Thresh’s lantern is one of the most unique things in League of Legends. It’s used in a variety of different ways to achieve different goals. And while many players get very creative with this ability, others often ask how exactly does Thresh’s lantern really work in LoL?
If you’re just starting out on your journey of learning to play Thresh, I’m here to help you out.
This post will aid you in understanding how Thresh’s W – Dark Passage works and how you should use his lantern to outplay your opponents.
So if you’re ready to learn, let’s scroll down and get some facts right.
How Does Thresh’s Lanter (W – Dark Passage) Work in LoL?
Thresh’s W – Dark Passage has four main functions. First, it can be used to cast shields. Second, the lantern can collect the souls from Thresh’s passive. Third, it can be used to grant vision as a temporary ward. And fourth, allied players can click on the lantern to dash to Thresh.
Even though Dark Passage seems like an easy spell to learn, true Thresh masters can talk for hours about all the ways you can actually use it. And because of that, let me broaden my explanation a bit.
Shielding
When you drop Thresh’s W on top of a teammate, the lantern gives them a shield. But if you drop it on the ground, the first ally that comes near the lantern gets the shield instead.
However, Thresh automatically gets a shield for himself no matter where his lantern is cast. So, each cast of Dark Passage grants up to two shields, the first on Thresh and the other on a single ally.
The size of the shield that Thresh cast is based on the number of souls he has collected in his lantern. And the more souls he has the bigger the shield is.
Collecting Souls
Can Thresh’s lantern pick up souls?
Thresh’s passive – Damnation allows him to collect souls from fallen enemy champions, minions, and even monsters. These souls are collected in the lantern when Thresh walks near them. However, he can also throw the lantern near the souls to collect them from range.
Remember, the souls you collect on Thresh make his shields bigger and they also grant bonus armor and ability power.
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Granting Vision
Thresh has an advantage over many support champions in League because he can have vision even when he’s out of wards.
By throwing the lantern in a brush or the fog of war, you can reveal the area and check for enemy players or wards. This allows you to remain safe and not face-check the danger.
There are many spots on Summoner’s Rift that are worth checking with Thresh’s lantern. For example, he can throw his Dark Passage in the Dragon pit to see whether the enemy jungler’s doing it or not. And the same goes for the Baron pit.
Giving a Dash
The most common way of using Thresh’s lantern is to give a dash to an allied champion. And this is a huge reason why Thresh is one of the most fun supports in League of Legends.
With his lantern, Thresh makes immobile champions mobile. He can pull his ADC out of danger with his lantern or bring his jungler into the fight for a perfect engage.
The only thing Thresh needs to be careful about is to not exit the range of the lantern. The radius is 1500 and it’s marked on your screen when the lantern is on the ground.
However, the lantern will not expire if Thresh is dashing with his Q – Dark Sentence. He can also cast his W while traveling with his Q.
And all you need to do in order to use Thresh’s lantern for a dash is to click on it. But remember that you can’t activate the lantern if you’re stunned, silenced, rooted, or in any similar immobilizing effect.
Even though there are more tips I can give you about dashing with Thresh, another important way of using Thresh’s lantern is for teleporting and we need to talk about it.
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Can You Teleport on Thresh’s (W) Lantern?
The lantern from Thresh’s W – Dark Passage is categorized as a unit in League of Legends and not just ability. It’s untargetable for enemy players but targetable for allies. And because of this, allied players can cast teleport on Thresh’s lantern but only with Unleashed Teleport.
Thresh’s lantern lasts for 6 seconds. And the allied player can use his Teleport on the lantern at any point during these 6 seconds. If the cast of the Teleport was started late and the lantern disappears, the Teleport will still finish in the place where the lantern was.
The same can be said if the Teleport starts but Thresh exits the range and the lantern disappears.
If you want to know how you can teleport to Thresh’s lantern, the answer is simple. Just select the lantern as your target the same way you would do with a turret or a ward.
Depending on the players, Thresh’s lantern can create some interesting plays.
For example, he can throw his lantern behind enemy players and give a better position to his teleporting top laner. But he can also move towards the enemies as his ally is teleporting so they can take the lantern and dash to Thresh as soon as they arrive.
There are many ways to synergize teleport and Thresh’s lantern, so get creative with it.
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Does Thresh’s Lantern Do Damage?
Thresh’s W – Dark Passage does NOT deal damage to enemies. Since enemy players can’t click on the lantern or attack it and they don’t have interactions with it, the lantern can’t do anything to them.
Unfortunately, Thresh’s lantern doesn’t work the same way as Bard’s ultimate which can deal damage if he buys Elixir of Sorcery. This is because the lantern doesn’t affect enemy champions but Bard’s Tempered Fate does.
Read Also: 6 Best Synergy ADCs for Thresh in LoL
Does Thresh’s Lantern Block Enemies?
Since Thresh’s lantern is a unit, it also occupies a small area on the ground. This means that enemy champions can’t pass through it without ghosting. And because of this, Thresh’s lantern can block enemy players sometimes even completely (the small path between the bot turret and the wall).
However, the size of the lantern is pretty tiny so it can’t always completely block the pathing of the enemy player.
If this sounds too complicated, let me give you an example.
Let’s say Thresh is chasing Ashe and drops the lantern in front of her. Ashe’s pathing would automatically change to circle around the lantern on the shortest path available to the player’s previous click.
So, enemy champions don’t travel through Thresh’s lantern, they circle around it.
However, Thresh’s lantern isn’t like Trundle’s pillar which is big enough to cover entire areas and completely block the enemy champions. But if you use these two abilities in combination, for example, whole paths on Summoner’s Rift might become unpassable for enemies.
If you want to learn some tricks about using Thresh’s W for blocking enemies, definitely watch this YouTube video. It’s a compilation of amazing lantern plays on Thresh and it can really inspire you!
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Thresh’s Lantern and Lee Sin, Jax, and Katarina
Because Thresh’s lantern counts as a unit in League of Legends, some champions can use it as a target for their dash/jump abilities. And the most obvious ones are Lee Sin, Katarina, and Jax.
For example, Lee Sin can always use his W – Safeguard on Thresh’s lantern as long as he’s in range. Similarly, Jax can always cast his Q – Leap Strike on the lantern and Katarina her E – Shunpo.
If these champions use the lantern in this way, they can also right-click on it to use it as a dash towards Thresh. And this can happen almost instantly, especially with Katarina.
Thresh’s Lantern and Bodyblocking
One of the toughest pillows to swallow about Thresh in League of Legends is the fact that enemy champions can bodyblock your lantern.
This is especially common in high elo where oftentimes two or even three players position their champions on top of the lantern just so Thresh’s teammate can’t click and escape them.
Some players also use wards on top of the lantern so Thresh’s teammate would attack right-click a ward instead of the lantern to get away.
But since enemy players can’t click the lantern or destroy it in any way, bodyblocking remains the only counterplay to Thresh’s W – Dark Passage.
Conclusion
Even though Thresh’s lantern was added back in 2013, it still remains one of the most influential abilities in League of Legends. It’s amazing how many things you can do with it, especially if you’re creative and think outside the box.
That said, I hope I helped you understand how Thresh’s W works with this post and taught you something new.
Good luck, my friend!
