Clearing jungle camps is a simple process to achieve at a fundamental level. For optimization purposes however, there are a number of simple mechanical procedures that can be used to minimize damage taken and increase clear speeds. This short guide will break down a few of these processes so that you can mop up the jungle via the fastest and healthiest means possible, consequently resulting in more successful ganks, particularly in the early game.

Big or little monsters?

When it comes to certain jungle camps, focusing down the little monsters before the big monster will leave you significantly healthier. This is a very important consideration, especially for single-target clearers such as Xin Zhao and Elise who must actively select a target to focus down.

Most of the time, targeting the big monster followed by the small ones is usually efficient, or results in a very marginal health difference (10~15 hp). Additionally, it’s usually fine to just focus down the big monster if you’re using smite in your clear. However, when it comes to clearing Raptors and the Krugs without smite, focusing down the smaller monsters first will save you a whopping 60-90 hitpoints early game since the smaller monsters of these camps hit hard and fast.

With Area of Effect junglers, focusing down the smaller monsters is less of a priority if the AOE will whittle down the Raptors in the first few seconds. For example, Shyvana’s Rank 1 Burnout (W) will normally kill the small Raptors quickly after dishing out an auto-attack to each of them, allowing you to focus your auto-attacks on the Crimson Raptor while your AOE finishes off the smaller ones. When clearing Krugs, it is completely reasonable to invest several auto-attacks into focusing the smaller one down first before taking on the larger one, since the smaller one is rather hardy and takes quite a few blows.

These considerations are mostly relevant in your first few clears, when you’re unitemized and vulnerable. Additionally, the 60-90 HP that you save can be the edge you need for an early gank to be successful.

Auto-Attack Resetting

Auto-attack (AA) resetting is a well-known mechanic within League of Legends, and is particularly important in the jungle for optimizing your sustained damage output to camps. There are a number of abilities in League, most commonly auto-attack modifying abilities, that reset your auto-attack timer upon cast, examples of which include Rek’Sai’s Queen’s Wrath (unburrowed Q), and Jax’s Empower (W).

To optimize damage output, these abilities should be used immediately after the damage of your auto-attack has been applied to the target. Being able to string auto-attacks together in quick succession with AA resets is a skill that comes naturally over time, and should be practiced for optimal clear speeds. This mechanic is particularly effective when used in conjunction with the Ancient Krugs' Gift of Heavy Hands, as it allows you to reach the sixth auto of the buff (causing a stun) as fast as possible.

Health Regeneration & Shields

When it comes to shield-giving abilities for damage mitigation in the jungle, it is most efficient to use these shields whilst you are not at full health. This is because while your shield is actively taking damage from a jungle camp, you can also be passively regenerating whatever health you have lost. Using your shield at full health means you are not maximizing your health regeneration potential, thus not clearing efficiently.

If you begin a clear at full health, activate your shield after sustaining a couple of hits from the jungle camp. The health regeneration during your clear is high thanks to the Hunter’s Machete Jungler passive, which gives high health regeneration whilst taking damage from jungle camps. This process is most important for your first two clears, and for slower early-game clearers such as Nautilus.

Health Potions

A common mistake made by many players is unnecessarily using their initial two Health potions after their first camp. Health potions typically should not be used if you can survive your jungle clears without them, otherwise they are a waste of 35 gold each. Some junglers require the use of both potions to survive their first clear, while others require the use of only one. If you are playing a sustain-heavy jungler in particular such as Warwick, the potions should not be used during your clears, if purchased at all.

Using your potions during your first clear is always practical if you plan on a level 2 or 3 gank, so that you gain the health advantage over the opponent when ganking. Additionally, if there is a high risk that you might be invaded or ‘cheesed’ by an enemy in your early clears, using your potions efficiently may be the difference between life and death. When it comes to the most common initial clear routine however (3 camps > Recall), only use both of your potions if absolutely necessary (instances of a late invade, playing a jungler with poor clears, etc). Each jungler functions very differently during their first clears, and with practice you’ll be able to adequately gauge your champion’s sustainability.

There are a number of other small details that you should keep in mind whilst clearing camps, including:
-Making sure the 6th proc of Heavy Hands is always used on the larger monster of the camp
-Using crowd control when clearing the Rift Scuttler to break its armor, lowering its defenses
-Red-side camps (Raptors, Red Buff, Krugs) are stronger than blue side camps (Wolves, Blue Buff, Gromp)

The tips discussed in this article will significantly help you improve your clear quality. Another major aspect of jungle optimisation is considering your jungle routes so that you’ll be in prime positions to gank, which will be covered in my next article about jungle pathing. Utilize the tips given in this article, and you’ll find yourself having greater success in the jungle overall. Good luck!

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