Many League of Legends players believe they are bad at farming because they miss last hits in lane. In reality, poor farming is usually caused by macro mistakes, not mechanics. After years of watching ranked games and reviewing high-level play, one pattern becomes clear: the biggest farm leads are created in the mid game, not the early laning phase.
This article explains why farming feels so hard, why common CS myths are misleading, and how concepts like dead time, empty lanes, and map pressure actually determine your gold income.
Before we dive in, here’s a video that visually explains these farming concepts so you can follow along with real gameplay examples:
The Biggest Farming Myth: “High CS Comes From Laning Phase”
A single minion wave before 15 minutes is worth about 125 gold. After 15 minutes, waves become more valuable due to more frequent siege minions, and after 25 minutes they are worth significantly more. At the same time, champions gain items, movement speed, and wave clear.
This means that while early-game farming is important to avoid falling behind, it is the mid game where massive CS leads are actually generated. Players who farm well in the mid game are not necessarily better at last hitting — they are better at macro decisions.
Why CS Per Minute Is a Misleading Goal
Many players aim for 10 CS per minute as a universal benchmark. This is unrealistic and unnecessary for most champions. CS expectations should depend on your role and champion.
For example, split-pushing champions with high sustained damage naturally farm more than champions whose strength comes from burst damage or team fighting. The difference is not mechanics — it is macro strategy.
The Core Concept That Fixes Farming: Dead Time
Dead time is the period when there is nothing immediate to farm. For junglers, this happens after camps are cleared and before they respawn. For laners, it happens after pushing a wave and waiting for the next one to arrive.
This time window is extremely valuable because any play made during dead time has lower risk. If the play fails, you are not giving up guaranteed gold. If the play succeeds, you gain extra value on top of your normal income.
Why Forcing Plays Outside Dead Time Kills Your Gold
Making plays while farm is available is costly. When camps or waves are alive, choosing to fight or roam means you are actively giving up guaranteed gold and experience. Even successful plays often barely outperform simply farming, while failed plays can set you far behind.
Strong players minimize this risk by farming first, entering dead time, and then looking for opportunities.
Dead Time for Laners: Recalls and Roams
For laners, dead time explains why pushing before recalling or roaming is so important. Recalling without pushing causes you to lose an entire wave. Roaming without pushing forces you to gamble farm for a low-reward play.
Good roams happen after a wave is pushed. Bad roams happen while minions are still alive.
The Half-Roam: Applying Pressure Without Losing Farm
A common mistake is fully committing to roams that are too far to return from in time. Instead, strong players use half-roams. After pushing a wave, they move partway toward a side lane, assess the situation, and decide whether to commit or return.
This creates pressure without sacrificing farm and often forces enemies to play safer, even if no gank occurs.
The Smother Technique: Winning Lane Without Killing
When you heavily damage an opponent, you don’t always need to force a kill. Keeping them low forces bad recalls, missed farm, and loss of lane control. This allows you to farm freely, take plates, and react first to fights.
This approach creates steady advantages while minimizing risk, and often results in bigger farm leads than chasing kills.
Mid Game Rule #1: Farm When Your Team Has No Pressure
If your teammates are not pressuring lanes or objectives, playing aggressively becomes dangerous. These moments are best spent farming waves and jungle camps efficiently while waiting for better opportunities.
Mid Game Rule #2: Always Push Empty Lanes
Empty lanes are free gold. Before grouping or roaming, check if there is a lane with no teammate collecting the wave. Pushing these lanes generates gold, creates pressure, and forces enemies to respond.
Ignoring empty lanes is one of the biggest reasons players fall behind in farm without realizing it.
Why Farming Alone Can Be Better Than Joining Bad Fights
It is common for teams to fight at bad times. While it feels wrong to ignore them, pushing an empty lane can often generate more gold than a winning fight — and that gold is not shared.
Consistently farming during these moments allows you to become strong enough to carry later fights, even if your team struggles early.
Final Thoughts
Good farming is not about perfect last hitting. It is about understanding time, pressure, and opportunity cost. By learning to recognize dead time, prioritize empty lanes, and avoid unnecessary risks, you can dramatically improve your gold income and climb ranks faster.
If farming has always felt inconsistent or frustrating, focus less on mechanics and more on macro. The results will come with time.
