The Jungler role is one of the more nuanced roles in League of Legends. A proper Jungler contributes so much more than an extra sword to a fight. They’re the puppeteer quietly influencing lane equilibrium and map control, pressuring objectives, and laying down valuable wards, all through optimal movement patterns and careful observation of a match’s dynamics.
The road to jungle mastery is a long one, and no single article or video tutorial can take you to the finish line in a day. So while we can’t promise to make you the next One, we can give you an idea of how the world’s best Junglers make the most of the map. These tips on how to get better at Jungle in League of Legends will give you a solid foundation to build upon for future improvement.
Our first tip debunks a major myth about the Jungler role…
Ganking Is Not Your Main Job
Many players think the role of the Jungler is to gank lanes and get involved in as many skirmishes as possible.
Don’t listen to them.
Only gank when you’re certain to get something out of it—an easy kill or to take an objective. In some matches, a good ganking opportunity may never happen. Don’t let yourself get riled up by frustrated teammates asking for a pointless gank. You can do more for the team by managing waves and gradually gaining power through efficient jungling.
But how can we know when it’s the right time to gank?
If an enemy has low health and is in a position where it’s easy to get the jump on them, then a gank can mean an easy kill and potentially a tower or wave clear.
You should also pay attention to where the wave is. If your team is winning a lane, then you’ll have more opportunities for ganking. Avoid ganking on the weak side whenever possible.
Simple Jungling Patterns
Several jungle-clearing patterns will get you to level three as quickly as possible. Each has its benefits and drawbacks.
Blue Sentinel → Gromp → Red Brambleback
This path is widely considered the best early-game jungle pattern because you get both buffs and a quick level three. If you can clear these three camps uninterrupted, you’ll be level three while everyone is still level two. You should use the level advantage to pressure lanes or initiate ganks.
Alternatively, you could do Red Brambleback → Gromp → Blue Sentinel.
Blue Sentinel → Gromp → Wolves
This also gets you a quick level three and has the advantage of the camps all being in the same quadrant of the map. This makes it less risky than the above pattern, though you do lose out on the Red Brambleback buff.
If you prefer the red buff, you could also do Red Brambleback → Krugs → Razorbeaks.
Full Clear
This is exactly what it sounds like you clear the neutral camps on one side, then cross the midlane to clear the camps on the other side. This path lets you get the most out of the camps on your side of the map and nets you a fast level four. If you move fast enough, you can keep the momentum going by arriving at camps before they respawn.
Committing to a full clear delay your involvement in skirmishes and wave pushes until you’ve cleared all camps and reached level four.
Never chase kills
This is a general rule that’s applicable throughout the match, but for Junglers, this is particularly important in the early game. Time spent chasing kills is time taken away from jungling. It’s as simple as that. At that stage of a match, the rewards are rarely worth the effort. Worse still, if the target manages to get away, they’ve bought their own Jungler time to get an experience advantage on you.
It’s tempting to hunt down that low-HP enemy, but let’s redefine what a “kill” actually means in LoL. We know that a dead Champion cannot:
- contribute to team fights,
- pressure lanes or objectives, and
- gain experience.
In other words, if you can get an enemy’s HP low enough to force a Recall, that’s basically a lighter form of death. Reframing death as “removing a player’s impact” makes it much easier to keep yourself from pointless chasing.
Objectives are your only priority
This is related to the previous tip about never chasing kills. You should always be working toward an objective, whether it’s a tower, clearing a camp, securing a kill, or simply pushing a wave. If your involvement guarantees a turret will fall or a core enemy will die, then it’s worth slowing down your juggling. Otherwise, ignore it.
Collect information as you play
Junglers are mobile, constantly moving around the map in search of an easy kill or a neutral camp. Gather intel while you’re doing it. If you spot the enemy jungler, hold the TAB and make a note of any key items. Drop wards to protect your laners from potential ganks.
Even the smallest bit of information can be useful. For instance, if you get to a camp and it hasn’t respawned when it should have, then you know someone has been in the area.
Becoming a better Jungler takes patience and dedication. We hope you’ll find these tips helpful on your journey.
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