7 Things to know before playing League of Legends – Beginner Tips

League of Legends can be intimidating, with confusing terms like runes, mastery, and adaptive power, but we're here to help you play like a pro. With this guide, you can avoid looking like a noob and start owning Summoner's Rift. Here are seven things to know before playing League of Legends.

7 things you should know as a beginner in League of Legends

What are lanes, and which lane should you play?

League of Legends has three lanes, including top lane, middle lane, and bottom lane. These names are often shortened to top, mid, and bot. Although there are only three lanes, there are five roles in League of Legends. There is a top laner, a mid laner, a bot laner, a support, and a jungler. Support players help out in the bottom lane, healing and shielding their partner. A bot laner is often called an 'ADC,' or attack damage carry to distinguish these two players. This means they are expected to do a lot of damage and become powerful as the game progresses.

Lastly, there is the jungler, which is a unique role. Junglers occupy the space between lanes, including the dark forests and the river, killing monsters to gain gold. Junglers are also responsible for securing objectives at the center of the jungle, such as Dragons. While junglers spend some of their time killing jungle monsters, they are also expected to help out the other lanes by joining their fights.

If you're just starting to play League of Legends, you should start by playing either the support role, ADC role, or the mid laner role. These roles are easier to understand than top lane and the jungle. While you can certainly move on to other roles in time, you will probably find these roles simpler to learn.

Related: How to complete ‘Embrace the Foreglow and Silence the voices’ in League of Legends

What are some beginner-friendly champions?

While there are tons of champions to choose from, some champions are definitely easier to learn than others. These beginner-friendly champions start by teaching you the basics, so you can have a frame of reference when learning difficult champions. Here are some champions that will help you learn the ropes.

• Top Lane
  • Garen, Nasus, Dr. Mundo
• Jungler
  • Nunu and Willump, Amumu, Master Yi
• Mid Lane
  • Annie, Ahri, Veigar
• ADC
  • Miss Fortune, Sivir, Ashe
• Support
  • Lux, Soraka, Nami

What are Summoner Spells?

Summoner Spells are abilities you can equip before the game starts. You can equip two Summoner Spells at a time, and when you activate them, you must wait until their cooldown ends before you can use them again. Each role in League of Legends has two suggested Summoner Spells, although there is some leniency for one of the two spells.

The one Summoner Spell that is universally equipped by the player base is Flash, which teleports you a short distance and can be used to jump over walls quickly. Flash can be used either as an escape method or a swift entrance to the fight. Although some characters do not traditionally take Flash as a Summoner Spell, equipping Flash is never a bad idea.

Although Flash is a universal pick, the second Summoner Spell you pick often depends on your role. Here is the recommended Summoner Spell for each role.

• Top Lane
  • Teleport
• Jungler
  • Smite
• Mid Laner
  • Ignite or Barrier
• ADC
  • Heal
• Support
  • Heal, Ignite, or Exhaust

Place wards often

Placing wards is the best way to avoid enemy ambushes. To place a ward, press 4 while hovering over the desired location. This will light up the darkness on the map, revealing enemy champions that walk through the area. Wards have a limited lifespan, so make sure to place them on the map consistently. You can also purchase a Control Ward for 75 gold, an Oracle Lens that reveals enemy wards, or Farsight Alteration, which can be placed from an extended range. Here is a guide on how to get better at warding, which also lists the best locations to ward.

Related: How to change your Ward Skin in League of Legends

Use pings if your lane opponent is missing

If your enemy laner is missing, make sure to let your team know by using the ping mechanic. To ping, hold G and drag your mouse to Enemy Missing. If you ping that enemies are missing in your lane, your teammates can be extra careful to avoid getting killed by your missing laner. You can also use the Danger ping to indicate where the enemies are. With these pings, you can properly communicate with your team and take one more step toward victory.

Towers will shoot back, watch out

It will shoot you if you attack a tower while no allied minions are nearby. These turret shots inflict progressively more damage with each shot, so you should avoid taking too many. While allied minions are in the tower's range, you are safe to attack the tower. If your minions die and you are left vulnerable, then you are in danger of taking damage.

Be friendly and have fun

League of Legends is sometimes called a toxic game, but you can be the reason it's not. You can become an excellent team player by treating your fellow players with respect and patience. Having a positive attitude increases your chances of winning since teams with negative attitudes tend to fall apart. If a member of your team is performing poorly, give them grace. We've all been there at some point.

If one of your allies is harassing you or a teammate, try muting them and reporting them once the game is done. While there are several toxic players in League of Legends, you don't have to match their negativity. Instead, you can combat their anger with patience and respect, and you'd be surprised how many players rethink their outbursts.

For more League of Legends guides, come check out Who is K/DA in League of Legends? here on Pro Game Guides.