The gold lane is aptly named: it is the lane that yields the most gold, and the marksman who occupies it is the hero who needs it the most. A marksman who farms well has his key items before his opponent, and each item changes his battles. This guide talks about resources; the gold lane guide details the heroes and builds of the position.
Every minion counts
Minion waves arrive every thirty seconds. The first waves of side lanes provide a bonus, making each failed minion at the start of the game even more costly.
- Finish the minions rather than hitting at random: the final blow brings gold, and a marksman who only targets almost dead minions also keeps his HP.
- Don't let siege minions die without finishing them off: they are worth more than the others.
- Learn your hero's rhythm: his attack speed and damage at level 1 are not those at level 6. What was an easy finishing move becomes one hit too many.
Push, freeze or let it come
The position of the wave in the lane decides who is safe. There are three ways to manage it.
Push
You kill the enemy minions as quickly as possible and your wave advances towards the enemy turret. This is the right choice when you want to start from the lane (return to base, objective, assist), because the opponent must stay to defend. This is a bad choice when the opposing jungler is invisible: you are far from your turret.
Freeze
You only finish off minions ready to die, and the wave stays near your turret. The opponent must move forward to farm, within range of your turret and your jungler. This is the right choice when your opponent is stronger than you at the start of the game.
Let it come
You let the opposing wave advance to your turret, which cleans it while you finish off the minions. This is the choice for difficult situations: you lose a little gold, but you don't lose the lane.
Time to leave the lane
A marksman must only leave his lane for a reason, and always after pushing the wave.
- Back to base: when you can finish an important item, after pushing.
- Objective: When the Turtle or the Lord are close to your side of the map and the team regroups.
- Combat: only if it is close and to your advantage, never across the map.
A wave left in the middle of the lane will push alone towards your turret: it's lost gold, and sometimes a turret.
Beyond the lane: late-game farming
After the first turrets fall, the marksman no longer stays in his lane. He farms where it is safe, following one rule: never farm further than where his team can protect him.
- Take waves from lanes close to your team before those that are far away.
- Take small allied jungle camps when the jungler doesn't need them: a camp that respawns with no one to take it is lost gold.
- Don't farm alone in the enemy jungle without vision: this is the place where a marksman dies most often.
Buy at the right time
Gold is of no use until it is spent. The marksman's first item is often the one that changes their battles the most, and the build simulator shows the effect of each purchase on their stats. To find out what marksmen are really building, the sheet for each item lists the heroes who buy it, for example Berserker's Fury or Demon Hunter Sword.
The most common mistakes
- Push the wave to the enemy turret without knowing where the enemy jungler is.
- Leave the lane leaving a whole wave in the middle.
- Join each fight in the mid lane at the expense of two waves.
- Keep the gold in your pocket for several minutes instead of returning to buy.
- Farming alone in the enemy jungle at the end of the game.