CRIT DARIUS — THE NOXIAN CRIT MACHINE
Introduction

Welcome to Crit Darius — a completely off-meta build focused on high AD, critical strikes, lethality and insane movement speed.

This is NOT a standard Darius build. You give up a lot of the usual bruiser/tankiness in exchange for one thing:

DELETING PEOPLE.

The goal is simple: get into range with Ghost and Youmuu's, stack your passive, and then turn your fully stacked Noxian Might into massive damage.

This build is risky, aggressive and absolutely ridiculous when it works.

If you want to play Darius like a normal bruiser, this guide is probably not for you.

If you want to run at someone at Mach 10 and crit them into another dimension...

Core Build

1. Youmuu's Ghostblade
Your first major item gives you AD, lethality and movement speed. It helps Crit Darius actually reach his targets and makes your early-mid game much more threatening.

2. Boots of Swiftness
Movement speed is extremely important. Darius has no real dash, so you need to rely on speed to close the distance and stay on top of enemies.

3. The Collector
This is where the build starts becoming extremely dangerous. Lethality, AD and critical strike chance all work perfectly with the idea of bursting low-health enemies.

4. Infinity Edge
The main damage spike of the build. Once you have Infinity Edge and enough critical strike chance, your basic attacks can hit extremely hard.

5. Voltaic Cyclosword
More AD, lethality and burst potential. It fits the assassin-like playstyle of this build and gives you another way to punish enemies who try to escape.

6. Bloodthirster
A strong final item for more AD and sustain. At this point your build is almost entirely focused on dealing as much physical damage as possible.

Flash

Flash gives you an instant repositioning tool. Use it to surprise enemies, escape dangerous situations or secure an important E pull.

Ghost

Ghost is extremely important for this build.

Because Crit Darius sacrifices a lot of defensive stats, you need to be able to reach your targets quickly. Ghost lets you chase enemies, stick to them and keep attacking until you get your passive fully stacked.

Flash + Ghost = maximum chase potential.

Sorcery

Arcane Comet
Provides extra poke and burst during trades.

Celerity
Movement speed is extremely valuable on this build because reaching the enemy is one of your biggest problems.

Scorch
Adds extra damage during early trades.

Gathering Storm
Gives you additional AD as the game goes on, making your late-game damage even more ridiculous.

Precision

Triumph
Very useful during extended fights. Getting a takedown can restore health and allow you to continue fighting.

Legend: Alacrity
Attack speed helps you stack Hemorrhage faster and makes your basic attacks more threatening.

Q > E > W

Max Q first.
Decimate is your main damage and sustain tool. Try to hit enemies with the outer edge of Q whenever possible.

Max E second.
Apprehend becomes more reliable as you level it and is extremely important for keeping enemies within your attack range.

Max W last.
Crippling Strike is still useful, especially for slowing enemies and resetting your auto attack, but this build gets more value from Q and E first.

R — Noxian Guillotine

Take your ultimate whenever possible:

Level 6 → Level 11 → Level 16

Your ultimate is still one of the most important parts of Darius' kit. Once you have Noxian Might, look for opportunities to execute enemies and reset your ultimate.

Youmuu's Ghostblade + Boots of Swiftness

These items solve one of Crit Darius' biggest weaknesses:

Getting into melee range.

Use your movement speed to approach enemies before they have time to kite you.

The Collector + Infinity Edge

This is your main critical damage combination.

The Collector helps you finish low-health targets, while Infinity Edge increases the threat of your critical strikes.

Together, they make your late-game basic attacks much more dangerous.

Voltaic Cyclosword + Youmuu's

Both items support an aggressive, high-mobility playstyle.

Youmuu's helps you get onto the target, while Voltaic adds even more burst pressure once you're in range.

Bloodthirster + Full Crit Build

Bloodthirster gives you more AD and sustain, allowing you to survive longer while dealing massive damage.

The longer you stay alive after reaching your target, the more likely you are to get your passive stacked and start destroying the enemy team.

Early Game

Do not play like a tank.

Your goal is to take aggressive trades when you can safely reach the enemy.

Use Q to poke and heal yourself, and use E to pull enemies into your attack range.

Try to build Hemorrhage stacks without taking unnecessary damage.

You are much more vulnerable than normal Darius because this build sacrifices defensive stats.

Pick your fights carefully.

This is where the build starts becoming dangerous.

Use Ghost and Youmuu's to find targets that are isolated or out of position.

You don't always need to start a fight yourself. Sometimes it is better to wait for an enemy to use their escape ability before committing.

Once you reach 5 Hemorrhage stacks, your damage increases massively.

After that, look for resets with your ultimate.

Late game Crit Darius is extremely dangerous but also extremely fragile.

You can delete squishy champions very quickly, but you can also die just as quickly if you engage into the entire enemy team.

Look for:

Isolated targets
Enemy champions without Flash
Squishy carries
Enemies who already used their mobility
Cleanup opportunities

Do not blindly run into five enemies.

You are a damage dealer now. Play like one.

Your main objective is to reach the enemy backline or punish enemies who get too close.

Do not always use your E immediately.

Sometimes it is better to walk forward with Ghost and force the enemy to use their mobility first.

Once they are in range:

E → Auto → W → Q

Keep attacking and stacking Hemorrhage.

Once you reach 5 stacks, look for the enemy with the lowest health and use R to secure the kill.

If your ultimate resets, immediately look for the next target.

Basic Trade

E → Auto → W → Q

Pull the enemy in, auto attack, reset your attack with W and finish with Q.

Quick Engage

Ghost → E → Auto → W → Q

Use this when you need to close the distance quickly.

Surprise Engage

Flash → E → Auto → W → Q

Use Flash to catch an enemy who thinks they are safe.

Full Stack Combo

E → Auto → W → Q → Auto → Auto → R

The exact combo depends on the situation. Your main goal is always to reach 5 Hemorrhage stacks and then use your massive damage to finish targets.

Do not waste Ghost. Save it for important fights or when you know you can reach your target.
Hit the outer edge of Q whenever possible. It gives you healing and makes your trades much stronger.
Do not instantly use R. Try to reach 5 Hemorrhage stacks first whenever possible.
Use W as an auto attack reset. This helps you stack Hemorrhage faster.
Do not fight like a tank Darius. You have much less durability.
Look for isolated targets. Crit Darius is much stronger when he can focus one champion.
Use movement speed to your advantage. Youmuu's, Swifties and Ghost are what allow this build to function.
If you get 5 stacks, go crazy.

Crit Darius is not designed to be the safest or most consistent Darius build.

It is designed to be FUN.

You sacrifice durability and conventional bruiser stats for AD, critical strikes, lethality and movement speed.

When you get your passive fully stacked and start resetting your ultimate, the enemy team can disappear extremely quickly.

Run fast. Hit hard. Stack Hemorrhage. Press R.

Welcome to Crit Darius.

Noxian Crit Machine.