Combos · Top

Darius combos

the Hand of Noxus

3 Darius combos explained key by key: in which order to cast the abilities, when to use them and what each step does. The main combo is Q › AA › W › AA. Further down: every ability's cooldown, cost and range, and the skill max order measured over ranked games.

Darius combos

The lane trade

Q › AA AA › W › AA AA

When: You want to trade without fully committing.

Decimate at the edge of its range so the blade connects, an attack to stack Hemorrhage, then Crippling Strike on the next attack: the bleed slows the target and stops them from leaving.

The full engage (kill)

E › W › AA AA › Q › AA AA › R

When: An enemy is within Apprehend range and you want the kill.

Apprehend pulls them in, Crippling Strike slows them, your attacks and Decimate stack Hemorrhage (up to 5 stacks) and heal you. Finish with Noxian Guillotine: its true damage grows with the number of stacks on the target, so do not cast it too early.

The team-fight chain

R › R

When: A weakened enemy is within Guillotine range in a team fight.

If Noxian Guillotine kills its target, its cooldown is reset for a short time: recast it right away on the next weakened enemy. Keep a stacked target for the second cast.

Common mistakes

• Casting Noxian Guillotine without Hemorrhage stacks: its damage depends on them.
• Engaging without Apprehend when the opponent can harass you: you are fragile during its cooldown.
• Trying to chase: your ability to escape or catch up is limited, force a close-range fight instead.

Cooldowns, costs and ranges

A combo only comes back once its abilities are off cooldown: these values (rank 1 to max rank, in seconds) tell how long to wait between two combos. Source: Data Dragon 16.19.1.

Ability	Cooldown (s)	Cost	Range
Q · Decimate	9/8/7/6/5	25/30/35/40/45 Mana	1
W · Crippling Strike	5	40 Mana	300
E · Apprehend	26/23.5/21/18.5/16	70/60/50/40/30 Mana	535
R · Noxian Guillotine	120/100/80	100/100/0 Mana	460

Official ability descriptions

PassiveHemorrhage

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.

QDecimate

Darius winds up and swings his axe in a wide circle. Enemies struck by the blade take more damage than those struck by the handle. Darius heals based on enemy champions and large monsters hit by the blade.

WCrippling Strike

Darius's next attack strikes an enemy's crucial artery. As they bleed out, their Move Speed is slowed.

EApprehend

Darius hones his axe, passively causing his physical damage to ignore a percentage of his target's Armor. When activated, Darius sweeps up his enemies with his axe's hook and pulls them to him.

RNoxian Guillotine

Darius leaps to an enemy champion and strikes a lethal blow, dealing true damage. This damage is increased for each stack of Hemorrhage on the target. If Noxian Guillotine is a killing blow, its cooldown is refreshed for a brief duration.

Skill order

Max order: Q > E > W57.4% · 61 games

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Q		●		●	●		●		●
W	●													●	●
E			●					●		●		●	●
R						●					●

The order shows which abilities reach rank 5 first; the grid shows the most-played level-up sequence with that order (measured over 79 games).

Riot's official tips for playing Darius

• Decimate is a powerful harassment ability. Strike an enemy from maximum range for the greatest effect.
• Noxian Guillotine does more damage the more attacks you can land prior to it. Use Noxian Might to deal maximum damage.
• Darius benefits greatly from enhanced survivability. The longer you can prolong a fight, the more powerful he becomes.

How to play around Darius's combos

• When Darius's axe grab is on cooldown, he is vulnerable to harassment attacks.
• Darius's ability to escape from fights is limited. If you have an advantage against him, press your lead.

Frequently asked questions

Build, runes and counters: full Darius guide · every champion's combos · tier list