What is League of Legends? What are the “Roles” in League? How does a game of league look like? When should I pick what champion? How do items work in the league? How does laning work in the league and how do you win that phase of the game?
These are some of the questions I faced as a new player.
I have played thousands of games since starting LoL about 2 years ago. I think I have a good grasp on what it takes to climb the ranked ladder successfully. My main account (I’ve had multiple accounts at diamond 1) has been sitting there for awhile now because I was playing too much and making stupid mistakes (like dying needlessly). As such; my play style has changed quite a bit since then as well as many strategies within the game itself.
The game has evolved since I was a student. Many students are now selling their league of legends accounts (https://blogs.cuit.columbia.edu/pk2682/why-students-are-selling-their-league-of-legends-accounts-before-exams/) and making decent money.
What is League of Legends?
League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed and published by Riot Games for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, inspired by the popular Defense of the Ancients mod for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. It was released on October 27, 2009. In League of Legends, two teams composed of several players each compete in matches where they capture strategic objectives typically 2 at a time in order to siege their opponents’ base called the Nexus which is protected by defensive structures called turrets as well as AI-controlled units that will constantly respawn if killed off.
Players can also voluntarily give up one structure if they want to spawn 50% more powerful units every wave called super minions that will automatically push down your lane like an avalanche against your defensive turrets unless you push them back out. This is called “turtling” and is a great way to stall the game until you have enough items or champions to win. You can also win by killing off all of your opponent’s champions, but this is very difficult if they have any smart players on their team who are aware of what they are doing.
What are the “Roles” in League?
As far as lanes go, there are 4 roles that every player should be able to play at some point during a match. It’s important for any role you pick to know how to play all 4 roles throughout the course of a game. This will ensure that your team has options when playing ranked games because most teams will try and counter-pick your main role with something that beats what you’re good at. If you don’t know how to play all roles, then your team will have a very hard time winning the most ranked games.
1.) AD Carry – The AD carriers ‘ job is to farm as much as they can and become a late-game beast. They usually take the bottom lane with a support champion and try to earn gold by farming minions or killing their opponent with a possible gank from their jungle or mid-lane. Once they get enough gold, they buy items that help them deal damage while staying alive (lifesteal, armor penetration, etc.). Their job during team fights is to catch out weakened enemy champions while not dying themselves. When an enemy champion gets low on health, the ADC should use all of his abilities at once followed by auto-attacks in order to kill off the kill stealing (a term used when someone else other than you kills your opponent) enemies if given the chance.
2.) Mid Laner – The mid laners job is also similar but different from that of an ADC.
3.) Top Laner – The top laners job is also similar but different from that of an ADC. They do not go to the bottom lane but instead go to the top lane. All three lanes are very important since they give you map control. If one team loses all 3 lanes, they will surely lose because the other team will know exactly where to gank them from and take down their turrets easily.
4.) Support – The support role is usually played by a tanky champion or by someone who can heal or protect allies which makes them ideal for taking damage along with their partner in the bot lane (the bottom lane). Usually, supports are known for being able to pick up gold by farming minions because their main purpose in the game is to get gold for other teammates who are trying to carry your team into late game while protecting them at all costs. Supports usually roam around between mid and bot lane while protecting their carries while helping them poke down enemy champions so they can be killed off easier later on during team fights when everyone meets in the middle of a map or at dragon pit (top side of purple side).
I think this was helpful! I’ll explain more in a later post.