Take the objective that helps your win condition most and that you can take safely right now. Compare what each option gives (towers, dragons, grubs, Herald or Baron) with what the enemy gets on the other side at the same time. If you cannot contest an objective, trade it for another one instead of fighting at a disadvantage.
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1. Know what each objective is worth
Towers open the map and give gold to your team. Dragons give lasting bonuses that add up toward the Dragon Soul. Grubs and Herald help you take towers. Baron helps you push and end the game.
The same objective can be worth a lot in one game and very little in another, so judge it by what your team needs now.
2. Follow your win condition
A team that gets stronger later wants safe objectives and time. A team that is strong early wants towers and pressure before the enemy carries finish their items.
Ask how your team wins this game, and take the objective that moves you toward it.
3. Trade across the map
If the enemy is already at the dragon with vision and more players, contesting it often loses a fight. Take a tower, Herald or their jungle camps on the other side instead.
Both teams get something, and you avoided a fight you were going to lose.
4. Set up before it spawns
The team that arrives first with vision usually gets the objective. Push the waves near it, recall early, and place wards before it spawns.
Arriving late means walking into a river the enemy has already warded, which is where most objective fights are lost.
5. Do not take an objective that loses the game
Starting Baron without vision while all five enemies are alive, or taking a dragon while they push your base, costs more than it gives.
Count the enemies alive and check where they are before you start any objective.
Review the objectives you gave away
After a loss, list each objective the enemy took and what your team did at the same time. Did you take something on the other side, fight at a disadvantage, or do nothing?
The moments where your team did nothing are where the game slipped away. Those are the calls to practice.
Practice objective priority
Objective prioritization 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 show a real game state and ask which objective to play for next.
Frequently asked questions
- Which objective should I take first in League of Legends?
- The one that helps your win condition most and that you can take safely right now. Towers open the map, dragons give lasting bonuses, grubs and Herald help take towers, and Baron helps end the game. Compare what you get with what the enemy gets at the same time.
- Should we contest an objective or trade it?
- Contest it when you arrive first, with vision and as many players as the enemy. If the enemy is already there and stronger, trade: take a tower, Herald or jungle camps on the other side of the map.
- Why do we lose games after getting a lead?
- Often because the lead is not turned into objectives, or the team takes the wrong one at the wrong time. A kill gives gold for a moment, while a tower or a dragon gives your team a lasting advantage.
- How can I practice objective priority?
- Review which objectives you gave away in your replays, and train the decision with MOBA Trainer puzzles for the Objective prioritization pattern, where you choose the next objective 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.