Introduction
League of Legends has numerous objectives, and some of them can even turn the tides of the match. Whether the early game, mid game, or late game, objectives in the game will help your team tremendously. Two of the most important objectives in League of Legends reside in the top side pit, which is located on the exact opposite of the Dragon pit side. Here is a guide that teaches all about Baron Nashor and the Rift Herald in League of Legends.
Baron Nashor and Rift Herald Spawn Mechanics
Baron Nashor and Rift Herald spawn for a certain duration like the Dragon. Both of these objectives spawn in the top side pit (Baron) of Summoner’s Rift. The Rift Herald spawns up to two times per match. Its initial spawn time of the Rift Herald is 8 minutes, and the second one will spawn after 6 minutes. This neutral monster will only spawn for a second time when the first one is killed before 13:45. The Rift Herald will permanently despawn at 19:45 or 19:55 when in combat. On the other hand, Baron Nashor exactly spawns at 20 minutes and respawns every 6 minutes after the hand of Baron buff expires.
Either way, you can view the respawn timers for both of these objectives on the scoreboard. It is a great habit to keep track of these respawn timers, whatever your role is. However, since the top lane and jungle are on the upper side of the map, they should always know when the Rift Herald will be spawning and be the ones always taking priority on that side of the map to get these objectives.
Baron Nashor and Rift Herald: The Benefits Of Taking The Rift Herald
Like the Dragon, The Rift Herald is one of the early game objectives that need to be prioritized to get the maximum lead and benefits. However, unlike the Dragon, the rift herald does not give a permanent buff, but it pushes towers quickly. Once killed, it will drop the Eye of the Herald at the entrance of the pit and will grant the holder empowered recall and the ability to summon the Rift Herald to push a lane. It is not an exaggeration that this monster will demolish towers. There was even a time in pro play where it reached the nexus without getting killed. 
If you did not know it yet, the Rift Herald would receive tons of damage when it gets attacked from behind (the location of the huge eye). So if you are trying to kill it, make sure that you are attacking its weak spot at all times. Also, the level of the Rift Herald varies from the levels of the champion in Summoner’s Rift, and of course, the higher the level, it will have bigger health and damage.
Using The Rift Herald Optimally
After learning about the advantages and tips for slaying the herald, the next thing that you should know is how to use it optimally. This is a mistake that many low elo players make, and using the Rift Herald requires planning, unlike the Dragon. Ideally, the first rift herald is the more important compared to the second one because it will collect plates and give your laners a chance to recover from a deficit or give a bigger lead.
Your team should decide on who will receive the Eye of the Herald. One tip is checking who can be the hard carry on the team, whether the mid lane, bottom lane, or top lane. However, the eye is usually given to the top lane because it is isolated and the easiest one to gank. If you are the jungler, you can get the Eye of the Herald and try to gank the bot lane if you want to give a lead to your bottom laners.
The Rift Herald will kill enemy minions, so it would be best to kill the enemy laner first and shove the minions until the Rift Herald can freely attack the tower. A great second thing to consider is whether your team can get the first tower and the amount of turret plates that your team can collect. Turret platings and the first tower give tons of gold, and getting these will provide a huge advantage to the whole team! Remember to use the Rift Herald before the turret plates fall because it is a huge missed chance if you fail to do so!
As mentioned previously, the second Rift Herald has different optimal usage. Getting the second one means that a team has already gotten the first turret and all the turret plates, making the usage of this objective slightly different. Usually, the second Rift Herald is used to take up more space on the map. For example, if your team wants to open up the mid lane more to get map control in the enemy team’s jungle and have extra pressure when taking the Dragon, then it is probably a great thing to use the second Eye of the Herald in the middle lane. The second Rift Herald is also useful for team comps that have weak siege champions because they will be able to take towers much easier.
Additional Tips When Taking The Rift Herald
Most of the time, teams will try to exchange The Rift Herald and The Dragon, so when is the recommended time to prioritize one or the other? Most players will tell you that the Dragon is the most important early objective in the game. However, this is not the case because it can be argued that the Rift Herald is more important when no team has gotten the turret plates or first tower yet.
There are times when you should trade the Dragon for the Rift Herald or vice versa. Usually, the Dragon buff that will help your team more will be more important compared to the Rift Herald. For example, the current Dragon in the pit is an infernal, and your team is heavy damage based, so prioritizing it is probably the optimal way. However, take note that the Rift Herald will give tons of gold when you collect plates and the first tower, so decide what your team wants more.
As a jungler, you can also try killing the Rift Herald before the enemy team kills the Dragon, which is a basic concept of “trading.” This will give you more time to push the top lane with the Rift Herald since it is easier to kill compared to the Dragon.
Additionally, the Dragon is much more important compared to the second Rift Herald, so make sure to prioritize it during the mid game. However, you may need to exchange the Dragon for the second Rift Herald on several occasions when your team needs the additional lane control instead of the permanent buff that the Dragon provides.
Baron Nashor and Rift Herald: The Benefits Of Taking Baron Nashor
In League of Legends, Baron Nashor is one of the most crucial late game objectives. The buff that it gives, Hand of Baron, is extremely beneficial for the whole team. The Hand of Baron provides additional attack damage and ability power, empowered recall, and an aura that strengthens nearby enemy minions by a lot. The siege potential of the Baron Nashor is unmatched and should be prioritized by teams that want to take towers and inhibitors during the late game or mid game. Take note that the Hand of Baron is not a permanent buff, so make sure that your team uses it correctly to get the most out of it.
The Baron Nashor deals a lot of damage to enemies that are placed at the back of the pit, so it is best to kill it while keeping a distance and positioning it at the entrance of the pit. Not only that, but this monster’s health, damage, and health regen increases as the game go on, making it harder for any team to slay it in a short amount of time.
Using Baron Nashor Optimally
The Hand of Baron is a team buff, so it should be used as a team to get the most value possible. Since it is a siege buff, your team should be spread evenly around the map and to destroy towers simultaneously. The top lane should also be split pushing, given that he has his teleport ready to not miss the team fight happening across the map. Given that the whole team is spread around the map, everyone in the team should be keeping a safe distance to prevent the enemy team from engaging. Prioritizing towers and inhibitors is the best way of using the Hand of Baron buff optimally. When the Hand of Baron is active, the recommended lane composition is either 1-4, 1-3-1, or 1-2-2 to get the most pressure on the map.
As a team that has the Hand of Baron, always remember that it is not worth it to engage in risky plays since this will result in your team losing the fight and losing the buff. When sieging with the Hand of Baron, remember that patience is key. When the enemy has the Hand of Baron and is playing perfectly and patiently, it is nearly impossible for a team to stop the siege.
Additional Tips When Taking Baron Nashor
Like the Dragon and Rift Herald, there are times when trading is necessary to prevent a huge loss. The usual objective to trade with Baron Nashor is the Elder Dragon. Now, this is a really close matchup and relies on what your team needs in the late game. The Elder Dragon is the best objective when it comes to team fighting prowess, but Baron Nashor will provide unmatched siege powers for the whole team.
If your team is really behind when it comes to map control, then all of you should be prioritizing Baron Nashor. On the other hand, the Elder Dragon will be the better choice if you are behind in team fighting capabilities. Still, it is great to decide whether to trade or challenge a monster objective.
Another tip is to recall once you kill the baron. Going back to base and buying items is a great way of using the buff to its full potential. Having the best items and full health will make split pushing easier for the whole team. Not only that, but recalling is also much faster because of the empowered recall that the Hand of Baron grants to its holders.
Also, make sure that your team protects the cannon minion when pushing with the Hand of Baron buff. Empowered cannon minions call damage towers in a range where the towers cannot reach and damage them, forcing enemy champions to take fights or overextend just to destroy cannon minions.
There will surely be a time when the enemy has the Elder Dragon buff (Aspect of the Dragon), and your team has the Hand of Baron. Never initiate a team fight with them, spread the whole team around the map, and split push to force them to defend their base. Your team will never win against a team with the Aspect of the Dragon unless you are exceptionally ahead. The Hand of Baron lasts longer than the Aspect of the Dragon, so make sure to use this in your favor, siege towers and make smart plays. On the other hand, when the situation is reversed, force to get picks and force team fights when your team has the Aspect of the Dragon. However, it will be a hard time to defend against a team with the Hand of Baron, who is extremely coordinated and disciplined. Nevertheless, this will all come down to how both teams strategize and use the late game buffs in their favor, so make sure to make smart plays and coordinate with your team to have that sweet victory!
That was all you needed to know about Baron Nashor and the Rift Herald in League of Legends. These two are really important objectives in the game, but they are tough to kill. Make sure to play with your team to kill these neutral monsters and use it wisely to have the most lead possible. Apply all the tips above to lead your team to victory and destroy the enemy team with ease!
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