A Guide to League of Legends for Beginners

If you’re looking to get into one of the most popular esports games out there, you’re in the right place! League of Legends has been around for years, quickly becoming one of the most popular competitive online games for esports tournaments among the other giants like Fortnite and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

As a beginner, don’t expect to bring in any million-dollar jackpots like the best players in the game. However, a resource like Hotspawn can teach you the ropes so you can get out there and have fun.

What Is League of Legends?

League of Legends is an online team-based strategy game. Players are split into two teams to face off in intense battles to destroy the other’s base. Players choose from over 140 champions, and there are multiple game modes to choose from. However, as this is a beginner’s guide, we’ll only cover the main game mode content: Summoner’s Rift.

The Goal of Summoner’s Rift

Summoner’s Rift is a 5v5 game mode where two teams choose their champions to enter the battle. The playing field comprises three large lanes through the top, middle, and bottom of the map, which are the central area of contention between the two teams. Between the three lanes lies a vast jungle, which houses various monsters that grant power-ups. Minions guard the primary lanes for each group. The enemy minions serve as a gold source for your champions while your minions support your team.

Both teams have a base that houses their Nexus, protected by two turrets located in each lane, with one additional turret inside the base. The turret situated on each team’s base covers their Inhibitors. Both teams have three Inhibitors, and destroying an Inhibitor will allow your team to summon additional, more powerful minions to patrol the lanes every 35 seconds. The goal is to destroy the opposing team’s Nexus. Once one team has destroyed the other’s Nexus, the match is over.

Choosing Your Champion

Before you enter a match, you’ll need to choose a champion. League of Legends designates a class for each champion based on their skill set and base stats. The classes include controller, fighter, mage, slayer, marksman, and tank. These classes are a recommended play style, but you can play them however you want.

For beginners, tanks are an excellent choice, as they’re more forgiving than other classes, sporting more health and armor. Most of the game mechanics you’ll learn playing as a tank can transfer to other classes once you’re ready to discover which class best suits you. Once you’ve selected a champion you’re content with, you’ll choose a lane to fight in.

Picking a Lane

In most matches, one player moves to the top lane, one in the middle, two in the bottom, and one to the jungle as support. Players traditionally choose a lane that best suits their champion. For example, tanks generally pick the top lane while magic-based champions take the middle lane. The bottom lane typically features marksman champions and a supportive champion. Finally, the jungle is usually for players who can help each lane and kill the jungle monsters fastest.

Working Your Lane

The main objective is to destroy the Nexus while defending your own. When fighting minions, it’s essential to score the last hit to receive gold with experience points (XP). If you don’t get the last hit, you’ll only receive XP, which can be more challenging than you realize. Use gold to buy items in your base’s store to improve your champion. The jungle is usually the most difficult part for new players. “Jungling” involves killing monsters and supporting teammates by entering their lanes to help fight off minions or rival champions.

Take Your Time With the Learning Curve and Have Fun

We could write a guide for each lane and champion, but this is only a beginner’s guide. Now that you have the basics, find a champion that suits you, work on last-hitting, and have fun! If you want to learn more about League of Legends, check out Hotspawn.