I did a DOTA 2 article a couple weeks back. in it, I said I would probably start a MOBA series where I go through each MOBA that I've played over the years. Well... hold on to your butts ladies and gentlemen, cuz today... I'm fulfilling that promise! crickets, crickets
I won't be going over the history of the company - because I already have! The long and storied (and frankly soap-opera-worthy) story of how the Dota 1 team split into two, and all the backstabbing that went on, was all comprised neatly into one amazing article by yours truly. // that's me
Butโ๏ธ We're still here to talk about the monolith of the MOBA genre, its gameplay, and its monetization model. In this edition of Through the Lens ๐, we'll be taking a look at Riot's jumping-off point from 2009: League of Legends, Roll it! ๐ฝ
๐ถ UP TOP ๐ถ
New year, new headings. ๐
As with most MOBAs, LoL (that stands for League of Legends, lol) doesn't have a dedicated soundtrack per see. instead, they release music per update/event. And as the years/events have gone by, the style and variance of the music have changed drastically.
So in no means is the soundtrack a barometer, but it's still cool to see what Riot is going for with these updates. ๐
I played LoL for the first time in the very first weeks of its release. Once I got a DOTA 2 beta key however, I switched. Over the years I have dipped my toes here and there, and have kept up with the goings-on, as it were.
I even had several top-rated guides on MOBAFire back in the day. Formatted not all that dissimilarly than these posts actually. ๐
So I am very much familiar with this franchise and its pros and cons. So enough of my blabbering let's get to itโ
๐ถ GAMEPLAY ๐ถ
Where DOTA is methodical League is action-packed. Teamfights take precedence and execution is paramount. If DOTA was chess, League would be checkers if the pieces all had magical powers. ๐
Not to say that there is no strategic depth, far from it, but it's clear that one game focuses on the macro (DOTA) while the other focuses on the micro (LoL). And that might sound strange to you well-versed in this genre since DOTA has a lot more micro-intensive heroes than LoL. What I'm talking about here is from an outside perspective, from a bird's eye view. ๐ฆ
For another thing, the map is smaller. ๐ฏ The lanes are shorter. ๐ฑLeague is just a much faster MOBA than most. Maybe not as fast as Heroes of the Storm (which might be our next column, wink wink, nudge nudge) but fast enough.
Many other elements of the game complement this. Like vision is plentiful with each hero having a ward to use. A river turtle thingy that you kill for vision. A champion spell that gives you vision. And having vision over targets that you hit in spells. All the information is needed for you to make the correct call-in engagements.
^^ Probably could've worded and formatted that better, but ain't nobody got time for that. ^^
๐ถ METAGAME ๐ถ
Hope I'm not being too technical when I'm describing these things. Explaining all these terms and how the game works could be an article in itself. (๐ฎโ๐ฎโ๐ฎโ)
Moving on!
Unlike DOTA League follows a now tried and tested formula. A formula they invented actually. ๐จโ๐ฌ
You have two types of currency (paid and earned) you use some for this and some for that. Yatta, yatta. You should know the shpill by now. One thing I'll note is that while this does make the game a smidge Pay to Win it also eases the learning curve for newer players. As you can only focus on the rotation of champions you have.
This progression also means that most champions have to have a self-contained kit. In other games, some characters are hard counters to others, in LoL that's not the case. Hence why there's a skill element to each that allows the player to express themselves. It's a pretty neat design and League def does it best. ๐๐๐
And yes, you can spend the game's currency to upgrade your 'loadout as you can in many of these games. Not to mention the Summoner Spells that you unlock as you level. These are account-bound and very powerful with long cooldowns. In other words: they're important!
All in all, I'm a fan of League's progression. Skins can be steep, but that's how the game is run. It's still a pretty fair free-to-play game if you're willing to spend the time to grind of course. ๐
๐ถ IMPACT ๐ถ
By now most people have watched or heard of Arcane. And if you haven't - yes the hype is real, it's amazing. And I'm a stingy critic, so my saying that means a lot! // trust me
Arcane was amazing, it did for League of Legends what Edgerunners did for Cyberpunk. Arcane did this on an even greater level by - bringing mainstream attention to the most popular MOBA.
Kinda sucky that DOTA didn't capitalize on this potential with their own series, but watcha gonna do, Arcane was just that much better.
In addition to Arcane, there is also a very competent and generous card game by the name of Legends of Runeterra - the one I happen to have a review off, mind you - which also increased the pool of people's awareness of the property.
So Riot and League have become household names now. And while in the pasty I would've been salty because I am on the DOTA side of the fence, nowadays I'm indifferent. And honestly, I think they deserve it. Rio makes good products, League being chief among them.
๐ถ LEGACY ๐ถ
League's legacy is unquestionable. The biggest MOBA (still holds that crown)., both in terms of IP value and overall viewership/player base. ๐
I think League's best days are still in front of it. The value of the IP will only grow, and I doubt plans on slowing down its growth. ๐
It set the standard for what a live service should look like. And it's a never-ending pipeline of content is a standard that most games aspire to. ๐
In other words, its Legacy is set, and the path is clear for it to lift to the stars. ๐
Thank you for reading, you rock! (and maybe roll but who's counting?) ๐๐๐
Shout-out to the ๐PIZZA๐ gang, ๐ค gang. ๐ค
You know, I love how I come up with ideas for articles WHILE writing the article. ๐ So yeah, next Through the Lens will be about Heroes of the Storm, another great MOBA that is sadly...well...um....dead. ๐
Also, word to the wise, these MOBA games are big time-sinkers, on top of being great emotion drainers. So I wouldn't really recommend playing them. ๐ I've stopped, and its made a world of difference for me, they ain't healthy!
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Here's to an amazing rest to your week. ๐