Kayn has seen a rise in popularity and quality in the last few patches. From a D-Tier Jungler in Season 11 – his lowest recent point – to a popular A-Tier pick in Season 12
Some changes have been made to the Jungle meta that have helped propel Kayn into the better position he now finds himself in.
Primarily, this stems from the meta shifting to a full Jungle clear, and Kayn excels significantly in clearing the camps quickly and efficiently. With his mighty spells, he can do his Jungle path and emerge with around a full health bar, which many Junglers cannot.
Also, the Scuttler has received a massive change in the pre-Season 11.23 Patch. Namely, its XP was reduced by a whopping 80%, almost wholly invalidating it in all Jungle paths. The XP is so abysmal that it doesn’t pay off to lose time taking the Scuttler. The only reason would be the extra vision.
In this guide, we will go over the best Jungle paths for Kayn in League of Legends. Things will be a little bit different than in previous patches, and we hope you enjoy and learn something new.
Let’s begin, shall we?
The Best Runes for Jungle Kayn
Since Kayn has two forms, we’re going to go over two rune combinations.
For Rhaast Kayn:
Rhaast is Kayn’s Bruiser/Fighter form and will significantly benefit from extra fighting capabilities. Since he heals a lot, adding additional healing sources and some tenacity will make him nigh unkillable if he gets fed. Boots are there for gold efficiency, and the Haste is self-explanatory.
For Shadow Kayn:
Kayn’s Shadow form is a pure Assassin, and we seek to maximize damage with these runes. As I’ve said in our best Dark Harvest Champions list, Kayn is one of the best Dark Harvest users in the game, namely in his Shadow form. Everything in this rune set will help you achieve more damage, the one thing you truly want when playing high mobility Assassins.
Also read: Best Assassin Junglers
The Best Items for Jungle Kayn
As with the Runes, Kayn has wildly different itemizations for each of his forms. We will quickly name the best items for both.
Rhaast Kayn:
Start: Emberknife, Refillable Potion
Mythic: Goredrinker
Core: Sterak’s, MR, or Armor Boots (depending on the enemy composition)
Extension: Muramana, Death’s Dance, Spirit Visage, Serylda’s Grudge, Guardian Angel
Shadow Kayn:
Start: Hailblade, Refillable Potion
Mythic: Prowler’s Claw
Core: Youmuu’s Ghostblade, Ionian or MR Boots
Extension: Edge of Night, Serylda’s Grudge, Serpent’s Fang, Umbral Glaive, Muramana
Skill Leveling
For both Kayn forms, the leveling order is as follows:
Q > W > E
By the time you even reach any of the forms, your Q will be leveled up to at least level 3 and will be your core spell for the time being. Later on, combining all of your spells will be the best course of action, but your Q will still be the go-to spell of your kit.
The Best Jungle Paths for Kayn
Finally, we get to the main topic of this guide – the Jungle pathing. Kayn has two primary paths to take on each side of the Map.
Before we begin, I want to say a thing or two about Jungle clearing. There are a few factors it depends on, and you should take them all into consideration:
– Where did the enemy Jungler start?
– Can your Laners assist you with invasions? (Defensive and Offensive)
– Can you counter-gank the enemy Jungler?
These three questions are crucial to figuring out the best course of action when playing the Jungle. Of course, there are many other things the game will revolve around, but these are the basic ones you need to consider first before delving too deep.
With that out of the way, let’s begin with the paths.
1. Red Side Red Clear
When playing on both sides, Kayn will, as I’ve said, have two primary clears. On the Red Side, the first path we are looking at is the Red Clear.
As indicated on the Map above, this path begins with the Red Buff. After killing it and saving the Smite, Kayn should quickly move to the Krugs and use his Smite there. Then come the Raptors, which should pose the least issue as Kayn has a ton of AOE which will heal him substantially.
Starting Red will give you some early ganking potential, power, and sustain. If the opportunity arises, you should move into Mid for a gank, but only if this is a guaranteed win and not in other circumstances, as time is everything in the Jungle.
When moving on to the Blue Buff, you should clear the wolves first. Then, you can kite the Blue Buff and Gromp and fight them both simultaneously, saving yourself a lot of time. However, keep in mind that you will emerge with less HP from this fight than when fighting them one on one.
Despite it being indicated on the Map above that you should Smite Blue, I believe it more beneficial to use the Smite on Gromp instead, especially when fighting them both at once. If you fight them both, Gromp is the first one to be killed, and you should then proceed to kite the Blue Buff towards the River.
You should be looking at getting to the Scuttler by 3:15, and if you don’t, it isn’t much of an issue. Just try to improve your timings with each game. Since the Scuttler has been severely nerfed, now giving 80% less XP than in previous patches, you can even skip it and move on to Bot or Mid.
This will conclude your first clear. Of course, many things can happen in the meantime that will change your game. Be sure to keep answering those questions from above to stay above the enemy Jungler at all times.
Also read: Best Keyboards for Valorant
2. Red Side Raptor Clear
When it comes to comparing this clear with the previous, they are essentially the same. After completing the Red Buff Area, the Blue Buff Area will be identical, so I will not bore you with the intricacies of the latter, as they’re already indicated in the previous path.
With this path, Kayn will start the Raptors, as the name might suggest. Starting with the Red Buff Area, in general, will help your Bot Lane prepare a trap and be more proactive on their Lane. They won’t lose time leashing your camp, which can sometimes be a tremendous change to how the Bot Lane unfolds.
Starting Raptors gives your Top Laner the ability not to waste time on leashing. This presence of Laners on both sides will also keep your enemy mystified with your position, but since Kayn is so widely known – he will likely guess you started Raptors. The Raptor clear goes as follows:
- Clear Raptors quickly and move on to the Krugs asap.
- Save the Smite, don’t use it on either.
- Smite the Red Buff, and move on to the Blue Buff.
It is pretty straightforward. The most significant advantage of this start is that your Red Buff won’t be wasted on the Raptor and Krug camps, giving you more time to use it during a gank or encounter against the enemy Jungler.
After completing the Blue Buff, you will proceed to the Scuttler or skip it and move directly into Bot or Mid. If neither are available to gank, and this goes for the previous path as well, you can recall or try to counter-Jungle your opponent.
3. Blue Side Red Clear
The same two paths from above can be applied when starting on the Blue Side, with very little variation.
Primarily, that variation is that you will have to pull your Bot Lane in to help you when starting with the Red Buff. I mean, you can do it yourself, but that will be a lot slower and more inefficient. This gives your opposing Bot Laners to set up a trap and arrive in the Lane first.
This is a detriment to all Blue Side Red Buff starters. As the map shows, you will do Red without Smite, use it on Krugs and then clear the Raptors before moving on to the Blue Buff. The enemy Jungler will immediately know you started Red, and if he’s up there, he’ll have an easy time stealing your Blue.
The Blue Buff clear is also the same as the Red Side:
- Clear wolves
- Fight Blue and Gromp together
- Smite Gromp
- Move on to the Scuttler or Gank
The primary difference being is that you won’t go gank Bot Lane but move into Top instead. Or Mid, of course, whichever is open for it.
4. Blue Side Raptor Clear
The best course of action for a Blue Side Kayn is to start with the Raptors. This puts your Bot Lane out of danger and disadvantage. They won’t be diverted into helping you, nor will they lose time in the Jungle that could be better spent elsewhere. Your position won’t be as apparent, but most people will guess you started Raptors.
After the Raptor Clear, you will move on to the Krugs but save the Smite. After Smiting the Red Buff, you can either gank Mid if the opportunity arises or move on to the Blue Buff Area to clear it.
The clear is the same as the previous three clears, and I don’t have to repeat myself. After completing the clear, you can move to Top or Mid – again, only if the circumstances favor your gank. If not, recall or invade – your choice.
Whichever clear you’re doing, keep asking yourself and answering those primary three questions. If you don’t, you risk making grave mistakes that could’ve easily been avoided if you’d kept yourself aware of them at all times.
Finalizing Thoughts
Kayn is certainly a Champion that is on the rise in the recent patch. Changes made to the meta that shifted towards a full clear have benefited him greatly. Since he is one of the best Jungle clearers in the game, this will certainly significantly impact Kayn’s viability for the foreseeable future.
Even without these changes, Kayn was and is powerful. Never underestimate a good Kayn player – something that you will be after you master this guide. I highly recommend you play him, especially now.
These guides take time and effort to make, so leave feedback to help us improve them. Keep a keen eye on our website for more League of Legends-related content such as guides, lists, and articles.
