Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more

A minion in League of Legends is an autonomous lane unit that periodically leaves a team’s Nexus, travels toward the enemy Nexus, attacks enemy units and structures, and can be killed for gold. Minions are the clockwork of every lane: they determine when you can safely last-hit, trade, recall, roam, or pressure a turret.

There are four standard types—melee, caster, cannon (also called siege), and super minions. Their durability, attack range, gold value, experience value, and effect on turrets differ. The exact numbers change with patches, so the figures below are identified by Riot’s Patch 26.1 or 26.9 rules rather than presented as permanent constants.

What a minion is and why it matters

Minions spawn from each team’s Nexus and follow the three lanes toward the opposing base. They do not need player commands. When they encounter enemy minions, champions, or structures, they select targets and attack according to the game’s unit rules. A group that leaves the Nexus together is a wave.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

A wave gives both teams a predictable set of jobs. The player who deals the killing blow to an enemy minion receives that minion’s gold. Nearby allied and enemy minions also create a moving zone in which champions can trade, hide behind front-line units, or threaten a turret. Because waves arrive repeatedly, lane control is largely the art of deciding which minions die, where the surviving units meet, and when the next group will arrive.

#1 Best Overall
Sale
Compressed Air Duster,130000RPM Super Power Cordless Air Duster,Rechargeable Brushless Blower,3 Gear Adjustable Blower with LED Light,Dust Remover for Computer/House/Outdoor/Car
  • Powerful Turbo Fan:CAGIWIRU Electric Air Duster have reached speed up to 130000RPM,Can efficient remove dust and debris.With LED light and Three Adjustable Speed to meet with different cleaning tasks.
  • With Attached USB C Fasting Charging cable.Charing 3 hours,Enjoy up to 240 minutes of use on the lowest setting, For third speed can use for 25mins.with four charging options to meet with your needs.
  • Wide Application: attached 5 different nozzles,making it suitable for a variety of scenes, such as car,pet, pc, keyboards, and other electronic devices. It also serves for office and home clean duster.
  • Handy Design & Portable:Cordless air duster electric nozzle is Light weight and small size, design and comfortable to hold and space saving, convenient to carry around. You can put it in your room or inside the car without taking up space.
  • Economical &Reusable: Built durable materials with a long-lasting battery,our CAGIWIRU air duster it's a sustainable alternative to disposable air cans.

Riot described the purpose of the Patch 26.1 timing changes this way: “In order to create more windows for successful pushing, we’re increasing the rate of minion wave spawns in the mid and late game.” The same changes were intended to create push opportunities without allowing faster waves to inflate gold and experience without limit.

The four minion types

Type Primary job Combat profile Gold and special notes
Melee Front line and damage absorption Short-range, comparatively durable Patch 26.1 lists 20 gold; experience is 62 in that patch
Caster (ranged) Back-line damage Ranged attacks, less front-line protection Gold was unchanged in the cited Patch 26.1 excerpt; experience is 31 in that patch
Cannon (siege) High-value pressure, especially against turrets Special turret rules and time-based attack scaling 50 gold plus 1 every 90 seconds; experience is 75 in Patch 26.1
Super Empowered base-push pressure Stronger unit used in base-push situations Grouped with cannon gold: 50 plus 1 every 90 seconds; experience is 75 in Patch 26.1

The table is a patch snapshot, not a guarantee for every future season. Riot can change health, damage, attack speed, gold, experience, or targeting rules independently.

Melee minions

Melee minions form the front of a wave. Their short range means they must walk into combat, but their comparatively high durability lets them absorb attacks while casters fire from behind. A wave with more surviving melee units usually has more front-line time before its back line is exposed.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Patch 26.9 changed melee health scaling to 430 base health plus 35 every 90 seconds. That number belongs specifically to Patch 26.9’s rules; it should not be copied into a later stat guide without checking the live patch.

Caster minions

Caster minions are ranged damage dealers positioned behind the melee line. They can continue attacking while melee units occupy the front, so they are often the first back-line units a champion must reach when trying to clear a wave quickly. Their gold value was not specified in the cited Patch 26.1 excerpt, so an exact current amount should be taken from the live in-game or patch data rather than guessed.

Rank #2
EVEO® Screen Cleaner Spray Kit (Streak-Free) TV Screen Cleaner for Smart TV, Lcd, LEd, Oled | Computer Screen Cleaner Spray and Wipe Microfiber Cloth - TV, Monitor, Laptop, iPad, Car - 6.7oz 1 Pack
  • Screen Cleaner is Your Screen’s New Bestfriend! - EVEO is proud to present a screen cleaner that’s perfectly suited for your TV. Meet your new screen cleaner, computer screen cleaner, laptop cleaner, iPad cleaner, Macbook,tv cleaner or any other electronic device. Our screen cleaner spray and wipe along with the included plush microfiber cloth, easily removes dust, fingerprints & other smudges on the screen’s surface. Clean effectively for a streak-free screen
  • Gentle on your Screens - Our screen cleaner spray and wipes is compatible to be used even for the most sensitive LCD, LED, CRT, and OLED screens in proper use. Be at ease knowing that this product is compatible with all the major brands: LG, SONY, Samsung, Sharp, iPad, iPhone, Android screens, Kindle, PC monitors - we’ve got you covered! Can be used as LCD screen cleaner, tv cleaner, smart tv screen cleaner, and more
  • Premium Super Soft Plush Microfiber Cloth - Included in this efficient screen cleaning kit. This screen cleaner spray and wipe has our signature plush microfiber cloth specially designed to comply with screens and monitors and leave them streak-free. Has been shown to effectively absorbs stubborn stains, zero streaks, and no fiber shedding. Always use this together with our screen cleaner for the best results
  • Easy-to-Use Screen Cleaner Kit + microfiber cleaning cloth - The EVEO Screen Cleaning Kit will easily be your new favorite tool when it comes to taking care of the things you love most, quick and easy solution for a streak-free screen. Simply screw on the sprayer gun on the screen cleaner bottle. Spray the cleaning liquid onto the microfiber cloth, then wipe the screen until desired cleanliness & shine is achieved.
  • Quality Screen Care Kit Worth Purchasing - Enjoy a convenient Screen Cleaner anytime, anywhere you need it. Your satisfaction is our top priority. We stand behind the quality of our products and that’s why, you shouldn’t be worrying at all. We manufacture the Best Screen Cleaner. and can be used for laptop cleaning kit, laptop screen cleaner, tv screen cleaner for smart tv. MacBook screen cleaner, monitor cleaner or screen cleaner spray for electronic devices with microfiber cleaning cloth

Cannon or siege minions

A cannon minion is a higher-value siege unit with distinct turret behavior and attack scaling that changes over time. It is usually more important to protect when pushing and more important to remove when defending because it can make a wave substantially more threatening to a structure.

Patch 26.1 increased cannon damage to turrets to 84% under that patch’s rules and set cannon gold to 50 plus 1 gold every 90 seconds. The percentage is a turret-damage rule, not a claim that every cannon attack always removes 84% of a turret’s health.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Super minions

Super minions are empowered units used for base-push situations. They are not simply a stronger version of every ordinary wave; they are associated with the late-stage pressure created when a team is attacking an enemy base. Patch 26.1 set their base attack damage to 180 and grouped their gold with cannon minions at 50 plus 1 every 90 seconds. Their Patch 26.1 experience value is 75.

How often minion waves spawn

Wave timing is measured from the game clock and is governed by the live patch. Under Riot’s Patch 26.1 rules:

Game-time threshold Wave interval Composition change noted by Riot
At 14 minutes Every 25 seconds When a cannon appears on this cadence, one fewer melee minion spawns
At 30 minutes Every 20 seconds When a cannon appears on this cadence, one fewer caster minion spawns

The first cannon minion appears on wave 3. Do not assume that every later wave has an identical composition: cannon timing and the two late-game cadence changes alter the units present. Patch notes are the authority for the precise schedule after any balance update.

Rank #3
Sale
BladeHawks RGB Gaming Mouse Pad Extra Large Extended 31.5x12 Inch-Black | LED mouse pad with 14 lighting modes, covers keyboard & mouse, anti-slip rubber base, waterproof surface, USB powered
  • 【Large size】:Measuring 800 x 300 mm/ 31. 5×12 inches, which is wider and taller than others. Large mouse pad can perfectly fit your keyboard and mouse of any size, and there is also ample space for peripherals such as phones, tablets, etc.
  • 【LED backlight mouse pad】:Blade Hawks RGB mouse pad provides 7 static modes and 7 dynamic modes will give you the options you are looking for. Power-off memory function remembers the last lighting mode you selected. The super glow fiber Chroma will give you a colorful gaming setup that you want.
  • 【Anti-slip rubber base】:Made from Natural rubber, this gaming mousepad will firmly grip your desktop, allowing you to enjoy the ultimate precision in the games you are most passionate about. It also comes with a texture that enhances this ability even further.
  • 【Smooth and waterproof surface】: Micro-textured cloth surface, for extremely precise mouse control and a smooth movement. When liquid splashes on the gaming mouse pad, it forms water droplets and slides down. Will not delay your work or gameplay.
  • 【Plug and play】: This mouse and keyboard pad is powered by USB, plug and play, no driver required. One button control light modes. Press one time to change the lighting mode, press twice to change the brightness, press and hold about 3 seconds turn ON/OFF.

Faster late-game arrivals create more chances to push a lane, but they also shorten the time available to clear a wave before the next one reaches it. A missed wave therefore has a larger strategic cost in a 20-second cadence than it did earlier in the match.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Minion gold and experience

Gold comes from the last hit: the champion that delivers the killing blow to an enemy minion receives that minion’s gold. Simply damaging a minion, standing near it, or allowing an allied minion to kill it does not give the same last-hit credit. Experience is a separate system and is affected by proximity and sharing rules rather than by the last hit alone.

Unit Patch 26.1 gold information Patch 26.1 experience What to remember
Melee 20 gold 62 Reliable front-line last hits; value is patch-specific
Caster Unchanged in the cited Patch 26.1 excerpt 31 Use current game data for the exact gold amount
Cannon 50 + 1 every 90 seconds 75 High-value target and stronger turret pressure
Super 50 + 1 every 90 seconds 75 Base-push unit; shares the cannon gold rule in Patch 26.1

Patch 26.1 also revised shared-experience ratios. The cited notes establish that the ratios changed, but do not provide a single universal percentage for every sharing situation. Treat the listed 62, 31, and 75 values as the unit experience values in that patch, not as a promise of how much each champion receives when several allies are present.

Why last-hitting is important

Last-hitting converts a lane’s recurring units into a personal gold income. A champion can be winning trades yet fall behind if those trades cause missed minions. Conversely, a player who avoids unnecessary damage and secures the final hit can build items while taking fewer risks.

A practical last-hit sequence

  1. Watch the health bar, not your attack animation alone. Minions are taking damage from several sources, so the lethal moment moves as the wave changes.
  2. Account for allied minion damage. If your own wave is attacking a target, wait until one basic attack or spell will finish it instead of striking too early.
  3. Prioritize cannon minions. Their Patch 26.1 gold and experience values are higher than those of ordinary units, and losing one also removes a valuable siege attacker.
  4. Use abilities only when the trade-off is clear. A spell that secures several minions may be worthwhile; a spell that pushes the wave unintentionally can expose you to a gank or ruin a freeze.
  5. Track the next wave. Missing a low-health minion while chasing an opponent can cost more than the damage dealt by the chase, especially when waves arrive every 25 or 20 seconds later in the game.

Last-hitting is not only a mechanical exercise. It is also a timing decision: you are choosing whether to collect gold now, preserve a wave’s position, or spend your attention on a champion, ward, recall, or objective.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Rank #4
Sale
Vaydeer Wrist Rest for Keyboard and Mouse, Computer Ergonomic Wrist Support Pad, Soft Memory Foam Arm Cushion for Desk, Palm Hand Office Laptop Typing
  • 【Softer and More Comfortable】Vaydeer wrist rest has unique diamond pattern, which is the combination of softness and aesthetics. The materials of wrist rest are improved into higher quality memory foam and covered with silky smooth lycra. The computer wrist rest makes you as comfortable and cushiony as like rest your wrists on clouds.
  • 【Ergonomic Wrist Saver】The wrist rests for keyboard and mouse comes with a 17.32×3.15×0.83 inch keyboard wrist pad and a 5.94×3.15×0.83 inch mouse wrist support. Based on ergonomic design, the unique concave shape is the perfect fit for your wrist joints. The wrist rest pad fits most computer keyboards and laptops, improve hand and wrist posture, release your wrist and arm stress.
  • 【Non-Slip Rubber Bottom】Featuring an anti-skid silicone base on the bottom, this wrist keyboard support stays firmly in place on your desk, preventing the padding from sliding around, ensuring stable and consistent wrist support during extended computer sessions.
  • 【Better Experience & Pain Relief】Our keyboard arm rest is beneficial to alleviate the soreness caused by direct contact and friction between your arm and a hard desk surface, reducing the risk of wrist fatigue or carpal tunnel. The soft texture of memory foam can evenly distribute the pressure around your wrists and provide good support with just enough give.
  • 【Helpful in Multiple Scenarios】Whether you're working, studying, writing, typing, gaming, this keyboard and mouse rest combo is an essential accessory to add comfort and support to your hands and wrists. It’s also a great gift for men, women, family, friend, coworker, gamer, teacher, etc.

How players use waves to control a lane

Holding a freeze

A freeze keeps the meeting point close to your side of the lane by allowing only enough enemy minions to die to maintain a small advantage for the opposing wave. The goal is safety and denial: the opponent must walk farther forward to collect last hits, while your own champion can retreat toward allied territory. A freeze is fragile if you kill too many minions, let a large allied wave accumulate, or leave the lane for too long.

Building a slow push

A slow push leaves more allied minions alive so that several waves gather into a larger group. This creates a future timing window: the opponent must spend time clearing the mass, while you can prepare a recall, roam, or objective play. Cannon minions and the higher late-game spawn rate make the exact timing more valuable, but the underlying idea is simply to preserve a numerical advantage rather than clear immediately.

Crashing a wave

Crashing means pushing the wave into the enemy turret so the structure and its defenders must deal with it. Players use a crash before recalling, moving to another lane, contesting an objective, or forcing an opponent to choose between minions and a fight. A crash is successful only if enough of the wave reaches the turret before the next enemy wave stops it.

Resetting after a bad trade

If your champion is low on health, a carefully timed wave can buy a safe recall. Clearing too quickly may send the lane into an awkward position; clearing too slowly may let the opponent freeze. Decide first whether you need immediate safety, a neutral meeting point, or continued pressure, then choose which minions to kill.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

How minions damage turrets

Minions attack enemy turrets when they enter the structure’s attack range and continue providing pressure while they survive. They matter because a champion can use the wave as a moving screen: the minions occupy the lane, absorb attacks intended for them, and add their own damage while the champion attacks or zones defenders.

Best Value
Sale
Under Desk Cable Management Tray No Drill, Metal Mesh Cable Management Under Desk with Clamp Mount, 2 Hole Cable Tray with Wire Management and Cord Organizer for Home Office Standing Desk
  • 【No Drill Mounted】Cable management tray can be assembled in as little as 3 minutes or less-simply. Side clips easily clampe the edge of desk, pass through the holes on the sides, and secure excess cables with baskets. Desk cable management supports inward or outward installation to meet your needs in different scenarios, and provides you with great convenience when collecting and organizing wires.
  • 【Rubber Pad Protects Desk】Wire organizer under desk built-in soft rubber pads on the clamp protect your desk from scratches, so you will not damage your furniture or office.
  • 【Sturdy and Beautiful】Cord management under desk is made of high-quality carbon steel and holds about 15 lbs. The wire basket has 2 holes on each side of the tray to enable your cables to pass freely. Cable baskets are suitable for desk thickness use from 0.4" to 2.4".
  • 【Space Saving & Keep Organized】Desk cable management tray holds all your power cords, outlet strips, USB hubs and computer transformers hidden from your feet, and the data cables will not enter the vacuum cleaner to keep your desk clean and tidy. Desk wire organizer is also suitable for use in the kitchen and outdoors.
  • 【Reduce Safety Risks】Cable tray under desk keeps all plugs away from your kids, no more worry about tripping. Using 2 holes wire tray saves extra space, helps you easily cabling and wire protection. The mesh design is not easy to accumulate dust, but avoids safety accidents caused by messy wires.

Current rules set minion-to-turret damage at 60%. That is the general minion damage rule cited for the current framework. Cannon minions have a separate turret modifier; Patch 26.1 lists cannon damage to turrets at 84%. The two percentages should not be added together: 60% describes the general minion-to-turret rule, while 84% is the cannon-specific value for that patch.

Turret pressure therefore depends on more than the number of surviving units. A wave with a cannon, enough front-line minions to keep the unit alive, and casters firing from behind can force a defender to spend longer clearing it. If the cannon dies early, the wave loses both a high-value unit and part of its structure damage. Protecting the siege unit while avoiding unnecessary champion damage is often the difference between a wave that chips a turret and one that reaches the next plate or structure.

What changes from patch to patch

Minions are balance tools, so Riot adjusts them regularly. Patch 26.1 changed wave intervals at 14 and 30 minutes, melee gold, cannon turret damage, cannon and super-minion gold, and the listed experience values. Patch 26.9 later changed melee health scaling to 430 plus 35 every 90 seconds and adjusted Minion Slayer’s damage bonus against melee, ranged, and siege minions.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

That volatility is why a full, unqualified minion stat table becomes unreliable quickly. Before relying on a number for a ranked strategy, check the patch notes for the version running on your server. Keep the enduring principles—last-hit for gold, use wave timing to plan movement, and protect valuable siege units—separate from numbers that may be changed in the next update.

Common minion mistakes and fixes

  • Attacking every minion immediately: This often pushes the wave. Stop hitting non-lethal targets when you want the wave to remain near your side.
  • Ignoring the cannon: Check the back line before the wave dies. A missed cannon loses a higher-value unit under Patch 26.1’s gold rules.
  • Recalling without a plan for the wave: If possible, crash the wave first; otherwise, the opponent may collect it safely or hold it near their turret.
  • Fighting while your wave is absent: Minions provide damage and a buffer. Taking a trade without them can turn a small champion advantage into a losing exchange.
  • Using an old stat sheet: Confirm the patch. Melee health scaling, spawn cadence, turret modifiers, and anti-minion effects can all change.
  • Confusing gold and experience: Last-hit credit controls minion gold, while experience follows proximity and sharing rules. A support can gain experience without taking the last hit, while a carry can miss gold despite standing in range.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.