item if my team is rofl-stomping the other team, just for kicks and giggles. It helps clear camps astoundingly fast, gives a decent amount of health regen, and the active is technically another champion ability. A very strong item for anyone who can build it.

is mostly a late game item, and I have yet to build it because I have yet to get to that point with . When buying this, most people suggest to sell your boots, for you lose a minimal amount of movement speed. However, this is different on . If you are confident enough in your ability to stay alive in a team fight, then get this item without selling your boots. Everything on it benefits you greatly, and the movement speed will only increase the amount of damage it gives for you. But, again, do not buy it until late game.

Defensive Choices

did get nerfed recently, but not that badly. Essentially, you only want to take this item if you are against a heavy attack damage team, which, surprisingly, happens quite alot. However, in most other cases, will give more than enough armor.

Welp, got nerfed, but not that hard. Before, this item could block an ability every 25 seconds. That amount of time has been increased to 40 seconds. That isn't to say that this is no longer a liable choice to have on , because it can still block some game changing abilities, such as a , , or .

is quite an important item to have on most tanks, especially on . Most tanks have some sort of sustain, whether it comes from health regen, life steal, or straight up tankiness, they all tend to benefit from this item. Reason being is that it increases the amount of healing you can do to yourself, and when used with , it does just that.

Example Builds

Against Heavy AD:

Against Heavy AP:

Standard Build:

_{(As you can see, Hecarim's build is pretty straight forward.)}

These next three sections is where things get complicated. Jungling is usually considered the hardest role to learn and master, with ADC coming in a close second, and there are several reasons as to why. In this first section, I will be explaining the easiest part about jungling, the clearing of camps. In essence, the jungle is your lane, and the monsters are your minions. This is your main source of income, thus, you will be spending quite some time inside of it.

As to not get too complicated, I will simply explain the different jungle paths you can take when the game starts, including those if you end up being on the purple side.

Standard Jungle Route: Purple Side

Click to View

When starting purple, there is not much to worry about. You're starting with blue buff, which is the recommended start for , followed by the wolves, then you go straight for the red buff. You want to get your other buff as soon as possible, that way the other jungler has no chance of counter jungling you. After you have your red buff, it's time to make your first gank, since you will have hit level 3 by this point. Most junglers go for the top lane at this point, but, if you notice you can get the enemy mid laner, or your own mid laner is pushed to their turret, then ganking mid is a liable choice as well (ganking will come in the next section).

Standard Jungle Route: Blue Side

Click to View

Starting on blue side gets a little more tricky. is quite mana dependent, so starting off with blue buff is usually the best. Unfortunately, the current meta calls for the junglers to start with the buff closest to bot lane. Although this isn't ideal for , it is mandatory. is actually quite vulnerable to counter jungling due to his lack of dueling potential. If he were ever to catch the other jungler in a 1v1 situation, or vice versa, depending on who the other jungler is, half of the time he would need to run away, or call for help from one or more of the lanes. Thus, he can easily lose a buff from a well played invade, or an invade with no resistance.

This is why starting with red buff on blue side is mandatory. If you take the path in the picture, going from red buff, to wraiths, to blue buff, you should be able to get by without running out of mana, at least not until the big golem is close to dying. After that, make your first gank!

Jungle Sweep Route: Purple Side

Click to View

This is a good path to start off with if you are new to jungling. If you aren't, then do not take this path unless you are absolutely certain your lanes can hold their lane for the amount of time it will take you to complete this. With the standard jungle path, you would be making your first gank around the 3 minute mark. With this path, you won't be making a gank until the 6 or 7 minute mark.

The reason why I say this is a good start for starter junglers is 1: I did it myself alot when I started jungling, and 2: it will give you enough gold to buy your first item into : (it used to be , but SotAG received changes). This will make your first gank that much more powerful, and more then likely, one of your lanes will be pushed to their own tower by the time you complete this sweep.

Jungle Sweep Route: Blue Side

click to view

This is the exact same route as the purple one, just turned around for blue side. I have not developed a jungle sweep that starts with red buff, and there is a good reason as to why: you will run out of mana, guaranteed.

There are, however, many drawbacks to the blue side sweep. One of the major ones is being counter jungled. It takes a substantial amount of time to complete, giving the other jungler just enough time to clear the entire red buff camp. It also has you move away from top lane, which is usually the preferred lane to make the first gank. If you do not feel confident in starting with red buff on blue side, then it might be wise to take the path in the spoiler below over the jungle sweep.

click to view

This route is the exact same as the standard route for purple, just turned around. It takes half the time to complete then the sweep, pretty much ensuring your red buff stays with you. Unfortunately, there is still yet a drawback to this route. If the enemy team didn't invade your red buff at the start, then by the time you get to your red buff, the other jungler would have made it there too. I've already explained that you won't be able to win a 1v1 fight if the other jungler decides to counter jungle you, thus, you will either have to call for help from bot lane, mid lane, or both, or give up your red buff if no one can respond in time.

Counter Invade Route: Blue Side

click to view

Whenever you do start with blue buff on blue side, it is best to have your bot lane either stay near your red buff, or ward it for you (9 times out of 10, they will ward it for you if you ask). This is to ensure no one invades your red buff. If the enemy team does decide to invade, there is not much your bot lane can do but stall them, for it will more then likely be a 4v2 situation.

This is where the counter invade route comes in handy. The only person that is possibly guarding the other team's red buff is their top laner. This will make it a 3v1 situation (if your mid laner decides to join, which they normally do), so, all he can do is stall you guys to the best of his ability. Once you have their red buff, go straight for your own blue buff. DO NOT STAY IN THE ENEMY JUNGLE LONGER THEN YOU NEED TO!!! Remember, is horrible at dueling. If he is ever caught in the enemy jungle without his team, half the time he will die.

This route also applies to purple side, it's just turned around.

This next section, as the header states, will be focused on ganking. I will first explain the different routes you can take for each lane for each side you are on, and then describe how to perform that perfect gank for .

Top Lane

Top Lane Paths

1: This is the standard top lane ganking route, and is thus the area warded the most by the top laners. If you are taking this route, watch the enemy top laner's behavior. If they start walking towards their turret, then more then likely they saw you. If they don't, then your top laner should get the hint, and try to set up the gank for you.

2: This route is mainly used on purple side, and is somewhat risky. The bush you will be coming from is much closer to the tower then the bush on route 4, making it essentially a turret dive. Be sure to wait for your top laner to have the lane pushed when taking this route. It can also be used as a blue side defense route.

3: Don't expect to be seeing any purple ganks from this route, for it is predominately a blue defense route. However, you might be that one ballsy jungler that will pull it off (more then likely in an epic fail).

4: This route is a popular route for blue junglers, especially in lower elos. If the enemy top laner is overextended, you can take this route, avoid the ward in route 1, and push the enemy top laner into your turret. This route can easily get you kills or flashes. It can also be used as a purple defense route.

5: Just like route 3, this is a defense route for purple. However, it is easier to pull off a gank here then it is on route 3, due to the bush in between the inner and outer towers, which is where route 6 comes in.

6: This route is mainly used as a purple defense route, but it can be used by blue junglers to cut off the purple top laner's escape. It pinches them into their tower, which usually leads to a successful tower dive.

Bot Lane

Bot Lane Paths

1: This is the most standard route for ganking bot lane, and, is thus the area most heavily warded by both sides. Normally, on bot, it doesn't really matter if the enemy bot laners saw you or not unless they were far away from your own bot laners, because the support should start setting up the gank before you even get in that bush (obviously, this is a rare occurrence, so, follow the rules for top lane route 1 most of the time).

2: This is actually another popular ganking route for either side, simply because of the distance from the blue outer tower, and how close it is to the dragon pit and blue side red buff. A good support will keep this area warded as well, so, be cautious when using this route, because the enemy jungler can easily come right from behind.

3: This is primarily a blue defense route, however, like route 6 for top lane, it can help with tower diving the enemy bot laners due to it cutting off their escape. Surprisingly, you will see alot of junglers use this route.

4: This is strictly a blue defense route, simply because if the purple jungler used this, they would be walking around the blue outer tower.

5: This route is similar to route 2 on top lane, and is usually used like route 3, but can also be used to set up really good tower dives on the purple bot laners.

6: Similar to route 3 on top, you won't see many blue junglers use this route. However, there are those select few.

Mid Lane

mid lane paths

Before I start explaining the different routes on mid, I did want to address something. On mid lane, there are a total of 12 different paths you can take to gank mid. Since the other 2 lanes only got 6 routes, and since mid lane is mirrored on both sides from where ever you look at it, I found it easier to simply explain 6 routes.

1: This is the standard ganking route for both sides, thus, it is the most heavily warded by the mid laners. However, most of the time, the mid laner only has their trinket ward, and can only ward one of the bushes. If you can, ask your mid laner which bush is warded that way the enemy mid laner does not see you.

2: This route is mostly used as a blue defense route, but for purple, it can be used if the blue mid laner decides to get a little overextended. This allows you to (hopefully) push the enemy mid laner back into your turret.

3: This route is the exact same as route 2, just mirrored for purple.

4: Trying to gank from the side's respective blue buff will, obviously, put you behind the enemy tower. Thus, you will be tower diving if you take this route. It can also be used as a defense route for whichever side.

5: If you thought trying to gank from the enemy lane on bot or top was difficult, well, its pretty stupid to do so on mid, simply because the towers are closer together in this lane. This is strictly a defense route for whichever side it is on.

6: This route is very similar to route 4, except it is coming from the side's respective red buff.

Ganking

_{(Remember, everything explained is how to gank with Hecarim. All of this information will not work with other junglers)}

When you start a gank, 9 times out 10 you will want to start closing the gap with your E, . Obviously, by now, the person you are ganking has seen you, and is starting to make their way back to their tower. You want to aim in the direction they are walking, because he will get to where ever they are going before they do.

Once you do close the gap, the way you knock them back determines if you get a kill, a summoner spell, or they just keep walking towards their tower without burning anything. It is always best to try and get in front of your opponent. You don't have to be directly in front of them, just to the point to where you knock them back away from their tower. How far you knock them back doesn't really matter, because any amount you do knock them back is an extra few seconds of damage from you and your allies.

Once you have knocked them back, you want to start dishing out as much damage as possible. Hit your W, and start spamming your Q, . By now, your allies should have been able to catch up and help in the killing. If the gank is successful to the point to where you get a kill, I find it best to give the kill to your allies. Remember, is not a carry jungler like , especially when you build tanky. Giving the kill to your allies will help them far more in lane then an assist will. However, if your allies can not take the kill, but you can, go ahead and take it. A kill here and there is always handy to have.

If you happen to get a summoner spell, then just head back into the jungle, or head towards another lane. You can "tax" your allies a bit for a little extra gold and experience if your that kind of person. Just remember to come back to that lane in a short amount of time, since your opponent's summoner spells will be down come the next gank.

Every now and then, starting a gank with isn't the best choice. Take, for example, your allies start a trade with your opponents. Devastating Charge will take too much time in order to get into the fight and help. This is where comes in really handy. Fear was recently changed to when the target is feared, the target walks away from whomever put the fear on them. Thus, if you aim your ultimate to land just behind your opponent, they will end up walking into your allies. Couple this with a quick knock back from (it will do less damage due to the short distance), and your opponent has no choice to but to burn a flash or die (unless they have a flash like ability...... *cough**cough**cough*).

Also, say your ally is stuck on their tower, and your opponent feels brave enough to tower dive them. Once they do dive onto your ally, the turret will automatically switch targets to them. This is the best time to use on them. The fear it puts on them has them take at least one extra unnecessary turret shot. That, and they are now out numbered, forcing them to either die, or get the hell away by using whatever they can.

Come mid game, your job is to help push towers, or try to save them. Ganking doesn't really become apparent at this point because the laning phase has ended, and everyone else has started roaming. Your job as an initiator won't come up just yet until the team fights really start happening, and there aren't alot of them come mid game except for maybe one around Dragon or a tower. Thus, your number one focus should be to get as many towers down as possible. If any of the three outer towers are left standing at this point, push that lane and either take the tower down, or siege it until it goes down or there's a team fight.

However, the other team also wants your towers down as well, and will try to do the same thing you're doing. Its impossible to save every tower you have unless your team is just rofl-stomping the other, but, due to your very high mobility, you can get from tower to tower much more quickly then the rest of your team can. If you end up being the only one protecting a tower (which is, in all reality, a horrible position to be in when your ), simply keep the minions off of your tower as best you can, and stall for as long as possible until some of your teammates show up. If you aren't the only one guarding a tower, then you have to determine if it is a good idea to dive whoever is sieging your tower, or simply stall them for as long as possible.

However, even though they are far less frequent in the mid game then late game, team fights can still crop up here and there. If you see that a teamfight is inevitable, you, the initiator, have to decide when to dive the team. Your team should be right behind you, ready to pounce on a moments notice (but, this is LoL we're talking about, and hardly do you run into a team like that unless its premade).

Initiating is a funny thing in League, because you don't want to initiate right off the back unless your team is obviously ahead (or your fed) and your team can easily plow through the other. You want to find something to initiate off of, such as a 's , a 's , any kind of stun or snare, just something that locks down one of your opponents. Why? Because you have a few seconds (or maybe even less then a second, in some scenarios) of a 4v5 situation. When one of your opponents gets locked down, you then have to determine if the opponent that was locked down is a priority target. For example, if your stuns their , don't initiate. Obviously, is their tank, and diving a team with all of the carries still functional is a death wish. If your happens to stun their , that is your cue. Aim right onto whoever is locked down, preferably to land right behind them, that way the fear forces them to walk into your team. Any other fear you happen to land on any other opponents is just icing on the cake. Right after lands, you want to hit immediately. At this point, your team should be following up on your initiation, thus increasing the amount you are healed. Your job at this very moment is to keep the priority targets (primarily the back line, or the carries) occupied while your own back line either blows up the carries you have locked down, or burn down their tanks. Whoever wins the teamfight depends on several factors, such as whoever has more gold, which team had more focus, who got blown up at what time, and several other things.

Everything I just explained about initiating all happens within the time span of about 10 to 20 seconds, and every decision made needs to be made within less then a second. The complicated part is putting it all into words.

Come late game, its pretty much all about the teamfights. I've already explained what your job is in a teamfight, so, when those teamfights finish, if you win, push an objective. This could be a tower, and inhibitor, or Dragon or Baron. More then likely, you've killed around half or more of the enemy team, thus, they can't stop you from taking those objectives due to them being outnumbered. Rinse and repeat. If the teamfight was actually quite close (such as 4 or 3 people being killed on each side), or you happen to lose a teamfight, try your best to keep the enemy team from taking an objective. If you happen to be outnumbered, you have no choice but to sacrifice at least one of the objectives. Also, obviously, this is if you happen to survive the teamfight. Since you are the initiating tank, if you die, but your carries survive, you did your job, and to some success as well.

Closing Words

And that does it for my guide! Hopefully, you learned something about Hecarim you didn't know, or something about jungling (if your new to it). If you at all enjoyed this guide, then feel free to upvote it, that way more people have the chance to learn something! If you have any comments regarding any of the information I have provided, then please, by all means, do not hesitate to put them in the comments! I will try my best to respond to each inquiry, and I will also add any additional information or change anything you might bring up.

Thanks for Reading!

Credits and Thanks

Jhoijhoi for making her brilliantly made "How To Make a Guide" guide!
Ubnoxius for making the intro picture and the chapter banners!
Emikadon for not only resizing pictures for me, but also teaching me how to do it!
Foxy Riven for giving me some advice on coding!

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Electro522 Hecarim Guide

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The Living Will Fall (A Guide to Jungle Hecarim)

The Living Will Fall (A Guide to Jungle Hecarim)

Recommended Items

Spells:

Smite

Flash

Items

Ability Order

Warpath (PASSIVE)

Rampage (Q)

Spirit of Dread (W)

Devastating Charge (E)

Onslaught of Shadows (R)

Quick Guide

Preface

Basic Information

Gameplay

Wrapping Up

Ideal Summoner Spells

Not So Ideal Summoner Spells

Top Lane

Bot Lane

Mid Lane

Ganking

Closing Words

Credits and Thanks

League of Legends Champions: