Have you ever tried to leap into the vibrant, chaotic world of League of Legends and felt like you were stepping onto a rollercoaster without any safety bars? With its intricate mechanics and fast-paced action, LoL often appears as an imposing beast to newcomers, defending its treasure trove of warrior champions and strategic intricacies. This article peels back the layers of complexity, revealing not just the challenges inherent in the game, but also a roadmap to mastering its art. So, grab your summoner spell, because we’re about to embark on a journey through the exhilarating, if sometimes bewildering, universe of League of Legends.
Understanding the Challenges of Playing League of Legends
League of Legends, often abbreviated as LoL, is widely recognized as a game with considerable complexity, particularly during the initial weeks or months of gameplay. The game’s learning curve is quite daunting, and many players find themselves investing a significant amount of time before they feel confident enough to showcase their skills publicly.
This comprehensive League of Legends Beginner’s Guide is designed to guide you through the essential and even some advanced elements of the game. If you’re new to League of Legends and finding it overwhelmingly bewildering—or if watching professional E-Sports matches leaves you scratching your head—you are certainly not alone.
Introduction
This guide was last updated on June 10, 2022.
League of Legends stands out as a particularly intricate game to comprehend in the early stages of playing, with a steep learning curve that can feel intimidating. The majority of players will require an extensive period of practice before achieving the confidence to demonstrate their prowess in front of others.
To illustrate this point, consider the LEC (League of Legends European Championship) match featuring SK Gaming versus Fnatic. While the actions may appear chaotic, they are the result of meticulously strategized gameplay, devised beforehand by Head Coach YamatoCannon along with team members such as Bwipo, Selfmade, Nisqy, Upset, and Hylissang. They would analyze their opponents and craft both offensive and defensive plans.
At such competitive levels, no detail is left unguided; every champion selection, ability choice, and movement is intricately coordinated within the team, supported by the strategic insights of a coach.
That said, not every gamer aims to go professional. Many find enjoyment in competing against casual opponents, contributing positively within their teams, and mastering their chosen champions. However, all players aspire to be competitive in a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) and ultimately strive for a better win ratio.
Contents of This Beginner’s Guide to League of Legends
- Introduction
- About This Beginner’s Guide
- Understanding League of Legends
- Champion Abilities & Auto-Attacks
- Summoner Spells
- Champion Statistics
- Runes
- Summoner’s Rift
- League of Legends Tips
- Helpful Resources
About This Beginner’s Guide
This guide aims to journey from the fundamental aspects of the game all the way to advanced playing techniques, offering the best insights from actual professional League of Legends players. You may choose to skip to sections that pique your interest (if you’re already familiar with the game), or commence from the basics to ensure you receive the most valuable tips regarding the core components of League of Legends.
We’ve structured this guide to encompass extensive detail, as the multitude of facets within League of Legends necessitated division into several sections while still leaving many strategies and game intricacies unaddressed!
Additions to our Helpful Resources section will provide additional readings and insights, ensuring you will find answers to your questions.
What is League of Legends?
League of Legends is classified as a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) and is one of the most popular games globally, currently holding a prevalent position in the eSports landscape.
The gameplay involves ten players divided into two teams of five, competing for dominance on a MOBA map known as Summoner’s Rift.
Each player assumes the role of a Summoner, controlling a Champion. In the current season (Season 12), there are over 140 unique champions, each boasting distinct abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, with new champions continuously being introduced. Teams take turns selecting champions, aiming to construct a harmonious team composition that synergizes effectively in combat.
What Distinguishes LoL from Other Games?
In comparison to many other games that can be easily picked up within the first hour—such as Call of Duty: Warzone or Apex Legends—League of Legends offers a markedly steep learning curve. While those games allow players to engage in simple shooting mechanics and earn rewards while familiarizing themselves with gameplay, the intricacies of LoL demand a more profound level of strategic understanding that takes considerable time to master.
Riot Games has incorporated extensively detailed and beneficial tutorials within the game to help players navigate the basic mechanics and broader concepts. However, your style of play, strategic choices, and tactical decisions remain uniquely your own.
Champion Abilities & Auto-Attacks Explained
Every Champion is equipped with basic auto-attacks as well as various abilities. An auto-attack is executed when you target an enemy and right-click your mouse.
Champion abilities can be activated using the Q, W, E, and R keys, while the D and F keys are designated for Summoner Spells.
Moreover, you can also utilize effects derived from up to seven items you hold. For example, the item Tiamat grants an “epic item” effect that enables a Cleave effect—allowing your basic attacks and abilities to inflict splash damage on enemies surrounding your target. Item effects can be activated using number keys 1 through 7.
Summoner Spells Overview
In League of Legends, Summoner Spells are distinct abilities selected during the Champion selection phase. Players can choose two Summoner Spells from a provided list, which unlock as you progress through the match and increase your Summoner Level. These spells are activated using the D and F keys.
Your Summoner Level is tied to your account and increases by gaining experience through matches against other players.
Summoner Spells present unique and diverse abilities which must be employed strategically during gameplay, based on the champions selected by your team and predictions regarding the opponents’ strategies. Tactical decisions regarding Summoner Spells typically involve collaborative foresight with your teammates, as well as anticipating the strategies of your adversaries.
Certain Summoner Spells are universally advantageous for teams. For instance, the spell Flash can be critical regardless of your overarching strategy; it can serve as an instant escape mechanism from aggressive opponents, or allow you to quickly close in for a finishing blow. Flash can also aid in evasion or provide mobility over obstacles. Its strategic applications are numerous. Additionally, after securing a kill near a tower while sustaining damage, your Champion can utilize Flash to escape tower aggro.
Examples of Choosing Summoner Spells Based on Opponent’s Champions
“You might prefer Ghost when playing against Tryndamere in the top lane, or select Cleanse to counter teams with heavy crowd control. In the bot lane, choosing Exhaust over Ignite can be beneficial when facing champions that inflict burst damage.”
— YamatoCannon, Head Coach
“Using Cleanse against champions like Leona who possess strong crowd control can provide a significant advantage; employing Exhaust can also create extra breathing room against high-damage champions like Kai’sa or Draven.”
— Shaves, Assistant Coach
Various spells can slow down your opponents, disable their Summoner Spells, grant teleportation, or even heal you in combat. When teams coordinate their usage of Summoner Spells within a concerted offensive or defensive approach, the results can dramatically shift the course of the game.
Below are the available Summoner Spells, each with its own unique effect and cooldown period:
- Cleanse
- Exhaust
- Flash
- Ghost
- Heal
- Smite
- Teleport
- Clarity
- Ignite
- Barrier
- Mark/Dash
For further details, please refer to our Helpful Resources.
Champion Statistics
Health Points (HP)
- Your health is visualized as a green bar, indicating the amount of damage your Champion can sustain before falling in battle.
Abilities and Resource Management
Abilities incur resource costs when activated, varying by the Champion selected.
- Mana is represented by a blue bar below the health bar, which regenerates over time and can be supplemented through item purchases.
- Energy is shown as a yellow bar for Champions that utilize energy to perform abilities. Energy regenerates more rapidly than mana and can be enhanced by specific actions or items.
- Fury, rage, and courage are other resources utilized for activating certain abilities, specific to different Champions.
Attack Damage (AD)
- Attack Damage, often referred to as Physical Damage, represents the damage inflicted through standard auto-attacks.
Armor
- Armor minimizes incoming physical damage on a 1:1 basis concerning attack damage, meaning a Champion with 100 armor effectively has 100 more effective health points, requiring 200 attack damage for a successful kill.
Magic Resist (MR)
- Magic Resist functions similarly to armor, providing mitigation against magic damage.
Attack Speed (AS)
- This statistic denotes the frequency of auto-attacks executed per second, with a cap of 2.5 attacks per second.
Movement Speed (MS)
- Movement Speed reflects the number of map units a Champion traverses every second. This does not increase with leveling but can be enhanced through specific items.
Bonus Champion Statistics
Beyond the aforementioned core statistics, Champions can also utilize bonus stats derived from runes, items, and abilities. Here are a few notable examples:
Ability Power (AP)
- Ability Power primarily enhances the effectiveness of your abilities (QWERT), although it can also amplify the strength of certain items and runes.
Ability Haste
- Abilities have cooldowns, dictating the duration before they can be utilized again. Some items bestow ability haste, thereby reducing these cooldowns.
Critical Strike Chance
- Commonly referred to as “crit chance,” this statistic grants your basic attacks a percentage likelihood of delivering devastating critical damage.
In summary, while League of Legends can seem overwhelming at first glance due to its multifaceted nature and steep learning curve, with patient practice, strategic mindfulness, and the right resources, players can gradually become proficient in navigating its complexities and enjoy the rich experiences the game offers.
