The Jungle role is arguably the most unique inLeague of Legendswith players engaging in PvE combat with Jungle monsters, instead of heading to lanes to farm minions. With how different the role is and how scary the Jungle can appear, it is no wonder newer players find the prospect of Jungling too daunting.
As with any experience inLeague of Legendsthough, the learning process can be streamlined with the help of useful tips, which, once taken on board, will help players realize just how fun Jungling can be.
Updated May 24, 2025 by Joe Grantham:League of Legends is a game with incredible depth, meaning new players taking their first steps in the Jungle have a myriad of things to learn about the role. Players who are gaining confidence in the Jungle also have plenty to learn and may have missed some vital tips and tricks in their introduction.
As with everything else in League of Legends, the Jungle is also constantly evolving, andthe 2024 season has brought about changesto the objectives in the Baron Pit, which naturally affects junglers most. Junglers will also have to find new gank paths as there are significant changes to the map, especially around the entrances to lanes. Either way, those wonderinghow to play Jungle in LoLhave come to the right place.
1Use The Practice Tool
Practice Killing Jungle Monsters In A Safe Environment & Perfect Clears
The Practice Tool available inLeagueis exactly that, a tool that should be utilized. It provides players with a safe and controllable environment in which topractice a whole range of skills, which for Junglers includes clearing camps safely and efficiently.
While elite junglers spend plenty of time in the Practice Tool fully optimizing their clears, beginner Junglers should focus on getting used to fighting each unique camp of monsters and navigating to the next one. After clearing the entire jungle once, the player can then reset the game using the Practice Tool UI to go again immediately. As each champion clears differently, this tip can also be used when trying out new Junglers. Even pro Junglers use the Practice Tool to fully optimize their clears on each champion.
2Focus On The Big Monsters
Killing The Big Monsters In A Camp Heals The Jungler & Eliminates The Biggest Threat
Certain jungle camps, namely Krugs, Raptors, and Murk Wolves contain multiple monsters that can all be killed for more gold and experience. However, the large monsters within each camp are the most important andshould be focused for two main reasons.
First of all, when large monsters are killed, players receive a heal, which if low, can come in extremely useful. Secondly, if a player doesn’t have time to kill an entire camp before they are needed elsewhere, as long as the large monster is killed, the smaller ones will naturally die after a short amount of time. Although the player won’t get the extra gold, the camp will now level up and respawn in a few minutes, ensuring the player has a better farm in the future.
3Trust Your Jungle Companion
Jungle Pets Will Finish Off Low Health Monsters
Jungle Companions have one purpose and that is to help players farm the jungle. Anytime a champion attacks or is attacked by a jungle monster, their pet will strike back, healing the player for a portion of the damage dealt. With this consistent source of extra damage and healing, there is less to worry about when low on health.
Other than the main benefit of keeping Junglers' health bars topped up, knowing exactly how companions work can be extremely useful. For example, the fact that a pet will attack two times after a player stops hitting a monster means that junglers can start walking to their next camp, trusting their pet to finish off low prey, which is more efficient.
4Play Tanks And Other Easy Champions At First
Limiting The Variables Is The Easiest Way To Learn A New Role
Learning how to play Jungle is not easy inLeague of Legends, and like learning anything in the game, it is easier when fewer variables are changed. For this reason, it can be a good idea toplay easy champions at firstwhile learning how the jungle works.
Tanks with point-and-click-Crowd Control for example can be particularly easy, first of all because they are unlikely to die in the jungle even when invaded, and second of all because ganking becomes a lot more simple. Plenty of other easy junglers exist, and players might opt to play a champion they are familiar with from other roles, as long as they are viable in the jungle.
5Learn Spawn Timers
Knowing Where To Be & When Is Key For Junglers
The jungle and the map as a whole are dictated by timers, and being aware of when camps or objectives are due to spawn will help in all games. First of allto be learnedare the initial spawn timers, followed by how long they take to respawn after being killed, all of which are shown in the table below.
A lot of this information, especially for objectives and more important camps, can also be seen on the minimap or the scoreboard by pressingTAB. This is just one of the reasons why players should pressTABmore inLeague.
Camp or Objective
Wolves and Raptors
1:30
2:15
Krugs and Gromp
1:42
Red and Blue Buff
5:00
3:30
2:30 (after both are killed)
6:00
4:00 (once if killed before 9:45)
14:00
20:00
6:00 after a team claims four Dragons
6Identify Lanes To Gank
Enemies With No Mobility Or Summoner Spells Are Easiest To Gank
Ganks are one of the best ways to snowball and get ahead, but identifying suitable targets can be tricky. The first thing to do is look for enemies that are either immobile, squishy, lacking Summoner Spells, or pushed up too far.Some champions also have annoying mechanics, such as Vladimir’s pool, which make them particularly hard to gank.
After finding an enemy who is susceptible to death, the next thing to consider is whether you and your teammate have the necessary catch potential, Crowd Control, and damage, to result in a successful gank. In the case of allies who have excellent gank setup, ideally lots of CC, even slippery opponents can be caught.
7Don’t Gank Losing Lanes
Part of the jungler’s job is to help their team and this help will often come in the form of ganks. The aim of most ganks is to either get kills or at least force enemies to use key summoner spells like Flash. Unless the enemy jungler or a roaming laner turns up for a counter-gank, a numbers advantage is made which usually results in success.
However, if a lane is already losing heavily, an attempted gank may turn south and potentially end in adouble kill for the opponent. Instead, it is better to focus on winning or neutral lanes, which can provide win conditions for the team. Alternatively, if no lanes present welcoming opportunities or if the Jungler’s champion has good scaling, they can prioritize farming and securing objectives like Dragons.
8Use A Sweeper When Ganking
Check Whether You Are On Vision Before Wasting A Gank
To get themselves or their teammates ahead, Junglers will want to attack and kill enemy laners but ganks generally only work if the targetdoesn’t know what is about to hit them.
Other than avoiding natural pockets of vision like lanes, Junglers can switch out their own ward in the shop for an Oracle Lens, which can then be used to sweep bushes for enemy wards. This can be done for free and junglers will often start off the game with an Oracle Lens. Control Wards can also be bought and used for the same purpose, but note that only one can be placed on the map at any given time.
9Surprise The Enemy With Lane Ganks
When players imagine a gank, they picture the Jungler approaching from the river or an entrance to the jungle. However, this does not have to be the case, as Junglers can walk into the lane when it is pushed into the enemy tower, meaning there are no opposing minions to give vision. From here they could wait in the lane bushes or alcoves. When the enemy proceeds to push the wave back, lower elo players in particular will not expect the Jungler to jump on them from such a position.
Some Junglers with either lots of dashes or high movement speed, such as Hecarim, can even just run down the lane to begin with and catch up to immobile targets. Lane ganks can also be used defensively. For example, if an ally lane looks like it’s in danger, perhaps because they are low on health or without a Flash, players can hover around their tower just out of vision to see if the enemy Jungler appears. They could also wait in the lane bushes of Top and Bot Lane for the same effect.
10Save Your Smite For Dragon & Other Objectives
Smite Is Used To Secure The Kill On These Objectives
One of the Jungler’s many responsibilities inLeagueis to take neutral objectives such as the Dragon, Rift Herald, and Baron. They do so not only because they don’t have lanes to farm and turrets to protect, but also because they are the ones with the SmiteSummoner Spell. Smite is capable of dealing a large burst of true damage, meaning that if a dragon is at 590 HP and the Smite currently deals 600 damage, the Jungler will secure the objective for their team.
Timing Smites isn’t as easy at that, however, especially when the enemy Jungler is contesting. Nevertheless, all beginners need to know is to save their Smite if they know they will be doing an objective soon. Simultaneously, this doesn’t mean they should never Smite Jungle monsters, as it has two charges and there are times when no objective is up.
