Sometimes people can surprise you with how helpful gamers really can be. I hadn’t played League of Legends really since 2009, when the game originally launched (with two additional matches around 2012). So, as someone that wants to learn all of the current competitive games, I re-downloaded the game onto my computer. It was there that I realized I had around 3400 Riot Points (which equals about $35) sitting in my account that were given to me ages ago. There's new Champions being added left and right, new features, skill sets, and tactics. It's daunting to someone that hasn't played recently (or ever) and my head was spinning when I started looking at the options.
That's when the lightbulb came on! I came up with an idea to head to the League of Legends NA Facebook group and see just how helpful the community was. There's nearly 37,000 members, which are just every day people, and let me tell you: They did not disappoint. With the scare of potential toxicity from the LOL community, I remained cautious, but in the end, they really shined. Below, I’ve turned their words into a mini beginners guide for those that want to try out the game for the first time (or in my case, after 8 years of abandonment). I’ve organized their words into Tanks, Ranged and DPS, Healers and Support, Other, as well as Tips for how to save the Riot Points I had in the account. Additionally, I’ve solved grammatical and spelling errors for purposes of the post, but kept their helpful words.
Tanks For LOL The Help
Right out the gate, I asked the opinions on the best “tanks” to start out with. For those unfamiliar with the terms, tanks are the powerhouses that rush into battle, usually being healed by a “support” player in the meantime while they hit as hard as they can from the frontlines.
Derek O., Dave M., and Dagon B., and Tri T. all agreed that Garen is the best starting point to get into the game. Derek said that Garen “does a lot of damage and gets super tanky”, where Dave chimed in to mention that Garen’s passive move lets him regain health as well. Dagon said, “he’s easy, is a tank, and deals damage. He's an all around champion. You can get to about Gold 3 with him.”
Tri T. went a little further on his analysis of Garen. “Garen’s the best brain-dead champion that makes the game fun right away usually, just something about running down mid into a 1 v 5 spin to win, ult and run out.”
But, Dagon also believes that there’s much more out there than the starter tank, Garen. “When you get to Gold 3, consider learning champions like Ornn, Maokai, and Cho'gath. At the moment, I think those are top 3 in top lane. If you like tanks and the jungle, Jarvan IV is the way to go. He's good into any team comp against any team comp.”
Where Aaron A. believes in Maokai, Dylan H., Jacob M., Brian C., and Victor D. all have their hearts set on Ornn. Brian says to just go top lane and build super tanky with him, but Brian explained a little more.
“Ornn is a good buy too,” Dylan claims. “He’s very strong and a rewarding champ. A bit harder to play than Maokai and Garen, but someone who will definitely make you feel strong.”
Jhon N., however, have a variance of options in his advice. “If you’re going to solo top, Cho'gath would be nice,” he starts. “Ryze would be also good, but he’s a combo type of champ. Not to ignore Nasus, he just stacks and (takes over during) late game. But, if you love playing tank, go for Ornn.”
In a twist to the focus, Michael T. loves Leona. “I’ve been playing Leona support. Very easy to pick up and super tanks. Her kit is all about crowd control and setting up for your carries. Very hard to kill late game.”
Free-Range Range Users
While most people that use tanks tend to mostly agree with each other, the “Ranged” or “DPS” (Damage per second) fans have very wildly different opinions on who to choose. These users tend to stand back and use long-range attacks to stay out of reach of other players.
Tyler H. thinks that it’s better to start with a harder character that can make others easier for newcomers. “Vayne is good, he explains, “because she's kinda hard. So, honestly if you just practice enough, it will make it easier for others. Varus also a great one, with an easier play style.”
Michael T. juggles several champions in his arsenal for different reasons. “If you want ADC, people tend to think Miss Fortune and Caitlin are easy to learn. Master Yi has a simple kit for jungling. Annie for mid lane. Garen is the go-to for a good combo of easy, tanky, and decent damage.”
Kalin G. opened up about a love for several champions in the game, which include their top picks for DPS. “Ashe is pretty easy to learn and can be dependable, too. Quinn and Xayah are solid ranged DPS. If you're looking for mages, Ahri, Lux, and Annie are ones I like using.
Jesse M. rounded out the DPS and range discussion by saying to play Tristana or Jhin: “They're both a great time.”
Every Foundation Has Good Support
Dagon spoke about supports, which Stephen M. agreed. “Sona, Nami, Taric, Janna. Those four. Janna has heals, her ultimate, and she has a shield that can shield turrets and shield a teammate and that shield gives teammates bonus ad. Also, she has a slow and a knock-up.”
Tad O. puts their faith in Soraka, where Megan R. also says Nami and Sona are the ways to go. “The best heals would be Raka in heal strength,” Megan explained, “where Nami has a heal and and attack in one move. Sona has heal and shield in the same move and if her passive is available, also a damage lowering debuff.”
Our own League of Legends expert at the Twin Galaxies Editorial, Zac Cameron, added his thoughts into the mix, when it comes to supports. "Supports are in a really good place right now," he claimed. "They have a job to do, but they’re not chained to their AD Carry anymore. Nami is a pretty good balance between point-and-click abilities, while also having some skill shots, and Soraka is a very good healer. My favourite supports are the tanky kind though, Alistar, Braum, Taric, etc. Getting real tough and jumping in front of the enemy is how I roll, but that can be a little hard at first. If you’re good at hitting skill shots, Blitzcrank is a god, pulling an enemy out of position can win games on the spot."
Bronze, Silver, Let's Ramp It Up!
All of the advice I was given is useful, but sometimes, it just doesn’t fit into any one particular group. League of Legends is the kind of game that everyone has their way of doing things and every person has a tweak to someone else’s version to make it their own.
Jimmitry R., for instance, explains all of his options across the board, depending on what’s needed for a game. “Use Garen for top lane, Yi for jungle, Lux for mid, Morgana for support, Ashe for ADC. These champs have a low skill cap, but get dangerous if mastered.”
Derek O. and Adam S. sets their sights on the Burst Mage subclass. “There are some fun burst mages,” Derek said. “Annie is pretty easy. Brand is a slightly more difficult version of Annie. Ziggs is pretty fun and easy.” Adam burst in, himself, excitedly claiming: “LUX. TRY LUX. She's the perfect mid lane champ for beginners and playable at higher ranks.”
Sometimes, the best advice is to just try the game. Iván T thinks YouTube is the best method to learning your way. “Go to YouTube and search ‘LoL easiest champions for bronze’, ‘LoL best champions for bronze’, ‘Beginner guide to LoL’, etc. Probably a better structured source of info.”
Jestie K., however, believes newcomers should try the game head on instead to learn. “Find your play style,” Jestie explained. “Go on the League website and look at champs that way. But anyways, when I returned to league after 2 years hiatus, I picked up Jhin right away because he was so cool and different from the other ADCs in the past. He's slow paced and moderately easy to play, so if you're looking for a marksman he's my recommendation.
Riot Points burning a hole in your pocket? Here's what to do.
Since the game is free, some people expect to have some sort of upkeep cost for their account. Where it’s not required to spend real money, the occasional sale or special skin may pop up in the online digital store within the game. In my case, I was handed around 3000 Riot Points (RP), the paid currency of League of Legends, and I wanted to make the absolute best use of them all.
Jhon N. started that conversation off by saying not to use any of the RP just yet. “Just play and play,” he started. “That’s all, and besides you get free champion capsule everytime you level up. Disenchant some and save the Blue Essence (which you get by playing the game normally) for the champions you would like to get. Probably Riot would give some sales, so just buy the things you would like to get. It’s either champs or skins. Just save them. Just don’t use your RP yet. Use it maybe when you have the feels and get familiarized in League. (Also), there's a free champion rotation, so feel free to use them.”
Timothy C. says to start simple. If the players have the extra cash, they should “buy the starter pack. Then when you get a feel for your role. Grab another couple champs.”
Adam S. added in that in order to know who to spend money on, players should first familiarize themselves with anyone possible first. “Every week play at least 3 games each with each of the the rotating free characters,” he said. “It will give you a feel for all the roles/lanes. After a few weeks, you'll have a few favorite champs. Save your RP for sweet skins because all champs can be bought just by playing or you can wait for weekly 50% off sales, if there's one you just gotta have. Patience pays with RP. Or just do what I do and pull a little overtime at work here and there so you don't care about the price. Just let it sit for a couple months. Early on, I bought champs because they looked cool but ended up hating how they played. My favs are ones I would have never guessed could have been fun.”
While you're looking around at League of Legends, check out the new pros being added to the NA LCS and then see how Echo Fox has been taking center stage this year in the current season.
