Greeting Summoner!

Welcome to my step by step tutorial on Warding in League of Legends.

Map control is one of the single most important objects a team can possess while playing League of Legends. Having control over the battlefield allows a team to keep track of the respawn timers on important buffs like baron, red, and blue, as well as objectives like inhibitors and towers. Map control also is the key to engaging and or avoiding the enemy. Knowing where your opponents are at all times helps teams catch an enemy player out of position, rotate around the map successfully, and finally take towers.

In order to properly ward and manage vision you will have to understand the best ward placements and how to clear enemy wards from bushes and objectives. Following these steps will provide you with a basic knowledge of how to ward and deny vision within your matches!

Step 1: Buying Wards From the Store

Acquire wards through medium of exchange at the store in your base. This can be done by hitting the “P” button while near the spawn area or clicking on the animated character that has set up his camp next to your spawn point, (just up and to the left of your champion).

Step 2: Buying Wards From the Shop Part 2

Once in the shop menu move the cursor of the mouse up to the top left of the window and click on the "All Items" tab.

Here the shop menu will show two columns on the left side. One column has a list of the categories of which the in-game items fall into; the other shows the images of the items and their costs in terms of gold.

Step 3: Buying Wards From the Store Part 3

With your starting 475 gold, purchase two Stealth Wards (75 gold each), a Vision Ward (100 gold each), and a Scrying Orb (free). You can locate these by hovering your mouse over the image of each item in the second column which will display the name of the item. You can buy items by either double clicking on the image, or pressing the "Buy" button that appears on the right half of the shop interface.

Notice when you buy an item it is placed in your inventory which appears in the bottom left of your screen. The slots that these items fall into are binded to the number keys 1-7. Your sight wards will be placed in slot number 1, vision wards in slot number 2, and the Scrying Orb in slot number 4. To use these items you will press their respective key on your keyboard.

*Important* All three of the free trinket items will be automatically binded to slot number 4 and cannot be changed to another slot. You can however bind the use of these trinkets to another key if you prefer.

Step 4: Moving to the Tri Bush

Now that you have the items necessary to gain and deny vision make your way to the bottom right bush just before the river by using the right click of your mouse to move your champion.

To do this you can right click just to the right of your champion or you can right click once on your mini map in the bottom corner of the screen to move your champion longer distances by only clicking once.

Step 5: Champion Vision in Bushes

If you moved your champion successfully into the Tri Bush you will see that you not only gain vision inside the bush, but also the surrounding are within eye sight. If your champion has not entered the bush yet, right click your champion into the bush and acquire vision for your champion.

This bush is known as the "Tri bush" because it has three entrances and exits. Now that you are standing inside the Tri Bush can see an area past each entrance and exit. This is why vision is so important in matches. It allows you to see where enemies may be hiding (in the bush), or the paths they take throughout the map.

Step 6: Warding the Tri Bush

Step out of the bush and then press "1" on your keyboard. This will activate your ward. Now hold the cursor of your mouse over the center of the bush. Click the left mouse button to place the ward in the bush and gain vision of the bush as if you were standing in it.

If the ward is placed outside the bush you would not have vision within it. If this is the case, try again using the second Stealth Ward you purchased. Like the first ward, it is binded to the "1" button on your keyboard.

*Important* Wards can be placed anywhere on the map, even over walls to secure vision of enemies and objectives! If you try and place a ward over a wall or treeline and you click directly inside the terrain when placing your ward, the ward will fall on either side depending on which side your cursor was closer to.

Step 7: Vision of Dragon Pit

Now step into the bush and out of the top left entrance. Notice the circular area directly above you that is shrouded by the fog of war. Move your cursor into the middle of the circle and press 4. Now when you click the left mouse button you will use the item known as the "Scrying Orb". The blue orb will grant you momentary vision of an area and is helpful in some cases when you wish to scout an ahead of you.

Step 8: Vision Ward

Your last ward in your inventory is the Vision Ward. Move your champion further north until you reach the next bush. Standing outside the bush click "2" on your keyboard to select the Vision Ward in the number two item slot. Left click within the bush like you did before and you will place the Vision Ward inside this brush.

This ward reveals invisible enemies as well enemy Stealth Wards and Warding Totems which will allow you to clear them and deny the enemy team vision. In order to destroy a Stealth Ward or Warding Totem you must right click on them and hitting them three times. However, Vision Wards are visible unlike the other two and can be seen by the enemy team without placing another Vision Ward in the area. These wards can be destroyed by hitting them five times.

Step 9: Other Trinket Items

Now that you have used the wards that you have purchased go back to the store and purchase the Trinket item known as the "Warding Totem". This can be done by pressing the "B" button which will recall your champion to the spawn point where you can purchase this item.

In order to purchase the item you must sell your Scrying Orb. Open the shop with "P" and move your cursor to the bottom left of the shop. There you will see the icon for your Scrying Orb. Click on the icon and then click the sell button to the right of the icon.

Now you can purchase the "Warding Totem". Like the others it can be found within the "Vision & Trinket" category and is free.

Step 10: Warding Totem

Now with your Warding Totem you can use it the same way you did the Scrying Orb through the "4" key. This trinket however acts as a ward but will only last for a minute. The game will force you to wait before placing this new trinket. While you wait, move your champion all the way back to the Tri Bush you warded before.

Notice that when you reach the Tri Bush, the ward you placed earlier has expired. You no longer have vision of this bush. Place the Warding Totem inside the bush to regain vision of it.

Step 11: Sweeping Lens

The last and final trinket is known as the Sweeping Lens. It acts as a Vision Ward and Scrying Orb combined. It can be used to destroy enemy wards that are normally unseen.

To purchase the Sweeping Lens go back and follow Step 9, but instead of purchasing the Warding Totem buy the Sweeping Lens. It will be free and have a red icon found in the "Vision & Trinket" category like before.

Once you have purchased the trinket you will again have to wait before you can use it. When the Sweeping Lens becomes usable, click the number "4" on your keyboard and then click next to you. You will see the lens sweeping the area you targeted.

Step 12: Congratulations

Congratulations Summoner!

You have now learned how to gain and deny vision. Although these are just the basics to using and destroying Wards and Trinkets, you are one step closer to helping your team claim victory on the fields of battle.

I do hope you enjoyed using these instructions and that you continue to develop your League of Legends skills.