Darius Build Guide by Saccharrin

Introduction

This is a work in progress!

I accidently hit publish!! (>.<)

Also, please don't downgrade my guide purely so your guide shows up on top... it's kind of petty.

Also this is my first guide so ALL criticism is welcome! Good and Bad!

In this guide I will show you teach the tricks I use to get numerous kills early on and become unstoppable late game with Darius.

I will also teach you how get certain kills such as easy ganks (providing you have a decent jungler) and how to push them so close to the turret that you can kill both laners within a matter of minutes.

My playing style is Darius

As crazy as it sounds, I try and play Darius as supporty as I can, dragging them away from my team-mates so they focus me while my team-mates whale down damage on them!

On average I get 10 kills - 3 deaths (which is too much!) and 15-20 assists

Highest game I've had is 24 kills - 2 deaths and 32 assists playing my supporty role!

Pros and Cons

Pros

Ultimate resets if you land the killing blow!

Does insane damage! He hits like a train, even to tanky champions!

Perfect against squishys!

Really good jungler and a perfect counter to any jungler!

Hemorrhage can pull off many kills during farming and aqquire kills from running foes due to bleeding out!

Apprehend cannot be blocked by minions and pulls every single target in towards him!

Cons

- Like Tryndamere and other OP champions when fed; You're CC'd, Focused and Raped.

- Apprehend has a long cooldown!

- Since he's OP you get easily bated by an 'easy kill' and then you're faced with the laner and a jungler kicking your ***!

- Doesn't have the best ganks due to other champions ability to CC.

- Runs out of Mana fast when you're owning, you kind of forget this beast runs on Mana!

Skills and Tactics

You have 4 skills and 1 passive skills which are;

Hemorrhage
Decimate
Crippling Strike
Apprehend
Noxian Guillotine

And I level them like this,

Either if you're solo top or laning with another, you're main skill to take first/max out is Decimate purely because this is your main farming skill/pushing back skill.


Decimate offers 70 to 105 damage as Darius spins his blade around; depending on where you hit them. If they're close to you, decimate will not offer as much damage as if they were stuck by the blade.

The way I work it; while you're farming, as soon as they get close to you, within range of your Decimate, pop it and push them back. The quicker you make them pop their health pots the better. Plus; with the extra damage caused by your Hemorrhage they will cautiously farm just out of your reach for awhile.




Apprehend is second, this skill drags them back to your location and decrease their armor! Once you've got them on the run and those pesky buggers are trying to leg it, drag them back in and finish them off. Apprehend offers you 5% armor penetration which early game will give you a slight advantage. I use this to drag my opponents away from my team-mates and closer to my turret, this allows to attack them longer and hopefully get the kill.



Crippling Strike is third, this then give you the chance to slow down those runners after you've just handed them their guts with Decimate and Apprehend. This deals 20 damage plus slows them by 20% for 2 seconds.



And finally your ultimate...

Noxian Guillotine is a kill stealers dream skill, but try not to steal kills as it's not only annoying but pretty cheap. Noxian Guillotine deals 160 damage plus deals 20% damage per Hemorrhage that's on the target by forcing his giant body in the air and slicing the champion in half! Make sure you don't just blow your ultimate the first chance you get as your skill will not automatically refresh and it will go back on cooldown.

My skill sequence one on one is

Decimate >>> Apprehend >>> Crippling Strike >>> Decimate >>> Noxian Guillotine

Tactics

When I'm solo top I stick as close to the turret as possible, I never go past the rocks and NEVER go passed the lane to mid, you're just asking to get killed by the two enemy champions!

Staying in this area will let you Flash out of the way if they're pushing hard!

When they're pushing the turrets with the minion wave, best thing to do is focus on the minions first and once they're all down make your jungler aware and then pull them towards the turret using Apprehend then slow them using Crippling Strike and as they're running away focus on the squishy champion and then (make sure you get them with the blade) use Decimate!!

This combo should give you 20% armor penetration, 20 damage + 20% movement reduction and 105 damage (providing you hit them with the blade!) plus the damage of the turret while they're trap near it with your apprehend!

Items

This is my usual item sequence, I will list then detail the reason for picking my build.

Boots of Speed + 3 x Health Potion
Ruby Crystal
Long Sword
Phage
Negatron Cloak
Long Sword
Hexdrinker
Long Sword
Pickaxe
Last Whisper
Ninja Tabi
Frozen Mallet
Ruby Crystal
Regrowth Pendant
Giant's Belt
Ruby Crystal
Warmog's Armor
Regrowth Pendant
Regrowth Pendant
Negatron Cloak
Force of Nature
Maw of Malmortius

Boots + pots, If you're solo top this will help you evade quicker + keep you in the game so they don't get ahead of you. Don't get your tier 2 boots just yet as I think they're overated early game.

Heading straight for your Phage will allow you to slow them down even more so your turret can pound on them till they're the right health to use Noxian Guillotine!!!

Hexdrinker will help you with your magic resist plus give you a handy sheild while defending your turret!

Last Whisper giving you +40 attack damage and 40% armor penetration, along side your Apprehend you could have a total of 65% armor penetration to help you maul the enemy champions!

After your Phage, I would upgrade it to Frozen Mallet as you gain attack damage, health and movement reduction for that all important Noxian Guillotine!!! Keeps them slow and your team-mates can land their ulimates as well.

After you've got a good base of attack damage, armor penetration and movement reduction, I tend to make my champion a little bit more sustainable by increasing his health with Warmog's Armor. This helps you stick in a fight just that little bit long, and if you have been fed early game, chances are; they're looking to take you down first!

Once you have your armor, I would increase to Tier 2 boots with Ninja Tabi because it keeps your speed up as you chase them plus reduces all no turret attacks by 10%... it's kind of a no brainer unless you have CC'ers on the other team!

With Force of Nature it grants you increased movement speed + massive health regen and magic resist, allowing you to catch up to them, use Apprehend to keep them their and you and your team can finish them off!

And lastly Maw of Malmortius for magic resist, attack damage and the ever helpful shield!!

Runes

Greater Mark of Attack Damage x 9 (+8.55 attack damage)
Greater Seal of Armor x 9 (+12.69 armor)
Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist x 9 (+1.35 magic resist per level 24.3)
Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed x 3 (+4.5 movement speed)

Greater Mark of Attack Damage: Due to Apprehend passive, deems any armor penetration runes pointless, might as well increase your AD early game!

Greater Seal of Armor: Improves your defensive and helps early game defending your turrets alone!

Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist: Helpful little buggers in defensive against AP casters! Perfect for champions like Vladimir!!!

Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed: Darius has no gap closing abilities apart from Apprehend which is on a long cooldown and Noxian Guillotine but popping an ultimate just to catch upto someone is stupid!