Darius vs Volibear
Skill matchup
Build vs Volibear
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Darius: Youmuu's Ghostblade, Dead Man's Plate, Death's Dance, Mercury's Treads, Stridebreaker, Sterak's Gage, Force of Nature, Spear of Shojin.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Volibear's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Volibear's Attacks and abilities grant Attack Speed, and eventually cause his Attacks to deal bonus magic damage to nearby enemies.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 12s | 5s | 16s | – |
| 6 | 11s | 5s | 16s | 2m40 |
| 9 | 10s | 5s | 16s | 2m40 |
| 11 | 10s | 5s | 16s | 2m15 |
| 16 | 10s | 5s | 16s | 1m50 |
| 18 | 10s | 5s | 16s | 1m50 |
Playing as Darius
Tips to maximize your impact
- Hit with the edge of your axe
Aim the outer edge of Decimate (Q): only the blade heals you and applies Hemorrhage (passive). The handle, in the center, deals less damage.
- All-in at five stacks
Go all-in when your target has five Hemorrhage (passive) stacks: you gain a massive AD bonus, and Noxian Guillotine (R) hits harder with each stack.
- Save Apprehend for runners
Save Apprehend (E) to pull back an enemy who retreats, not to start a trade: it's your only pull, on a 26 to 16 second cooldown.
- Execute to recast your R
Cast Noxian Guillotine (R) on the lowest-health target: its true damage ignores armor, and if it kills, you can recast it right away.
Playing against Volibear
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Short trades
Take short trades: his second Frenzied Maul (W) on the same target hits harder and heals him based on his missing health.
- Cut his charge short with CC
If you have CC, use it while he charges with Thundering Smash (Q): his stunning hit is canceled, but the spell comes back right away.
- Back off after his Thundering Smash
After his Thundering Smash (Q), keep your distance: until its 12 to 10 second cooldown is over, only Stormbringer (R) can bring him back onto you in one go.
- Don't count on your tower
Once he hits level 6, don't count on your tower when he dives: Stormbringer (R) disables it for a few seconds on landing.
Other Darius matchups
Patch 16.21.1