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PopularDarius Build Guide by bsurma
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PLEASE NOTE: This build has been archived by the author. They are no longer supporting nor updating this build and it may have become outdated. As such, voting and commenting have been disabled and it no longer appears in regular search results.
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Balanced/Behind/Carry/Jungle
Ability Sequence
1
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2
8
10
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4
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6
11
16
Not Updated For Current Season
The masteries shown here are not yet updated for the current season, the guide author needs to set up the new masteries. As such, they will be different than the masteries you see in-game.
Masteries
Intro!
Hi, I'm bsurma (Da Bee S on EUNE server) and you're reading my first guide, featuring one of the newest additions to the game - 
Darius, the Hand of Noxus.
Darius is a true terror in any stage of the game if he's well played and/or well fed. His damage output is extraordinarily high and his kit allows him to mow down upon any carry that is foolish enough to get in his range. His ultimate is one that belongs to the love/hate category. It makes Darius the ultimate executioner (or, as some like to say, killstealer) and also allows him to win most 1v1 fights because of the pure burst. 800-1000 true damage to the face hurts every time.The purpose of this guide will teach you how to dunk like a true MVP and get respect (or hate messages on /all chat) from the players on the enemy team. Hope you learn something from it and improve your
Darius play, or, if you don't have the champion, encourage you to buy him.
Changelog
04/09/2012 - Guide version 1.0, match-ups yet to be done. zzz
12/09/2012 - Match-ups finally added to the guide. Jungling and more good stuff coming soon.
16/09/2012 - Jungling section added.
23/09/2012 - Match-ups section largely updated (
Jax, 
Nautilus, 
Gangplank added and also some other changes)
29/09/2012 - Big update #1! New match-ups, new jungle section, and a lot of bonus goodies!
10/10/2012 - Big update #2. Cheat sheets largely updated and some other minor things changed.
THIS GUIDE WILL RECEIVE NO UPDATES UNTIL THE OFFICIAL SEASON 3 CHANGES TO AVOID ANY MISLEADING INFORMATION. A huge guide overhaul is in the works.
Pros / Cons and When / Why Darius?
Let's jump straight to the pros and cons of Darius.
Pros:
- Duelist - the sheer damage output of Darius allows him to outtrade many, many champions on toplane and possibly zone them out of CS. Also, ult for lots of laughs!
- Peeler - Darius can catch many champions off guard and draw them in to exact ultimate punishment. His E synergizes well with AoE ults too! (
Amumu, 
Galio, 
Nunu) - Snowballer - if fed, Darius is a large threat to the enemy team. Probably the reason why everybody is yelling "OP" at him all the time.
Cons:
(yes, he has them, haters)- No Escapes - he doesn't have anything to escape from a gank. Put your wards up, kids! Darius ain't indestructible.
- Kitable As All Hell - Any Crowd Control leaves Darius crying for help. He has to get in close to do damage, and if he can't get in, he can't do anything.
WHEN IS DARIUS MOST EFFECTIVE?
Darius' best friend. Make sure you have CC in your team or else you won't be able to jump on the carries every teamfight. If your team is in need of a nuking mean dunking monster, then look no further. Darius is probably one of the best in town.You should consider the other possibilities, too. If the enemy team is full of CC, picking Darius is not the best option. In this case, you're better off getting even safer picks, like
Irelia or Jax. They have many ways to keep the opponent in their range, while Darius only has one, which is also quite unreliable. If they lack CC, however, Darius is A-OK, just like any other tanky DPS.Also, a balanced team composition is as important! If your team is full of AD/autoattacking champions, you risk getting heavily countered by AD-specific items, like
Frozen Heart or 
Randuin's Omen. Don't forget about Nunu or 
Malphite, too, as they work really well against AD and can kite like there's no tomorrow.Of course, if you feel comfortable about picking
Darius in any situation, do so. A strong pick is always a strong pick - Darius has legitimate damage throughout the whole game and can help his team greatly.
Runes
RECOMMENDED RUNE SET-UP
For me, the best choices are:
Greater Mark of Strength (x9)
Greater Seal of Resilience (x9)
Greater Glyph of Shielding (x9)
Greater Quintessence of Swiftness (x3)This rune set-up gives Darius flat armor which is probably the most useful in the early stages of the game when it comes to Seals, a lot of magic resist for late-game and a decent amount of AD to give his
Decimate, passive and autoattacks a lot more power. The Movement Speed coming from the Quintessences is priceless when equipped with proper items - then, you can clearly see a difference. It really helps against kiting teamcomps and helps in chasing over-all.
Alternatives?
Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage. You can then mix your Quintessences up. When it comes to other Runes, however, I believe none of them grant as much basic stats as these three.When you're paired against AP champions, it's probably better to get
Greater Glyph of Magic Resist for maximum early defense.
Masteries
RECOMMENDED MASTERY SET-UP
9/21/0 - very good against tough match-ups or 1v2s. I'm slowly starting to appreciate the benefits of the Defense tree. Probably the best set-up for any bruiser, even the AP ones.
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2/1
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4/1
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More resistances and purely defensive masteries for more safety. I really recommend getting this against champions who trade as well as you / even stronger. Spending 70% of your points on the defensive mastery tree really help when against junglers who like to set up a tent on top-lane or simply match-ups you can't win without being that extra bit more tanky.
When you're paired against AP champions, it's better to spend points on
Resistance
rather than
Hardiness
.Alternatives?
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This is how the big boys roll. You get maximum offense for the price of reduced offense. Really fun for stomping things, but in other situations you should really go 9/21/0.
Items
When it comes to items, Darius is very flexible. He can still do damage even if equipped with 2 or 3 defensive items.
STARTERS
(x3/4)
(x5)A perfect choice when your lane is so tough you need to get manly as quickly as possible. Helps in trades and provides you a safe 750 HP cushion.
Also, your go-to start for jungle.
OFFENSIVE ITEMS
TRINITY FORCEProbably the best item for Darius. Gives everything he desperately needs and more, not to mention the unique proc which makes his burst a lot bigger.
FROZEN MALLETAn alternative to
Trinity Force, very useful if you're being kited a lot. Adds a lot to your HP pool and gives you the much needed slow.
WIT'S ENDA cheaper alternative to
Maw of Malmortius. Gives attack speed, more resistances, but the downside is Maw of Malmortius gives a 400 damage shield which can save lives more effectively. I like to build this if I'm behind and Maw of Malmortius is too damn expensive for me.
MAW OF MALMORTIUSYour go-to item if being heavily stomped by AP champions. If against an AP champion on toplane,
Hexdrinker is one of the most cost-efficient items you can get.
WRIGGLE'S LANTERNArmor and damage, best of both worlds plus the much needed sustain.
LAST WHISPERIf you feel like the enemy champions are starting to get much harder to kill, you should get this item quickly. You have true damage that comes with your
Noxian Guillotine, but it always helps. You have to get the Hemorrhage stacks, anyway!
THE BLOODTHIRSTERYour late-game item and your replacement for
Wriggle's Lantern if you built one earlier.
THE BRUTALIZERA cheaper
Last Whisper, very useful for the early stages of the game. The CDR comes in handy, too. However, when late-game comes, you should probably replace it with LW.
ATMA'S IMPALERAfter the nerfs, this item has seen much less play. I don't think that it's worth the slot anymore, but you can still give it a shot. If you build this, I strongly recommend getting
Warmog's Armor or Frozen Mallet first.
Doran's stacking is always good when you want to get further ahead.
DEFENSIVE ITEMS
RANDUIN'S OMENOne of the best choices for Darius. Gives armor, health, a good passive and an extraordinary active. With this item, you can slow down many champions at once and minimize their killing potential at the same time.
GUARDIAN ANGELThis should be one of your core defensive items. Gives you a lot of defensive stats and you can get back in action after going down the first time! It's like bonus 750 health.
AEGIS OF THE LEGIONA nice item to build if your support hasn't decided to build it yet. Gives you and your team a lot of tankiness.
FROZEN HEARTIf no one is building this in your team, it's also a viable option.
FORCE OF NATUREViable, but still
Mercury's Treads and Maw of Malmortius are quite enough when it comes to MR. Despite its limited usability, still a nice option. Also gives movement speed!
WARMOG'S ARMORIf you desperately need to get tanky, and by that, I mean reaaally tanky, then this one's for you. Adds a lot of HP and HP regen and synergizes quite well with
Atma's Impaler.Now you can bash their faces in while having 1k more HP. Cool, huh?
philosopher's stonePHILOSOPHER'S STONE & HEART OF GOLD
Ahh, the GP5 items, viable on almost any champion. Very useful if you're against a tough/farm lane and you can't do much against the enemy's sustain and/or harass.
BOOTS
MERCURY'S TREADSProbably the best option for any tanky DPS. Gives CC reduction and magic resist.
NINJA TABIWhen in a lane against tough ADs which pack a punch, these boots are really good. They also shut-down AA-reliant champs almost completely (
Fiora, 
Tryndamere)
Y U NO BERSERKER'S GREAVES?!?!?!?A bad habit which players often do when playing Darius is getting
Berserker's Greaves for their boots choice. It's a mediocre item for him and it doesn't increase your burst as much as some may think. The attack speed helps in getting stacks up, but these boots don't give any defensive stats and Darius really needs them.
omgomgomg What should I build for early?
Here's the answer to your problem.
This kit gives you: approximately 400 HP, appromixately 40 AD and boots +
Phage for moar kiting power.Basically THE kit for lane dominance. After finishing these items, go for tier 2 boots depending on the enemy's damage.
If against heavy AD threat:
This kit gives you: 100 Armor, 25 AD and 15% Life steal, and bonus defense against auto-attacks.
The ultimate defensive kit against AD. Add some Doran's here and there if you want. They're so cost-effective it's not even funny.
If against AP threat:
This kit gives you: 25 AD and 50 MR.
These are the two items you want to get when against AP guys. Add in some
Doran's Blades and a Heart of Gold for more cheese.AN EXAMPLE OF A BALANCED BUILD - #1
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Trinity Force 3733 |
Randuin's Omen 2900 |
Maw of Malmortius 3250 |
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Guardian Angel 2400 |
The Bloodthirster 3700 |
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There you have it - my recommended set for Darius.
Randuin's Omen for shutting down important targets quickly, a lot of resists going on, an ability to get back from the dead... and huge damage. It doesn't seem like it, but you still do a lot of harm to your enemies just by getting Trinity Force and having true damage in your ultimate.Apart from
Mercury's Treads, Trinity Force and Guardian Angel, feel free to change everything else (tons of suggestions above if you haven't seen them yet, but you probably did).I'M GETTING OWNED - PATH #2
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Frozen Mallet 3100 |
Aegis of the Legion 1100 |
Wit's End 2500 |
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Randuin's Omen 2900 |
Guardian Angel 2400 |
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This is a good path for
Darius if you got bullied around in the early stages of the game. Frozen Mallet gives you a safe HP cushion and a 100% chance slow, Aegis of the Legion and Wit's End (actually, you can build Maw of Malmortius, too, just preference) increase your survivability by a lot and give you that extra oomph you need to get back in the game. Top it up with a Guardian Angel so you never have to die again. Enjoy your multikills!Also, if you're in dire need of armor, buy a
Frozen Heart or Randuin's Omen as usual.iCARRY - path #3
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The Bloodthirster 3700 |
Trinity Force 3733 |
Wit's End 2500 |
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Randuin's Omen 2900 |
Guardian Angel 2400 |
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You get this if you want to inflict serious pain and be bad-*** while doing so.
A lot of damage on all of your skills,
Trinity Force for further increasement of your burst damage and Guardian Angel. The ultimate kit for a Darius that wants to carry a game. Hard. Replace Wit's End with Last Whisper if you really have problems against armor-stacking baddies.Maybe the whole idea of carry
Darius doesn't change much from build #1, but the build sequence changes dramatically.If you're getting fed hard, consider rushing
Trinity Force as soon as possible, just like you would on Jax, for example. It increases your damage by a ton. If you're getting even more fed, just Guardian Angel and turn into an OP dunking monster of death./end game
Remember, ALWAYS build according to your team composition/enemy team composition!
Skill Overview / Skill Sequence
Knowing your champion is half the won battle, and the other one is knowing the champions you are most likely to face. For now, we're going to focus on Darius' skills. In-depth.
HEMORRHAGE
HEMORRHAGE DETAILSThis passive gives Darius a lot of power when it comes to small fights. When they start to take a little longer, Darius gains advantage - with every hit taken by your opponent! If you get 5 stacks of this, it will hurt him badly.
DECIMATE
DECIMATE DETAILSThis is your main harassing tool, your bread-and-butter, your... everything. Before level 6, that is. Maybe you can't spin like
Garen, but Decimate still does a lot of damage and you can spam it like there's no tomorrow. Using this skill correctly is key to dealing a lot of damage in trades with Darius. Here's the range of the skill:
As you can see, Darius can hit the target with the blade or the shaft. Enemies struck by the former will take additional 50% damage, making
Decimate even more deadly in lane.
CRIPPLING STRIKE
CRIPPLING STRIKE DETAILS Crippling Strike slows both the Movement Speed and Attack Speed of your opponent. Helps in trades, chases, everywhere. If you want to keep somebody in place for longer, this and Apprehend are your best bet.Tip:
Crippling Strike resets your autoattack timer!
APPREHEND
APPREHEND DETAILSThis skill is much more scarier than it looks. It pulls EVERYBODY in
Apprehend's effective range. That means you can pull minions, jungle mobs, and champions.
It can't be dodged like
Blitzcrank's 
Rocket Grab or Nautilus's 
Dredge Line, so to avoid this skill, your opponents have to stay out of range! That's one of the reasons Darius is such a monster in lane.Tip: You can use
Apprehend to pull things over many walls located in Summoner's Rift! Good for stealing buffs or catching people that just escaped with 
Flash.Remember:
Apprehend has a very long cooldown on early levels, so don't waste it! Without it, you won't be able to catch your enemies off guard without taking any serious risk or waiting for CC to come up.
NOXIAN GUILLOTINE
NOXIAN GUILLOTINE DETAILSThis is why many hate Darius. When you see him, you instantly think:
Noxian Guillotine. This is what gives him such a large presence. With this tool he can easily take care of any champion, regardless of resistances. The damage cannot be mitigated and it scales very well, making it the best execution spell in-game.Tip: It's quite obvious, but try to get as much stacks of
Hemorrhage before dunking the enemy. One stack may decide if Noxian Guillotine refreshes or not.Tip 2: Look out for
Kayle, 
Nasus and 
Renekton! They can bait out your ultimates with ease. 
Intervention completely negates the spell, while 
Dominus and 
Fury of the Sands give bonus health, which means the chances of killing them outright will be smaller.SKILL SEQUENCE
Darius' skills. Max Noxian Guillotine whenever possible for obvious reasons, then Decimate. It's an AoE spell which also deals the most damage at early levels. Next, max Crippling Strike. The slow percentage and the damage increases at every rank, so it's worth maxing second. Finally, max Apprehend. You won't need bonus armor penetration until lategame and the actual spell doesn't do damage. If you use it wisely, the long cooldown at level 1 isn't much of an issue, either.If you insist on getting your advantage early, I suggest getting
Apprehend at level 3.R > Q > W > E
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
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Summoner Spells
RECOMMENDED SUMMONER SPELLS
Flash gives you a free gap-closer every few minutes. It can be used to escape, catch fleeing enemies (even through walls!) or save your teammates, for example by blocking 
Caitlyn's 
Ace in the Hole or Flashing to Apprehend an enemy chasing one of your allies with a sliver of health and finish him off with a juicy ultimate... :>Anyways, you know the drift. Basically the best summoner spell in-game.
Ignite gives you true damage that you can use to finish your enemies off or counter massive healing of champions like 
Dr. Mundo, 
Vladimir, 
Swain or 
Mordekaiser.Alternatives?
Ghost is fairly useful for chasing, but it won't guarantee an escape if you get ganked by an enemy jungler. A good Nautilus or 
Maokai will still catch you even with Ghost on. It is also worth mentioning that taking Ghost is not favorable against certain match-ups like 
Jarvan IV. Exhaust is good to shut down enemy damage for a few seconds. Useful, like Ignite, but a little bit less useful. Usually, your support or jungler will pick it so you don't have to.You might want to pick
Exhaust against champions who like to get in your face early, like Fiora. Teleport is nice for split-pushing or assisting your jungler and ganking other lanes by teleporting to a nearby ward. Also, it helps against tough lane match-ups.Also, if you get this, you gain a lot of advantage simply by teleporting back to your lane after a successful fight over an objective. You can focus more on helping your team when they need it and then safely port to top-lane.
Laning Phase
The lane is where Darius truly shines. In teamfights he can prove to be of some use, but lane bullying and zoning is what Darius is really good at.
LANING PHASE TIPS
- Punish your enemies for their mistakes. Apprehend them when you see an opening.
- Don't be afraid of fights. Force your opponent to trade. The longer you fight, the better.
- Escaping a gank? No, thanks. Darius has a lot of burst going on and if you see a clear shot at a kill and you're sure you're not going to escape from a gank (happens most of the time as Darius can't escape anything without Flash), then you should do it. Spawning back in your base with a kill is always better than spawning without one, right?
- Efficiency is key to victory. If the range between you and the opponent is very short, open up with Crippling Strike to ensure you will get more hits. Remember that it also gives an AS debuff.
- Cool Qs! Decimate allows you to farm while harassing quite safely. Keep in mind, however, that after you burn that skill your opponent will most likely jump on you.
- Focus on killing your opponent after level 6 if you have the chance. Noxian Guillotine and Ignite combined with 5 Hemorrhage stacks is TONS OF DAMAGE.(tm)
- Control the battlefield. If you're winning, stand right next to your minions to deny your opponent of possible gold income or experience. This is called zoning the opponent. Darius is so dangerous upclose that your adversary will be scared to get his farm. Instilling fear is easy with a champion that has a true damage nuke.
DrinkPush responsibly.Only push if you are going to recall back to base or you're clearly dominating your opponent and can force a kill even with the enemy jungler coming. Try to last-hit minions with auto-attacks as much as possible.- Go for gold! Also, remember to farm as much as you can. Not only kills give you gold, so keep an eye on your CS. Your minimum should be >= 100 CS by the 20th minute mark.
- Build items to your needs! If find yourself starved for mana because you have to trade a lot, get a
Mana Potion or a philosopher's stone, etc.
If you abide by the general rules that apply to the laning phase and be more aggressive than usual (remember, Darius is powerful!) you won't have problems with winning your lane. Be wary, though. If the enemy top is in trouble, he will most likely call for quick ganks. And that's where sight wards come into play...
WARDING TIPS
sight wardsight wardsight ward
These are the two most popular warding spots for top-lane. ALWAYS remember to ward your lane! 75 gold is not such a low price for an item that might save your precious life.
A very good ward placement over-all.
This is a better place to put a ward in if you're pushing on your opponent really hard and wanna dunk soon.
Remember to ward important objectives like Baron or Dragon if you have the chance, too. Wards on these two points on the map are probably the most valuable to have. This way, you can respond quickly if the enemy team is planning to get one.
Match-ups
HARD MATCH-UPS
If you can, don't pick Darius vs. these guys. The laning phase against the champions listed here is bad for you (at least). Only recommended if you are a REALLY experienced Darius player.
CHO'GATHDIFFICULTY: Hard
Overview: He likes to farm, CC-lock his enemy when he's put under pressure and be a rude monster. If he gets you in the
Rupture, free damage will surely follow. He also has a true damage nuke like you and he gains health for every person eaten, which makes him even harder to put down.Tips: Playing against
Cho'Gath is like an arcade game of its own. You have to avoid the Qs he puts on you. Be unpredictable and put some real fine harass on him and you might do fine. Avoid fighting him while you're lower on health. Watch out, because after 6 he turns into a real powerhouse, just like you.RECOMMENDED ITEMS: philosopher's stone
Heart of Gold 
Giant's Belt
JAYCEDIFFICULTY: Very Hard
Overview: This guy just screams out "I'm Darius' counter". He's ranged/melee like
Nidalee, can disengage from any fight easily, and also has damage. Most of the times, you just can't beat him. Your only advantage is your nuke.Tips: You got to be really careful if you want to keep up with
Jayce. If you stay in one place, he will whittle you down to low health and jump on you. Positioning is key. Call for a jungler if needed, and watch out for his accelerated Qs. They do a lot of damage.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Mercury's Treads ( philosopher's stone) Heart of Gold Phage
JAXDIFFICULTY: Hard
Overview:
Jax is one of the most popular and forgiving counters to AD-based/auto-attack champions in the game. He has an engage/disengage (
Leap Strike), a skill which dodges all auto-attacks and attacks that have on-hit effects completely (
Counter Strike,) and an ultimate which makes him beefy without building any serious tank items (
Grandmaster's Might). Probably the best duelist, and he used to be even stronger than that!Tips: This match-up is really tough, although
Jax is beatable. If he chooses to Leap Strike and stun into you, punish him hard after he does so. This way, he'll have no way to escape your damage and he'll be forced to trade hits. This will make him think twice about bullying you, although keep in mind that a Jax will be stronger than you pre-6. When you have your ultimate, make good use of it. True damage beats out his Grandmaster's Might.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Mercury's Treads Phage
KAYLEDIFFICULTY: Hell
Overview: After watching some streams and dueling it out with my friends to test some match-ups, I've realized that
Kayle shuts Darius down even harder than 
Yorick does. She's ranged (most of the time), her 
Reckoning and her passive give her insane damage potential and she kites you all day long. What's more, she even has a way to mitigate your true damage completely! When you see this champion on the loading screen, you better pray to the gods you make it out of the laning phase.Tips: The situation is almost the same as when facing
Yorick. Kayle has a little bit less range and she is a lot more squishy, but she still kites you like no-one's business and has more damage if farmed. Her Intervention directly counters your Noxian Guillotine, so think before casting your ultimate.RECOMMENDED ITEMS: philosopher's stone
Heart of Gold Ninja TabiIf it's blind pick (or you're blind) and you're against
Kayle, I strongly recommend Teleport to avoid getting crushed to bits.
KENNENDIFFICULTY: Hard
Overview: Prepare to rage, 'cause this is one of the most annoying champs you will ever face on top lane. Almost completely uncatchable (he uses E when you grab), pokes extremely hard and stuns you all day long. Compared to
Yorick and Kayle, he's not such a threat, though. If you make good plays, you might actually turn this to your favor.Tips:Get items you would normally get against AP champs,
Mercury's Treads and Hexdrinker. This way, most of 
Kennen's damage will be mitigated. Also, he can not stay at safe range as long as Yorick and Kayle can. Use grabs and get the win. Keep an eye on the 
Mark of the Storm debuffs, too. This can lead to him dealing you free damage.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Mercury's Treads Hexdrinker 
Vampiric ScepterYou can get
Exhaust to get his damage output reduced.
NIDALEEDIFFICULTY: Very Hard
Overview: This champion has excellent bush control, can escape from almost everything after 6 and pokes you hard with her ranged attacks. That is basically all of the things
Darius doesn't like about his counters.Tips: If you want to do anything against her, anticipation and proper positioning is needed. After 6, it will be nearly impossible to kill
Nidalee and when she gets Phage, you can't do much. Push it, call your jungler, do anything to make her regret meeting you on top-lane.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi Phage
RENEKTONDIFFICULTY: Hard
Overview: He's your typical lane-bully (just like
Darius), but with sustain, 2 small gap-closers and a stun. Also, his ultimate can bait out yours with ease, which can end up in you getting killed nad your lane getting snowballed. This is a real challenge of your Darius skills.Tips: Two things about Renekton you need to know is he will try to kill you AND he has the stuff to do it. He can hack at you with ease if he gets his stun up on you and also heals a lot from
Cull the Meek. Keep an eye out on him when he reaches 6, because then the Noxian Guillotine is less effective then usual. The key to handling a Renekton is knowing how much exactly he can do. He can't spam like you can, so put it to your advantage.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi Heart of Gold
RENGARDIFFICULTY: Hard
Overview: This champion has seen a lot of changes, but after the hotfix he gained a lot of popularity - even in the >2k ELO scene. His damage with double
Savagery is insane, not to mention he gains resistances when casting 
Battle Roar. Also, excellent zone control with his 
Unseen Predator passive. Good 
Rengars will abuse the jump to close the gap between them and the opponent.Tips: Proceed with even more caution than you would with
Xin Zhao. He's a lot more dangerous considering he can leap onto you whenever he exits out of a brush. Also, he can use his ultimate, 
Thrill of the Hunt so you can't catch him while he's stealthed. Keep that in mind and put your ultimate on him before he does that. Fighting against him is not beneficial for you unless he doesn't have ferocity or his ultimate up.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Ninja Tabi/ Mercury's Treads (depends if AD/AP) Phage( philosopher's stone)
RUMBLEDIFFICULTY: Hard
Overview: One of the most popular casters (ranked) on top. For a reason. Great damage with
Flamespitter and overheat, W and E to help catching up with enemies, not to mention 
The Equalizer. This beast of an ultimate can turn the fight around, especially in small areas.Tips: You don't want to get by
Rumble's whole combo, because it packs lots of damage. Avoid at least part of it. He's even more dangerous in Danger Zone (pun not intended, I swear), so try to force fights when Rumble's skills are on cooldown or when he's not heated enough. Also, junglers have omgzorzeasy-mode ganks with The Equalizer in the right place.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Mercury's Treads Hexdrinker Phage
TEEMODIFFICULTY: Hard
Overview: One of the most popular counters to
Darius. 
Teemo is a great example of kiting and hit n' run tactics. If he gets his items up, he will be even harder to beat in lane and be a great annoyance.Tips: Catch him as many times as you possibly can and stomp him. Teemo is squishy as hell and has no way to escape your damage. Your damage output increases by a lot after 6, so dunking Teemo should be easy if you know what you're doing. Watch out for the bushes.
RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Phage Ninja Tabi
UDYRDIFFICULTY: Very Hard
Overview: A good
Udyr will make you regret you picked Darius against him. He will catch up with you in an instant with the help of 
Bear Stance and deal megatons of damage with 
Tiger Stance. Of course he can be kited, but when he gets in, there's no way out of the damage (and Darius can't kite for jack). What's more - it is mixed! Part physical, part magical ( Tiger Stance's DoT).Tips: Well, there's not much you can do against this guy except hugging the tower. He has more damage when you, he can catch up to you, he laughs in your face when you pull him in AND he has godlike sustain. Ask your jungler for help if you want to -
Udyr has no escapes just like you.RECOMMENDED ITEMS: philosopher's stone
Mercury's Treads Heart of GoldGet
Exhaust/ Teleport.
YORICKDIFFICULTY: Very Hard
Overview: He's a better laner over-all and his spam beats your spam/combo everytime. He can kite you or escape from you whenever he pleases and his ultimate,
Omen of Death will make sure Yorick ends the fight with a kill. The bane of no-sustain champs is here and ready to kick your butt, so you better stay back if you want to avoid being smashed by the Gravedigger.Tips: Trying to stay alive is the best you can do in this situation.
Yorick will out-range you, out-farm you and force you out of lane. Just do the best you can to get back in the game. Alternatively, you can beg your jungler for help. philosopher's stone and Heart of Gold are your best bet here.RECOMMENDED ITEMS: philosopher's stone
Heart of Gold Mercury's TreadsI'd suggest getting
Teleport here if it's a good Yorick.
XIN ZHAODIFFICULTY: Hard
Overview: After the significant buffs, he's a lot more viable now. He has a lot of CC going on and is a great peeler.
Three Talon Strike is a vicious combination of three attacks which do a ****load of damage. Most of the times, you don't want to be close to this guy.Tips: The thing with
Xin Zhao is that he will inflict a lot of damage to you and you can't do much about it. Ninja Tabi should be your first priority. When he jumps on you, immediately Crippling Strike to reduce his damage output and increase the distance between you. Over-all, a tough match-up, but you're better than him late-game because of the sheer damage output.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi PhageGet
Exhaust, or at least Ignite.
MEDIUM MATCH-UPS
These match-ups can turn into your favor if you'll manage your skills efficiently.
DARIUSDIFFICULTY: Variable
Overview: What can I say - it's a skill match-up. The
Darius player with the smaller number of mistakes wins.Tips: What matters the most in facing other
Darius players is how well you know your champion. Always remember to open up with Crippling Strike to make him stack Hemorrhage slower. Make no mistakes and exploit every weakness. (These are Darius' words, after all, so you better listen to them :p)RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi Giant's Belt
FIORADIFFICULTY: Challenging
Overview: A newest addition to the "pure AA champs" roster. She has two dashes, a parry, AD and AS steroids and an ult which makes her untargetable for a few seconds. Contrary to the actual lore, though, you're a better duelist than she is. :)
Tips: Encountering her really early in the game is a deathwish. Her damage is too damn high and she will probably try to force a fight as quickly as possible. When she jumps at you,
Decimate/ Crippling Strike and run away from her. When she wastes her combo, you can poke at her a bit with your Qs to make it even. It is really important to get a lot of farm to make sure you will be able to kill her after 6.Be really careful here, though. She can beat out your ultimate with her ultimate and if that happens, you will lose the trade AND your life.
RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi 
Warden's Mail PhageGet
Exhaust.
GARENDIFFICULTY: Challenging
Overview: This guy is a pain for any champion dependant on abilities. His
Decisive Strike and 
Judgment combo is one of the most recognizable combos in the game and leads to big damage. With recent buffs to Garen, he's even more dangerous, although he can be easily countered. He achieves lane dominance quickly, but certain conditions must be made.Tips: Play as safely as possible. It's even harder to trade with him than with
Fiora, so just play passively when he has his combo up. Wait for the right moment and strike when his Q+E is down. Grab him, do anything to him that will significantly hurt. He doesn't have anything more than flip-n'-spin-to-win-legendary-beyblade combo, so take that to your advantage. Your execution is better than his, too.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi Phage
IRELIADIFFICULTY: Challenging
Overview:
Irelia is a champion entirely specialized on killing specific targets. She gets stronger with every minute and is well known for 
Hiten Style, dealing true damage with auto-attacks. Also, it's really tough to kill her because of her passive, 
Bladesurge and 
Equilibrium Strike.Tips:
Hiten Style is her main source of damage. Try to avoid exchanging blows with her at that time because the AAs hurt. Catch her off-guard. Most good Irelias will max E earlier especially for this match-up to disengage from fights, so your skills always have to be spot-on. Remember that you have more damage at 6.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Ninja Tabi Vampiric Scepter Giant's Belt/ Phage
LEE SINDIFFICULTY: Medium/Challenging
Overview: A
Malphite on energy. Has a shield, has MS and AS slows, has poke, and has a decent ultimate. Works almost exactly the way as Malph does on top.Tips: Well, it's a harder version of
Malphite over-all, but it largely depends on the guy playing him. A good Lee can follow-up to ganks with ease, can mitigate most of your damage and deal a lot of damage to you. Don't get poked by his Qs, work your combo (Q>AA>W) when possible and grab him (if you can) when he's done. He will most likely escape with his safe guard/iron will but it doesn't hurt to try.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi Phage
MALPHITEDIFFICULTY: Medium
Overview:
Malphite is one of these more annyoing champs to face on top, although he's not on the same level as Kennen or Nidalee. His harass ability is 
Seismic Shard and the range of the skill is not that big. If you get in close, though, he will 
Ground Slam you and decrease your AS, while dealing decent damage. 
Granite Shield gives him a safe HP cushion when he doesn't get damaged for a few seconds.Tips:
Malphite simply doesn't have enough damage to be a threat to you. He will be hard to put down, but he can't kill you as fast as you can kill him. Just watch out for jungler ganks, because a well landed 
Unstoppable Force and a slow will probably net your enemy team a kill. Also, remember to harass him once in a while to make sure his shield doesn't regenerate.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Mercury's Treads Phage
MORDEKAISERDIFFICULTY: Medium/Challenging
Overview: The epitome of an anti-carry. Has extraordinary single-target damage and he can instagib any carry he wants.
Children of the Grave and 
Deathfire Grasp make up for a devastating huehuecombo and he heals for massive amounts of HP. If Mordekaiser's fed, that is. And you're here not to make that happen, right?Tips: You most likely know why Morde top is not a popular pick anymore, but I'll tell you anyway. He pushes EXTREMELY hard and this doesn't really make a difference for top-laners who can farm a lot more efficiently than mids most of the time. Misery loves company (sic!) - he doesn't have any escapes, either, so that makes him an even riskier pick. You thought this was the end of his problems? Nope, one more thing. His early-game is ridunkulously bad. Just grab him when he has cooldowns and/or his shield down and do with him what you want (though you'll probably want to kill him). The only thing you'd want to be wary of is how well Morde progresses into the later stages of the game if he's in good condition. If you put zero pressure on him, he will be much harder to kill later and will be a problem for your team. #1 tip: stay away from your minion wave.
RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Mercury's Treads Hexdrinker Phage
OLAFDIFFICULTY: Challenging
Overview:
Olaf belongs to a small group of champions dealing true damage, just like you do. The problem is his true damage comes up before 6, and can be spammed without mana usage. 
Reckless Swing is reckless indeed, and packs a lot of damage. Not to mention 
Undertow which can be used for chasing/kiting or 
Vicious Strikes for sustain. He can also turn man-mode on. 
Ragnarok gives him complete immunity to CC for a few seconds.Tips:
Olaf's damage mainly consists of Reckless Swings and enhanced auto-attacks. Don't take free damage - always be careful when facing him in lane. One bad decision can lead to you being stomped. If you play it smart, your trades will most likely be evened out. Also, he gets really dangerous when it comes to long 1v1s, but that doesn't bother you much when you have Noxian Guillotine up.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Giant's Belt/ Phage Ninja Tabi
PANTHEONDIFFICULTY: Medium
Overview: The early-game baller. Unbelievably spammable poke, stun, defense against attacks from his passive... This guy has everything to kill early. But not everything to kill in late-game, luckily. Also, gets countered hard by armor-heavy teams.
Tips: You shouldn't be really scared of him, because he wastes mana quicker than you do, although you should play it safe until you can easily kill him with ult or something. Also, a good
Pantheon will roam around the map with his ultimate and prepare crazy dives. Always be sure to call MIAs/SS if he's somewhere else and not coming back after a long time.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi Phage
RIVENDIFFICULTY: Medium
Overview: This girl has a lot of mobility. 3 short dashes (courtesy of
Broken Wings, one larger dash from 
Valor and a small stun give her a great offensive kit capable of destroying lanes. Not to mention all of these scale with AD! Also, 
Blade of the Exile gives more oomph to 
Riven's autoattacks and a bonus ability which scales with missing HP.Tips: You want to stay near
Riven and force her to trade. Why? You trade harder! When she tries to apply hit n' run tactics, all you need to do is grab her and hack at the poor thing again. Things start to get real when she gets her ultimate, though. If you come out on top before 6, you won't have any serious problems, but it is so strong on its own that it deserves a mention.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi Phage
SHENDIFFICULTY: Challenging/Even
Overview: Open any site with LoL statistics, watch forums, watch videos... Shen is everywhere. Either banned or picked. His kit is just great over-all. Nice poke with Q, nice shield with W, nice initiation with E, nice passive, and a GAME-CHANGING
Stand United. Turn ganks around, shield your carries, do anything you wish. Shen is THE pick for top-lane. It doesn't mean Darius can't beat one, though...Tips: His
Vorpal Blade has short range, so you can pull him while he tries to harass you with it (well, that is an indication of a 
Shen that is bad or doesn't know his match-ups, but just food for thought). You win all-in fights (especially after 6), but his taunt and 
Feint will reduce a lot of damage and the trades will be equal or even in Shen's favour. Use your grabs. This will force Shen to lose a lot of energy.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Mercury's Treads Phage Vampiric Scepter/ philosopher's stone
SINGEDDIFFICULTY: OK/Medium
Overview: One of the best farmers in-game.
Fling is a great displacement tool. He also has a percentage slow from 
Mega Adhesive and turns into a complete juggernaut with 
Insanity Potion on. When fed/farmed, he transitions well into teamfights and turns into a flinging monster of doom. Also, a split-push machine.Tips: A bad Singed is a moving target (and starts with
Doran's Shield D:). A good Singed will make sure he's farmed well and will screw with you a few times to mess your positioning. Fling into 
Poison Trail deals nice damage. This doesn't mean you can't deal damage to him, either. Don't be afraid of him. Screw with him, just like he screws with you. Your ultimate gets through his resistances, but he gets much, much tankier with levels over-all. If you don't put him down early at least once, he will remain a problem in lane.RECOMMENDED ITEMS: philosopher's stone
Mercury's Treads Phage
VLADIMIRDIFFICULTY: Medium/Challenging
Overview: A very similar champion to the Brazilian above. The thing is he's a lot more efficient at what he does. Massive healing,
Sanguine Pool for trolling junglers and 
Hemoplague, very useful ultimate for teamfights. If left on his own, he can easily go out of control, just like Mordekaiser.Tips: It basically comes to who has more experience in playing his champion. Vlad wants to keep you out, while you want him in. The side which succeeds in doing his job will most likely come out on top. He will try to zone you out with his AAs and
Transfusion, but you still might want to try and catch him before his attacks and his healing get really strong. Use your skills wisely.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Mercury's Treads Hexdrinker PhageGet
Ignite.
VOLIBEARDIFFICULTY: Medium
Overview: The king of early skirmishes. He's an armored bear. He stacks HP a lot to utilize his
Frenzy active to full effectiveness, so expect him to be tanky as hell. He likes to fight a lot early-game and dominate in mid-game, but he falls off quite hard late-game as he can be kited quite easily and his damage is lacking.Tips:
Volibear relies on his auto-attacks a lot, so Crippling Strike really helps in trades. Watch out when he has a glowing paw-shaped sign over his head - that indicates he has Frenzy. It deals physical damage, so buying Wriggle's Lantern or Ninja Tabi against him is recommended. He receives ganks well with his fling and slow, so try to avoid any situations which put you in a serious risk. Also, always have in mind that he has a passive that helps him do crazy plays. ALWAYS have Ignite with you to decrease his effectiveness in battle.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi PhageGet
Ignite.
OK/EASY MATCH-UPS
These lane match-ups aren't stressful enough to be considered medium or they're just plain easy.
AKALIDIFFICULTY: Easy/Medium
Overview: An assassin-type champion. Packs a lot of mixed burst if fed and has heaps of mobility. She can also hide herself in her
Twilight Shroud to put out juke after juke. Tricky stuff...Tips:... although
Darius is here to cut heads off and will not tolerate cowardice. That includes hiding in shrouds! Spin in the center of the shroud. Pull her and hack at her to your heart's content. Pre-6, you're the king of the lane. After 6? You are, too. The only thing is if she gets fed somehow, she will still be a problem to the squishies in your team. Call MIAs.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Mercury's Treads Hexdrinker Phage
GANGPLANKDIFFICULTY: Easy
Overview: Ahh, the good ol' pirate. Quite safe harass with
Parrrley, can remove CC with 
Remove Scurvy and has a fine ultimate that can help in teamfights or finishing champions that got away. A more supportive-type top dependant on farm.Tips: Too bad
Darius punishes these types of tops the most. When he comes in to CS, just grab him. He won't be able to do much. Your damage is far bigger than his (after 6, the difference is huge) and you can force him out of lane without any problems. His follow-ups to ganks are fairly powerful, though, so keep that in mind. No one wants to lose a won lane.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter/ philosopher's stone Ninja Tabi Phage
JARVAN IVDIFFICULTY: OK
Overview: A bruiser on a level comparable with
Wukong. Probably better in the jungle, though. Has really fine poke thanks to his 
Dragon Strike and his passive, has mobility and a shield. Don't forget about the ultimate 
Cataclysmic dunk of doom which creates impassable terrain about him. You can only escape from it by Flashing or using specific gap-closers.Tips: A
Jarvan IV just has to commit to the battle to do something. You have more damage than him and you can stay in his face long enough to kill him. He traps you in his ultimate? Good! You get free hits on him. Of course, unless a jungler is coming or you're extremely low, then you should Flash to safety.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi Phage
NASUSDIFFICULTY: Easy
Overview: This dog likes to farm. A lot. And he's really good late-game if farmed. Too bad there are many better alternatives :< (
Irelia, Jax come to mind) Good things about him - he has one of the best slows in-game and he also has an ultimate that turns him into a force to be reckoned with, not just a dog standing on two legs.Tips: Just kill him. Nothing really special about this guy. When he tries to
Siphoning Strike, Decimate him, Apprehend him, anything. Just snowball this lane to oblivion. Use the basic laning tips located in the previous chapters and you should do really fine.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter/ philosopher's stone Ninja Tabi
NAUTILUSDIFFICULTY: Easy
Overview: A rare sight on top-lane. This guy packs a ton of CC and can prove to be a threat to the enemy team if farmed. No one likes eating enhanced auto-attacks from
Titan's Wrath to the face, not to mention his teamfighting is really strong, too.Tips: Look at the overview of the champion again. See the part "farmed"? You are here to stomp him and prevent him from doing so. His shield on early levels has an atrociously long cooldown. Apart from CC, he isn't that much of a threat if you break his shield down. Constantly be in his face.
RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Mercury's Treads Phage
POPPYDIFFICULTY: OK
Overview: Poppy is quite a gimmicky champion and is really fun to play mainly because of her ultimate,
Diplomatic Immunity. Focusing on one target takes on a completely different meaning. Her strongest feat is her late-game, but she's just as weak in laning.Tips: That is where
Darius comes into play. Interrupt her farm (good 
Poppys will farm as much as possible to make the transition to the teamfighting phase as comfortable as possible) and avoid the walls. She packs some punch with that 
Devastating Blow she has (remember, it deals mostly magic damage), but that's not enough to keep Darius down. Just constantly show who's the man in this lane and you should win with ease. Be careful for jungler ganks as always!One more fun fact -
Hemorrhage will prevent Poppy's passive from working properly because it deals little amounts of damage over time!RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Mercury's Treads Phage
TALONDIFFICULTY: Easy
Overview: An AD caster with a quite high burst level. Has a slow, silence and built-in stealth in his ultimate,
Shadow Assault. Quite popular in mid as a mage counter, other than that, he can also go on top-lane...Tips: ... but he may find it hard to kill Darius out-right. :> Just make sure you start with
Cloth Armor and Health Potions to sustain through his constant damage and you should build a fine advantage before 6 no problem. Be wary of his cutthroat. Without your skills, you can't do much. You should take your chance before 
Talon gets his full burst damage.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi (
Glacial Shroud Phage (
Oracle's Elixir)
WUKONGDIFFICULTY: Easy
Overview: A tricky top-laner that likes to screw with your head. He can use his
Decoy to 
Nimbus Strike to an important target completely unseen and then knock up many people at once with his 
Cyclone. His kit is good over-all.Tips:
Wukong's good, but not good enough to beat you in a straight-up fight. Darius just has more burst, can negate the AS buff with his own debuff and can always stay near him.RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
Vampiric Scepter Ninja Tabi PhageThat is all for match-ups on top-lane! This chapter will be updated as soon as possible if a new champion viable on top comes out.
Teamfights
Late-game with Darius depends mostly on your skill. If you don't get into any serious trouble and you stay with your team, you might be able to peel off some carries and kill them. Here's some tips on how to teamfight with Darius.
TEAMFIGHTING TIPS
- Target appropriately. Your main target should be the biggest threat in their team (usually an AD/AP carry). Why? You will still be able to kill them if they aren't massively fed - your tankiness and true damage helps you make it out alive. Just make sure to open up with some attacks to get more damage with Noxian Guillotine.
- Don't get too greedy. Just like mentioned in the Pros/Cons chapter, Darius has absolutely NO escapes. Zero. If you chase after an enemy for too long, the chances of their team ambushing you are far too big to make such a risk.
- Manage skills efficiently. Don't waste your E on enemies who can quickly escape from it. Example:
Ezreal and 
Kassadin. They can safely disengage from any place on the map. - Don't initiate if possible. Remember that you aren't the one to start a fight. If you do, you will most likely get smashed by the enemy team and do nothing. Let your tank or other initiator do the job for you.
- Be responsible. Getting pentakills is fun, but you have to take into account the fact that you have to carry the game for your teammates if you get most of the kills. If you don't, you will look like an ordinary kill-stealing Darius, and we don't want that to happen.
- Protect your carries! Your tank is not the only one that should protect the carries! Instagib anybody that tries to get to your carry! MURDER!
- Avoid dying at all costs. Particular items like Guardian Angel help with that.
If you don't do any stupid things (including engaging by yourself, trying to get multikills when not fed enough, not being with the team when needed), you might actually end up having decent stats and not making stupid excuses after the match! Yay!
Now go aHEAD (see what i did there? hahaha) and decapitate some fools!
General Jungling
This guide was specifically made for Darius top, but I decided that having a Jungling section would be nice for those people wanting more. Enjoy!
Darius jungle is an alternate and fun to play version of
Darius. His damage is off the charts and he can cause a lot of trouble to junglers with a mediocre early-game. His jungle speed is not the best, but he ain't no slouch, either. His counter-jungling/invading is pretty strong thanks to his massive damage and Apprehend. When paired against a jungler that is farm/buff-dependant, it is recommended to deny him that farm (Ex: Amumu, Nautilus, even Tryndamere since his clear is slow). Darius doesn't really excel at ganking. Apprehend + Crippling Strike is all he has to keep the enemies in place. Compared to a monster ganker like Nautilus or Maokai, it 's not much, but if you manage to land your combo, a lot of damage will surely follow.Your role is to make the enemy fear you. Gank a lot, invade and get kills if possible, and lead your team to certain victory.
Basic rules to teamfights also apply to this guide, so be sure to read them.
RECOMMENDED ROUTE
This route is a good, sustained path that is recommended for most of the mana-based junglers in the game.
- Start at your wolves. Ask your teammates for help, if possible.
- After wolves, get your blue. It is recommended for you to get a leash. This will help you stay healthy throughout the camps on the other side.
- Move on to the wraiths.
- When you finished wraiths, start double golems. By the time you finished them, your
Smite should be up.
- Finally, do your red buff. After that, you can go gank somewhere or farm a little bit more and buy some items afterwards.
Alternatives?
If you feel really manly and you want to wreck face right from the start, the red buff route is also an option.
- Start on wraiths. Ask your teammates for help, if you want.
- After finishing wraiths, start red (preferably with a leash). At this moment, you decide if you want to do a quick level 2 gank or gank with double buff on.
- If there's no opportunities for ganks, simply clear all your remaining camps. You can give blue to your mid if you feel like it, but I recommend getting your first blue. This way, you won't have to go back to base every gank.
You should start with your blue most of the times, Darius is really mana-reliant.
STARTING ITEMS FOR JUNGLE DARIUS
(x3)This is a risky option, more suitable for safer junglers who really need the MS like
Udyr or 
Skarner. Buy at your own risk.
(x5)This option gives the most sustainability in jungling. Recommended for beginners and experienced junglers alike. You should start with these items most of the time.
RECOMMENDED SET-UP FOR JUNGLE DARIUS
| Item Sequence | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wriggle's Lantern 1800 |
Heart of Gold 825 |
Phage 1250 |
||||||||
This is the best early-game set-up you could wish for. A lot of tankiness, sustain, and a
Phage slow to back it up. From here, you can build whatever you want (But don't get too carried away there D: Look at the Items section).Regarding the full build, I feel
Frozen Mallet and Aegis of the Legion are excellent items for jungle Darius. If you got an early kill or two, you can go for Tri-Force after building your core, although it's not recommended because of the high cost and quite low survivability.GENERAL JUNGLE (DARIUS) TIPS
- When killing buffs, be sure to use your Crippling Strike when you have Hemorrhage stacks. This way, it will be on a shorter cooldown.
- Practice your Apprehend and get used to its range. When ganking lanes or counter-jungling, good use of this skill makes or breaks a kill on the enemy.
- Don't camp on one spot too much. If the opponent has wards and you just can't get them, then don't stay there. Do something more useful! Farm your camps more, do ganks on another lane or put wards for your teammates.
- If the opponent has successfully escaped a gank, DON'T STEAL your teammate's CS when making your way out of the lane! You automatically push a lane and make everyone else frustrated this way. You are only meant to do it if you have the opportunity to put down a tower and you want to push it quickly.
- Know your enemy. If you're against an Amumu, he'll probably want to start at blue, and clear his camps all the way down to red, where you can surprise him with your pull. Knowing where the enemy jungler starts is vital to effective counter-jungling.
- Remember, stealing camps is easy with your grab.
You vs Other Junglers - what to be aware of?
Darius is really competent at invading. His Apprehend and great damage help him dominate both of the jungles. It's quite risky, though - if you get caught by 2 or 3 champions somewhere in the opponent's jungle, chances are you're dead or you're gonna be dead soon.
Here's the list of the champions you want to invade/mess with:
- Amumu - starts at blue. Can't 1v1 you for anything and has way less CC than Nautilus or Maokai. Make this guy cry or he'll make you cry.
- Maokai - starts at blue. His base damage is pretty high, but you should be able to steal something from him. Be wary of his CC.
- Nautilus - starts at blue. he has ****loads of CC, but he's really weak at 1v1s. His only damage is his auto-attacks combined with Titan's Wrath and that's not too much. Screw his jungle up.
- Jarvan IV - usually starts at blue. You come up on top in 1v1s. He can escape from most bad situations, apart from you. Don't be too greedy or you're gonna regret it.
Diana - starts at blue. she's not that big of a threat before 6. You will win duels especially that being underfarmed hurts her more.- Xin Zhao - can start blue/red. He's really slow, though. You should try to screw with him when he starts doing wraiths/red. Without red or levels, he loses quite a lot of ganking power.
Hecarim - starts at blue because of his extreme mana reliance. He's slow and bad at 1v1s. If he's level 3 or 4, he probably will escape from you, but you can steal his stuff with relative ease. If you let him snowball, you're in for a world of suffering.- Malphite - starts at blue. If he gets a decent amount of farm and he succeeds at ganks, it's gonna be tough to break him at that point. Try to interrupt his jungle as much as possible. Don't 1v1 him, he's hard to put down. Malphite doesn't have a lot of presence when he's behind, just like any tanky disruptive junglers.
Guys you don't want to invade / guys you want to be wary of:
Shyvana - usually starts at red, but can start at blue. Well, she clears fast as hell and YOUR jungle is her main priority. Usually, she just wants to find you, kill you, take your stuff and make your life hell. Ward your entrances a lot and don't get stomped. Good ganks will decrease the gap, but you got to be reaally careful when facing her.- Olaf - usually starts at blue to have a faster clear. He's fast, dangerous, will invade and even if you catch him somewhere at his jungle, he will either kill you or kite you with his axes. Not recommended to counter-jungle against him.
Nocturne - usually starts at blue, but can start at red. I know he's less dangerous than shy'vana and his clear is slower, but the probability of you beating him is quite low. He'd have to be lower than you and he still has his Q and E to escape from you or kill you.
Lee Sin - can start anywhere, usually ganks with red at level 2. his kit is made to counter-jungle those who aren't careful or those who are simply weaker than him in duels. He has sustain, can slow you and has so much mobility it's ridiculous. Not recommended to get in his jungle unless you want to troll your game badly.- Nunu - starts at blue. he can screw with any jungler. He's quite slow over-all because of his lack of AoE, but his single target damage to mobs is insane. A Smite +
Consume combo takes buffs in seconds and thus, Nunu can be a great annoyance. Ward your jungle. - Udyr - can start anywhere, but he prefers blue. he clears almost as fast as Shyvana, has innate tankiness and a lot of AoE damage. If you meet him, you'll be most likely dead or you won't be able to jungle anymore because of low health. He has mediocre ganks, though, so try to beat him in that category.
- Dr. Mundo - can start anywhere, but prefers red. His clear is just godlike and he does crazy damage with his
Burning Agony and 
Masochism. If you somehow manage to catch him at low health, he will kite you with his cleaver forever until you've had enough. If given the chance, he can totally eff you up. Don't let him make you sick.
Always examine the map and try to guess where the enemy jungler could be. Use it to your advantage.
Darius Gameplay/Stats!
I thought it would be nice to add some Darius gameplay to give you a good example of how he works over-all. If you want to learn a thing or two, it is recommended for you to see this.
This is a typical >2k ELO game. The Darius player is known as Dyrus - former toplaner of Epik Gamer and now a part of Team SoloMid (fun fact - with Dyrus in the team, TSM didn't lose any single major tournament apart from MLG Summer Arena!). Also known as one of the biggest trolls of solo queue. It fits him well, because his favorite champion is 
Singed.
In this particular match, he's matched up against Shen.
Here will be posted my records with Darius! Also, you can post yours in the comments if you wish.
Summary
Big, big, big, big thanks for checking out my guide! :D
I'll try to read all of the comments posted in here and I'd surely take some advice on how to improve this guide and how to improve myself as a writer. :) I'll take any idea into consideration, excluding the really stupid ones.
SPECIAL THANKS
Thanks to JhoiJhoi for her amazing guide. It really helped me in... pretty much everything and it also gave me some cool ideas. Check it out here. JhoiJhoi's Guide on How to Write a Guide
Thanks to my cousin (he's a LoL addict, too haha) for cheering and support. I probably would let this guide wither away if not for him.
Thanks for some of the fellow members of MOBAFire for responding to my spam of review requests. :)
Stay tuned for more guides, as I'm planning to write some!
Coming up:
- Mid
Mordekaiser guide-
Nautilus guide (because anchor OP)bsurma 2012
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Guide Discussion (42)
