Should You Start Playing League Of Legends?

The title of this article may catch some of you off guard but this is purely for those who want to know more about League of Legends or returning players who have not seen the game in years. Now whether or not you should start playing League of Legends may be subjective, but we will try to give you a good insight into what the game is about. Plus, some additional cons of playing this online multiplayer, battle arena game.

You should start playing League of Legends if you are an avid gamer and love battle arena-style gameplay. Being one of the most popular and balanced battle arena games out there, League of Legends is simple and easy to get the hang of. Even if you played previously and have not seen the game state in years, you won’t have trouble finding your way around. Every game has its advantages and disadvantages, but League of Legends is definitely there amongst the other top-tier games.

The game is neither too easy nor too hard. With simple mechanics like auto-attacking and a bit of strategic thinking, you can easily dominate the Rift in no time. This comes with the stipulation that this is a PvP game, not a PvE game. You will be matched with other players in real-time who you will have to defeat in order to climb the ladder. But let’s check out some reasons for getting into the decade-old game.

Basic Micro Concepts

I have played my fair share of online multiplayer, battle arena games. These included Arena of Valor, Vainglory, and Mobile Legends. I can say without a doubt that League takes the cake when it comes to simple mechanics, at least while facing an enemy champion in the lane.

Trading

Except for the jungle role, you are constantly positioned in a lane in the early game, using your abilities to trade with your counterpart. Now trading is exceptionally easy in League of Legends. All you need to do is move around to dodge their abilities and use your own to damage them.

This may seem overly simplified as your opponent will be an actual player with the same goal. Mastering trading takes a lot of time and practice but you get better with each match. Sometimes, you will get someone worse off and absolutely stomp them in the lane (which should always be your main aim).

Each champion only has 4 abilities, making it easier to understand what to use and when. With well-rounded kits, you can essentially pick up any champion and try them out on the Rift. Although we will talk about champions in-depth later on.

Last-Hitting

Last-hitting is probably a fundamental mechanic every player needs to learn. The reason I mentioned it here is that it is effortless to learn, and even become proficient in!

Last-hitting means landing the killing blow on all minions and jungle monsters. Since the player who gets the last hit in receives the XP, gold, or other rewards, the last hitting is essential to learn. But the good part is you won’t take long to get a hold of this concept and this can often be the deciding factor in many lanes.

Ability Combos

We mentioned before how each champion has only 4 abilities. The ‘ultimate’ is only unlocked at level 6 and usually has a significant cooldown. This means you only need to worry about executing combos with 3 abilities and the order is generally pretty straightforward.

Most abilities fall into a certain type such as burst damage, dashes, buffs, or CC abilities. More often than not, the combo is CC>dash>burst damage. Buffs can be used in between.

This is a major reason many newer players prefer League of Legends over games in the same genre because getting a grip on the champions is easy for anyone wanting to learn.

Amazing Skin Lines

A lot of games take some basic skin lines and constantly revamp them to introduce new skins. They might lack originality, background, or basic attractiveness.

League of Legends has some of the best skins lines, encompassing different concept skins for every champion. While some may favor a cultural, ritualistic skin line such as Blood Moon or Spirit Blossom, other players are more fascinated by futuristic skins like the Project skin line.

They even have some aimed at satire such as Not ‘X’ which throws a comedic shade on the champions.

Skins are not only limited to the popular champions as every champion has a player base. To cater to each player base, Riot Games makes sure to provide skin for different champions with each skin line. Although some champions may have more skins than they need, almost every champion has a selection of 3 or more skins.

Captivating Cinematics

League of Legends does not only focus on gameplay and in-game mechanics, but they also have an outstanding cinematic industry. While some might argue that this is not a reason to start learning an entirely new game, League’s cinematics really draws attention to the in-depth gameplay and lore of every champion.

From their music videos to the show, Arcane, Riot Games’ cinematic team has truly outdone themselves.

Not only outside the gaming universe, but with every champion release, they have detailed lore to follow it up. This lore is further elaborated on in their game Legends of Runterra, which makes playing the game even more enticing.

Global Playerbase

There aren’t a lot of online multiplayer battle arena games with a global player base. This is primarily because the upkeep of servers all around the world can prove to be a challenge for most companies.

League of Legends is one of the few games with an insane number of players from all over the world. No matter what region you are from, you can easily select the server closest to you for the best ping without worrying about long matchmaking timers and player disparity.

This also helps people from all around the world to communicate. Riot has made sure no one is excluded from playing the game due to their geographical location and that they have a diverse player base to make the game interesting.

A global player base also ensures that you will almost always be matched with people at, or near, your skill level. You do not need to face a 3-year veteran player while being 2 months into the game. Due to this, players can progress at their own rates without having to worry about grinding levels or experience.

Also read: RatIRL Story Behind The Player

Constant Balance Changes

Unlike most multiplayer battle arena games, League of Legends developers are constantly rolling out balance changes to make sure their players get the best experience.

This is best seen by the fact no champion completely dominates the meta or is at god-level. Balancing each champion and making sure no one is overpowered keeps the meta from getting stale. New champions are always coming into the meta while older ones are nerfed to reduce the excessive win rate.

Hot Fixes

Sometimes, certain aspects of the game prevail through patches and are not affected the way the developers intended. This issue is swiftly dealt with by Riot Games by issuing hotfixes.

These hotfixes are made to slightly alter the game state while not disrupting the regular meta. The only time most of them are required is when players find an unconventional way to abuse a certain aspect of the game and steamroll others.

Fresh Content

Although League of Legends is primarily a 5v5 battle arena game, Riot Games knows that can get boring after playing for a few seasons. This is why Riot’s development team is constantly pumping out new content.

This content can be in the form of new champions, different game modes, or even new in-game objectives such as the Hextech and Chemtech drakes.

These changes allow players to try out different methods to win games and imply various strategies to see which works best. Due to the simplicity of these new changes, older players can easily get the hang of these transitions without having to work too hard.

Various Game Modes

In addition to new content, League of Legends has several game modes other than the normal 5v5 Summoner’s Rift format. ARAM is one of the permanent game modes that is a personal favorite of mine as it forces you to try your best with the given champions and team compositions.

Other game modes such as URF, ARUF, and Ultimate Spellbook are always on rotation. So just in case you ever get tired of the standard format, take a break to try out some of these!

Also read: The 8 Most Toxic Champions in League of Legends

The Takeaway

League of Legends is undoubtedly one of the best online multiplayer battle arena games out there. If you really like the concept and what to get into this genre of gaming, League should be your first pick. Alas, in the end, whether or not you should start playing League of Legends is entirely up to you as you may prefer games your friends already play.

But looking at all the benefits you receive playing League, it is definitely a top contender and should be given due consideration!