Game Review: League of Legends
League of Legends, commonly known as LoL, stands as one of the most renowned video games globally. This highly popular title falls under the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre and has attracted an immense player base, reaching hundreds of millions. If you're new to this game, this comprehensive guide will provide you with all the essential information you need to embark on your LoL journey.What Is League of Legends
League of Legends, a free-to-play Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game, was initially launched in 2009 by Riot Games, the creators of Valorant. Renowned for its competitive nature, LoL has established a vibrant professional circuit, attracting both cryptocurrency and fiat betting. Enthusiasts avidly follow its major leagues, including LCK, LPL, LEC, and LCS.
While esports enthusiasts are likely familiar with this game, mastering its gameplay is an entirely separate endeavor.
How LoL Is Played
In League of Legends, matches are played in a team versus team format, with 5 players on each side. The game features a single map, divided into two symmetrical parts. However, the diversity in gameplay stems from the vast pool of over 150 unique champions and the strategic choices players make with their item builds.
As a MOBA, League of Legends combines elements of role-playing games (RPGs) and real-time strategy (RTS) games. Each player selects a champion at the beginning of the match, and this choice cannot be changed throughout its duration.
Champions start at level 1 and progressively grow stronger by earning experience and gold. Experience is gained by defeating minions, jungle monsters, and enemy champions, allowing players to level up and unlock or upgrade their abilities. Gold is acquired in a similar manner and can be spent on purchasing powerful items from the in-game shop.
With each level gained, players earn a skill point that can be allocated to unlock or enhance one of their four abilities. The first three abilities are available from level 1, but still require skill points to be allocated. The fourth ability, known as the ultimate, becomes accessible at level 6 and is a defining and powerful skill for each champion.
Team Roles
In League of Legends, players have the option to select from five different roles: Carry, Mid, Top, Jungler, and Support. The first four roles typically contribute to securing kills for the team, while the fifth role has a distinct responsibility. Instead of focusing solely on farming and accumulating power, the Support role prioritizes the safety and growth of their carry and midlaner.
Playing as a Support requires a selfless mindset and a strong desire to see the team succeed, even at the expense of personal glory. While Supports may sometimes feel less impactful during the mid and late stages of the game, their contribution remains crucial. A poorly executed Support role can easily lead to the team's defeat.
Among the roles, the most influential positions are Mid and Carry. Players who assume these roles often become the most powerful and secure the highest number of kills throughout the game. However, mastering these roles is not an easy task.
Gameplay
The objective of a League of Legends match is to destroy the enemy team's Nexus, the main building located in their base. However, reaching the Nexus is a challenging task. Players must first destroy a series of towers along the designated lanes and engage in battles against the opposing team.
Only after eliminating the enemy structures in a lane and securing kills on enemy champions will players gain the opportunity to attack the structures within the enemy base.
A typical game of League of Legends lasts between 20 and 35 minutes. Throughout the match, both teams strive to outsmart each other and progress faster than their opponents. A significant level advantage, such as reaching level 10 while the opponent is only at level 7, can create a considerable power gap and enable favorable engagements and the attainment of key objectives, like tower destruction.
Teams often gain momentum and snowball when they acquire a substantial advantage. Therefore, the outcome of the initial battles holds great importance. If the opposing team accumulates a lead of 2-3 kills or secures a lead of 2 towers or more, winning the match becomes challenging.
Two crucial elements in a League of Legends match are Dragons and Baron Nashor, located in the middle of the map. These formidable monsters are challenging to defeat, spawn at specific intervals, and provide significant buffs to the team that eliminates them. Consequently, they become highly contested objectives for teams to prioritize.
Items
In League of Legends, items play a crucial role in empowering your champion. These items can be purchased using in-game gold, and their effectiveness varies based on their cost and the specific needs of your champion. With hundreds of items to choose from, selecting the right ones becomes important.
If your champion benefits greatly from attack speed, it is wise to invest in items that provide increased attack speed. On the other hand, if your champion relies on Ability Power (AP) for their abilities, prioritizing AP-giving items would be more beneficial.
Ultimately, the choice of items is in your hands. However, as a general guideline, carries typically require items that maximize their damage output, while tanks prioritize items that enhance their survivability, enabling them to absorb substantial damage on the front lines.
By carefully considering your champion's strengths and playstyle, you can make strategic decisions when purchasing items to enhance their performance on the battlefield.
Ranks
In League of Legends, the game features a skill-based ranking system with multiple divisions. As a new player, you will need to invest over 100 hours in learning the game's fundamentals before gaining access to ranked matches.
League of Legends is a highly complex game, with over 1000 concepts and mechanics to understand before engaging in ranked battles. Once you meet the requirements, you will be matched with players of similar skill levels.
The game's ranking system allows you to progress based on your skill level. The more you improve as a player and achieve victories, the more LP (League Points) you earn, which helps you climb higher on the ladder. Conversely, defeats result in the loss of LP. Your objective should be to consistently win matches to increase your ranking.
It's important to note that League of Legends has its own client developed by Riot Games, so you will need to download and install their client in order to play the game. It is not available on platforms like Steam.