League of Legends

League of Legends (LoL)

League of Legends is an online multiplayer game in which two teams of five players try to destroy the enemy team’s base. The game was created by Riot Games and was first released as a mod for a standalone game called Defence of the Ancients in June 2009. It officially launched on October 27th, 2009, with over 10 million players worldwide. No matter the player count, League of Legends is always one of the most played games on any platform, with millions playing every day. The gameplay revolves around capturing three towers and bringing down their opponent’s base in order to win. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know before jumping into ranked play— from understanding your role and champion pool to mastering your lane matchup, ganking tactics, laning strategies, team fights, and more.

What is League of Legends?

League of Legends is an online multiplayer game in which two teams of five players try to destroy the enemy team’s base. The game was created by Riot Games and was first released as a mod for a standalone game called Defence of the Ancients in June 2009. It officially launched on October 27th, 2009, with over 10 million players worldwide. No matter the player count, League of Legends is always one of the most played games on any platform, with millions playing every day.

How to Play League of Legends

There are three major components to League of Legends: champions, runes, and summoner spells. Your team selects a team of champions to play with. Each champion has three unique roles that they can fill: AD Carry (Attack Damage Carry), Support, and Jungler (who are also called “ins” and “outs” by the community, respectively). Champions have abilities that are activated through the use of keys (QWER for AD Carries, E for Supports, etc.), which can be pressed multiple times to do more damage and/or deal area of effect damage. Finally, the third component of League of Legends is runes. At each rune spawn point, you can activate a rune by selecting it and pressing the rune key once. Each rune grants a different effect. Using all three of these components, you can create a unique team build for each game that suits the needs of your team and the enemy team.

Is League of Legends still free?

Yes. League of Legends is a subscription-based game, but it’s not like all of your champions will be locked behind a paywall. The game comes with a 14-day free trial so that you can give it a try and see if it’s right for you. After the trial period, players can choose to subscribe to League of Legends for 12 months at $6.99 per month, a one-time purchase that offers a 10% discount. This subscription is required to play ranked matches. If you only play normals, you won’t have to subscribe unless you want to play ranked.

Why is League of Legends so popular?

League of Legends is easy to pick up and play, but there is an insane amount of depth. A single Champion might be effective in a certain situation, but there are an incredible number of variables that can affect how well you perform with them. The best players can create unique team builds that even the best players in the world may fail to anticipate at the end of a game. Furthermore, there is a seemingly endless amount of content available to keep players coming back for hours on end without feeling like they are simply running through the motions.

Is League of Legends still the biggest game?

Yes. Despite its age, League of Legends is still the largest game in the genre by far. The game’s growth has slowed over the past few years, but it still dominates the genre. League of Legends is so large that there are now multiple spin-offs in other game genres. Think of it like the Mario Kart version of the pachinko machine. The game itself is still the most popular, but there are a large number of add-ons that are just as fun to play.

League of Legends Roles and Information

AD Carry - The core of almost any team composition, the AD Carry is the source of most of the damage. They should be able to dish out a steady stream of consistent damage while surviving well in team fights. Jungler - Similar to being the quarterback on the football team, the jungler is the leader of the team. Note: ADC Main here, NEVER play this role it is weak af and Riot doesn't give a shit about. The job of the jungler is to gank (attacking the enemy laner) and clear the jungle (capturing the neutral camps) to increase the gold and experience gained for their team. Support - The support Morgana (left) and the Marksmen Caitlyn (right) stand at the center of many compositions. They should provide sustained damage, crowd control (e.g. stuns, slows, shields), and mana regeneration for their allies.

Summoner Skills and how to use them

Summoner skills are like runes, but they are activated from the Summoner’s Rift instead of one’s personal blue buff. Players can choose two summoner skills from a pool of six (six for each summoner skill slot) and can only change them between different games. Players can choose from a wide variety of options, from single-target damage to crowd control, to utility (e.g. slowing an enemy champion’s movement speed, boosting allied champions’ damage, etc.). Certain champion matchups like Supports vs. AD Carries, as well as Junglers vs. Supports, are usually best played with different summoner skills, so it’s important to know which ones they have.

Team Composition and Strategy for Ranked Play in League of Legends

When it comes to team compositions, the most important thing to understand is that there is no “best” composition. The composition you choose is based on what your team needs and what the enemy team is bringing to the table. There is no perfect composition, so you will have to experiment with different team configurations until you find one that works.

Team Composition and Strategy for Ranked Play in League of Legends

When it comes to team compositions, the most important thing to understand is that there is no “best” composition. The composition you choose is based on what your team needs and what the enemy team is bringing to the table. There is no perfect composition, so you will have to experiment with different team configurations until you find one that works.

The Importance of Skill Rating (Solo Queue) in League of Legends

While League of Legends is a free-to-play game, you do have to play at least a little bit to get your skill rating up. The skill rating is a number that determines how many games you have to win to move up in rank. The better you do in this respect, the more games you will be granted as a reward. In Ranked Solo Queue, you cannot simply pick a champion and go. Instead, you are matched with other players at the same skill rating, and you have to defeat them to advance to the next round.

Final Words

A few days after the game launched, there were only a few thousand people playing. In the beginning, most people were in the game for fun and to just try something new, but as the game continued to grow and evolve, so did the community. While the number of players has dropped off somewhat since then, it is still one of the most popular games in the world. If you would like to try out League of Legends for yourself, you can always visit the game’s website, play the free demo, or search for a match in ranked play.