Pros

+ Strong early game
+ Massive lane bully
+ Strong mid and early game
+ Can 2v1 in lane
+ Tanky with damage
+ Adaptive build paths
+ Strong carry potential

Cons

- Immobile
- Easily kited
- Vulnerable to ganks
- Reliant on summoner spells
- Lots of counters in lane
- Falls off late game

Hemorrhage (Passive)

Darius aims his attacks strategically, causing his target to bleed for 12 (+1 per champion level) (+0.3 per bonus attack damage) physical damage over 5 seconds. This effect stacks up to five times.

Darius' passive is an integral part of his kit and a big part of what makes him such a powerhouse in lane + team fights. Our goal should always be to get our Hemorrhage 5 stack whenever possible in fights. Not only does this give us a massive boost in AD but it also allows us to quickly reapply our 5 stack bleed to new targets with Noxian Might. This leads into Darius' combos, such as getting 5 stacks on a front line target and using Flash onto the back line to apply Hemorrhage to a carry for an instant Noxian Guillotine.


Decimate

After a 0.75 second delay, Darius swings his axe in a wide circle. Enemies struck by the blade take 50 / 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 (+1.0 / 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3 / 1.4 per attack damage) physical damage and receive a stack of Hemorrhage. Enemies struck by the shaft take 35% damage and do not receive a stack of Hemorrhage.

Darius also heals himself for 15% of his missing Health for each enemy champion hit by Decimate's blade, up to a maximum of 45%.

Darius' Q Decimate is his strongest trading tool. Also very useful for punishing multiple targets in team fights and bringing Darius back up to a full health bar from low HP. Decimate is also what makes Darius such a strong laner. This ability is capable of chunking out the enemy and setting Darius up with a low HP target with 5 stacks of Hemorrhage to finish off with Noxian Guillotine. It's also worth mentioning that this ability, when used after his E Apprehend, is a true combo. Meaning if you use it right your Decimate afterward will not be dodgeable.


Crippling Strike

Darius's next attack severs a crucial artery, dealing 150 / 155 / 160 / 165 / 170% of his total attack damage as physical damage and slowing his target by 90% for 1 second.

If the target dies, the mana cost of Crippling Strike is refunded and the cooldown is halved.

Darius' W Crippling Strike, while basic, is an excellent ability. Most importantly, this is an auto attack reset, meaning you are able to instantly cast it after an auto attack and reset the animation, resulting in 2 quick attacks in succession. This helps us quickly stack up our Hemorrhage or quickly reapply it to a target with Noxian Might to set up for a Noxian Guillotine. A common combo you will be wanting to use is Flash Crippling Strike to quickly apply 5 stacks of Hemorrhage with Noxian Might to a back line target for an execute.


Apprehend

Passive: Darius hones his axe, granting him 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 35% armor penetration.

Active: Darius sweeps up his enemies with his axe's hook, pulling them to him while briefly granting vision in the area around the pull. Enemies pulled by Apprehend are slowed by 40% for 1 second.

Apprehend is the utility that we need in Darius' kit. Apprehend lets us pull in carries towards us to close the distance, or even defensively to evade a gank. A tip for Darius players out there, Apprehend has a mini-stun like effect on the end of the pull animation and it can be used to briefly disarm targets on top of you to give you a moment to keep running away. This is perfect for when you are being ganked and need an extra .5 seconds to escape. Also, the armor penetration on this ability that you passively get is very underrated. 35% armor penetration is a lot of extra damage mid-late game.


Noxian Guillotine

Darius leaps to an enemy Champion and strikes a lethal blow, dealing 100 / 200 / 300 (+0.75 per bonus attack damage) true damage. This damage increases by 20% for each stack of Hemorrhage on the target up to a maximum of 200 / 400 / 600 (+1.5 per bonus attack damage) true damage.

If Noxian Guillotine is a killing blow, Darius causes all nearby minions and monsters to flee in terror and he can recast the ability for free within the next 20 seconds. This can occur multiple times in succession. At maximum rank, the cooldown will completely reset on kill.

Noxian Guillotine is the most iconic ability of Darius, and for good reason. This ability alone gives Darius his 1v5 potential. Your objective in team fights is to proc Noxian Might by getting 5 stacks of Hemorrhage up and chain Noxian Guillotine on low HP targets to get resets. Use Flash and Ghost to close the gap between the carries in team fights, apply 5 stack instantly with Noxian Might and let it go. This is your most important ability in team fights so it is crucial that you learn to use it properly. Darius does not have an execute indicator like other champions when enemies are low, so you will need to learn how much damage you do in order to not mess up your reset. Noxian Guillotine allows you to turn 2v1s when you are ganked fairly easily in lane too.