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Last-hitting is dealing the killing blow on a minion so you earn its gold, and farming under tower is the same skill with the turret doing part of the damage. Learn how many hits each minion type takes and you can count instead of guess, which is how you stop leaving gold behind.
What it is
A minion's gold goes to the champion who lands the killing blow, so a hit that leaves it alive earns nothing. Your auto-attack has a windup before the damage lands, and a ranged attack also has a projectile in flight. You must start the attack slightly before the minion is low enough to die, so that the damage arrives at the right moment.
Siege minions are worth much more than melee and caster minions, so never miss one. When two minions are close to dying, take the more valuable one first. You can also last-hit with abilities when an auto-attack is not available, and some champions get extra rewards for it.
Under a turret the damage is shared. The turret targets siege minions first, then melee, then casters, and it shoots the closest of its top priority. In the early game a melee minion can take two turret shots and then one champion attack to die, and a ranged minion can take one champion attack, one turret shot, and another champion attack. These are early-game patterns for minions that are not damaged by anything else, so treat them as a guide and check them with your own damage.
Outside ranked, Riot lets you turn on a last-hit indicator in the settings under Health and Resource Bars, named Show Last Hit Assist. It is useful for practice, but it is not available in ranked queues, so learn the counts as well.
How to do it
- Learn how many autos each minion takes
In the Practice Tool, hit melee, caster and siege minions and count how many of your attacks each takes to kill. Do it again after every item, because your damage changes the count and the timing that worked on your old item will now miss.
- Watch the health bar, not the minion
Keep your eyes on the minion's health bar. When one more auto will kill it, start the attack. For melee champions the damage lands at the end of the windup, so start slightly early. For ranged champions allow for the projectile travel too.
- Don't touch a minion until it is dying
Minions in front of the enemy line take damage from the other minions, so you can often wait. Do not hit a minion early just to pull it down: partial damage ruins your count, and it pushes the wave toward the enemy.
- Count turret shots under your own tower
Under your own turret, let the turret's shots do the work and take the last hit. For a melee minion that is two turret shots and then your attack. Count the shots instead of guessing, and remember that the turret targets melee before casters.
- Count turret shots under the enemy tower
At the enemy turret, only go in range once the wave has pushed there. Let the turret shoot first and take only the final hit. For a ranged minion, the commonly taught pattern is one auto, one turret shot, another auto.
- Use abilities and checks to fill gaps
If an auto will not kill, use a cheap ability that does, and prioritize the siege minion. Each wave, glance at what you missed and why, then adjust.
Watch it
What to watch for: The video is split into five concepts at 0:45, 2:23, 2:59, 4:57 and 6:29, so follow each one in order.
Video: Give Me 9 Minutes and I’ll Make You Farm Like Chovy — Coach Mysterias
Common mistakes
- You auto-attack every minion to be safe. Each extra hit weakens the minion, ruins the count and shifts the push. Hit to kill.
- You keep the same timing after buying an item. More attack damage changes how many hits each minion takes, so recount.
- You hit the wrong minion under tower. The turret shoots melee before casters, so a caster beside a melee minion will not take shots first. Check which minion the turret is firing at.
- You miss the siege minion. It is the most valuable minion in the wave, so take it even if it costs a smaller minion.
- You trade with the enemy champion while you should be farming. A poke that draws minion aggro costs more gold in missed minions than the damage is worth.
Practice drill
- In the Practice Tool with minions on, spend ten minutes hitting only minions. Aim to miss nothing in the first two waves, then repeat with a ranged champion.
- After each game, check your CS at ten minutes. A common benchmark is about 60, six a minute, and replay the lane to count what you left to die rather than guessing.