The Origins of League of Legends
League of Legends (LoL) burst onto the gaming scene in October 2009 after being in development for over 3 years. The game was created by Riot Games, a new studio founded by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill who were former employees at Blizzard Entertainment. They wanted to develop a game that combined the strategy and intensity of DotA (Defense of the Ancients), a popular Warcraft 3 mod, with the accessibility and fun of a traditional multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game.
DotA: The Inspiration for League of Legends
DotA pioneered the MOBA genre by introducing heroes, lanes, towers, minions, and bases back in the early 2000s. Two teams of 5 players competed to destroy the opposing team's ancient structure. DotA quickly became one of the most popular Warcraft 3 mods ever. LoL aimed to take the MOBA formula that made DotA so successful and create a completely stand-alone game tailored specifically for the genre.
The Goal for League of Legends
Riot's goal was to strip away excess complexity from the MOBA formula that might be intimidating to new players while preserving the strategic gameplay and replayability that made the genre so captivating for more hardcore gamers. They wanted to create the ultimate competitive game that captured the thrill of PvP battle arenas while being accessible to players of all levels.
Core Gameplay Mechanics
The primary goal in LoL matches is to work with your team to destroy the opposing team's nexus which is located in their base. Champions and minions must battle their way through several lanes of towers and constant waves of minion opposition to reach the enemy base.
Champions
Players begin each match by selecting a League of Legends champion. There are currently over 150 champions in LoL, each with their own unique abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Players must master their chosen champion's attacks and abilities which range from healing and shielding allies to executing powerful area of effect magic attacks to disable groups of enemies.
Lanes and Minions
Minions spawn in waves from the team's nexus and mindlessly march lane by lane towards the enemy base. Players battle alongside friendly minions to push lanes closer to the opposing nexus. Meanwhile, they must also worry about enemy minions advancing down the lanes towards their own base. Killing enemy minions earns gold which allows champions to become more powerful over the course of a match.
Towers and Teamwork
As minions and champions advance down lanes towards the enemy nexus, they must destroy towers that defend against their advance. Towers deal massive damage to advancing enemies and serve as important objectives that teams must eliminate before pressing closer to the enemy base. Destroying towers also earns team gold and experience. Coordinating with teammates to siege towers or set up ambushes against enemies is key to victory.
Game Modes and Maps
League of Legends originally released with 3 main game modes: Classic, Dominion, and ARAM. Over time, some game modes have been retired while new ones were introduced to keep gameplay feeling fresh. The game also launched with just two maps but has expanded to many more over its 10+ year lifespan.
Summoner's Rift
Summoner’s Rift is the most popular map in League of Legends and the only one available for ranked competitive play. Two teams of 5 face off with the goal of destroying the enemy team's nexus located at the corners of the map inside each team's base. Players battle through 3 lanes of towers and waves of minions to reach the enemy base.
ARAM
ARAM stands for "All Random All Mid" and is a more casual LoL mode played on the Howling Abyss map. Players are randomly assigned a champion and battle as 5 vs 5 in a single lane. ARAM provides faster paced games for those seeking less serious fun outside the intensity of ranked play.
Other Historic and Special Game Modes
Riot has created many limited time special events and game modes over LoL's history including URF (Ultra Rapid Fire), Ascension, Hexakill (6 vs 6 battles), One for All (每队成员选同一英雄), Nemesis Draft, Overcharge, Hunt of the Blood Moon, Nexus Blitz, Ultimate Spellbook, and several PvE modes.
League of Legends World Championship
As League of Legend’s popularity as an esport began to boom, Riot decided to create an official LoL World Championship tournament in 2011. It was held at Dreamhack in Sweden and boasted a $100,000 prize pool with teams from Europe and the USA competing.
A Growing World Stage Every Year
The League of Legends World Championship has continued to grow in scale and viewership year after year. The 2021 LoL Worlds was watched by over 73 million people with a peak concurrent viewership of over 4 million. 180 countries tuned in to view the action as teams from 11 regions competed for glory and a multi-million dollar prize pool.
Past World Champions
Past LoL World Champions include iconic teams like Fnatic, Taipei Assassins, SK Telecom T1, Samsung Galaxy, Invictus Gaming, FunPlus Phoenix, and EDward Gaming. The best players and teams from every major region compete every year for the right to hoist the coveted Summoner’s Cup trophy.
Why League of Legends Stays on Top
After over 10 years, League of Legends remains one of the most popular games in the world. It has truly stood the test of time while so many other games faded into obscurity after a couple years at most. What is Epic’s secret to such incredible longevity?
Consistent Updates
Riot stays dedicated to keeping League of Legends feeling fresh year after year for loyal players. Whether revamping the map, adding new champions and cosmetics, or introducing entirely new game modes, Riot constantly releases exciting updates to give players reasons to keep playing.
Commitment to Esports
Riot has invested significant resources into building League of Legends into a massive competitive esport over the last decade. The LCS and World Championship tournaments feature world-class production value and incredibly gifted pro players facing off in thrilling matches. For esports fans, League of Legends provides endless entertainment.
Accessibility
Despite extreme depth allowing for Top 500 ranked play, LoL also remains accessible to casual gamers who want to log in and just play a few matches every so often while slowly learning over time. Appeals to both hardcore and casual crowds.
After over 13 years, League of Legends still feels as fun and relevant as ever thanks to Riot's commitment to consistent quality updates and accessibility to players of all levels. No wonder it remains one of the titans of the gaming world.
FAQs
What is League of Legends (LoL)?
League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed and published by Riot Games. Two teams of five players battle on a map called Summoner's Rift with the goal of destroying the enemy team's nexus to win.
Is LoL a free game?
Yes, League of Legends is a completely free-to-play game. Players can access every champion, mode, and feature without having to pay anything. There are optional in-game purchases for skins, icons, etc. but they do not affect gameplay.
How do you win a game of LoL?
To win a game of League of Legends you must work as a team to push down lanes of towers, defeat waves of enemy minions, kill enemy champions, and eventually destroy the opposing team's nexus in their base on the map Summoner's Rift.
What makes LoL so popular?
LoL is renowned for its strategic 5v5 competitive gameplay, huge selection of unique champions, thriving esports scene, and Riot Games' commitment to frequently updating the game and keeping it accessible to all levels of players.
Can LoL be played on mobile?
League of Legends is not available natively on mobile devices. However, Riot Games recently developed a special version called Wild Rift for mobile and console platforms that provides a similar 5v5 LoL experience tailored for those platforms.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.