Riot’s hit series, Arcane, was an immediate success, conquering the masses and the critics alike, even before dropping its third act. The show has left viewers with plenty of unanswered questions, but perhaps none are as popular with the fan base as are the theories surrounding Vander’s transformation.
By the end of Arc 3, although not directly, fans have received their confirmation, as we now finally know the origin story behind Warwick, the Uncaged Wrath of Zaun. Although the producers never officially confirmed the theory, every piece of information resulting from the show and Warwick’s official lore simply work together too perfectly, as some of the hints we’ve received were a little bit more than obvious.
Shifting our focus back to Riot’s mainstream game, which Warwick has been part of since the very beginning, as one of the original 17 champions League of Legends debuted with. Given this large timeframe, it should come as no surprise that the Uncaged Wrath of Zaun has had his fair share of reworks and adjustments, keeping him in tone with the newer champions.
Although we occasionally see Warwick on the Top Lane, the beast’s true nature is best experienced from the Jungle, which is also the subject of this article. Allow us to walk you through the best Summoner Spells, Runes and items for Warwick, before diving into our main subject, the ultimate Jungle route, clearing and ganking strategies to dominate games with!
Enjoy!
Summoner Spells
Flash + Smite
Flash is overall the best Summoner Spell for Warwick, considering its many uses. Some high ELO players have been seen running Ghost on him, resembling the high movement speed play style of champions such as Hecarim, but for now we’d strongly recommend sticking with Flash.
Warwick Runes
For a while now, Press the Attack has been the go-to Keystone for Warwick, but despite its recent nerfs, Lethal Tempo is still just as, if not more popular ever since its rework. We’ll ultimately place our bets on Press the Attack, but players who personally prefer running Lethal Tempo are free to do so, as it is still more than viable on Warwick.
For the rest of your Runes, Triumph, Legend: Alacrity and Last Stand are the standard options, mixing survivability with damage most effectively.
Subsequently, for the secondary Runes, go over to the Sorcery tree and pick Celerity and Waterwalking, which are going to prove extremely useful when chasing down opponents using Blood Hunt (W).
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Warwick Items
Starting Items: Hailblade / Emberknife + Refillable Potion
Mythic Item: Divine Sunderer / Goredrinker
Core Items: Defensive Boots, Titanic Hydra, Sterak’s Gage
Finishing Options: Thornmail, Spirit Visage, Dead Man’s Plate, Guardian Angel
In terms of your Mythic choice, it’s best to pick between Goredrinker and Divine Sunderer based on the number of ranged champions your opponents have, as well as their likely win conditions. Both Mythic items work flawlessly with Warwick’s kit, but in case your team needs some added frontline power, Sunfire Aegis is by all means another great option.
Besides the mandatory Titanic Hydra and Sterak’s Gage, the rest of Warwick’s items should be aimed at building resistances against the enemy carries, as effectively as possible. Against AP champions, Spirit Visage is the undoubted best option, as it also enhances Warwick’s natural healing, while Thornmail or Dead Man’s Plate provide plenty of armor and unique effects which greatly benefit the Uncaged Wrath of Zaun.
Skill Order
W > Q > E > R
The idea of maxing W first may sound strange to some, but the back-to-back passive and active effects simply provide more value than the leveled up forms of Q or E.
Regardless of that, your first spell point should be invested into Q in order to help with the first clear, maxing W from that point on.
The Best Jungle Paths for Warwick
Although Warwick’s Passive healing makes him incredibly effective at clearing the Jungle camps, power farming is not what this champion was intended to play around. If we simply take a look at Warwick’s W, Blood Hunt, it becomes obvious that the Uncaged Wrath of Zaun was designed to hunt down vulnerable enemies one after another, snowballing the game through dominant Map presence and a gold lead made up of takedowns.
We are going to cover the most advantageous starts from each side, but players should keep a few factors in mind when deciding upon where their Jungle pathing should start. These are:
- Which laners are going to provide more help in clearing the first camp?
- Counter-jungle opportunities, based on where the enemy Jungler is likely to start.
- Which lane would you like to gank first, depending on both the allied and enemy champions.
Although Warwick’s ganks are fairly easy to execute, players should still wait until LVL 3 before starting to attack the Lanes.
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1. Red Side – Red Clear
While many champions share similar Jungle routes, by either going for a full clear or simply skipping over the Krug camp, Warwick players are meant to take a different approach. Given how the Uncaged Wrath of Zaun lacks AOE damage, his early clear is not particularly effective against multi-mob camps, such as the Krugs or Raptors, which might be too costly to slay, in terms of both Health and tempo.
Start by securing the first camp, the Red Buff, then heading straight into the other side of your Jungle. Once there, players should first clear the Wolf camp, which is going to do less harm than the Raptors, considering the smaller number of mobs this camp includes.
For the third objective, players are to be headed towards the Blue Buff, securing it using their basic abilities and attacks, before finally casting Smite to execute it. Given Warwick’s passive healing and Smite, players are left with more than enough Health to also take on the Gromp, which is once again going to restore most of your max HP.
Skipping over the Raptor camp is ultimately going to convert into a considerable amount of tempo, which players should further accelerate by securing the Scuttler efficiently, using Primal Howl (E) to break its shield with the “flee” mechanic, and also investing the second Smite charge to finish the camp as quickly as possible.
This leaves players in the Bottom Side River with LVL 3, ready to charge towards any enemy afflicted by Blood Hunt (W), the mechanic which usually guides most of Warwick’s ganks.
2. Red Side – Blue Clear
Switching our starting position to the other side of the Map, the core strategy remains largely unchanged, as Warwick players will once again skip over the Raptor camp.
This time, securing the first Buff will be considerably easier, since players will now be having two allies’ assistance, which speeds up the process considerably.
After Blue, head directly for the Gromp, as shown in the associated image, followed by the Wolf camp. Both of these may take a while to slay, as players should keep both charges of Smite for later, but the seemingly lost tempo is soon going to be recovered.
Having now fully cleared the Bottom Side of your Jungle, make your way straight to the Red Buff, slaying it by using your basic abilities, attacks and the first Smite, before stepping into the River to secure the Scuttler.
Once again, use the “flee” mechanic on Warwick’s E to break the Scuttler’s shield, followed by a Q and a few basic attacks until it drop below 450 Health, allowing the second charge of Smite to finish the camp for you.
By now, it is quite likely that the Top or Mid Laners have traded enough for Blood Hunt’s (W) passive to activate, enabling Warwick to perform a quick gank by charging E and leaping onto the target using Q, triggering E’s second cast when in position to cripple the enemy Laner.
3. Blue Side – Blue Clear
Now switching over to the opposing side, the optimal routes and clearing strategies do not change much, besides having the strong and weak sides mirrored.
Start by killing the Blue Buff using the slow, basic attack approach, holding on to Smite for later. Although this might take a while, Warwick’s pathing will naturally make up for the lost tempo.
Next on the list is the Gromp, which will once again demand a bit more time to slay, but will at least leave you rather Healthy for your next objective, the Wolf camp, as shown in the image. After the Wolves, players should naturally head for the Red Buff, completely ignoring the Raptors, as with the previous clears.
At the Red Buff, which is the only camp you’re going to be clearing from the Bottom side of your Jungle, it is time to use the first Smite charge, aiding with the tempo recovery process, transitioning directly into the River once the Red Buff has been claimed.
As previously, use E to break the Scuttler’s shield and the second Smite charge to execute it once its Health drops below the 450 threshold, securing some extra vision for your team besides the gold and experience. From this point, players should once again rely on Blood Hunt (W) to determine which lane to gank, as Warwick’s rapid tempo and movement speed bonuses can catch enemies by surprise from early on.
4. Blue Side – Red Clear
For the final starting position, players should once again start by securing the Red Buff with the assistance of their Bot Laners, effectively shortening the normal time needed to clear their first camp.
Having secured the first Buff, ignore the Raptors and cross the map, heading straight for the Wolf camp, similarly to the Red Side’s Red Clear, clearing that camp steadily.
Having kept your Smite up until now, invest it in your 3rd objective, the Blue Buff, allowing Warwick to regenerate some of the Health lost while clearing the Wolves. After Blue, players should make one last stop before entering the River, in order to first secure some extra gold and experience through the Gromp, which may take a bit to slay, returning plenty of resources if executed.
Once more, make sure to slay the Scuttler as effectively as possible, with the proper use of the “flee” mechanic and Smite, before targeting either Top or Mid with a gank, depending on your Blood Hunt’s status.
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Best Tips and Tricks for Warwick
- Warwick’s Q, Jaws of the Beast has two mechanics new players forget about. First, the dash and bite from Q applies on-hit effects, working flawlessly with an early Sheen if built towards Divine Sunderer. Secondly, by holding on to Q, the Uncaged Wrath of Zaun locks onto the target, swinging towards their far side, ideal for repositioning yourself in order to aim Primal Howl’s (E) fear.
- Since Blood Hunt (W) allows you to chase down opponents from the very beginning, and its Passive is continuously active, make sure to clear and limit the enemy vision line as much as possible through Control Wards and Sweepers. This way, enemies will be less likely to expect you charging towards them to finish the kill, increasing the odds of success.
- Primal Howl (E) reduces incoming damage by an impressive 55% when maxed out, making it ideal for team fights when you need to soak up a lot of damage for your team, before recasting it to activate the “flee” effect.
- Lastly, Infinite Duress (R) also applies on-hit effects for a total of 3 times, and the range on its leap is also determined by Warwick’s current movement speed, holding up the reasons for taking Celerity and Waterwalking as the secondary Runes.
Finalizing Thoughts
The Uncaged Wrath of Zaun is one of those champions which demands players to get into the role, restlessly hunting their opponents across the Map, following the scent of blood. For many, this is the definition of a well-designed character, giving new depths to the gameplay experience.
Throughout the game, Warwick is tasked with dominating the Map, being present wherever there are low Health enemies, getting the most out of his Blood Hunt (W) ability. This is easier to accomplish during the earlier stages of the game, as the enemy team is less likely to group up. If your opponents happen to still roam in isolation during the late game, Warwick can punish those decisions by taking the 1v1, which he’s likely to win.
As most games go, once both teams start grouping up, Warwick’s impact slightly diminishes, but the Uncaged Wrath of Zaun can still find fight-turning plays through the proper use of his Primal Howl (E) and Ultimate ability, breaking up the cluster of enemies for his team to clean up.
Blood Hunt will provide plenty of utility throughout the game, as players can detect opponents trying to take major objectives such as Drake or Baron. The amount of information provided by W during a regular game is rather impressive, and what players choose to do with that information is what separates great Warwick carries from the rest.
That being said, we will now conclude our Jungle route and clearing guide on Warwick, the Uncaged Wrath of Zaun, urging all readers to keep a keen eye out on our website, where we regularly upload more League-related content!
