Darius How to Play: Tips & Power Spikes

When Darius Top gets stronger, in the order it happens in a typical ranked game: ability unlocks from the most common skill order, item spikes at the median minute players finish them, and the game length Darius wins most.

1. Lv 3
   All three basic abilities at level 3

   Darius's full combo is online — the first point where trading all-in is realistic.
2. Lv 6
   Ultimate rank 1 at level 6

   The biggest early spike: look for a kill or a roam as soon as Darius hits it.
3. Lv 11
   Ultimate rank 2 at level 11

   Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Darius can start or win.
4. Lv 16
   Ultimate rank 3 at level 16

   Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Darius can start or win.
5. 13.5 min
   First item at 13.5 min

   Stridebreaker is done — Darius's first real damage or durability spike.
6. 20 min
   Strongest in games of about 20 minutes

   Darius wins 50.6% of games that end around this point.
7. 20.9 min
   Two items at 20.9 min

   ›Stridebreaker + Sterak's Gage: the window to group and take objectives.

Item timings are medians: half of players finish later. Fall behind in farm and every item spike moves back with it.

Darius is a lane bully: trade early and often, push the advantage, and turn the gold lead into the first item spike. On average Darius Top is 187 gold ahead of the lane opponent at 15 minutes and ahead in 54% of games. A 1,000-gold lead at 15 turns into a 62% win rate; a 1,000-gold deficit leaves 32%. Darius averages 1.69 solo kills by 15 minutes.

Darius win rate by gold at 15

• 1,000+ gold ahead62.4%
• Ahead58.0%
• Behind35.8%
• 1,000+ gold behind31.7%

Lane matchups that decide the plan

Respect these lanes

Wukong−796 gold at 15

Jayce−697 gold at 15

Heimerdinger−610 gold at 15

Press these lanes

Shen+1,001 gold at 15

Kayle+977 gold at 15

Kayn+972 gold at 15

What Darius does better or worse than other champions after laning, from this patch's ranked games — percentiles where 100 is the highest of every champion.