Vision and Warding Guide: Where to Ward and Why
Vision tells your team where the enemies are. Most deaths in League of Legends happen because someone walked into an area nobody could see. Warding well is one of the easiest ways to win more games, whatever role you play.
Your vision tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Stealth Ward | Your starting trinket. Places a hidden ward that shows the area for a while. |
| Control Ward | Bought in the shop. Reveals and disables enemy wards nearby. Enemies can see it. |
| Oracle Lens | A trinket that scans around you and reveals hidden wards so you can destroy them. |
| Farsight Alteration | A trinket that places a fragile ward from far away. Common on marksmen later in the game. |
| Support item | The support item upgrades into a version that gives extra wards to place. |
You can only keep a limited number of wards on the map at once, so place them where they matter.
Warding in lane
Early in the game, your wards should protect you from ganks:
- Ward the river or the jungle entrance closest to your lane, on the side the enemy jungler is likely to come from.
- Place wards before you push forward, not after you're already in danger.
- When the enemy jungler shows up on the other side of the map, you can play more aggressively for a while.
Vision around objectives
Fights over dragons and Baron are often decided before they start. The team with better vision sees the other team coming and can choose when to fight.
- About a minute before the objective spawns, push your lanes and move there as a group.
- Use Oracle Lens and Control Wards to clear enemy wards around the pit.
- Place your wards on the paths the enemy will use to get there.
- Stay together. Vision doesn't help if your team is split up.
Deep wards and tracking
When you're ahead, place wards inside the enemy jungle. You'll see the enemy jungler's route, catch players walking alone and know when it's safe to start objectives. When you're behind, ward your own jungle instead, so you see the enemy coming toward you.
Clearing enemy vision
- Supports and junglers often switch to Oracle Lens after the early game.
- A Control Ward in a bush near an objective is hard for the enemy to remove.
- Clearing a ward right before your team moves leaves the enemy no time to place a new one.
Simple vision habits
- Use your trinket whenever it's ready. A trinket waiting in your inventory does nothing.
- Buy a Control Ward on almost every recall.
- Ward the paths to your lane before the enemy jungler's usual gank timings, not after a gank.
- Look at the minimap every few seconds so you actually use the vision you have.
Many supports buy their vision items early. Open their champion builds to see the usual order.
FAQ
Who should ward in League of Legends?
Everyone. Supports and junglers place the most, but every player should use their trinket and buy Control Wards.
What does a Control Ward do?
It reveals and disables enemy wards nearby. Enemies can see it, so they can destroy it.
Where should I ward as a laner?
In the river or jungle entrance closest to your lane, on the side the enemy jungler is likely to come from.
