Multiplayer Online Battlefield Arena, or MOBA, games have grown rapidly over the last two decades. Once, those who spent hours every day playing video games were considered lazy or uninteresting, but now we have professional-level video game tournaments broadcast live online and on television. Ranging in difficulty, theme, lore, and content rating, these games offer stories, characters, and gameplay for everyone. For those of you who are looking to take the world of MOBA games, specifically the powerhouse title League Of Legends, we have some tips for you.
Welcome to the arena
If you’re new to the MOBA scene, the breakdown is simple, even if the strategies aren’t. A team of five champions fight through AI-controlled hordes of enemies to reach their opponent’s base and destroy it. By managing cooldown times for various champion-exclusive abilities, usually unlocked by leveling up each champion, and executing coordinated attacks with teammates, five-player squads will achieve victory with great rewards. Offering daily rewards for reaching in-game goals, these games can keep ongoing gameplay fun and interesting. There’s an excellent breakdown of team compositions here: https://mobalytics.gg/blog/lol-best-clash-team-comps-and-counters/
Anyone who is a fan of MOBA games can tell you a few facts about the biggest title, League of Legends, with some of the most iconic champions battling in online arenas. Over a decade of updates and patches since releasing in 2009, League of Legends, known in shorthand as LoL, servers host over 125 million active players who are logging on daily to complete their dailies and keep their skills sharp. Bringing people together to take down the opposition or boss level battles, grind out more levels to access better abilities, and play cooperitively with friends and strangers, LoL has become a thriving online community.
Humble beginnings into a global phenomenon
Starting originally with only 17 playable characters, LoL has grown into a fully realized world of more than 140 champions to choose from with different skins, abilities, ultimates, and perks. Among the most popular titles played professionally and watched by millions of loyal fans, Lol has inspired other game franchises, an original animated series on Netflix, and even played a part in a Youtube comedy series following underdogs seeking fame and fortune in the world of competitive MOBA gaming. Many articles offer tons of insight like a LoL champion list.
Every character comes with skillsets and powers unique to their story and build. You will see roles like Marksman, Assassin, Fighter, and Mage, ranging in the difficulty of use and offering different play experiences based on the offensive and defensive abilities the character you choose has. When you’re building a squad of champions, you need to decide if you want to go for a balanced team or plan out a more focused attack with specific roles.
Some team compositions can be balanced for power characters who can deal heavy damage at a short-range, long-ranged support with a healer keeping an eye on everyone’s status and hit points. Other comps can have more narrow attack plans with multiple champions of the same role who can compound the damage. There are also the hyper-focused pros, who main limited different champions so they can operate at a higher level of ferocity and skill that can melt through the defenses of certain bosses or opposing team builds, regardless of difficulty or status.
Learning and improving as you play
Anyone who is just starting out will benefit greatly from shelving your pride and letting yourself be the newb. If you give yourself the chance to fail at something, you let yourself have room to experiment and grow. Too many newcomers get caught up with attachments to character designs or lore they enjoy when the character’s abilities and ultimate attacks don’t match up with the player’s skills or playstyle. Trying different characters with different builds can give you a better idea of how you enjoy playing, what you’re good at, and what you just don’t like, rather than making you feel like you’re not immediately as talented at it as others are or claim to be.
It’s MOBA time
Once you’ve acclimated to the basic team compositions and champion builds that work best for you, it’s time to start doing some research. What you need to be looking at if you’re ready to take LoL seriously is how your champion can fit like a cog in a machine with your team members. Ability cooldown times, frequency of critical attacks, and the scope and effects of individual ultimate moves, all of these things are parts of a formula that you need the solution to in order to take your gameplay to a higher level. Again, experimenting is key, as well as making social connections in-game with other experienced players who can give you insight and help you train.
Depending on who you ask, there are a few widely accepted champions that are the better choices for their utility in various team comps. With limited range but a potent passive ability, Darius is a given, known for being accepted as an overpowered character. Morgana also has an excellent passive that heals and can still deal massive damage, though she was recently nerfed. Shen is a popular character for people who don’t want as much responsibility but seek a high win rate. Katrina is an excellent mid that, once she has kill momentum, can quickly become unstoppable.
A less popular main is Tristina, who has a very positive win rate and can be an incredible champion with patience and careful use of her jump. Soraka is the champion of healers, a clear choice for an active support role. If you’re not a seasoned LoL player it may be wise to consider Thresh, a fantastic all-around champion who is easily accessible for newer players in skill and experience.
Once you have gotten the gameplay experience under your belt that you need to understand who you main best with and what team compositions are the most intuitive for you, get your squad together, and jump into some ranked matches to test your skill and claim your victories.
