League of Legends
League of Legends is a massively popular free-to-play MOBA developed by Riot Games. Though it was released on October 27, 2009 as a child idea from Defense of the Ancients, League of Legends has definitely come into a life of its own with a huge competitive scene and an even bigger player base. League of Legends has won countless awards since its original release, including the Golden Joystick Award for Online Game of the Year, and Best Free-To-Play Game. With over 67 million monthly active players as of early 2014, League of Legends is the most played PC game in the world.
So the question is, with all the new MOBAs popping up, how does a game from 2009 stay relevant? The answer: through constant updates and bug-fixes to refine the game. Since League is Riot Games’ sole project, the company can spoil the players with plenty of updates, including new champions, updates to old champions, skins, items, game-modes, and fairly quick resolutions to bugs or server problems. Since its release, the game has undergone two major visual updates, with the latest entering open beta for all queues on November 8, 2014. MOBAs are constantly changing, with League being no exception. The game is also incredibly profitable (~$1 billion in revenue in 2014), which funds Riot Games' efforts to keep League fresh and fun. Riot Games also makes a great effort to focus on their players, providing a professional eSports scene for League fans (which actually costs more money to maintain than it generates).
League of Legends categorizes its maps into three game modes: Classic, which can be played on either the 5v5 Summoner’s Rift map or on 3v3 Twisted Treeline; Dominion, a 5v5; and ARAM, another 5v5 map. Each mode has their own exclusive items and features that are not available on other modes.
The Classic modes are pretty name-on-tin. They’re classic for a reason, and that is that they are the standard MOBA structure, where your team pushes lanes with the goal of destroying the enemy’s nexus. Dominion, which takes place on the Crystal Scar, is very different. It is a circular map with five capture points for the two teams to fight over. ARAM, or All Random; All Mid, is similar to the Classic Modes in objective, but its map, the Howling Abyss, is a single lane. Champions are chosen randomly before entering the game, and players cannot go back to heal at the base or purchase items until dead.
The first two modes can be played PvP or Co-op vs. AI. PvP modes are more popular and often have shorter queue times, but Co-op vs. AI is not neglected, either. It is a great choice for new players who aren’t ready to fight against real players yet, or for players who just want to relieve some stress by beating on bots. However, if you spend your time leveling in bot-games, stepping into the PvP world can be a stressful experience.
There is also the option to create or join custom games, which is great for tournaments, friend-only games, or player-created modes such as Ping Pong.
Riot has also released limited-time featured game modes for special events or just for laughs. Examples of this include April Fools’ Day shenanigans such as Ultra Rapid Fire mode, featuring the Awesome Buff of Awesomely Awesome Buffing (say that five times fast), and Ascension, which came with the expansion to the game’s lore, and a shiny new champion that looks like the Winged Dragon of Ra from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Many argue that the learning curve of LoL is lesser than of its cousin, DotA. However, League emphasizes more teamwork and lessens the chance of someone being able to carry the team single-handedly, which is possible. My take on it: freelo bby. Gameplay in Classic modes is your standard MOBA. There is a laning phase, where you mainly farm minions to acquire gold and experience while occasionally fighting the enemy. Slaying enemy champions also grants you more gold and experience. However, unlike DotA, the enemy does not lose their gold, but are still set back. Also, the mechanic of ‘denying’ farm, where you slay your own minion before they die to deny the enemy gold, does not exist in LoL. All of these elements together allow you to better predict the outcome for a given situation. The game progresses and team fights paint the battlefield with blood, while players fight for control of objectives such as Dragon and Baron.
League of Legends is the most played PC game in the world for a reason. It's definitely worth a try. Play it with friends, you’ll have more fun. Whether it be casual or competitive, there's something for everyone. Those new to the genre shouldn't be too intimidated, either. League is much more newbie-friendly than other MOBAs.
League of Legends Minimum Requirements
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