My name is LM.Lucky Sin, from the PH LoL community. This guide is giving a strong emphasis on brevity and conciseness. Any deviations from this guide will not impede individual gameplay. Remember that this guide only shows a definite and seasoned pattern for a champion. And btw, this one's on me (play if while going through this guide):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f3WYpP9xT4

I personally stand with the notion that Darius is the King of solo top. Unbeaten by anyone at single combat except Warwick because of that damn lifesteal @_@.

The runes are very self explanatory. Aspd allows you to build up hemorrhage FAST. Not that nuky but FAST. It allows your W to wind up real quick and further make the opposition cry and pray. As a fighter, Darius has to augment his innate "tankiness" as his effectiveness comes if he is durable and able to last in teamfights.

Pros: BRUTAL TRUE DAMAGE
Passive armor pen
stacking DOT
Relative low cooldowns
refreshable ulti
tanky yet capable of bursting down targets w/ ease

Cons: Mana hungry
pathetic or paltry CC
CC rapes you
easily focused
no escape ability
underrated

So your basic combo is just repeating. Land the outer decimate ring, chase chase. If you can't and are extending too much, just fall back. Upon recovering back, drag your opponent, decimate, land a basic attack and immediately use W - as it resets your attack timer. Maximize the minimizing cd of your W by constantly applying bleeds.

For items: Remember, the longer you can prolong a fight, the more effective Darius becomes. Your stacking bleed will make your opponents pump blood faster, so abuse it. I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT RECOMMEND GLASS CANNON TYPE because it cannot contain multiple champions. Unlike a tanky dps that can hold two or three, a glass cannon will just kill one fast, then be killed almost the same time.

The Darius route is more or less taken to solo top. As for such, I require readers of this guide to pay attention closely. A single mistake can cause a game for you. Your success in late game depends on how badly you decimate your lane and the other lanes.

Clear each wave with at least 4 creepings - gold is essential. very self explanatory. your main goal

Maximize the outer ring of decimate - your second goal, is to be combined with the first. As much as possible, when decimating, try hitting minions together with the champion. Should you successfully land a clean outer ring decimate, hit your opponent with a couple of basic attacks and weave spellcasts in between. Note that when your opponent is slowed, you can sieze that timing to land decimate's outer ring.

EYES OPEN - at your first homebase, the least you should worry about is that phage or tier 2 boots. Grab a couple of potions and must have WARD. Guard your sidelane so you can eat your opposition carefree.

Exploit every weakness - if you get fed up early on, try pushing your advantage by going with your jungle and rotate atleast two lanes and clean them up. It's not much but it's worth delaying the oppponents while advancing your team.

Know your target - You have a damn true damage ulti that is refreshible at your disposal. ABUSE THE HELL OUT OF IT. Darius is not a true tank and should not initiate unless the situation calls for. Any tight spot can be clutched on. As the clash proceeds, isolate the opponents weakest targets, preferrably the ranged carry, squishy ap, or support (but as much as possible don't FF the supp. co'z of the relative low dmg output, only misc and CC).

This section is created to give an emphasis on micro and kite gaming. As mentioned beforehand, you have a brutal nuke ulti at your disposal. Don't settle for running away. Decimate as they chase you, cripple as they close in, apprehend as they run or chase a weaker ally and drag them towards you.

Furthermore, DO NOT GET ALL THE KILLS. AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, CHOP DOWN THE CARRY.

Like mentioned earlier. Play using your brains first. Dont go barging in to enemies easily. Because of my computer ignorance I cant give a very flash and detailed matchup. But I however, can summarize it all up in three classes.

vs Assasin - this must be a joke, seriously. Expect a melee assassin of course. As they get closer to get your creeps, deny them money shots by decimating and giving a little bruise.

vs Mages - readjust your masteries to give you a +6 bonus armor. I recommend starting of with boots and pots to give you mobility in placing your offense and maneuvering better.

vs Fighter - your advantage will come with your better poking capacity. Maximize the cd of cripple(W) and you'll have no problem trading blows. Should you be against Jayce, I recommend an early gank or hiding in brush to be able to close in on decimating him, giving a poke advantage.

----Special elements:

vs hybrid dmg (Yorick, Jax)
-i recommend going for cloth armor 5x pots for these guys. Call for a lvl 2 gank and atleast 1 return to give you a solid heads-up against them to pave way for your continous advantage.

A very brief guide indeed. My guide emphasizes the misc. gameplay of Darius in a nutshell. Remember, play smart and fight with your BRAIN FIRST ALWAYS. The brauns and the boasts can come when you break your opponent's Nexus.

Note: This is the first time I have created a guide, so I am very open to comments and suggestions to help construct this guide, and open up more Darius possibilities. And sorry, I'm not so good at using computers for forums like these. I only know how to play >.<

www.facebook.com/RNChie for photos and inquiries.