Farming CS efficiently is one of the most important skills beginners must learn to secure consistent gold income in League of Legends. Without proper farming, you will always fall behind in items, damage output, and overall game impact compared to your opponents. While flashy plays and kills often grab attention, the truth is that CS (Creep Score) is the backbone of gold advantage, and mastering it can turn any beginner into a strong, reliable player.
In this comprehensive guide, weโll break down everything you need to know about farming CS efficiently, from the basics of minion mechanics to advanced wave management, lane control, and gold optimization strategies. Whether youโre a brand-new player just stepping into Summonerโs Rift or someone struggling to keep up with your lane opponent, this article will serve as your ultimate resource.
๐ Why Farming CS Efficiently Matters More Than Kills
Many beginners believe that kills are the fastest way to snowball a game. While kills do provide gold, a single kill (300 gold) is roughly equivalent to 15โ20 CS. A player who consistently farms well will outscale an opponent who gets a few kills but neglects CS.
For example:
- At 10 minutes, a professional player might have 90โ100 CS, which equals about 1,500โ1,800 gold.
- A beginner who has only 40 CS by the same time is missing out on nearly 1,000 gold, the cost of a full item component.
This gold gap translates directly into power differences. Farming CS efficiently ensures youโre always progressing, even if youโre not participating in fights.
๐ The Basics of CS (Creep Score)
1. What is CS?
CS (Creep Score) refers to the number of lane and jungle minions youโve killed. Each minion kill provides gold and sometimes experience.
2. Minion Types and Gold Value (approximate Season 15 values)
- Melee Minion: ~21 gold
- Caster Minion: ~17 gold
- Siege (Cannon) Minion: ~60โ90 gold (scales over time)
- Super Minion: ~40โ50 gold
Tip: Missing just one cannon minion is like missing 3โ4 melee minionsโprioritize them!
3. Last-Hitting
The act of delivering the final blow to a minion to secure gold. Auto-attacking without last-hitting wastes lane pressure and pushes waves unnecessarily.
๐ฏ How to Practice Last-Hitting
1. Custom Game Drills
Enter a practice tool game with no opponents. Focus solely on farming CS efficiently by aiming for benchmarks:
- At 10 minutes: 80โ90 CS
- At 20 minutes: 160โ180 CS
2. Learn Damage Thresholds
Each championโs attack animation and damage vary. Familiarize yourself with your main championโs attack speed and animation to avoid missing CS.
3. Use Abilities Wisely
Sometimes itโs better to use a skill to secure a cannon minion rather than risk missing it. However, avoid wasting mana unnecessarily.
๐ Understanding Minion Wave Mechanics
Farming CS efficiently also means managing waves to your advantage.
1. Freezing the Wave
- Definition: Holding the wave near your turret without letting it crash.
- Purpose: Denies your opponent farm while keeping you safe from ganks.
2. Slow Pushing
- Definition: Allowing your wave to build up by only last-hitting.
- Purpose: Creates a large wave that crashes into the enemy tower, making them lose CS and setting up map plays.
3. Fast Pushing
- Definition: Using abilities and auto-attacks to clear waves quickly.
- Purpose: Useful when you want to recall, rotate, or apply pressure.
Mastery Tip: Controlling the wave not only helps you farm CS efficiently but also dictates the pace of the lane.
โ๏ธ Farming Under Tower
Beginners often struggle to CS under tower. Hereโs the basic formula:
- Melee Minion: Tower shot + 2 auto-attacks
- Caster Minion: Auto + tower shot + auto (or just ability + auto if weak early)
Practice this rhythm until it becomes second nature.
๐ก Gold Income Benchmarks for Beginners
- 10 minutes: Aim for 70โ90 CS (~1,300โ1,800 gold)
- 20 minutes: Aim for 150โ180 CS (~3,500โ4,500 gold)
- 30 minutes: Aim for 230โ260 CS (~6,000โ7,000 gold)
Even if you donโt get kills, you will have strong item spikes simply by farming CS efficiently.
๐น Lane-Specific Farming Tips
Top Lane
- Champions here are usually melee, so focus on trading efficiently while farming.
- Use bushes to drop minion aggro.
- Freeze waves near your tower to stay safe from jungle ganks.
Mid Lane
- Short lane means easier wave clears.
- Focus on cannon control since rotations are common.
- Avoid unnecessary roaming if youโre behind in CS.
ADC (Bot Lane)
- Farming CS efficiently as ADC is crucialโyou are the teamโs main damage dealer.
- Sync with your support: ask them not to auto-push unless you want a fast push.
- Missing CS as ADC hurts the most, so practice regularly.
Jungle
- While junglers donโt farm lane minions, clearing camps efficiently is the jungle equivalent of farming CS.
- Always balance farming with ganking. A level 6 jungler with 50 CS is far more dangerous than a level 4 jungler who camped lanes but has no gold.
๐ Common Mistakes Beginners Make When Farming CS
- Auto-attacking too early โ leading to missed last-hits.
- Ignoring wave management โ pushing when you should freeze.
- Not practicing in custom games โ farming is muscle memory.
- Panicking under tower โ losing gold to pressure.
- Focusing on kills over CS โ kills are unreliable; CS is guaranteed.
๐ How Pros Farm CS Efficiently
- Perfect wave manipulation: Pros know exactly when to freeze or slow push.
- Near-perfect CS numbers: Many pros average 9โ10 CS per minute.
- Gold income discipline: They prioritize farm over risky plays.
Watching pro replays can give you insights into farming paths, timing, and discipline.
๐ฎ Advanced Farming Techniques
- Jungle Taxing โ Taking a few CS after a gank (without stealing all the farm).
- Trading farm for objectives โ Sometimes itโs worth missing a wave to secure Dragon.
- Back Timing โ Pushing the wave before recalling ensures you donโt lose as much gold.
๐ Improving Over Time
Set small goals each game:
- First goal: 50 CS at 10 minutes
- Next: 70 CS at 10 minutes
- Eventually: 90+ CS at 10 minutes
Tracking your improvement keeps motivation high.
๐ Final Thoughts
Farming CS efficiently is the cornerstone of gold income for beginners in League of Legends. While mastering mechanics like teamfighting and map awareness is crucial, none of it matters if you canโt buy the items needed to carry. Focus on practicing last-hitting, wave control, and gold optimization in every match. Over time, youโll find yourself scaling faster, winning more games, and climbing the ranked ladder.
Remember: Consistency in CS > Random kills. If you master farming CS efficiently, you master the true foundation of League of Legends.
