How to play League of Legends

One of the most popular free video games ever is League of Legends , a multiplayer title for Windows and macOS that even your friends are always talking about. And so, intrigued by its popularity, you gave in: you downloaded it to your computer but, once started, you realized that you don’t know how to play, as there are substantial differences from the video games you usually play.

Well, if that is the way things are, and you would like to know how to play League of Legends , in order to have a general smattering of what are the features, the game modes and the objectives of this title, know that you are reading just the right tutorial. In the course of the next few lines, in fact, I will explain what the basics are, talking about what a neophyte must necessarily know to better face multiplayer battles.

How do you say? Can’t wait to get started? I would have bet! Okay, then let’s not get lost in chat further and let’s get to the heart of the topic immediately. Sit comfortably in front of your computer and read carefully what I will talk about in the next paragraphs. I wish you a good read and, above all, a lot of fun!

Index

• What is League of Legends
• Sample choice
• Mode and purpose of the game
• Moving in the game
• Unlock new champions

What is League of Legends

If you are reading this tutorial on how to play League of Legends , I imagine that you are at the very beginning with this popular online video game and, therefore, want to clarify some doubts regarding its gameplay modes.

Speaking of which, the first thing you need to know is that League of Legends , also known as LoL, is a free-to-play MOBA. The term MOBA is the acronym for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena which, translated into Italian, means online multiplayer combat arena.

It is a sub-genre belonging to the category of real-time strategic video games in which, in a map, two teams face each other on a battlefield with the aim of destroying the opponent’s headquarters and preserving their own.

League of Legends is a very famous video game and it is also a title that presents a considerable gameplay complexity.

That said, if you have recently downloaded this video game on your Windows or macOS computer and you are having difficulties during the games, because you do not know how to play, you just have to continue reading this tutorial in which I will clarify all your doubts, telling you about the gameplay modes and what are the main strategies of victory.

I warn you that this very famous MOBA is also available on Android and iOS / iPadOS smartphones and tablets , under the name of League of Legends: Wild Rift . However, it is a separate version compared to the PC client, as it has been revisited in the game mechanics (almost similar) and in the controls.

Sample choice

The first topic to discuss regarding how League of Legends works is the choice of the champion to use in game. This title allows, in fact, to choose between different characters and each champion corresponds to different styles of gameplay and various strategies. League of Legends champions are divided into 6 main types.

• Shooters– also known as AD Carries ( ADC ), are characters with a ranged fighting style that inflict high physical damage at the expense of low stamina. They are usually used to destroy enemy Towers. Examples of champions with the Marksman role are Ashe, Caitlyn, Miss Fortune, or Varus.
• Mages– also called AP Carries , are champions that inflict high magical damage from a distance and usually have low mobility and resistance. Some of these characters specialize in a fighting style that involves massive area damage. Others, on the other hand, are the strongest in long-range combat. Among the champions with this role are Karthus, Lissandra, Lux and Swain.
• Assassins– are those champions with high mobility, which are used to quickly kill opponents with a hand-to-hand combat style; they usually deal physical damage. Examples are the champions Diana, Fizz and Katarina.
• Tank– are the toughest champions in the game. They compensate for their high hit points with low damage. They usually possess crowd control abilities , such as those capable of inflicting stuns or slows on enemies. Among the most famous tanks are Malphite, Sejuani, Rammus and Zac.
• Fighters– are balanced champions specialized in close combat , which combine the characteristics of the tanks and those of the shooters. The purpose of these characters is to try to survive as long as possible in the game to power up and inflict high damage; an example are characters like Jax, Rek’Sai and Wukong.
• Supports– are those characters who play a support role towards allied players, providing heals and upgrades. The player who chooses this role must pay particular attention to the movements of the opponents and provide team members with information on their movements. Some examples of supporting samples are Leona, Janna and Sona.

Mode and purpose of the game

In League of Legends There are 3 game maps ( Landa of Summoners , Selva Demonic and Abyss howling ) and seven main modes ( Tutorial , training tool , Co-op VS AI , Custom , Normal , Ranking and ARAM ). The most popular map is Summoner’s Rift , while the most popular modes are Normal and Ranked .

The main goal of the game is to conquer the enemy Nexus , which is the headquarters of each of the two teams made up of five players in Summoner’s Rift .

Once the game has started, in fact, the two teams will find themselves on opposite sides of the map, at the starting point ( spawn ).

Playing on the map Landa of Summoners and starting from Nexus ally, there are three lanes ( lane ): top , middle ( mid ) and bottom ( bot ). During the game, the players must first position themselves in the reference lane which changes according to the chosen champion and the role they want to play. Just as an example, the characters with the role of ADC and Support must go together in the bot lane .

Once the game has started, players must wait for the continuous generation of non-player characters; these called Minions are created in waves by the allied Nexus . Their purpose is to help the players as, by advancing in the three lanes, they help to destroy the enemy structures ( Towers and Inhibitors ) that separate from the opposing Nexus .

During the early stages of the game, the players’ objectives are limited: to destroy the opposing Towers with the help of allied Minions, to attack the opposing Minions, inflicting the coup de grace on them and defeating the opposing players who try to obstruct them.

In particular, it is very important to give the final blow to the Minions: this provides a quantity of gold that allows you to upgrade the sample used by purchasing items in the shop located near the allied Nexus .

Gold can also be earned during the game by defeating opposing players, knocking down enemy structures and killing jungle monsters.

To use the accumulated gold you have to go back to the base (button B with the default settings) and click on the Emporium. Buying items is a very important strategy: they give you different power-ups and only a few are best suited to the chosen champion and the current game situation.

Consequently, to ensure victory, it is necessary to establish a game strategy based on the purchase of objects capable of improving the intrinsic abilities of the character you are using, to better counterattack the opponents and at the same time to confer bonuses and upgrades to the squad.

It is also possible to buy consumable items, such as healing potions or wards (the latter are special objects that temporarily guarantee visibility on the map, allowing you to see the movements of opposing champions, otherwise hidden).

Consumable items can be activated by clicking on their icon located in the inventory or by using hotkeys ranging from 1 to 6 , with the default game settings. Furthermore, in the center of the map there is the Jungle : inside there are neutral monsters that, if killed, give the team additional bonuses able, sometimes, to turn the tide of the game.

Usually, killing these monsters is the Jungler’s special task . This is a fundamental role: the player who is in the jungle must, without being noticed by the opponents, go from lane to lane to help allies in difficulty.

After killing the opposing Minions, players, aided by allied Minions, must advance in their lane to destroy the Towers and Inhibitors , powerful defensive structures. Be careful with these, as if there are no opposing Minions nearby or if an allied champion is attacked, they become hostile.

Speaking, however, more in detail of the Inhibitors , it must be said that one of the basic strategies of victory is linked to their destruction. This is because the destruction of an Inhibitor allows you to generate a powerful Super Minon , a very powerful and resistant Minion that is able to guarantee a strong advantage in the game.

A destroyed Inhibitor automatically regenerates after 5 minutes: for this reason, an almost guaranteed victory is the destruction of all 3 opposing Inhibitors at close range. In this way, in fact, two Super Minons will be generated with each wave of Minon .

Once the Inhibitors are destroyed , it is necessary to aim for the destruction of the Nexus and its two defensive towers : the team that first destroys the Nexus wins the game.

Moving in the game

Now that you understand what the game modes are and what the purpose of League of Legends is , start a game by pressing the Play button in the client, choose your preferred game mode by clicking on it and then click Confirm .

If you need to practice the game controls and the modes just explained, choose the modes such as Co-op VS AI , Tutorial or Training Tool.

Once in the game, you can also begin to familiarize yourself with the game controls, which I will tell you about in detail in the following lines.

To move in League of Legends  with the chosen champion, usually, the traditional RTS commands are used. Once in the game, to make your champion move,  left click  on the ground to indicate the direction you want to go. Instead, to attack an enemy champion, opposing non-player character, or structure, right-click on it.

All champions have special abilities; to use them, click on the corresponding icon located in the bottom bar, or use the hotkeys, which by default are Q , W , E or R , and then click on the target.

Game controls can be customized at any time via the game controls, accessible by clicking the ESC button .

Unlock new champions

The champions of League of Legends can be played for free through the Free Spins Weekly. Furthermore, playing the games you get the points Blue Essence and Riot Points .

Through these virtual credits it is possible to buy champions, which can be permanently unlocked in game and therefore, in this case, it is no longer necessary to wait for the weekly rotation to play them.

If, while playing the games, you have identified a champion that you are interested in unlocking, you can make the purchase of the same directly through the game client. To do this, click on the button with the coin symbol you see at the top, then click on the Samples menu item at the top.

Now, using the search engine located in the left sidebar, type the name of the champion you want to unlock.

Alternatively, you can filter by role by clicking on the side menu items that refer to the main champion types, such as Assassin , Mage or Fighter . Once you have identified the character you are interested in, choose whether to unlock him through Riot Points or through Blue Essence .

Riot points are a virtual credit that can also be obtained by purchasing in Euros. To do this, click on the Buy RP button on the main shop screen and then choose the payment method ( Credit Card, PayPal, PaySafe Card, Mobile Payment or Prepaid Cards and Codes ) and the amount of points to purchase. The minimum purchase price for Riot points is € 2.50.