League of Legends is a popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game that has been in the online gaming scene since its release in 2009. The game is published by Riot Games for Windows and macOS. It was inspired by the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne mod, Defense of the Ancients.
League of Legends offers the standard 5 vs 5 game mode available in other MOBA games which pits two teams against each other on a map (called Summoner’s Rift) with the main goal being to destroy the enemies base (Nexus). A 3v3 option to the MOBA genre and the Dominion gameplay mode was introduced. In Dominion, players are required to capture and hold five objective points to reduce the enemies Nexus health. This game mode is aimed at creating a faster-paced gameplay mode.
League of Legends: Things to Know
Influence Points
Influence Points are the main currency in League of Legends which are given to players for playing games. The amount earned varies based on several factors including the game result, summoner level and the number of bots in the game. Influence Points (also known as IP) are used to purchase in-game items such as champions and runes.
Riot Points
Riot Points are the other currency available and are available via PayPal, credit/debit card or prepaid Riot Point Game Cards. Riot Points can unlock rune pages, champions and various boosts (experience and influence points). However, Riot Points cannot be spent on runes. Riot Points can be earned for free through various activities (such as referring friends to League of Legends).
Runes
Runes add a level of customization to League of Legends. Players can increase a variety of stats such as health, damage, mana regeneration, movement speed and many other stats. This allows players to play the same champion but plays them in a different way based on rune and mastery choices.
Champions
Players can choose from over 92 playable champions (and this number continues to grow every week).
Champions must be unlocked with Riot Points or Influence Points before they can be played. However, there are a number of free champions available to play each week to give summoners the option to trial champions before purchasing them. There are many champion types available including assassins, bruisers, supports, casters, junglers, and tanks.
Ranked Matches
These games are just like standard games except that players are given a ranking based on the result of the game; this is known as the ELO ranking system which is also used in chess. This system has created what is known as ‘ELO Hell’, a place in the ELO system that is filled with poor players and intentional griefers, this section in the ELO system is hard to escape due to the team nature of the MOBA genre.
The game systems behind League of Legends are the reason for its success among the MOBA game genre. The game continues to take the genre by storm and it will be played in the 2017 Canada E-sports League Championship where a cash price of $10,000 will be won. You can assemble a formidable team here and be crowned champion!