For millions of League of Legends players around the world, jungle camps are part of the daily grind—cleared, smited, and often forgotten. But among the Gromps and Raptors lies one of the game’s most distinctive and strategically misunderstood camps: the Krugs.
Mentioned frequently by junglers in guides, patch notes, and champion clear discussions, Krug has become a term synonymous with both opportunity and annoyance. But what exactly does “Krug” mean in League of Legends, and why does this rocky camp deserve a closer look?
What Are Krugs in League of Legends?
In League of Legends, Krugs are a neutral monster camp located in the jungle, near each team’s bot lane and top lane depending on side. The camp consists of two rock-like creatures—the Ancient Krug and the Krug—that split into smaller versions when defeated, creating a potential total of up to 10 units if fully cleared.
The name “Krug” doesn’t stand for anything specific—it’s simply the designation Riot Games gave to this unique jungle camp when they redesigned jungle monsters in 2014–2015 to better suit modern gameplay flow.
The Krug camp is unlike any other in the jungle due to its splitting mechanic. Typically, the Ancient Krug splits into smaller Krugs, which can then split further:
- Ancient Krug – The largest monster; splits into:
- Krug and often one or more Medium Krugs
- Medium Krug – May split into: 2 Mini Krugs
- Krug – May split into: 2 Mini Krugs
When fully cleared, the Krug camp provides a significant amount of gold and experience compared to other single jungle camps, but only if all the split units are killed. This makes it valuable—but time-consuming.
Why Krugs Matter for Junglers
Krugs are a key part of a jungler’s strategy, particularly in the early game. Here’s why they’re important:
- High XP and gold value: Fully clearing Krugs gives strong early momentum.
- Respawn timer advantage: If cleared early, Krugs can be on cooldown while you control other areas, increasing efficiency.
- Control tool: Stealing the enemy’s Krugs can disrupt their jungle tempo.
However, the Krug camp takes longer to clear than other camps—especially for champions with weak area-of-effect (AoE) damage or slow early clears. This has led to patch adjustments and even Krug “skipping” in certain metas.
Champions Who Excel at Clearing Krugs
Junglers with strong AoE damage and sustain tend to clear Krugs most effectively. These include:
- Amumu – AoE burn and tantrum reset help shred the camp.
- Graves – Shotgun spread and kiting make Krugs relatively quick.
- Diana – Passive splash and Q-W combo do well against clusters.
- Nocturne – Passive heals and quick AoE clear work in his favor.
Meanwhile, single-target-heavy junglers (like Warwick or Elise) often avoid or delay Krug clears unless they need the full XP value or are farming toward a power spike.
Krugs in Competitive and High-ELO Play
In high-level play, Krugs are often seen as a tempo tax—valuable, but inefficient if your champion can’t clear them quickly. That’s why many pro junglers incorporate Krugs only when they can spare the time or when they want to min-max jungle efficiency on their side of the map.
Additionally, stealing enemy Krugs is a subtle but powerful play, denying gold and XP and forcing inefficient pathing from the opposing jungler.
Patch History and Krug Adjustments
Over the years, Riot has nerfed, buffed, and restructured Krugs multiple times to balance jungle pacing and clear dynamics:
- Preseason 2021: Riot made adjustments aimed at influencing the time it took to clear Krugs and the value gained.
- Subsequent updates: XP and gold values, as well as monster health and behavior, have been periodically rebalanced to tune jungle efficiency and discourage overly repetitive or dominant strategies centered around the camp.
- Current (2025): Krugs remain a high-reward camp that requires a significant time investment to clear fully, influencing early pathing and jungle optimization.
Final Thoughts: A Camp Worth Mastering
While Krugs may seem like just another jungle camp, they play a subtle but important role in the rhythm of a jungler’s game. Choosing when to clear—or ignore—them can influence tempo, gank timing, and long-term resource control.
So the next time your jungler pings “clearing Krugs” instead of ganking your lane, know this: they’re not ignoring you—they’re making a calculated decision that could impact the game.
Written by:
Christian