League of Legends is the most popular online multiplayer video game in the world. Its creators, Riot Games, claim that about 100 million players from around the world gather on their servers every month. In addition, it has developed a gigantic competitive scene, with prizes exceeding one million dollars.
It is unlikely, but possible, that you do not know League of Legends (LoL) , the most popular online video game in the world. With 100 million active LOL players every month and tournaments getting hundreds of thousands of views on Youtube and Twitch, it’s a game that’s here to stay. But where to start?
The game takes its inspiration from a mod that was made to Warcraft 3 , called Defense of the Ancients (DOTA). There, each player controlled a character with unique abilities, in a team facing another, with the aim of destroying the enemy base. League of Legends follows this basic premise, but adapts the graphics and gameplay to modern times. Blizzard, creators of Diablo, Warcraft and Starcraft, also released their remake of the classic Dota, Dota 2, and now these two games are the biggest of this genre (MOBA).
In League of Legends, the player assumes the role of a “Summoner”, who is in control of the character they have chosen to play for a given match. Each LoL match can last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour , making getting tired of playing quite difficult, with play sessions lasting several hours at a time.
Protagonists and abilities
There are, as of today, 136 different characters (or champions) to choose from. Each character is determined by his abilities: a passive one, which gives perpetual bonuses as the game progresses, three basic ones, and a powerful one that is unlocked at six. This ability is called “ultimate”, and it tends to have much more ‘cooldown’ (the time that passes before it can be used again) than the rest.
The characters are based on popular culture, high fantasy, steampunk, folklore, and horror by HP Lovecraft. Each character is determined by the role they play in the game, and this is usually based on their damage type and abilities. Mainly, characters can deal physical damage (mitigated by armor) or magic damage (mitigated by magic resist). There are also hybrid characters that do both types of damage and can focus on one or the other, or find a balance between the two.
Also, another basic distinction is its attack range. There may be melee or ranged characters. Melee champions tend to be tougher, to make up for their downside.
categories
Thus, the characters are classified into six major categories . Marksmen (or AD Carries) are ranged characters that do a lot of damage over time, they start out weak, but by the end of the game, they are one of the most lethal, but it is true that they are one of the least resistant. Mages (or AP Carries) are also damage characters, focused on magic damage and delivering it fast. They are, like Marksmen, weak and easy to kill, but do a lot of damage.
Tanks are very resilient characters who focus on absorbing damage and controlling the battle for their team. There are hybrids of damage and resistance , which are called fighters. They are not the most resistant or the most damaging, but they are useful in fights.
The two specialized classes are the assassins, characters that are responsible for eliminating others almost instantly, but are very resistant to change; and the support ones, characters whose abilities allow them to help allies and hinder enemies. They have healing powers and shields for their allies ; and slowdowns and combat flow control for his opponents.
Each character starts at level 1 and reaches a maximum of 18. Each level you can choose a skill, and it is achieved through experience. In addition, the gold system allows you to buy items that enhance the characteristics of a character (damage, resistance, cooldown…). To get experience and gold, you can kill computer-controlled characters, called minions, other players, or perform objectives around the map, such as destroying enemy turrets.
Map and lanes
Each type of character determines the role that is going to be played in the game, and the position on the map to which it is going to go. There are three “lanes” or “lines” that the minions will spawn down, and a character is usually sent to only two of them, top and middle. There, these characters can quickly get gold and experience to become stronger. Top is usually meant for fighters and tanks, while middle is usually reserved for mages.
In the bottom lane, a marksman usually goes along with a support character to protect him in the early levels, when he is most vulnerable. The fifth character usually goes through the “jungle”, getting gold outside the lines and supporting those who need him. Junglers are usually fighters.
This is the basics, but it is best to try it for yourself. The game is free, so there is nothing to lose. What you should do as soon as you start is try out a character and familiarize yourself with movement and attacks. It is important to calculate how much damage each one does, what abilities each character has and how to kill minions at the right time to get the gold. It’s a long process, to understand the 136 heroes that are available, and the items they need; but it can be done in a fun way, if you play with friends and do some research (there are plenty of guides online).
