League of Legends (LoL)

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League of Legends is a new game from some of the developers and materminds behind DotA. It was released back in October, but I didn't see anything about it here on Smogon, so I thought I'd give some information because I know there are a few DotA players floating around. LoL is free to download and play. There is optional purchasing, but none if it is required. Basically, to buy new champions, one can purchase them for Riot Points (RP) or Influence Points (IP). You get IP for playing matches and RP through the use of real money. So, you can get everything in the game without ever having to purchase RP; you just need to play a lot.

There are currently over 40 Champions to pick and chose from, and many tweaks and other features from DotA. I've only been playing a few days, but would definitely recommend this game to anyone who likes the genre. Click here for more information on the game.

Also, if you do decide to download it, PLEASE click this link to sign up. They have a nice referral system in place, and I'd appreciate anyone who used that to sign up. Anyways, definitely recommend it. Hopefully see you guys online!
 
I've been playing League of Legends a fair bit now (under the name of Galbias), and it's a nice diversion from DotA or HoN since the heroes are all new and different. There are a couple of differences from the DotA metagame, like how disables are much less common and magic scales via a new stat called "ability power". I like the idea of summoner spells a lot, and runes/masteries are nice, though the fact that you can't customize masteries during the match countdown is kind of stupid. Unlocking champions is a slow but rewarding process (champions cost either 450, 1350, 3150, or 6300 points, you gain around 75-100 points per match with a 150 point bonus for your first win of the day). I think I've played 28 matches total and I've unlocked two 1350 pointers and one 450.

One annoying thing is that you can't playtest a champion until you've bought them, even in practice mode (unless they happen to be in the rotation of freely available heroes which changes weekly). Twisted Fate's Pick a Card ability works completely differently from how the description makes it sound. Also, I'm not a graphics whore in the slightest, but LoL is clunkier and less pretty than even the 8-year-old WCIII; I can see the individual frames of a ranged creep's projectile, which is pretty bad.

If anyone is curious, all the champion information can be found here.

http://www.leagueoflegends.com/champions

Oh, and favorite heroes so far would have to be Annie and Cho'gath. Nasus, Gangplank, Karthus, and Anivia also look like they'd be fun to play.
 
Yeah I've heard a lot about Guinsoo's latest DotA game. I'm half expecting Eul to come out of the woodwork at any moment and announce another DotA game.

Anyway it seems pretty interesting, but doesn't look like it has enough to get me to make the switch. Since my main computer is a Mac, I can't play LoL. However this doesn't seem to be too big of an issue. It seems like the summoner system will be highly imbalanced and overall it doesn't sit well with me. Unlocking things to play with is fine, but at the point that one player can have a large advantage over another by merely playing the game a lot I start to get cautious. I would be fine with new costumes or soundsets or other cosmetic unlockables, though.

All of this is coming from someone who hasn't and can't play the game, so take it with a grain of salt.
 
Calciphoce said:
It seems like the summoner system will be highly imbalanced and overall it doesn't sit well with me. Unlocking things to play with is fine, but at the point that one player can have a large advantage over another by merely playing the game a lot I start to get cautious.
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Actually, it doesn't turn out to be too big of a deal. All the increases to stats via runes/masteries are very small (often less than 1%, though they add up), and since the game matches you up against players that have been playing for about as long as you, your opponents will very likely have similar amounts of runes/mastery points to spend. It also caps at a certain point.
 
I;ve been in the beta for 4 to 5 months allready, dropped out a while ago due to the freaking US/EU split which fucked everyone here with crappy patches and laggy servers. LoL itself is really nice tough, its much more flexible with playstyles then DotA and hasn't got that infamous slow, laning start. The rune system is nice too, as it often gives that little extra boost needed. I might pick it up again to brag with my 2 exclusive skins (beta and facebook versions) ^^

@ Calciphoce: Icefrog is working on a game with a team from valve btw, on what probably is another moba game ;)
 
LoL is a fun game, and the cel-shaded graphics are pretty cool. Granted, I do kinda suck at it, but its easier to play than DotA, and more ergonomic. For example, I don't have to worry about accidentally unselecting my hero while using a spell, and I don't have to memorize where I go to buy items (like the Secret Shop) because all the items are bought at the main shop. Its probably small stuff for advanced players, but it makes a world of difference to beginners.
 
I haven't played this or DotA but someone told me Heroes of Newerth is like it.
Which would be better between the 3?
 
Never played Heroes of Newerth, but definitely play this before you play DotA. Its easier to pick up and have some fun with, simply because its more user-friendly (and the graphics are better by a lot).

Who knows, you might find that you don't like this style of game. I'm not really a fan of it, but its worth learning it so I can participate in DotA LAN parties at my dorm.
 
YES! I love this game, and I was going to make a thread earlier about it, but I figured the DotA thread would overshadow it. I've been playing since closed beta, and it's a helluva lot of fun.

Why the hell is Articu... er... Anivia so goddamn expensive? D: She's my favorite character.
 
Lol, she does look just like Articuno. I'm still a narb, but her disable and support spells are fun to use.

Try thinking about Articuno this way: you earn her by playing 6300/50 = 126 normal games, assuming you lose every single one. She's one of the most difficult characters to play, but by the time you get her, you're probably more than good enough to be really successful. If they made her cheap, a bunch of people would be disappointed when they found that they weren't that great with her.
 
Mattimeo said:
I haven't played this or DotA but someone told me Heroes of Newerth is like it.
Which would be better between the 3?
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Probably LoL. It's the most newbie-friendly of the three by far and is completely free (you can pay to unlock heroes if you want, but it's possible to get everything for free too, it just takes longer). DotA has the biggest competitive community and is the most developed (and isn't really hard to pirate), but the program/interface is seriously outdated and clunky. HoN takes some effort to get into, you have to either find a beta invite, which isn't too hard, or pay $30 to get a registered account, but it's also the prettiest and has by far the best interface.
 
LoL is indeed the best place to start, as it really is the easiest. DotA is the mother of the genre, and by far the most developed on both the competitive side as well as the player base. It's quite tough to get into tough and the interface isn't that great due to it being based on WC3. HoN is pretty much DotA 2.0 with better graphics, a better interface and many added things. A lot of the stuff is taken directly off of dota (even the heroes) so if your familiar with DotA, HoN will be quite easy to get into aswell.

I like LoL most tough, as its not as tough to play and your not stuck to an unavoidable time schedule (cough, laning). If you seek more depth tough, either DotA or HoN will work (altough i've found there to be many assholes amoungst HoN players)
 
mtr said:
Lol, she does look just like Articuno. I'm still a narb, but her disable and support spells are fun to use.

Try thinking about Articuno this way: you earn her by playing 6300/50 = 126 normal games, assuming you lose every single one. She's one of the most difficult characters to play, but by the time you get her, you're probably more than good enough to be really successful. If they made her cheap, a bunch of people would be disappointed when they found that they weren't that great with her.
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I don't really think she's that hard to play. =/ All you do is stack AP and you're pretty much good (I rush a Rod of Ages, for example). You just have to abuse Flash Frost/Frostbite combos (use Glacial Storm instead of Flash Frost at higher levels). Rebirth also makes her pretty easy because you generally don't have that many deaths.
 
I got this game. I find it very similar to DoTA. But I encourage everyone who plays DoTA to try this game out too.
 
Been playing since public beta as Anata. I dislike the whole swingy balance within the game though - I main tryndamere, and constantly do worse than my Annie and Gangplank maining friends due to his UP'ness atm.
 
I just spent over 3k IP on Nidalee... and I feel like I wasted it.

Seriously, I can't figure out what she's supposed to do. Her abilities seem so random together that there's no clear indication of her role. Has anyone else had this problem?
 
She seems to be just a faceroll character, designed for 1v1 burst. When you look at her abilities, you should see that she does well with a sheen as a flat out single target DPS.
 
Errr, I just burned 1350 on Amumu, and I totally suck with him. Microing his Bandage Toss isn't too fun, and even when it hits my allies can't follow through with a kill. Playing Anivia seemed easier, as it just seems difficult to stun and disable with Amumu.

Any advice on what to do? Even something as simple as "practice more with Ashe" will be fine.
 
Amumu is a setup hero with Bandage Toss and then Curse, plus his other two skills for damage. He's pretty reliant on a good team to be much use, unfortunately.
 
Played all 3, DotA, LoL, and HoN. HoN is the best by far. It's a direct port of DotA to another engine with a good portion of the heroes completely intact. It has a good balance and stats system and I've yet to have a leaver-ruined game so far.
 
Damn, I hate myself so much. Whenever I save up for heroes like Anivia and Pantheon, I always get tempted into buying cheaper dudes. This time I bought Janna, who looked like fun. Let's hope she is, although I've heard she's really dependent on a good team.
 
This is probably really really late, but just in case no one has been playing LoL for a while, Riot is holding a DOUBLE IP WEEKEND, which makes unlocking champions a lot easier. It does end tomorrow, but there's still time left!
 
I've just joined, summoner name Krixie.
Can't we have a list of people playing LoL in this thread?

Edit: As good a character as Annie is... i'm getting sick of "Have you seen my pet Tiddles?"
 
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