Recall when three things line up: your wave is pushed into the enemy tower, you have enough gold for an item or component that makes you stronger, and you can be back before the next wave or objective matters. A good recall costs almost no farm. A bad one, forced by low health while the enemy wave crashes into your tower, costs a whole wave and sometimes more.
Last updated
1. Push the wave before you go
If you recall with the wave in the middle of the lane, the enemy wave walks into your tower and you lose the minions it kills. If you recall right after your wave crashes into the enemy tower, your opponent has to farm under their tower and you come back to an even lane.
Clear the wave quickly, best when it has a cannon minion, and press recall as soon as it reaches their tower. If you cannot push, accept that some minions will die at your tower and weigh that against the risk of staying with low health.
2. Recall on gold, not only on health
Many players only go home when they are low. But gold in your pocket does nothing. A finished component, item or pair of boots changes your trades, and the player who spends gold first often wins the next fight.
Know the price of your next item piece. When you have the gold and the wave is pushed, go back even at full health.
3. Time your recall with the enemy laner
When your lane opponent recalls, you get a window. Push the wave into their tower and back at the same time, so you lose nothing while they shop.
If you stay while they are in base, they return with a new item and you become the one who has to leave. Note what they bought when they come back, because it changes who wins the next trade.
4. Recall before objectives, not during them
Going home as a dragon, grubs or Herald spawns leaves your team one player short for the fight. Coming back late also means walking into a river the enemy has already warded.
Recall a little early, so you return with your items, full health and a control ward before the objective spawns. Your team gets a full-strength player and time to set up vision.
5. Junglers: recall around your camps
For junglers, a recall is planned around camps, not waves. Clear, go back with the gold, and return as your camps respawn, ideally walking past a lane you can gank on the way.
Backing in the middle of your route often means your camps sit there while you shop, or the enemy jungler takes them.
Check your recalls in a replay
In your next replay, pause at each recall. Ask three things: was my wave pushed, what did I buy, and what did I miss while I was gone?
If you often come back to a wave already crashing into your tower, push before you leave. If you often lose fights right after you return, you are backing too late or not spending your gold.
Practice your recall timing
Base timers 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 the question this page is about: stay, push or go home, with the wave, gold and timers of a real game in front of you.
Frequently asked questions
- When should I recall in League of Legends?
- When your wave is pushed into the enemy tower and you have the gold for a purchase that makes you stronger, or when staying longer would risk your life. Try to be back before the next wave reaches your tower and before the next objective.
- What are base timers in League?
- Base timers means planning your recalls around health, mana, gold, the state of the wave, upcoming objectives and power spikes, so you go home when it costs the least and gives you the most.
- Should I recall when my lane opponent recalls?
- Often yes. Push your wave into their tower first, then go back. You both lose the same time, and you do not fall behind on items.
- How can I practice when to recall?
- Review your recalls in replays, and train the decision with MOBA Trainer puzzles for the Base timers pattern, where you choose whether to stay, push or recall 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.