Hecarim vs Darius
Hard matchup
You are stronger early. Look to snowball before your opponent scales.
Build vs Darius
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Hecarim: Spear of Shojin, Death's Dance, Endless Hunger, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Black Cleaver, Hubris, Axiom Arc, Maw of Malmortius.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Darius's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Darius' attacks and damaging abilities cause enemies to bleed for physical damage over 5 seconds, stacking up to 5 times. Darius enrages and gains massive Attack Damage when his target reaches max stacks.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 9s | 5s | 26s | – |
| 6 | 6.5s | 5s | 26s | 2m |
| 9 | 4s | 5s | 26s | 2m |
| 11 | 4s | 5s | 26s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 4s | 5s | 21s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 4s | 5s | 16s | 1m20 |
Playing as Hecarim
Tips to maximize your impact
- Charge from far away
Cast Devastating Charge (E) far from your target: the longer the run, the farther the knockback and the harder the hit, and Warpath (passive) turns your bonus move speed into AD.
- Engage from range with your R
Cast Onslaught of Shadows (R) from range: the fear from the shockwave, at the end of the dash, lasts longer after a long run.
- Recast Rampage without waiting
In teamfights, recast Rampage (Q) as soon as it's back: each cast that hits adds a stack, which lowers its cooldown and raises its damage.
- Activate your W in the thick of it
Activate Spirit of Dread (W) in the middle of the enemies: you gain armor and magic resist, and heal for part of the damage you and your team deal to them.
Playing against Darius
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Short trades
Take a short trade, then back off: each of his hits applies a Hemorrhage (passive) stack, and at five stacks he gains a massive AD bonus.
- Leave his blade or hug him
Step out of range or stick to him when he casts Decimate (Q): only the blade, at the edge, heals him and applies Hemorrhage (passive).
- Boots early
Buy your boots early: before he hits level 6, Apprehend (E) is his only spell to get back on you, on a 26 to 16 second cooldown.
- Respect his level 6
Once he hits level 6, don't let him put five Hemorrhage (passive) stacks on you: Noxian Guillotine (R) gains true damage with each stack.
Other Hecarim matchups
Patch 16.21.1