Many newcomers to the MOBA genre end up in League of Legends. This can be handy for beginners, but there is one more thing you need to know.
League of Legends is the titan of the competitive gaming scene. It has been in existence for just over a decade and claims some of the largest prize pools in esports history. This is a game with a surprising amount of nuance; Playing League of Legends well is one thing, but mastering it requires a thorough understanding of its mechanics and gameplay.
The first jump into the game can seem daunting for many players, especially those who are new to the MOBA genre. At the same time, players with experience in DOTA or Heroes of the Storm will also have a difficult transition. However, simple game mistakes are easy to avoid if the player knows the basics of the League.
10. Misunderstanding the goals of the game
Basically, League of Legends is a game of attrition. The goal is not to fight enemies head-on, but to collect resources, experience and slowly but surely crawl ahead of the enemy team. Each champion in the team takes his place in one of the three lanes (or in the jungle) and collects experience and gold from the fallen enemy mobs, destroying the defense towers of this lane.
Most of the game is played outside of team fights, which can come as a surprise to new players. Many competitive games solely focus on good kill/death ratios, or pit players against each other in fast-paced fights. Understanding that League of Legends is a mixture of PvP and long-term strategy is the key to avoiding simple mistakes.
9. Joining a losing fight
Knowing when to join a fight can completely change the course of the game, but joining a losing fight only wastes time. It can be tempting to jump into the fight to help your teammates, but pay close attention to their health.
When the enemy team knocks out teammates left and right, it's always safer to stay away than feed their kill streak. It may not be the most exciting option, but it's always better to stay alive than to kill the enemy.
8. Excessive lane switching
Staying in lane is one thing, but staying too long is often a fatal mistake. After chasing and killing an enemy, many beginners will push towers when their health is low because there is no one to challenge them. This opens up the player for a gank from another enemy.
Teleporting back to base when health or mana is low seems like a waste of time, but it will save the respawn headache and allow players to buy new items and upgrades as the enemy respawns.
7. Refusal of the main
Many new to the game are overwhelmed by the sheer number of champions available in League of Legends. It's natural to experience a lot of champions in the beginning, but in the end it's important to focus more on a select few and create a "chief".
This allows the player to hone their skills and delve deeper into their chosen champions. It's far more effective to have a deep understanding of two or three champions than a superficial knowledge of dozens.
6. Too Much Murder Trading
Rush to kill in League of Legends is a tempting reason to rush past enemy towers and chase the enemy. However, no matter how many kills the player makes, they are weighed down by the number of deaths they have experienced.
Feeding the enemy team only increases their experience and gold, so it's always better to let the enemy teleport to the base than to chase them down. After all, a champion with 3 kills and 0 deaths is much better than a champion with 6 kills and 5 deaths.
5. Transmitting visions in the store
Vision wards are an incredible tool that beginners tend to avoid. They are relatively cheap, easy to use and give the player's team a big advantage when used correctly. Vision wards work best when hidden from view, in bushes, and in enemy territory.
It can be tempting to buy healing or small items that will improve over time instead of vision wards. However, instead of serving one player, they improve the vision of the entire team. Each team member must always have at least one rose ward.
4. Poor use of echo requests
Pings are the best way to alert teammates to threats and opportunities. When a champion disappears into the fog of war, or when a group of enemies suddenly appear near the vision, ping the location to alert allies that something is wrong.
Pings are also great for exploiting opportunities no one sees, such as when 3 enemy champions are dead and the player's team can capture the boss. It can be annoying, but it's the best way to communicate with teammates other than voice chat.
3. Deformation to the base in full visibility
Knowing when it's safe to stay in lane and when to teleport back to base is a core skill in League of Legends. Many players forget that they are open to surprise attacks when teleporting back to an open air base, especially after melee combat.
Always head into the bushes or behind cover before pressing the B button to avoid a surprise attack from the jungle and to avoid being interrupted by enemy mobs.
2. Walk into the fog of war alone
This is a mistake that many beginners make when trying to cross the map, perhaps to join a teamfight or push through a vulnerable lane. Going into unrevealed parts of the map on your own is a sure way to get killed by a jungler or run into a group of wandering enemies.
If traveling through the fog of war is necessary, spending as little time as possible in unrevealed areas and getting back to teammates is the best way to avoid getting ganked.
1. Toxicity to teammates and tilting
This should be obvious, but competitive players often need to be reminded of one simple fact: being uncooperative and aggressive towards teammates is the quickest route to defeat. Remember that the team functions as a unit, and while teammates may have different skill levels, this is not an excuse to be toxic towards them.
Losing is part of the game. Nine times out of ten, failure is not the result of individual error, but of smaller, longer-term strategic problems. Accept defeat with dignity, evaluate what went wrong, and try again.
