Hey everyone! If you are in low elo, you know Baron is often a subject of controversy within the team as to whether or not the monster should be slain. Even in high elo and professional League of Legends, it is not uncommon to see a team 'throw' at Baron. In solo queue especially, Baron is such a formidable opponent, entire games can pass without any regard to the monster. However, there comes a time in late game when a decision about Baron Nashor needs to be made. In this guide, I hope to provide a logical way to approach taking Baron. As a disclaimer (and a reminder), the following is my interpretation of how you should take Baron at low elo, and is based almost exclusively on my experience. Try it out and see if it works!

Avoiding Baron

If you are behind, avoid initiating Baron at all costs. Ward up near it, but do not consider doing it unless it is a last ditch effort. However, Baron can be a great opportunity to force the other team to throw. If you hold them off of your base, they might feel pressured to do Baron and they can be easily caught.

Similarly, if you are beating the other team by a margin (e.g. are able to fight them under their inhib tower), there is no reason to take Baron, and you are just making more opportunities for yourself to throw. In the act of avoiding Baron, patience is a virture, roam as a group and destroy their base. Bottom line is, go for the nexus first, it is your primary goal!

Baiting Baron

As you can see by the chart, there are not just two options for Baron, but three! Yes, baiting Baron adds a lot to general solo queue strategy, as it allows for good positioning in a 5v5 fight, and can give you the edge you need to ace and proceed to win the game. However, baiting Baron can be dangerous if the necessary ward coverage is not achieved. I recommend having a deep ward near their blue if you are the purple team, and the bush behind the Baron pit if on the blue team.

Regardless of which side you are on, ward all around Baron, specifically in the path they will take to Baron (through their jungle). After ensuring adequate ward coverage, dance around the Baron pit to make it seem like you are doing Baron, or sit near and in the small bush near Baron. Chances are the enemy will either do a bad facecheck or be caught out of position and you can take the fight easily.

Taking Baron

You might notice there is only one major situation which warrants a serious attempt at taking baron. This is reflective of how you don't need to beat around the bush in League, if you can end the game, end it! That being said, there are times when you are ahead, but need an extra burst of strength to finish the game. The most opportune time for this is when you have taken at least one enemy inhib. While you take Baron, the enemy team is either scrambling to clean up their base or running to stop you.

Important: DO NOT TAKE BARON DIRECTLY AFTER TAKING AN INHIB! If you rush to Baron, your super minions will not have time to cause havok in the enemy base, and they will follow you to Baron and kill you while you are weak. Go back to base, heal and buy, and then run to Baron, the enemy will be in the most inopportune position. Once you have taken Baron, back if necessary, and either run into their base for the nexus if you think you are strong enough or take more inhibs!

I hope this guide makes a difference to my fellow low elo players, I know it has guided my Baron experience in League of Legends! Have fun and see you next time!