Locke vs Darius

Locke
vs
50.0%

over 58 games

Darius

Skill matchup

Heavy AD damageHigh burstSplit pushSustained DPS

You are stronger early. Look to snowball before your opponent scales.

Build vs Darius

Build adapted to this matchup

Recommended items for Locke: Lich Bane, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, Sorcerer's Shoes, Rabadon's Deathcap, Stormsurge, Dark Seal, Mejai's Soulstealer.

Starting items

Scorchclaw Pup
Health Potion

Core build

Lich Bane
1
Shadowflame
2
Zhonya's Hourglass
3

Standard

Sorcerer's Shoes
4Magic pen
Rabadon's Deathcap
5

Summoner spells

FlashSmite99%
SmiteDot1%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Rabadon's Deathcap
Stormsurge
Dark Seal
Mejai's Soulstealer
Void Staff
Bloodletter's Curse
Banshee's Veil
37.5% WR8 games
DominationDomination
Dark HarvestDark Harvest
Sudden ImpactSudden Impact
Sixth SenseSixth Sense
Treasure HunterTreasure Hunter
InspirationInspiration
Magical FootwearMagical Footwear
Cosmic InsightCosmic Insight
Adaptive ForceAdaptive ForceHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Darius's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Hemorrhage (P)

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

LevelQWER
39s5s26s–
66.5s5s26s2m
94s5s26s2m
114s5s26s1m40
164s5s21s1m20
184s5s16s1m20

Playing as Locke

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Nails first, then Pursuit

    Cast Ritual Nails (Q) before Ashen Pursuit (E): your hits consume the nails stuck in the target, and each extra nail adds damage.

  2. Finish them with autos

    Finish off wounded targets with autos: Silver Stake (passive) adds magic damage that grows with their missing health.

  3. Activate W as the trade starts

    Activate Soul Ignition (W) at the start of a trade: it costs you health, but at the end, you heal back part of the last damage taken, plus more based on your missing health.

  4. Save E for a kill or a gank

    Save Ashen Pursuit (E) for a sure kill or to escape a gank: it's your only instant movement, it has a 10-second cooldown, and only a takedown resets it.

  5. Save Purgatory to finish

    Save Purgatory (R) to finish: it seals marked enemies below a health threshold, and when you pick up the artifact, each sealed champion raises that threshold for good.

Playing against Darius

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. 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.

  2. 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).

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

Patch 16.21.1