Finally Starting League of Legends

[Jesse Billingsley]

LoL. A wretched hive of scum and villainy.

Run, dude. Keep your BP down and your body healthy. You will hate the game, yourself, and society.

Besides, their balance is horrendous.

I'm sending you a Dota 2 key. It's a lot harder but a lot more rewarding with better balance and a better community.

I wouldn't go that far....But yes....I've lost many friends to that game and they tried everything in their power to get me to play...

 

[5ilver]

Speaking as a League player with 1500+ games behind his belt:

1) Find a better game. If you really, really hate yourself:
2) Start off with Garen/Ryze/Caitlyn- these are the simplest and most effective for a beginner imo.
3) Expect to have to play well over a thousand games before you're even close to the BOTTOM of the ladder.

(No I'm not going to recommend Dota 2- I think both games and especially both communities are garbage)

 

[5ilver]

I'm also considering getting into LoL, and is there really any reason (besides Valve-worship) to pick DOTA2 over LoL?

Dota 2 pros:

+++No need to grind AT ALL (you get all champions at the start and there aren't any rune pages so your stats are identical to anyone else's)
+Built in Voice-chat (ok, this could be a con just as easily >.>)
+Newer engine, thus the graphics are slightly better

League pros:

+Easier to get into (you're only allowed to play 10-15 champions early on whereas dota dumps 100+ on your face)
+Smartcast
+Way more players (at least 5 times more, we'll get exact numbers when dota 2 launches)

 

[The Wykydtron]

I'm also considering getting into LoL, and is there really any reason (besides Valve-worship) to pick DOTA2 over LoL?

I'm not much of a MOBA fan, but I've played a decent amount of both because friends do.
Several days worth of each. Here's what I've noticed "better" about Dota.

-You have every champion from the start, no purchasing required.
-You can mix and match items to make your champions visually unique rather than just buying complete skins.
-The items have a chance to drop at the end of a match, or you can be a total scrub and buy them.
-Doesn't use a shitty client to run the game, less lag spikes and crashes as a result.
-Much more "polished" in every aspect, the animations are smoother, better graphics, etc.
-Arguably more balanced.
-Less rigid meta.

But "fun" is subjective.
Both have the possibility to be fun, both have different ways of achieving the same general thing. Both have positively putrid communities. Do what you want, but I'd urge you to at least try Dota 2 out at some point. Oh, and stay away from HoN.

Sorry what? DOTA 2 is the clunkiest thing I have ever played... I think LoL looks better but that's because the two games have different aesthetics and so one isn't going to be objectively better.


But god DAMN DOTA has bad autoattacks. I played a lot of Crystal Maiden so unless she has one of the worst auto animations I don't know. And y'know what? You're going to have to use those autos a HUGE amount because DEM MANA COSTS YO'!

Literally half a combo and you're oom forever. Anti-fun much?

Yeah the LoL meta is strict but I don't think that's a bad thing necessarily, if it bothers you, you can always play Normals with other Level 30 people and we (with some exceptions) all share the "this isn't Ranked, yolo" mindset. Hey I just played Twisted Fate top vs Irelia and somehow fucked her up badly... I mean yeah he has range but she gets one jump on you and you're fucked. It was a 1 hour 13 minute game actually. Literally outbursted a Fizz at one point. Allchat went crazy, in the good way. Again, Normals become this safe haven where people can tower dive at level 1 and not get raged at for giving first blood you nonce.

But yes, Adobe Air can go and suck a dick.

Y'know I think having predetermined skins is better really. You don't get the absolute visual travesty that Team Fortress 2 has become. Instead you get Pulsefire Ezreal or Eternum Nocturne. Nocturne's ult becomes this badass corkscrew through the air.

 

[thesilentman]

Back out now and play DOTA 2.

... Oh heck, if you're going through this, just go to practice, pick the free champion of the week, and practice. Practice until you can use him/her/it blindfolded. The community is very, very unforgiving, but just do your job the best you can, and you'll be fine.

One thing; DO NOT let the community stop you from enjoying the game. Report and block any scumbags there are, and proceed on your merry way. You are going to appreciate my advice A LOT once you go into pub games.

(DOTA terminology... >_>)

 

[Launcelot111]

When you're just starting out, no one knows what the champions do or what the meta that all the pros follow is, so pretty much just take a champion you like and go to whichever lane is open. Don't try to jungle until you hit at least level 20 or so because you won't have enough mastery points to get all the stats you need to survive the jungle. For summoner spells, ignite, exhaust, and ghost are all good until you unlock flash, which you will use in 99% of games for the rest of your LoL career.

If you're interested in ladders and stuff, you can't do ranked games until you hit level 30, which took me a solid couple months to hit.

For starter champs, Garen is the go-to for simple, beefy fighters. For mages, I pick Lux because all her skills help her to be cautious and stay safe while dishing out crazy damage (although you have to hit skill shots, as opposed to targeted spells on Ryze or Annie). For carries, Caitlyn is simple and very strong, although she's on the expensive side. Ashe is a solid pick. For support, Sona or Taric. If you decide to start jungling, Malphite is safe and great in team fights.

Once you get to higher levels, people will be obnoxiously strict about following the meta, so take the time when you're starting out to feel things out and focus on learning mechanics and what each champ does. If you want to play a mage but don't want to go 1v1 in mid lane like the pros? Just play a mage somewhere else while people are still fine with that.