Roaming is one of the most high-risk, high-reward strategies in League of Legends. While it offers the chance to influence other lanes and quickly snowball a game, a poorly timed roam can cost you gold, experience, and even your turret. Success hinges entirely on finding the optimal moment to leave your lane, minimizing your losses while maximizing your presence elsewhere.
The universal rule for a good roam, regardless of your role, is to push your minion wave under the enemy tower first. This action denies the enemy laner gold and experience, forcing them to focus on last-hitting under the turret. Crucially, it causes the wave to “bounce back” or reset toward your side, securing your safety and minimizing the resources you lose while gone.
Roam Windows by Role
Mid Lane
Mid laners are the most frequent roamer, given their central location. The best times for a Mid laner to roam are:
- After Pushing the Wave: This is the core rule. With the enemy laner preoccupied or forced to recall, you have a window to move.
- Opponent Has Recalled or Died: If your opponent is off the map, you can freely roam without fear of counter-shoving or losing plate gold.
- Visible Vulnerability: Look for a side lane that is pushed up, low on health, or where a skirmish has just started near the river. Champions with high mobility should take unconventional, unwarded routes to maximize the element of surprise.
Support
Supports have the most flexibility since they don’t rely on last-hitting. Roam strategically to protect your Attack Damage Carry (ADC):
- ADC Safety is Guaranteed: Only roam if your ADC is safe, either farming under the turret or has just recalled. Do not leave your ADC in a vulnerable 2v1 situation when the enemy wave is pushing towards them.
- Bot Lane Pressure is Low: If the enemy Bot Laners have been forced to back or are generally weak, it’s a good time to leave.
- Upon Recalling: Instead of walking straight back to the Bot Lane after buying items, use the opportunity to walk through the Mid Lane or Jungle for a quick gank attempt.
Top Lane
Top laners roam the least due to the long distance to other lanes, making their roams higher risk. Their key roaming tools are:
- Teleport (Summoner Spell): This is the primary way a Top laner influences the map. Use it to instantly join a Dragon fight, protect a turret, or turn a skirmish in the Bot or Mid Lane.
- Ultimate Spells: After successfully pushing a lane, a Top laner may walk toward the Mid Lane or use a powerful ultimate (like Galio’s Hero’s Entrance or Shen’s Stand United) to swing a crucial engagement.
The Decision-Making Checklist
Before leaving your lane, always quickly scan the map and run through these checks:
- Ally Safety: Is my lane partner safe, or am I creating a costly 1v2 situation for them?
- Potential Gain: Can my presence lead to a kill, burn a key enemy summoner spell, or secure an objective (like a Dragon or Rift Herald)?
- Enemy Visibility: Are the enemy Jungler and Mid Laner visible? Roaming blind can easily lead to a deadly counter-gank.
- Wave State: Have I successfully pushed my wave to minimize my gold/XP loss?
In essence, a successful roam is a calculated risk. It requires combining an understanding of wave management and ally safety with decisive action to shift the advantage in an entirely different part of the map. Correctly-timed roams are what separate good players from great ones.
Written by:
Christian