Jungle Pathing Routes & 3-Camp Ganks for Every Meta Champ

Jungle pathing in Season 14 is all about tempo control and early game pressure. While full clears can give you level advantages, the 3-camp gank strategy often wins games by applying pressure when your laners need it most. Here's your complete guide to mastering both approaches for every meta jungler.

TL;DR - Quick Reference

3-Camp Gank Timing: Level 3 at 2:45-3:00
Best Gankers: Jarvan IV, Xin Zhao, Graves, Elise
Full Clear Junglers: Graves, Karthus, Lillia, Hecarim
Key Principle: Match your route to your champion's strengths and win conditions

Understanding Season 14 Jungle Meta

The current jungle meta rewards early aggression and objective control. With the durability update settled and new items providing clear power spikes, you need to know when to farm and when to fight.

Core Meta Shifts:

• Faster jungle respawn timers favor aggressive junglers
• Scuttle crab value increased (85g → 120g)
• First Herald spawns at 8:00 (down from 8:30)
• Jungle pets scale better with early kills/assists

3-Camp Gank Routes by Champion Type

Power Farming Junglers (Graves, Karthus, Lillia)

These champions excel at full clears but can still execute effective 3-camp ganks when opportunities arise. Your goal is reaching level 4 before your first back.

Standard Full Clear Route:

• Red/Blue → Krugs/Gromp → Raptors/Wolves → Blue/Red → Gromp/Krugs → Scuttle
• Timing: 3:15 for full clear
• Back timing: After scuttle (1300-1400g)

3-Camp Gank Option:

• Red → Krugs → Raptors → Gank mid/bot
• Blue → Gromp → Wolves → Gank mid/top
• Only take this route if your laner has kill pressure or enemy overextends

Early Game Gankers (Jarvan IV, Xin Zhao, Elise)

Your bread and butter. These champions thrive on the 3-camp gank pattern and should prioritize lanes over camps in most scenarios.

Red Side 3-Camp Gank:

• Red buff → Krugs → Raptors → Gank mid or bot lane
• Alternative: Red → Raptors → Krugs (if raptors spawn closer to your gank target)
• Timing: Level 3 at 2:45, gank window 2:45-3:15

Blue Side 3-Camp Gank:

• Blue buff → Gromp → Wolves → Gank top or mid lane
• Alternative: Blue → Wolves → Gromp (prioritize wolves if ganking mid)
• Timing: Level 3 at 2:45, optimal gank window before enemy jungle arrives

Hybrid Junglers (Graves, Hecarim, Viego)

These champions can adapt their pathing based on game state. Start with 3-camps if you see gank opportunities, transition to full clears if lanes are ungankable.

Adaptive Route Decision Tree:

• Scan lanes at 2:30 (after 2 camps)
• Gankable lane visible → Execute 3-camp gank
• No opportunities → Complete full clear to level 4
• Counter-jungle opportunity → Invade after your 3 camps

Champion-Specific Route Optimization

Graves - The Tempo Controller

Graves uniquely can execute both strategies effectively due to his fast clear speed and strong dueling.

Optimal Routes:

• Full Clear: Red → Krugs → Raptors → Blue → Gromp → Wolves → Scuttle (3:10)
• 3-Camp Gank: Red → Krugs → Raptors → Gank → Transition to enemy blue side
• Counter Path: Mirror enemy jungler, arrive 15 seconds after for easy invade

Key Tips:

• Use E-Auto-Q combo on each camp for maximum efficiency
• Always path toward river for scuttle priority
• Your level 3 is stronger than most junglers - contest if needed

Jarvan IV - The Gank Machine

J4's early game power spikes hard at level 3 with full combo availability.

Signature Route:

• Red → Krugs → Raptors → Gank bot lane with EQ-Flash combo
• Blue → Gromp → Wolves → Gank top with EQ over wall
• Post-gank: Always look for immediate follow-up ganks or invades

Combo Timing:

• EQ available every 10 seconds at level 3
• Flash-EQ range: 765 units (longer than most escape abilities)
• Hold EQ if enemy has flash - force it with positioning first

Elise - The Early Pressure Queen

Elise's level 3 power spike with full spider form combo makes her ganks nearly guaranteed kills.

Power Route:

• Red → Raptors → Krugs → Gank (prioritize lanes without flash)
• Blue → Wolves → Gromp → Gank (top lane over-wall ganks)
• Always start red side for stronger level 3

Execution Keys:

• Human E (Cocoon) has 1075 range - use bushes for surprise
• Spider Q → W → R → Q combo deals 60% of squishy health at level 3
• Rappel (Spider E) for tower dives or dodging key abilities

Advanced Pathing Concepts

Counter-Pathing Fundamentals

Reading enemy jungle routes lets you steal camps, secure objectives, or set up counter-ganks.

Prediction Framework:

• Enemy starts opposite side → They'll be at your red/blue at 3:00
• Enemy ganks at 3:00 → Their opposite side jungle is free
• Enemy recalls early → Steal their respawning camps

Common Counter-Routes:

• They 3-camp gank → You full clear + steal their remaining camps
• They full clear → You 3-camp gank + control river
• They recall early → Invade + place deep wards

Lane State Reading

Your pathing decisions should respond to lane states, not just your preferred route.

Gankable Lane Indicators:

• Enemy pushed past river with no vision
• Your laner has crowd control or gap closers ready
• Enemy has key abilities on cooldown (tracked through recent trades)
• Lane is slow-pushing toward your team

Ungankable Lane Signs:

• Heavy enemy vision control
• Your laner is low health/mana
• Enemy has escape abilities available + flash
• Lane is hard-pushing away from your gank angle

Execution and Timing Windows

Perfect Gank Timing

The 2:45-3:15 window is crucial because it hits before enemy wards expire and before their jungler can counter-gank.

Timing Checklist:

• Arrive at 2:45 (right as initial wards expire)
• Your laner should have abilities available
• Enemy laners haven't recalled yet (still have starting items)
• Enemy jungler is on opposite side of map

Post-Gank Decision Making

What you do after a successful gank often matters more than the gank itself.

Priority Order:

1. Successful kill → Push wave + back/steal enemy jungle
2. Burned summoners → Ward + return in 60 seconds
3. Failed gank → Don't force - transition to full clear
4. Counter-gank incoming → Disengage immediately unless you win 2v2

Meta Champion Tier List

S-Tier (Patch 14.6)

• Graves: Versatile, strong dueling, fast clear
• Jarvan IV: Reliable ganks, team fight utility
• Elise: Strongest early game, tower dive potential

A-Tier

• Xin Zhao: Excellent 3-camp ganks, good scaling
• Hecarim: Strong after first item, game-changing ultimate
• Viego: High skill ceiling, team fight resets

B-Tier

• Karthus: Late game insurance, requires team coordination
• Lillia: Fast clear but vulnerable early game

Remember: tier lists change with patches, but mastering these fundamental pathing concepts will keep you ahead regardless of meta shifts. Focus on reading the game state and adapting your route to create maximum pressure where your team needs it most.