Here's a full guide for playing Darius, the Hand of Noxus, in League of Legends! This guide will cover everything from runes and abilities to item builds, laning strategies, and tips for team fights.
Strengths:
By mastering these strategies, you’ll be able to turn Darius into an unstoppable force on the Rift! Let me know if you need more details on any part.
1. Champion Overview
Darius is a top-lane juggernaut who excels at dealing high sustained damage in melee range. His passive, Hemorrhage, rewards extended trades by stacking bleed on his enemies, which synergizes with his ultimate for devastating executions. Darius is best suited for players who like to dominate 1v1s and carry team fights with strong AoE damage and tankiness.Strengths:
- Strong 1v1 dueling power, especially against melee champions
- Excels in extended trades thanks to his passive
- Capable of executing low-health enemies with his ultimate, Noxian Guillotine
- Becomes unstoppable with proper itemization and positioning in fights
- Vulnerable to kiting and ranged champions
- Struggles against heavy crowd control
- Falls off slightly in the very late game compared to hypercarries
2. Runes
Darius’s runes are centered around maximizing his damage output and survivability in extended fights.Primary Path: Precision
- Conqueror – Stacking damage and healing is perfect for extended trades, allowing Darius to survive and win even longer fights.
- Triumph – Restores health after securing kills, which is helpful in close duels and team fights.
- Legend: Tenacity – Reduces crowd control effects on Darius, making it harder for opponents to kite him.
- Last Stand – Increases damage when Darius is at low health, perfect for close, drawn-out fights.
Secondary Path: Resolve
- Second Wind – Provides additional sustain, especially useful in tough matchups where Darius may take frequent poke.
- Unflinching – Grants more tenacity when at low health, making Darius harder to lock down.
- Attack Damage
- Armor or Magic Resist (depending on lane opponent)
- Health
3. Summoner Spells
- Flash – Essential for closing gaps, escaping, or repositioning.
- Ghost – Grants additional mobility, letting Darius stick to targets more easily and chase down enemies.
4. Abilities
Here’s a rundown of Darius’s abilities and some tips on using them effectively.Passive – Hemorrhage
- Darius applies stacks of Hemorrhage on his target with each basic attack, dealing damage over time. At five stacks, he gains a massive AD boost and applies max stacks to any target hit, which can turn fights in his favor.
Q – Decimate
- Darius swings his axe in a circle, healing himself based on the number of champions hit. Enemies hit by the blade’s outer edge take more damage and apply Hemorrhage stacks. Positioning is key; try to hit enemies with the outer edge for maximum damage.
W – Crippling Strike
- Empowers Darius's next attack to deal bonus damage and slow the enemy. This ability resets his auto-attack timer, so use it right after an auto-attack to maximize damage output.
E – Apprehend
- Darius pulls in all enemies in a cone and applies armor penetration. This ability is excellent for catching opponents or starting trades, especially when followed by Q and W for burst damage.
R – Noxian Guillotine
- Darius's signature ability, this ultimate executes low-health enemies and refreshes if it kills the target. Use this to secure kills and snowball fights. Look for the right timing to use it, as holding onto it too long can mean missing opportunities.
5. Ability Leveling Order
Max Order: R > Q > E > W- Q (Decimate) should be maxed first for maximum damage and sustain.
- E (Apprehend) is maxed second to reduce cooldown and increase armor penetration.
- W (Crippling Strike) is maxed last as it is more of a utility spell than a damage dealer.
6. Item Build
Starting Items
- Doran's Blade – Grants extra AD and sustain, ideal for early trading power.
- Health Potions
Core Items
- Stridebreaker – Grants a dash and slow, which helps Darius stick to his targets and makes it harder for enemies to escape.
- Sterak’s Gage – Provides a shield and bonus AD when low on health, making Darius tankier in extended fights.
- Dead Man's Plate – Grants movement speed and bonus physical damage on his next basic attack, letting Darius close gaps more easily.
Situational Items
- Spirit Visage – Boosts healing and provides magic resist, ideal against AP-heavy teams.
- Thornmail – Reflects damage and applies Grievous Wounds, perfect against high sustain enemies.
- Death’s Dance – Great for sustain and dealing with burst damage.
- Force of Nature – Increases movement speed and grants more magic resist, useful against heavy AP teams.
Full Build Example
- Stridebreaker
- Plated Steelcaps (or Mercury’s Treads against CC-heavy teams)
- Sterak’s Gage
- Dead Man’s Plate
- Spirit Visage or Force of Nature
- Thornmail or Death’s Dance
7. Laning Phase Tips
- Position carefully with Q – Try to hit the enemy with the outer edge of your Q for maximum damage and healing.
- Trade effectively – Darius wins extended trades, so look for opportunities to engage in fights where you can fully stack Hemorrhage.
- Use E strategically – Darius’s pull can be a powerful tool for punishing mispositioned enemies or stopping escapes. Save it until they try to back off or use it to initiate trades.
- Control the wave – Darius is a strong lane bully, so maintaining wave control can force your opponent to play defensively.
8. Team Fights
- Stick to the frontline – As a juggernaut, you need to be in the thick of the fight, but don’t overextend without backup.
- Look for squishy targets – Darius’s Noxian Guillotine is a powerful execute. Look to finish off low-health enemies to trigger resets and snowball fights.
- Use Q and E effectively – Aim your Q to hit as many enemies as possible with the outer edge, and use E to pull in high-priority targets.
- Get resets – Try to secure kills with Noxian Guillotine for resets that can turn the tide of fights in your favor.
9. General Tips
- Keep track of Hemorrhage stacks – Darius becomes much stronger with full stacks, so time your abilities and engage wisely to maximize his passive.
- Avoid getting kited – Champions with strong CC or mobility can kite Darius easily. Be mindful of enemy cooldowns and use Stridebreaker’s active to help close gaps.
- Utilize Ghost – Ghost helps Darius keep up with mobile champions and can often make the difference in a successful engage.
- Play smart with R – Noxian Guillotine is an incredibly strong execute, but holding onto it too long can mean missing kill opportunities. Aim to use it as soon as the enemy is low enough to be executed.
By mastering these strategies, you’ll be able to turn Darius into an unstoppable force on the Rift! Let me know if you need more details on any part.
