Just curious I hardly ever see people start at blue or red buff with a leash now a days. I'm curious as to where the best place to start is and if I can comfortably kill all the camps without needing a leash. Obviously I don't jungle much.
Most junglers can still run the normal buff-wolves-buff route if they choose to do so. Starting at a small camp and smiting it for the buff is just another way to start. Most of the time, as long a you can get through the buff-wolves-buff route with 1/2 - 2/3 health and a pot or two, you are well set up for clearing most of the jungle before you back. In that case, it all depends on how well you can run each route. Personally, I do the buff-wolves-buff route almost all of the time, as long as I get a good leash. With the new jungle's difficulty increase, you're gonna most likely get a leash from one or more of your laners, and as long as you aren't playing a jungler who requires you to get either red or blue first, I'd take a leash from bot no matter which side I start.
Elise can start buffs. I go red wolves blue gank. Since her spiderlings tank alot of the damage and smiting red gives you hp back its easier to jungle. Also i usually dont even use pots on my first clear lol.
I personally like doing small camp then buff due to the fact that it helps out clearing the jungle faster in early game. Like if I smite krug it gives me that nice buff to stone mobs even more so with high attack speed champions. if I need health I go kill Rift Scuttler or drink some pots. Vision control from raptr doesn't just give me the chance to kill a ward but also let me know they can't see me allowing me to make better choices to yank, counter jungle, and other things. if I get behind and the enemy team has control of my jungle I don't go in unless I have vision from wards or wolves or I can see them somewhere else beside my jungle.
