Plan your jungle path from your lanes and the objective you want, before the game starts. Usually you start on the side away from where you want to gank or fight, so your clear ends next to the lane that can win a fight. Then adjust after every clear: where the enemy jungler is, which lanes are pushed, and which objective spawns next decide where you go.
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1. Start where you want to end
Your first clear usually ends on the opposite side from where you started. If your bot lane is strong early and the enemy bot lane is easy to gank, start top side so you finish next to bot.
Decide where you want to be when your first clear is done, then pick the start that gets you there.
2. Path toward lanes with priority
A gank works best on a lane whose wave is pushing toward the enemy, with a laner who can follow up. A lane that is losing and stuck under its own tower is hard to help.
Check the waves on the minimap before you choose your next camp, and walk toward the lane that is set up for you.
3. Farm, gank or invade
After each clear you have three choices: keep farming, gank a lane, or take the enemy camps. Farm when no lane is gankable and your champion grows with time. Gank when a lane is ready. Invade when you know the enemy jungler is on the other side and your nearby lanes can move first.
A gank that fails costs you camps and time, so pick the gank that has the best chance, not the first one you see.
4. End your clears at the next objective
Grubs, dragons and Herald spawn on timers. A good path ends next to the next objective as it spawns, with your lanes free to join.
A clear that leaves you on the wrong side of the map when the dragon spawns gives it to the enemy without a fight.
5. Track the enemy jungler as you clear
Every time the enemy jungler shows on the map, note the side and the time. A jungler seen top side early is probably not bot side soon after.
Warn your lanes, and choose your next move from it: take camps or an objective on the opposite side, or wait near the lane they are about to gank and counter gank.
Check your path in a replay
After a game, follow your own champion in the replay and note where you were when each objective spawned and which ganks worked.
Most junglers find moments in every game where they farmed far from the action, or arrived after the enemy team was already set up at an objective. Plan those clears differently next time.
Practice jungle pathing
Jungle clear routes is one of the 51 patterns on the MOBA Trainer Pattern Map. It has a video explanation from a coach and training puzzles built from real game situations: you see the map, choose what to do, and learn why the best players choose differently. The puzzles ask where to go next as a jungler, with the lanes, the waves and the enemy jungler in view.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I choose my jungle path in League?
- Start from your lanes: find the lane that can win a fight and the next objective, and plan a clear that ends there. Start on the opposite side, then adjust each clear based on where the enemy jungler is and which lanes have priority.
- Should I full clear or gank early?
- Full clear when no lane is set up for a gank and your champion grows with farm. Gank early when a lane is pushing, has a strong follow up and the enemy laner has no escape. A failed early gank costs you camps and tempo.
- What is the best jungle path?
- There is no single best path. It depends on your champion, your lanes, the enemy jungler and the next objective. Learn one default path for each side with your champion, then change it every game based on what you see.
- How can I practice jungle pathing?
- Review your paths in replays and train the decision with MOBA Trainer puzzles for the Jungle clear routes pattern, where you choose the next move as a jungler in real game situations.
- Is MOBA Trainer free?
- The daily puzzle and the first lesson are free. The full campaign with every pattern is part of the Season Pass. MOBA Trainer runs on Windows, macOS, iPhone and Android, plus the web app and the Discord bot.