League of Legends: Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Playing LoL
You’ve just entered the exciting world of Runeterra and are eager to embark on your League of Legends (LoL) journey. However, if you’ve recently installed the game and played a few initial matches, you may find yourself feeling lost and unsure of what to do. Rest assured, it’s not your fault. The blame lies with the lackluster League of Legends tutorial, which fails to provide players with useful information or teach them the necessary skills to excel in the game. But fear not, as we present to you the ultimate beginner’s guide to playing LoL, designed to help you quickly become a skilled player in this popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game.
Understanding the Goal in League of Legends
League of Legends, like other MOBA games, revolves around a simple concept. Each match is separate, regardless of your account level. When you start a game, your champion begins at level one. Throughout the match, you earn experience and gold, which allow you to level up your abilities and purchase relevant items to enhance your champion’s power.
The primary objective in every League of Legends match is to destroy the enemy Nexus, which is located on the opposing side of the map. While it may seem tempting to focus solely on eliminating enemy champions to reach the Nexus, employing strategic tactics such as farming minions and taking down towers is far more efficient. These actions not only grant you gold but also contribute significantly to your overall success in the game. Think of League of Legends as a complex game of chess, where your ultimate goal is to have the enemy’s king in checkmate.
Mastering Minions and Their Role
Minions play a crucial role in League of Legends, and understanding their significance is vital to your success. Throughout each match, you’ll encounter minions, which are small robed figures engaging in combat. Killing these minions provides you with gold, helping you accumulate wealth. Additionally, the jungle, the area between the three main lanes on the map, contains various creatures that serve a similar purpose. Taking down these creatures also rewards you with valuable resources.
When it comes to minions, mastering the art of farming is essential. Farming refers to the practice of waiting for your own minions to lower an enemy minion’s health and delivering the killing blow to acquire the gold. This technique, known as “last-hitting,” is a fundamental skill to develop in League of Legends. Farming is a reliable method of obtaining gold and experience, enabling you to strengthen your champion throughout the game. Moreover, minions are instrumental in destroying enemy turrets. These structures are formidable and deal significant damage to champions. Using minions to tank turret shots while safely attacking them is key to achieving success.
Navigating Champion Fundamentals
Each champion in League of Legends is designed to be unique, offering distinct abilities and playstyles. While there is a wide variety of champions to choose from, it’s important to select simpler ones when you’re starting out. Simple champions are not weak by any means; they have straightforward playstyles that are easier to grasp, especially for beginners.
Understanding Roles in League of Legends
League of Legends features a diverse cast of champions, each fitting into specific roles or classes. Roles correspond to the various lanes in which champions are typically played and offer distinctive gameplay experiences. Here are the primary roles in League of Legends:
- Top lane role: This role involves playing champions in the top-most lane, where self-sufficient champions excel. These champions often take on the role of frontline fighters, ensuring their team’s success.
- Jungle role: The jungle role differs from the others as it doesn’t involve playing in a lane. Instead, jungle champions focus on clearing the creatures found in the jungle area, positioning themselves strategically to surprise the enemy. Mastering the jungle role can be challenging, making it advisable for beginners to gain more experience before attempting it.
- Mid-lane role: Champions played in the middle lane, known as mages or assassins, deliver overwhelming damage either from a distance or through stealthy approaches. They are masters of eliminating enemies swiftly, adapting their playstyles accordingly.
- Attack Damage Carry (ADC) role: Also known as the ADC role, this position is played in the bottom lane. ADC champions, typically marksmen, utilize their ranged attacks to consistently damage enemies from a safe distance.
- Support role: Supporting the ADC, champions fulfilling this role enhance their team’s capabilities through buffs, crowd control, and overall utility. Selecting a complimentary support champion can elevate a good team to a great one.
Understanding League of Legends Items and Stats Basics
Once you’ve chosen your preferred lane and champion, and learned the art of farming to accumulate gold, it’s crucial to understand how to spend it effectively. League of Legends features four primary stats that every player must be familiar with:
- Attack Damage vs. Armor: If you’ve selected a champion focused on dealing damage through auto attacks rather than abilities (such as marksmen, assassins, and certain top lane champions), Attack Damage becomes the most crucial stat for optimal performance. Auto attacks have no cooldowns or mana costs, allowing for continuous physical damage. To withstand and counter Attack Damage, champions must acquire Armor.
- Ability Power vs. Magic Resistance: Ability Power is the counterpart to Attack Damage and is utilized by champions reliant on their skills instead of auto attacks. These champions are known as mages and specialize in delivering magical damage. To mitigate and resist their magical onslaught, tanks and other champions must obtain items that provide Magic Resistance, as Armor does not protect against magical damage.
Becoming Proficient in League of Legends
It’s essential to recognize that mastering League of Legends takes time and dedication. While we’ve only scratched the surface of the game’s vast content, understanding and honing these basics will provide a solid foundation for your journey. However, it’s advisable to gain substantial experience before venturing into ranked games, even if you satisfy the requirements. Once you’ve gathered enough experience, consider specializing in a specific role or champion. By focusing on a single champion and learning their intricacies, you can elevate your gameplay to new heights. Whether you become a main, frequently choosing a specific champion while dabbling in alternatives, or an OTP (one-trick pony), truly mastering a single champion, your dedication will yield remarkable results.