With over 115 million people playing the game, it is safe to say that League of Legends is the most played game of all time. However, it wasn't like this in the beginning. League of Legends showed up when it mattered the most and then spent years building the game up with numerous changes made throughout its 10 years and counting history.
Although League of Legends has been the most played online game in the world for many years now, it has seen greater numbers in the past year. And those numbers are going up even today, that's quite an accomplishment for a decade-old game. Developed and published by Riot Games, League has become the juggernaut in the gaming industry.
When you match it up against other online games and compare player experience and its bustling esports scene, you won't find one that will surpass the legendary status of League. In this article, you will find out more about what is League of Legends, how to play the game, its features, and how you can win more games below.
A League of Its Own
League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena game where five players go up against another team of five players on a map with three lanes. The goal is to destroy the enemy base using the wide range of champions that each player chooses.
While the goal is easy, each team must contend with the other team as well as move through a series of turrets to get to the enemy base.
A team consists of many different champions and each of them has a role to play to enhance their chances of winning.
A team can consist of a tank, a bruiser, a mage or an assassin, a carry, and support. This winning combination or team composition matters highly as it will be the best way to win more games.
Minions and Monsters
Along the way, each team will also have to battle with minions that push the lane. They will have to contest different side objectives scattered around the map such as dragons and a large void monster known as Baron Nashor.
These neutral monsters give additional stats to the team that lands the killing blow which gives them even more of an advantage, thus helping them win the game.
How to Play
Before the start of the game, each player will get to choose a champion in the game which they can control within the battlefield called Summoner's Rift. The game starts and all the players are placed inside their respective base.
Each player will have to go to their respective lanes. Apart from the jungler and the support member, all the other members of the team will begin farming gold until it is enough for them to buy an item to get stronger in the game.
Teamwork
The longer the game goes, the more powerful the champions become and both teams will inevitably encounter each other in an attempt to protect their side. The best team with the proper coordination and skillful play will be able to beat the opposing team and win the team fight.
Soon, towers will fan and the team that destroys the enemy base will win the game.
Features and Gameplay
League of Legends offers a wide variety of features including different game modes, around 150 champions to choose from, and a wide variety of mechanics to learn and master. League is a game where learning is easy but mastering is going to be very difficult but ultimately very rewarding.
Apart from the usual battles that happen on the Rift, players also get to enjoy different events and enjoy rewards when playing. These events often come in with different themes.
150 Champions and Counting
League of Legends boasts a long list of colorful characters and each of them has their unique and distinct personalities and abilities. All champions in the game are equipped with spells and abilities that either deal damage or help your team defeat the enemies. Ever since its inception a decade ago, League has maintained a growing roster of champions that started from 40 and now is running towards 160 and counting.
From a small girl that summons a fiery bear to a large stone gargoyle that crashes into an area and knocks out all the enemies, each of these champions can be unlocked using in-game currencies. The currencies are called Blue Essence or Riot Points which are acquired by the use of real money.
Each champion is released with a teaser and trailer that depicts the abilities and strategies involving the character called Champion Spotlight. Every week, these champions can be played for free through a weekly champion rotation so players can get to play other champions apart from the ones that players have already bought.
Game Modes
League of Legends also presents different game modes for players who want to play something else apart from the highly-competitive Classic Mode. Players can choose The Howling Abyss where the game assigns you a random champion in-game.
Also known as ARAM or All Random All Mid, this mode is set in an icy bridge where players immediately battle it out and take out the enemy Nexus to win the game.
Previously, League featured a 3v3 game mode called Twisted Treeline which is set in a haunted forest with two lanes in them. Another great game mode that was discontinued from the game was Dominion, a point-capture game mode set in a circular map.
League currently provides rotating game modes for players to enjoy such as URF mode where players get to play champions with minimal cooldowns on their abilities which is the recipe for mayhem and chaos alongside many event-related game modes such as Invasion, Dark Star: Singularity, and the popular Nexus Blitz.
Ranked Matches
The most played game mode in League of Legends is Ranked Matches. Ranked Matches are divided into two Solo/Duo and Flex.
This is where you get to express your skill in the game and earn points to climb the leaderboard from Iron Division up to Challenger.
Competitive Scene
Throughout the years, League has become popular not only for its unique gameplay mechanics and its long list of champions and game modes but also for its bustling competitive scene. The esports division of the game has become one of the most popular in the world with viewers ranging by the millions.
Each region has its specific league such as the League Championship Series in North America, the League European Championship in Europe, the LCK for South Korea, LPL in China, and many other regions all over the world.
The top teams from each region will qualify for the most highly-anticipated and most prestigious tournament of the year called the Worlds Championship which is usually held around October until November.
The tournament spans several weeks and travels around a specific location of a designated host country such as China and the US. In the end, only one team will be crowned as the Worlds Champion and earn the top cash prize.
League
League is a great spectator sport. It has become home to many professionals and has been identified as a sport in the past few years especially in countries like South Korea and China.
One of the main reasons why League is such a popular game these days is how well Riot Games have marketed the game and turned it into a yearly sports spectacle.
Tips to Win More Games
League is highly competitive. The game is based on teamwork and you will need to work together with your team to win the game. One mistake alone can cost you the entire game that you've worked hard for.
This is why learning a few winning strategies should help you win more games and earn more points to rank up. Here are a few tips on how you can win more games especially in ranked.
Learn New Roles
Each player in the team has a role to play in the game. The top and mid lane are some of the most contested lanes and roles in the game while the jungle and support roles are the least. Sometimes, you will be auto-filled into the support or jungle role and this could mean that you are playing a role that you are not familiar with.
Learn to play new roles in the game and be as versatile as you can when playing each champion. This way, whenever you get auto-filled into a role, you can always play it in its most optimal way thus increasing your chances of winning the game.
Become a jack-of-all-trades in this game but also be a master of a few champions. The game rewards players who spend time understanding their chosen champion and what it brings to the team. Mastering a few champions means that you will never be limited to a certain role and pushed into a corner where you cannot play and enjoy the game.
Map Awareness
At the bottom corner of your screen, you can see a minimap that gives you information on the visible area of the entire map.
The minimap is key to victory since you will know if your teammates are near you to set up for a gank or if an enemy leaves their lane to gank yours. Information is key to this game and learning map awareness is essential to your victory.
To practice your map awareness, learn to look at the minimap once in a while. Always make it a point to look at the minimap and see the position of each of your teammates as well as your opponents so you will know whether you want to go aggressive or fall back to the safety of your turret.
Last-Hitting Minions
This might be one of the most basic tips that you can do when playing League of Legends. Earn more gold by dealing the killing blow to the enemy minion so you can rack up the resources to purchase items and make your champion stronger in the game.
Last-hitting enemy minions can take time to perfect and you can always practice them by going up against AI or other players in Classic Mode.
Play Ranked Matches
If you truly want to excel in League, play ranked matches all the time. You will encounter a lot of skilled players in ranked matches that will help you learn more mechanics and strategies in the game.
Learn From Mistakes
It will be very difficult at first since you'll get stomped by more skilled players but, if you truly want to become good at the game, learn from your mistakes and watch how other players play the game.
Take note of what goes wrong and deliberately plan what you can do differently in the future.
Conclusion
League of Legends has just celebrated its 10th anniversary and it shows no signs of slowing down. The game has already been ported to mobile with League of Legends: Wild Rift and many other spinoff games such as Teamfight Tactics and Legends of Runeterra.
With its immersive universe, well thought out characters, exciting esports scene, and great gameplay, it's no wonder why League of Legends is one of the best Riot Games game out there.
