Darius Top Build

Darius Champion Guide

Role: Fighter

Lane: Toplane

For Darius in the top lane, the ideal build includes Stridebreaker, Plated Steelcaps, Sterak's Gage, Dead Man's Plate, and Force of Nature. The most commonly selected runes are Conqueror, Triumph, Legend: Alacrity, and Last Stand for the primary tree, with Celerity and Nimbus Cloak for the secondary tree.

Darius Champion Abilities

Hemorrhage

Darius aims his attacks strategically, causing his target to bleed for 12 (+1 per champion level) (+0.3 per bonus attack damage) physical damage over 5 seconds. This effect stacks up to five times. Darius deals 200% damage to all monsters.

Reaching 5 stacks or killing an enemy champion with Noxian Guillotine activates Noxian Might for 5 seconds. During Noxian Might, Darius gains 30-230 bonus attack damage and applies max Hemorrhage stacks to enemies with basic attacks or Decimate's blade (depending on level). P

Decimate

Darius hefts his axe then swings it around, dealing 50 / 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 (+1.0 / 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3 / 1.4 per attack damage) physical damage with the edge and 17.5 / 28 / 38.5 / 49 / 59.5 (+0.35 / 0.385 / 0.42 / 0.455 / 0.49 per attack damage) physical damage with the handle. Enemies hit with the handle do not take a Hemorrhage stack.

Darius restores 15-45% missing health per enemy champion and large jungle monster hit with the edge. The handle will not heal him nor apply a Hemorrhage stack. Q

Crippling Strike

Darius' next attack deals 140 / 145 / 150 / 155 / 160% attack damage as physical damage and slows by 90% for 1 second.

This ability refunds its mana cost and reduces its cooldown by 50% if it kills the target. This ability triggers spell effects upon dealing damage. W

Apprehend

Passive: Darius gains 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40% armor penetration.

Active: Darius hooks with his axe, pulling, knocking up and slowing the target by 40% for 2 seconds. E

Noxian Guillotine

Darius leaps to an enemy and strikes a lethal blow, dealing 125 / 250 / 375 (+0.75 per bonus attack damage) true damage. For each Hemorrhage on the target, this ability deals an additional 0-100% damage, up to a max of 25 / 50 / 75 (+0.15 per bonus attack damage).

If this kills the target, Darius may recast this ability once within 20 seconds. At rank 3, this ability has no mana cost and kills refresh the cooldown completely. R

Darius Summoner Spells

Flash

Flash is a location-targeted summoner spell that causes your champion to blink to the location in range of your cursor.

Ghost

Ghost is a self-targeted summoner spell that increases your champion's movement speed and grants them the ability to ignore unit collision for a few seconds.

Darius Runes

Darius Items

Darius Ability Order

Darius Matchups Overview

Strong against

Yasuo

Zac

Yone

Renekton

Quinn

K'Sante

Weak against

Heimerdinger

Ryze

Cassiopeia

Vayne

Teemo

Kennen

Darius Tips and Tricks

• Maximize your kit by auto-attacking before using your W, as it acts as an auto-attack reset.
• Darius' biggest weakness is that he can be easily kited. In team fights, try to approach from the side to reduce the chances of being poked or kited.
• Darius excels in extended trades, so aim for longer exchanges rather than short bursts of damage. This allows you to fully stack your Hemorrhage passive.

Best Darius Builds, Runes, and Items for Top

Most Popular Build

For the most common Darius Top build, take Flash and Ghost as your Summoner Spells. Choose Conqueror as your keystone, followed by Triumph, Legend: Alacrity, and Last Stand in the primary tree. In the secondary tree, take Celerity and Nimbus Cloak. For rune shards, go with Attack Speed in offense, Adaptive Force in flex, and Health Scaling in defense, depending on the matchup.

Start with Stridebreaker as your first item, followed by Plated Steelcaps and Sterak's Gage. Finish the build with Dead Man's Plate, Force of Nature, and Jak'Sho, The Protean. Max your abilities in the order Q - E - W.

Alternative Build

If you prefer an alternative build, stick with Flash and Ghost for your Summoner Spells. In the primary rune tree, use Conqueror as your keystone, along with Triumph, Legend: Alacrity, and Last Stand. For the secondary tree, take Axiom Arcanist and Celerity. For rune shards, use Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and Health Scaling.

Begin with Spear of Shojin as your first item, followed by Plated Steelcaps and Sterak's Gage. Complete the build with Dead Man's Plate, Force of Nature, and Death's Dance. Max your abilities in the order Q - E - W.

Off-Meta Build

For an off-meta Darius Top build, take Flash and Ghost as your Summoner Spells. Choose Conqueror, Triumph, Legend: Haste, and Last Stand in the primary tree. In the secondary tree, select Bone Plating and Unflinching. For rune shards, use Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and Health Scaling.

Start with Black Cleaver as your first item, followed by Mercury's Treads and Sterak's Gage. Finish with Dead Man's Plate, Force of Nature, and Jak'Sho, The Protean. Max your abilities in the order Q - E - W.

Situational Darius Runes and Items

As with any champion, adapt your build based on the game state, your matchup, and enemy champions. For example, adjust your rune shards to take Armor or Magic Resist depending on the champion you are laning against. Always consider your team's needs and the enemy's composition to choose the best items and runes for the situation.