Darius wins by forcing long fights. He stacks Hemorrhage, triggers Noxian Might, then finishes targets with Noxian Guillotine. If fights end quickly or enemies kite him, his impact drops fast.
This League of Legends Darius guide explains how each ability works, how to stack passive faster, and how to plan trades so your ultimate resets.
Table of Contents
How Darius Wins Fights
Darius has one main job: apply 5 Hemorrhage stacks on a champion or get an execute with Noxian Guillotine. Either one activates Noxian Might for 5 seconds.
Once Noxian Might is active, Darius gets a large bonus to attack damage and applies full Hemorrhage stacks instantly through his normal hits. That turns every hit into a serious threat and makes your next ultimate far more reliable.
The rest of his kit supports that plan: pull targets into range, slow them so they cannot leave, and use Q healing to stay alive long enough to stack.
Darius Passive: Hemorrhage and Noxian Might
Hemorrhage basics
Darius’ damaging basic attacks and damaging abilities apply Hemorrhage stacks for 5 seconds. Each new application refreshes the duration. It stacks up to 5 times.
Each stack deals physical damage over the duration. The total damage scales with level and bonus AD. The passive does not apply to structures or wards, and it only applies when Darius actually deals damage.
How Noxian Might starts
Noxian Might triggers in two ways:
- Darius kills a champion with Noxian Guillotine
- Darius reaches 5 Hemorrhage stacks on an enemy champion
Noxian Might lasts 5 seconds. During it, Darius gains bonus attack damage and applies 5 Hemorrhage stacks instantly through his usual damage. This is the “fight turns” moment. If you back off too early, you waste it.
Darius Q: Decimate
What Decimate does
Darius winds up, then swings his axe around himself. It deals physical damage to enemies around him. The outer edge (the blade) is the strong hit, and the inner area (the handle) deals reduced damage.
Against champions and large monsters hit by the outer edge, Darius heals based on missing health and how many targets he hits with the blade. That heal is a big part of how he survives extended fights.
The handle rule matters
Enemies hit by the inner radius:
- take reduced damage
- do not get a new Hemorrhage stack and do not refresh Hemorrhage duration
That means spacing decides the trade. If you hit with the blade, you gain damage, heal value, and better passive uptime. If you hit with the handle, you lose most of that.
Casting limits
During Decimate, Darius cannot declare basic attacks or cast Apprehend or Noxian Guillotine. If he enters stasis or uses a dash during the delay, Decimate cancels.
Darius W: Crippling Strike
What Crippling Strike does
W empowers Darius’ next basic attack within a short window. That attack:
- has an uncancellable windup
- gains bonus range
- deals bonus physical damage based on AD
- slows the target by 90% for 1 second
The damage is affected by critical strike modifiers. After the hit, W resets the basic attack timer, so it functions as an auto reset.
The reset and refund
If the empowered attack kills the target, half of W’s cooldown is reduced and its mana cost is refunded. This is most useful for cleaning minions quickly while still keeping W available.
Darius E: Apprehend
Passive: armor penetration
Apprehend gives Darius percentage armor penetration. The value increases with rank. This stacks multiplicatively with other sources of percentage armor penetration.
Active: pull, airborne, slow
Darius sweeps his axe in a cone and pulls enemies hit toward him. They rebound slightly away after reaching him, stay airborne during the forced movement, then get slowed by 40% for 1 second.
The slow starts as soon as the target rebounds off Darius. That timing matters in close fights because the pull happens first, then the slow starts.
What Apprehend stops you from doing
After casting, Darius cannot move or cast Decimate or Noxian Guillotine for a short moment. Plan your pull so you do not lock yourself out at the wrong time.
Darius R: Noxian Guillotine
Execute and scaling
Noxian Guillotine is a targeted execute that deals true damage. The damage scales with bonus AD, and it increases based on the target’s Hemorrhage stacks. At higher stacks, the execute hits much harder.
The ability grants sight around the target during the cast. It applies Hemorrhage after the damage lands.
Resets and recast window
If the target dies shortly after being hit, Darius can recast the ultimate within 20 seconds at no mana cost. Each execution refreshes that recast window.
At rank 3, the ultimate has no mana cost and the recast timer rule changes so it keeps refreshing on executions. The practical result is simple: at level 16, an execute can chain into another execute if you keep getting kills.
When it cancels
If the target becomes untargetable, dies, leaves vision, or moves too far during the cast time, the ultimate cancels and does not go on cooldown or pay its cost (if it had one). This can save you from wasting R, but it can also deny a reset if the timing breaks.
Core Trade Pattern
Darius wants trades that last long enough to reach 5 stacks, but short enough that he does not get kited out after he commits. Your main tools for controlling that are E and W.
Short trade
Use Apprehend to pull the target into range. Immediately apply W to slow them and keep them close. Use basic attacks to build stacks, then use Q in a position where the blade hits.
Back out if you cannot keep the target in range. If you keep chasing with no tools left, you often lose the next wave and the next trade.
Extended trade
Start with autos to stack Hemorrhage. Hold Apprehend until the enemy tries to leave. Use W when they commit to running, not at the start, so the slow forces a longer chase window.
Cast Q when you can hit the outer blade. The heal matters most once you have taken damage, so avoid wasting Q when you are full health and the enemy can step inside the handle zone.
Ability Combos That Fit His Kit
Use these patterns as templates. They match the rules of his abilities and avoid casting conflicts.
E → W → Auto → Q (blade)
This is the simplest catch combo. E brings the target to you. W prevents an easy exit. Autos build stacks. Q should land with the outer blade to heal and keep pressure.
Auto → W reset → Auto → E → Q
This fits when you already stand close. You use W as an auto reset to speed up stacks, then pull when the enemy tries to create space, then Q for the blade hit.
Five stacks → R for reset chain
Once you reach 5 Hemorrhage stacks, you gain Noxian Might. That makes your next actions stronger and helps your ultimate reach the execute threshold.
If you can secure the kill with R, you get the recast window. That is how Darius turns one kill into two.
How to Use Decimate for Healing
You heal only when you hit champions or large monsters with the outer blade. That means you need spacing control.
Walk slightly away from the target before you cast. The enemy often follows you to keep damage on you. That movement can place them on the blade edge right as the swing finishes.
If the enemy gets inside your model and stays there, you risk hitting the handle. In those moments, use Apprehend first to pull and reposition them, then cast Q when you can create space.
Playing Around Your Cooldowns
Darius feels unstoppable when abilities are ready. He feels slow when they are not. Play fights in windows.
When Apprehend is down, you lose your best tool for forcing contact. That is the moment enemies poke and disengage more easily. Avoid starting fights then unless the enemy has already committed into you.
Crippling Strike is your stick tool. If you waste it on a target that can still leave, you often lose the trade. Save W for the moment the enemy tries to run or the moment you need the slow to finish stacking.
What Opponents Try to Do
Enemies usually focus on three ideas:
- Avoid the outer blade of Q so you lose damage and healing.
- Disengage before you hit 5 Hemorrhage stacks.
- Kite you once you commit, since you have limited mobility without items.
If you see the red glow and hear the sound of Noxian Might, opponents often back off until it expires. That is correct play from them. Your job is to force the fight to continue before the timer ends.
Closing Takeaway
Darius is simple in concept: stack Hemorrhage, trigger Noxian Might, execute with Noxian Guillotine, and keep the reset chain alive. The hard part is spacing and timing. Hit Q with the blade, use E to prevent escapes, and spend W only when it locks the target in place. If you control those three actions, LoL fights stop being messy and start following your plan.
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