High Elo Vi Jungle Path – The Best Jungle Routes for Vi in Season 12

Vi has recently resurged as a popular pick in the Jungle. And rightfully so. She’s mighty, mobile, and potent, being able to control the entire game singlehandedly. Of course, this power will drop off in the higher divisions, but most of you don’t care about that. 

In the current pre-Season patch, Vi enjoys a comfortable S+ tier position and is widely regarded as one of the best Junglers you can play right now. There are many ways of playing Vi in the Jungle, and it can be tedious to learn it all by just playing the game. 

Sometimes, you need a helping hand. That’s what this guide is all about. 

We will help you figure out the best paths to take with Vi and utilize her kit completely. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a deeper understanding of Vi’s Jungle gameplay and likely use said knowledge to win some games and get that juicy LP. 

So, with the introduction out of the way, let’s begin with our guide. 

The Best Runes for Vi 

Hail of Blades and Electrocute are almost equal in terms of viability. However, I do recommend taking Hail of Blades for a more exciting and aggressive playstyle. 

Sudden Impact is an excellent choice due to its bonus damage after each Q you use. 

Eyeball Collection – free damage, easy to stack. 

Relentless Hunter – movement speed is arguably the best stat in the game, especially for an omnipresent Jungler. 

Coup de Grace, Legend: Tenacity (against CC) or Legend: Alacrity (bonus attack speed)

The Best Items for Vi

You should do the regular Jungle starter item, whichever you prefer. However, we recommend the Blue one (excluding some tough matchups like Udyr, Kayn, Trundle, etc.) Apart from that, you can get a Refillable Potion or opt for a Control Ward and a Health Potion, whichever you find suitable for your matchup. 

Your first back will be at around 750 – 850 gold, where you’ll mostly be getting Boots, Sheen or Kindlegem as your item, accompanied with a Control Ward or some other low item if you have the gold to spare. 

The completed build will be Divine Sunderer, Mercury or Plated Boots, Sterak’s Gage, Thornmail, Guardian, and Wit’s End. 

Another build: Trinity Force, Mercury or Plated Boots, Sterak’s Gage, Death’s Dance, Guardian, and Chempunk Chainsword. 

Of course, there are some situational items that you can grab, such as Ionian Boots, Black Cleaver, Youmuu’s, and the like. 

Recommended Skill Build

Your skill order should always begin with your W. Following that, you’ll be leveling your E and then, finally, your Q. Your first max can be either your Q or E, whichever is most required at the moment. Maxing your Q will give you access to more mobility, and your E is more focused on dealing damage. 

You have the right to choose. You can’t make much of a mistake either way. 

The Best Jungle Paths for Vi 

You should be in the Jungle when all of the former is said and done. Depending on various factors around the Map, such as the position of the enemy Jungler, which side you spawned on, what your team wants to do, etc., you’ll be opting for different Jungle paths. 

In the following, we will be covering all the Jungle paths, of which there are four – two for each side of the Map. So, let’s begin, shall we?

Red Side, Red Clear

Red Buff Clear is the best clear of all because it provides you with a lot of flexibility. It is also the most efficient when it comes to your decision-making. The Red Buff itself gives you extra damage and the ability to slow enemies when attacking them, which is undoubtedly a great tool to have if you want to gank. 

Starting Red allows you to quickly invade the enemy’s Blue Buff if you can confidently discern that they are on their respective Red Buff Area. Doing the Red Buff clear also gives you easier access to level 3, and you’re likely to get it before the opposing Jungler. 

Kruggs are usually skipped since it saves time. This holds true especially in lower divisions, where you’ll have much more opportunities to create plays and get kills, so why waste time on some Jungle camps? 

Starting the Red Buff will give your Bot Lane extra leverage; they won’t be arriving solo or late to the Lane and will have the space to prepare an ambush for the enemy Bot. 

After clearing the Red Buff Area, you can move to the Blue Buff Area and fight both Gromp and the Blue Buff simultaneously, where you will be smiting Gromp for the heal. You should, therefore, save the Smite on the Red, instead of utilizing it for the mentioned Gromp and Blue fight, as well as the Scuttler. Since the Scuttler gives very low XP in the current meta, even using the Smite on the Red Buff isn’t that much of a mistake. 

After completing this clear, you will be moving into either Mid or Bot, whichever has the opening. If you can’t find a way to gank them, either go for an invade or recall and get some of the items in the order we’ve explained above. 

Of course, if the opportunity arises, you can immediately go for ganks and invasions after taking the Red Buff. It all depends on the situation. Keep in mind that if your Top Laner leashes you, the enemy will most likely know where your position is. 

Red Side, Blue Clear

This clear is slightly inefficient, mainly because your Bot Lane will be pulled and late to their Lane. This gives the enemies a chance to set up a trap in the river or in the Lane bushes. Having your Bot at a clear disadvantage is never a good idea. 

Apart from that, it is not much different from the previous clear, and the main difference is the lanes you will be visiting upon completing the clear. 

Since you’re starting at the Blue Buff, you won’t have the chance to fight both Gromp and the Blue Buff simultaneously, which immediately will lag you for a little bit. The longer you take to finish the clear, the more time the enemy has to gank/invade your Jungle. 

It is a run-of-the-mill type of clear, kill all the camps you can and go visit either Mid or Bot by the time you’re done. The smites are indicated in the picture above. However, you should be saving the smite on the Scuttler since it has become quite useless in terms of XP. Keeping the Smite around can help you clear an enemy camp faster or go for an early Drake. 

After you complete the clear, you’ll either go back or gank, whichever the situation allows for. I recommend you go back and re-enter the game much more robust and more confident. I do not recommend you take this route as an alternative to the previous one. 

Blue Side, Red Clear

Like with the Blue Side, this is the preferred way of playing Vi. Taking the Red Buff, especially when sporting the Hail of Blades rune, will give you much more flexibility and options to choose from. Vi is an aggressive Jungler, and she should be played aggressively. The Red Buff is all about aggression and offense, and you should be utilizing it to the fullest. 

Everything else stands true, like with the Blue Side. The critical difference is the lanes that are in focus after completing the clear. Instead of Bot, you’ll be roaming into the Top Lane. Of course, if there’s no way of doing so, recall is your best bet. If Bot Lane has an opening, you should pay them a visit if you can. 

There’s not much else to say if I don’t want to repeat myself ten times over. 

Blue Side, Blue Clear

The inefficiency of staring Blue with Vi carries over from the Red into the Blue Side. Like with the previous path, everything remains the same apart from the Lane in focus. Instead of Top, you’ll now be setting your sights at Bot Lane after completing the clear. 

I recommend you don’t start Blue with Vi. There are very few instances where this has the same efficiency as the Red Buff Clear. Honestly, I can’t even remember a single instance where it would be a preferable path to take. 

Of course, that’s up to you to wager, and we’re just here to explain. 

Finalizing Thoughts

Vi is one of the greatest and oldest Junglers in League of Legends. She was amazing the day she was released and remains so even today. She seems to get something new and exciting added to each patch to her playstyle. The new items and systems have really changed the game up in different ways, and Vi has benefited from them. 

She is super interesting, fun, and exciting to play, and I highly recommend you do so. The single best path is the Red Buff Clear, on both sides respectively. You shouldn’t be paying too much attention to the Blue Buff Clears. However, they can have some implementation depending on the never-ending situations that League throws at players. 

Whichever path you choose, one thing is for sure – Vi is excellent, and you will have tons of fun with her. I hope this guide helped you out and wish you all the best in your battles on the Summoner’s Rift. 

These guides take time and effort to make, so leave feedback to help us improve them. Keep a keen eye out on our website for more League of Legends-related content such as guides, lists, and articles. I highly recommend you to check out Xin Zhao’s jungle path guide next!