Bruiser build for progressive strangulation: Darius wins when the opponent can no longer leave his threat zone cleanly without losing too much health or tempo. The build must therefore serve chase, durability, and stack conversion, not only the fantasy of ultimate resets.
Three builds, one right answer per draft. The advisor reads the five enemies (and your allies) and names who triggers what — the same rule as the Draft MVP sheet and Ask Nexus.
Best Darius build (Baron Lane): Black Cleaver › Divine Sunderer › Spear of Shojin › Sterak's Gage › Overlord's Bloodmail, boots Plated Steelcaps, keystone Conqueror. Three variants and when to pick each are below.
Standard build maximizing damage output. Use on neutral matchups or when ahead.
15,900 total cost
Nothing dominates on the other side: the standard build maximizes your damage.
Open this draft in the tool →Anti-resist build for tanky enemies. Choose when multiple enemies build armor/magic resist.
15,700 total cost -200gSustain build leaning on heal/omnivamp to win prolonged duels.
15,300 total cost -600g
Scores out of 10: where this champion sits against the whole roster, phase by phase. The strip shows its own power ramp level by level — it does not compare across champions.
Your hardest matchups in this role, and the item from your situational list that answers each one.
Kennen
Death's Dance
Physical damage
Heimerdinger
Wit's End
Magic damage
Vayne
Chempunk Chainsword
Recurring healing
Akali
Stridebreaker
Highly mobile
Best Darius build (Jungle): Black Cleaver › Spear of Shojin › Death's Dance › Sterak's Gage › Sundered Sky, boots Plated Steelcaps, keystone Conqueror. Three variants and when to pick each are below.
Standard build maximizing damage output. Use on neutral matchups or when ahead.
15,300 total costNothing dominates on the other side: the standard build maximizes your damage.
Open this draft in the tool →Anti-resist build for tanky enemies. Choose when multiple enemies build armor/magic resist.
15,700 total cost +400gSustain build leaning on heal/omnivamp to win prolonged duels.
15,300 total cost
Scores out of 10: where this champion sits against the whole roster, phase by phase. The strip shows its own power ramp level by level — it does not compare across champions.
Your hardest matchups in this role, and the item from your situational list that answers each one.
Kindred
Chempunk Chainsword
Recurring healing
Lillia
Wit's End
Magic damage
Taliyah
Stridebreaker
Highly mobile
Gragas
Blade of the Ruined King
Very durable
Same advisor in the Draft (the MVP sheet applies it to your real draft) and in Ask Nexus, which explains the choice. On counters pages: the variant to take against each counter-pick.
Foundational item core, without recent situational additions — kept as a base for understanding the kit. For the up-to-date build, see the section above.
Darius wins by staying in combat. His build must let him survive long enough to stack and execute.
Ruby Crystal
Sheen proc on W Crippling Strike for devastating trades
Ability haste to spam Q Decimate and maintain pressure
Shield in burst, survival for stack the passive Hemorrhage
Plated Steelcaps
Mercurys Treads
Stridebreaker
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Stacks quickly with 5 charges of saignement (passive), maximizes the sustain in fights long.
Nobody contests your wave after an all-in — collect plates while your opponent respawns.
Blunts trade-opening burst — you reach 5 passive stacks with more HP left for the guillotine.
Maximizes HP to be impossible to kill during the phase Noxian Might (5 stacks).
Less time in CC, more time dragging escapees back with E into your bleed zone.
Dead Man's Plate
Force of Nature
Dead Man's Plate
Mortal Reminder
Dead Man's Plate
Randuin's Omen
Plated Steelcaps
Mercury's Treads
Stridebreaker
Quicksilver
Death's Dance
Mortal Reminder
Death's Dance
Randuin's Omen
Plated Steelcaps
Mercury's Treads
Protobelt
Quicksilver
Second Wind
Bone Plating
Overgrowth
Perseverance
Coup De Grace
Giant Slayer
Allows sticking to targets and efficiently shredding armor.
