The popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game, League of Legends (or LoL), has ruled the roost globally for over a decade.
Riot Games, an American game developer, introduced this free-to-play game for Windows in 2009 and extended its availability to macOS in 2013. League of Legends: Wild Rift, a mobile version of the game, was launched for iOS and Android devices in October 2020.
League of Legends has garnered multiple awards, such as the Best Esports Game at The Game Awards, multiple times. It also has a thriving professional competitive scene and an enormous fan base. According to reports, over 100 million people watched the LoL world championship in 2019.
League of Legends, after featuring as a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games, graduates to a medal event at the Asian Games 2023. This year, the Esports competition comes to the fore at the Asian Games, to be held in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China.
Keen to understand how to play League of Legends? Here are some basics.
Introduction to League of Legends
League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena game that pits two teams, each comprising five players, against each other on a square map. The objective is to destroy the main structure (called the Nexus) in the enemy’s base. The first team to achieve this wins the game.
Playing League of Legends
In League of Legends, as with all MOBA games, the gameplay heavily revolves around map dynamics.
While League of Legends features several maps, Summoner’s Rift is typically used for competitive tournaments.
A Closer Look at the Summoner’s Rift map
The Summoner’s Rift map is square-backed. The farthest corners of the map host bases for the two teams, each containing its team’s Nexus.
Regularly, the Nexus generates small infantry units called minions, which proceed along three paths until they’re killed.
The three trails, named top lane, mid lane, and bot lane, bridge the two bases. Three turrets or towers along each path guard the team’s side. Each base has another two turrets safeguarding the Nexus, bringing the total to 11.
Each base also houses three crystals, one for each lane. These are called inhibitors.
Every base has a fountain at its far end – this is where players spawn and respawn after death. They can also recover their health here.
Players can purchase upgrades and items from the in-game shop at their respective bases using the gold they earn during the course of the game.
Lastly, the remainder of the map comprises jungles with assorted neutral monsters of various sizes.
Understanding the Gameplay of League of Legends
In this game, ten players each control a character known as a ‘champion’. League of Legends currently offers over 160 champions, each boasting unique abilities.
Champions earn gold and XP (experience points) by defeating enemies, which includes rival minions, champions, and defensive structures. XP points help each champion level up and acquire more skills, while gold can be spent at shops to buy items and upgrades to strengthen them.
While it’s possible to earn XP by attacking or destroying any enemy entity, gold is only rewarded for the fatal blow. Consequently, players spend the early parts of the game accumulating gold and XP, a strategy known as farming.
One noticeable thing is that each game starts from scratch—levels or items do not carry over to the next game.
In League of Legends, the principal goal is to invade the enemy’s base and destroy their Nexus. To realize this objective, it is necessary to demolish the opposition’s turrets. Doing so can obstruct enemy vision and cause damage.
To begin assailing the last two turrets that guard the Nexus, a team must first destroy at least one of the inhibitor crystals. When these final turrets are downed, an attack can be commenced on the enemy Nexus.
Upon the destruction of an enemy inhibitor, the corresponding lane’s minions morph into super minions, which are more potent than regular minions. This gives the team an advantage in pushing towards the enemy base.
Champion Roles in LoL
Before the match begins, players select their champions. The role of each player and chosen champion depends on the team’s strategy.
However, the typical roles players assume include top laner, mid laner, bot laner or AD carry, jungler, and support.
As their designations suggest, top, mid and bot laners are players who strive to maintain control of the three lanes on the map. Typically, the top laners also possess high damage absorption capacity, earning them the nickname “tanks.”
Bot laners or AD carry players typically choose champions that have potent long-range attacks but lower health. However, their role becomes critical as the game progresses due to their capacity to inflict continuous damage on opponents.
Mid laners, who generally possess good game sense and can deal high damage early on, occupy the central lane. The middle lane is the shortest and is crucial in the early stages of the game.
Next up are support champions, who safeguard their teammates by healing and setting up kills using abilities like stun.
Junglers roam the jungle areas of the map, hunting monsters and quickly amassing gold and XP to level up. They assist their team members while not farming.
A few of the popular champions in League of Legends include Miss Fortune, Lux, Darius, Ahri, Master Yi, Garen, Sona, Tristana, Brand, and Ekko.
Regularly, neutral monsters appear in the jungles. Some of these monsters, such as Baron Nashor and Drakes (Dragons), demand a team effort to take down. They can offer significant boosts in attack and defence power to the team who eliminates them, making it worth the risk.
Securing the final hit on the enemy’s monsters or minions also allows players to snatch their gold or XP—a tactic known as ganking.
Now that we have a basic understanding of how League of Legends is played, let’s familiarize ourselves with some widely used terms in this game.
Common League of Legends Terminology
- Auto attack: This is a champion’s basic attack that repeatedly occurs without the need for continuous clicks.
- ACE: This is achieved when the final remaining champion of the opposing team is taken down.
- Assassin: This champion can inflict high damage quickly and enter into and exit from fights swiftly.
- Backline: This term refers to the farthest combat distance from the enemy champions.
- Crowd control: Familiarly known as CC, this restricts the adversary’s movement.
- Crit: Short for a critical strike, this is an attack that deals double the damage.
- Death timer: This is the duration a champion must wait to respawn after being killed.
- Elder Dragon: This is the final dragon in the game.
- Gank: This involves ambushing the enemy.
- Recall: This ability permits all champions to teleport back to their base, typically taking eight seconds.
- Super Minion: These are enhanced minions that appear after an enemy inhibitor has been wiped out.
League of Legends at the 2023 Asian Games
Esports will be introduced as a medal event for the first time at the Asian Games, with League of Legends being one of the seven games participants will compete in.
At the Asian Games 2023, 19 of Asia’s top League of Legends teams will be competing. All matches leading up to the finals will follow a best-of-three format. The gold and bronze medal matches will be best-of-five affairs.