Lane priority means your wave is pushing toward the enemy, so the enemy laner has to stay and farm while you are free to move. It is only worth something if you use it: recall with a good item, roam to another lane, help your jungler invade or take an objective, or dive with your team. Pushing the wave and then standing still gives the advantage away.
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What lane priority gives you
When your wave crashes into the enemy tower, the enemy laner has to stay and catch it or lose farm and experience. For a short time, you can move and they cannot. That time is your lane priority.
Priority is why junglers ask laners to push before they invade or fight for an objective. A laner with priority can arrive first; a laner without it arrives late or not at all.
Five things to do with priority
Recall: push, go home with the gold for an item, and come back with the advantage. Roam: walk to a nearby lane where a kill or a flash burn is likely. Invade: go into the enemy jungle with your jungler while the enemy laner cannot follow.
Dive: if the wave is big and the enemy is low, take the fight under their tower with your jungler. Set up: walk to the next dragon, Herald or grubs early and place vision before the enemy can.
Choosing the right one
The best choice depends on the map. If an objective is up soon, set up for it. If a nearby lane is pushed toward your side and the enemy there has no Flash, roam. If you are low or have the gold for an item, recall.
Whatever you choose, time it with the next wave. A roam that makes you lose two waves and a tower plate often costs more than it gains, unless it gets a kill or an objective.
Common lane priority mistakes
The most common mistake is pushing and then staying in lane with nothing to do. The second is moving without priority: leaving when your wave is not pushed, so the enemy laner follows you or takes your tower plates.
In replays, pause each time you crash a wave and ask what you did with the time it gave you. Over a few games you will see whether you tend to waste it.
Practice the decision on real game situations
Using lane priority is one of the 51 patterns on MOBA Trainer's Pattern Map, in the Map movement group. It has a video explanation from a coach and training puzzles built from real game situations: you see the map, choose where to go, and learn why the best players choose differently.
Frequently asked questions
- What does lane priority mean in League?
- It means your wave is pushing toward the enemy, so the enemy laner must stay to farm while you can move first. Priority lets you roam, recall, invade or reach objectives before the enemy laner can.
- How do you get lane priority?
- Kill the enemy wave faster than they kill yours, usually by winning the trade, using abilities on the wave, or getting help from your jungler. Then use the time before the next wave arrives.
- Why does my jungler want me to have priority?
- Because a jungler can only invade or take objectives safely when nearby laners can come and help first. Without priority, the enemy laners arrive first and the jungler fights outnumbered.
- 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, Android and the web, and the Discord bot Moti brings the daily puzzle to Discord.