League Of Legends Beginner Guide cover image

League Of Legends Beginner Guide

Start Your League of Legends journey today with our Beginner Guide.

Riot Games League of Legends is one of the most played games globally, having over 115 million players across the entire globe. For new players, it can be intimidating to start playing League due to having to find a comfortable play style, understanding game mechanics, and finding a champion that fits you. We hope this League of Legends Beginner Guide will help you on your way!

With all the new players who have downloaded, are thinking about playing or still learning, we made this guide with you in mind. League of Legends esports news is constantly breaking, changing, and updating.

What is League of Legends?

League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena ( MOBA ) that has become one of the most popular games of all time and is currently one of the biggest draws in esports. In standard League of Legends matches, each team consists of five players on different sides of the map.

Global Phenomenon

The easy to play MOBA has one of the most diverse fan bases of any online game. League Legends has brought us superstars like Mid Laner Lee “Faker” Sang-Hyeok and Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg who are now household names in the community because of their impact in LoL esports. In 2018 League of Legends had one of the largest prize pools in esports history third only to the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Finals and the International 9. The $6.4 million dollar prize pool was the largest in Lol history, with China’s Invictus Gaming taking home $2.4 million of the prize pool after defeating Europe’s Fnatic 3-0 in the grand finals.

Entering Summoners Rift: League of Legends Beginner Guide

image credit: https://www.earlygame.com/
image credit: https://www.earlygame.com/

What kind of League of Legends beginner guide would this be without the basics?

Once the teams select their champions, they enter the Summoners Rift ( See image above). Summoner’s Rift is a large map that consists of three large lanes known as top, mid, and bot. Between these three lanes is the jungle that features monsters that can grant gold and buffs to champions. Minions spawn in the lanes, which are important because they serve as a way for champions to farm gold.

Each team has its own base, where at the center of it is a Nexus. Each team's goal is to make it across Summoner’s Rift and destroy the opposing team’s Nexus. The first team to destroy the opposing Nexus will win but defending both Nexus are turrets, minions, and other champions.

Positions in League of Legends

Like a competitive team sport, each League of Legends player gets a position or role in their group. These roles consist of Top Laner, Jungler, Mid Laner, Bot Laner, and Support. They get their name after the location of Summoner’s Rift they involve toward the beginning of the game (except for the Support).

photo credit: www.pinnacle.com
photo credit: www.pinnacle.com

Every match begins with the player against the other team’s similar role. For example, if you go Top Lane, you will start against the opposing team’s Top Laner.

Top Laner

photo credit: na.leagueoflegends.com
photo credit: na.leagueoflegends.com

The Top Laner occupies the top of Summoner’s Rift. This player is likely to select a durable and durable champion and has enough mobility to escape when needed. The Top Lane is the furthest lane on the map, leading to ambushes by opposing teams, Junglers. Unfortunately, due to the lack of hiding places, selecting a champion who can handle the disadvantages that the Top Lane can bring is imperative.

Jungler

The Jungler is the only role that does not occupy a lane. The Jungler finds their success in spending time destroying monsters in the Jungle and ambushing opposing champions when the opportunity is best presented. Junglers are champions that have high mobility and can quickly move through the three lanes in order to assist other teammates. This role utilizes the fog and bush to hide amongst the enemy.

Mid Laner

The Mid Laner is a bit similar to the Top laner because it is the only other role in a one versus one situation. Most Mid Laners are champions with a high damage output because this role has to kill enemies quickly and still manage to control the lane. The biggest disadvantage of the middle lane is that it is positioned between both jungles, making the champion open for an ambush if they are careless.

Bot Laner and Support

photo credit: na.leagueoflegends.com
photo credit: na.leagueoflegends.com

Bot Laners primarily occupy the Bottom Lane, along with the Support role. This is because they favor Champions that are very vulnerable early in the match, but with help from the Support, they become the highest damage dealers in the game. Supports share the Bottom lane with the Bot Laner.

Their purpose is to help the team in any way possible; this includes providing vision around the map, saving players in danger, and helping start fights when they see winning opportunities. They often sacrifice their own life and money to strengthen their teammates.

Champions in League of Legends

Before entering Summoner’s Rift you must select a champion to bring in with you. Each champion is assigned a class that matches their specific skill type. These classes are controller, fighter, mage, marksmen, slayer, and tank. Most champions fall in between more than one class, so you can find a champion that does not limit the way you specifically want to play.

Jinx is very popular hero pick after being introduced in 2013
Jinx is very popular hero pick after being introduced in 2013

Ultimately, finding a champion that works specifically for you will come from trying out different character types; however, the Tank is the most forgiving for new players who have not yet grasped League of Legends. It is also important to be mindful that each champion is better suited for certain lanes than others.

Fog of War and Vision Control

League of Legends is a game where vision control is extremely important. You can buy wards for vision from the base in the Summoners Rift and place them to reveal where enemy champions are. Understanding the fundamentals of warding and how you can use it to your advantage can really help you win more games.

Warding takes practice, and you have to constantly pay attention to your map because getting too focused on any one task in League can create a disadvantage for you. League of Legends is a game of objectives and teamwork, so it is imperative to play with all these factors in mind.