How to win lane as Locke against Darius · 49.33% win rate over 1,425 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Darius | Level 1 favors Darius — his Q heal and E pull dominate the melee range you need for Q. |
| Level 2 | Darius | Level 2 stays Darius as W Crippling Strike slow makes every trade bleed in his favor. |
| Level 3 | Darius | Level 3 favors Darius with full Hemorrhage stacking online and E pull threatening your poke. |
| Levels 4-5 | Darius | Levels 4-5 remain Darius-favored before your ultimate arrives to answer his kill pressure. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Level 6 is even — your R Purgatory execute trades blows with his Guillotine reset game. |
| First item | Locke | First item favors Locke as AP scaling lets your R threshold and W burst convert a caught Darius. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | 2+ items are even, decided by whether his E pull or your R execute lands first. |
Levels 1-4 belong to Darius. His Q Decimate outer-edge heals him in every trade and his E Apprehension can yank you out of position the moment you step up to Q Ritual Nails, letting him stack Hemorrhage and win the bleed war. Farm at max range, only take Q pokes when his E is on cooldown, and never sit in melee range where W Crippling Strike slows your escape.
The full Locke vs Darius report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Darius vs Locke guide →
All Locke top lane matchups →