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The Jungle, or Jungler, is one of the most impactful roles inLeague of Legends: Wild Rift, as it influences the game’s outcome more than any other. A successful gank or early objective can provide a huge advantage for your team, but how exactly can you do that?
In this guide, you’ll find strategies to play as the Jungler, optimal pathings, as well as some common mistakes. Learn to control map and manage key objectives like Drakes, Rift Herald, and Baron. Also, you’ll know how to choose the right champion for your playstyle and position yourself throughout the game!
A Jungler’s Role And Main Responsibilities
As a Jungler, you hold one of the most critical and demanding roles in a five-player team. You’re in charge of various tasks at the same time:
In most cases, jungling effectively is the key to lead your team to victory. If the Jungler doesn’t know what to do, it can be a major setback, as the team will struggle to contest important objectives and gradually fall behind with little chance of a comeback.
How To Choose A Jungle Champion
Choosing theright championfor Jungling in Wild Riftdepends on your playstyle. If you can,select a championwhoseabilities complement the team compositionand provide the synergy your laners need. However, this isn’t mandatory.
While you can test out new champions' abilities in Normal matches to your heart’s content, playing a champion you’re familiar with in Ranked settings is recommended. Picking a champion you don’t know well can lead to costly mistakes, toxicity, and tilt, not just for you, but also for your teammates.
There arethree main types of Jungle championsin Wild Rift:Assassin, Fighter,andTanks.
Assassins
Assassin champions specialize inquickly eliminating squishy targetslikeenemy ADCsormages. Their playstyle focuses onfarming, waiting for the first item,andhunting down enemy carries.However, assassins typically have lower HP than Fighters or Tanks.
So it’s very important for Assassin Junglers to position themselves well and find the right moment to take down their targets.
As an Assassin, never chase a low-HP Tank. Tanks are very durable. They can easily outlast your attacks and defeat you instead, even though they only have a pixel of HP left while you have a full bar. Focus on taking down squishy targets instead.
Some well-known Jungle Assassins includeEvelynn,Kha’Zix, Pantheon,andRengar. Don’t be fooled byPantheon’smuscles—despite his burly build, he hassome of the highest burst damagein the early game and fits perfectly into the Assassin role.
Fighters
Fighters are versatile champions who candeal big damage, providestrong crowd control, andopen combat. Fighters are more durable than Assassins. They can absorb more damage while dealing consistent output. That’s why their main playstyle focuses oncreating early-game pressure by ganking lanesanddisrupting enemies' farms.
Some well-known Jungle Fighters areLeesin, Vi, Warwick,andXin Zhao.
Tanks
Jungle Tanks in Wild Rift providefront-line protection for their teammatesandoffer crowd control abilitiesto keep enemies locked down. They canabsorb huge damagewhile protecting and peeling for their more squishy teammates. The Jungle Tanks caninitiate fightsorbreak the opponent team’s formation. Even though they don’t deliver the highest damage, they create opportunities for their team to win. Because of this, Jungle Tanks' playstyle should always focus onsupporting teammates and securing objectives.
Some well-known Jungle Tanks areAmumu, Jarvan IV, Rammus,andVolibear.
Best Jungle Pathing
Choosing the right jungle pathing is the key to leveling up quickly and gaining control of the map. Here’s a basic path that you may follow to optimize your jungle clear:
And if your goal is early game ganks, then here’s an optimal path for that:
Objective Control
Elemental Drakes, Rift Herald, Elder Dragon, and Baron are priority objectives for Junglers because of the significant advantages they provide. Each objective offers unique benefits: dragons grant valuable buffs based on their type, a well-escorted Rift Herald can help you push one to three towers, and Baron provides a powerful buff that can help your team take down enemy turrets.
Alwaystake the Scuttle and make sure your team has vision controlaround the area and behind the pits before attempting to take objectives to avoid surprises.Use lens and destroy the enemy’s wardsto prevent ganks or steals. Also,ensure your Smite is fully charged. You don’t want to risk losing the objective to the enemy Jungler when it’s low on HP.Keep a close eye on the objective’s HP indicatorso you know when to Smite. Sometimes, even a millisecond difference can decide whether your team gains or loses an important objective.
Elemental Drakes
Each type of Drake grants a different buff, includingincreased damage, HP, vamp,ormovement speed.Once a Drake is defeated, the map changes according to its element. When all elemental Drakes are taken or the game hits the 18-minute mark, the Elder Dragon will spawn.
When to start a Drake: Always call for your team’s assistance before starting a Drake, especially if the enemy Jungler is nearby. Help your laners chase away the enemies or, better, defeat them to keep the Dragon pit and the area around it safe and sound for your team.
If the enemy Jungler is taking Herald, don’t contest it. Head straight for Drake instead, as it provides your team a permanent buff for the rest of the game.
Rift Herald
Rift Herald can help you destroy turret plates and gain an early gold advantage. However, the ideal situation is when your team has already destroyed at least two plates before you drop the Herald. This makes it easier to take the first turret and allows you to escort the Herald for its second charge. If the first turret has very low health, it’s best tofinish off the turret before dropping the Heraldtoavoid wasting its HP.
In Wild Rift, the Rift Herald originally only charged at the closest turret. However, this now varies depending on the map and in-game events. During Arcane, the Heraldcould be a walking turret that shot lasersoran orb that split into smaller ballsto detonate the turret. Now, in the Bandle City phase, the Rift Herald hits the turret, then splits into three separate enemies, each with new attacks and abilities.
If the enemy Jungler is focusing on the Drake area, consider taking Rift Herald instead.
Elder Dragon
The Elder Dragon buff isone of the most powerfulin Wild Rift. It instantly executes enemy champions when their health drops below 15 percent and inflicts 100 True Damage per second for three seconds, scaling with Dragon Slayer stacks. Players fight for Elder Dragon a lot more fiercely than for Baron Nashor.
It’s best to take Elder Dragon when your team is ahead and the enemy team is weaker or distracted. For example:
Baron Nashor
Baron Nashor mainly offers buff to help your team push faster and can change the tide of the whole game in the blink of an eye. Like the Rift Herald, the Baron buffchanges based on the in-game map during events. Originally, defeating Baron would buff your team’s minions. During the Arcane event, taking down Baron gave your team a T-Hex Mecha immune to crowd control, had massive HP, and came with a full set of abilities.
Now, in the Bandle City phase, the Baron’s buff returns toenhancing minions like before, but there’s anew minion that heals others every few seconds. This makes pushing easier, especially if your team is behind and needs to start split pushing.
Go for Baron when the enemy team is weakened or distracted, just like with Elder Dragon. The best opportunities are when the enemy has lost key players, or when they’re securing Elder Dragon and your team can’t contest it.
Jungle Tips And Tricks
Before clearing camps,always place a ward near the river or at the enemy Jungle’s bufffor safety, stealing their jungle, or tracking the other Jungler’s movements. Keep an eye on the minimap, especially the enemy Jungler, to avoid getting your camps stolen.
Ganking is an art, a must-have skill in jungle play. To gank successfully, you should:
Junglers can alsochoose to camp one lane. No one likes being camped by the enemy Jungler, but for your team, it can be a game-winning strategy if you’re able to do it right. Look for enemy laners who frequently overextend and punish them until they tilt. However, don’t tunnel vision.Keep farming and securing objectives. Shutting down one lane won’t matter if the rest of the enemy team scales out of control.
Avoid forcing ganks across lanes if you fall behind in gold and experience. Instead, focus on farming to catch up. Look for safe opportunities to gank and adapt your build to counter the enemy team’s strengths. Stay positive and try not to tilt. LoL is toxic, and Wild Rift is no different. If your teammates start blaming you, mute them and stay focused on your game.
Common Jungle Mistakes To Avoid
Even experienced Junglers make mistakes, and that’s okay, because we are all human. That said, some mistakes can cost you the whole game. So, here are a few you’ll definitely want to avoid:
Consequence
Neglecting vision
Not placing enough wards and not using lens to control the enemy’s vision are the main factors that can lead tosurprise ganks or losing control over major objectives.
Overfarming and not helping teammates
Focusing too much on jungle camps and ignoringyour lanes is a common yet costly mistake.Always be aware of when your teammates need help, especially when they’re under threat. If they die, it not only creates discord within the team, but also puts their lane at a disadvantage. Also, neglecting to support teammates gives the enemy Jungler more opportunities to gank your team.
Mis-timed ganks
Ganking at the wrong moment can waste your precious time. Spending too long in a lane without securing a killputs you behind in levels and items, making you an easy targetfor the enemy team.
