I have been playing LoL for a little while now, I'm level 10 and I've heard level 10 is a good time to move. I have been going 4 kills to 0 deaths against Intermediate bots but I don't think I'm ready. What are you thoughts and tips?
14 Answers
Opponents and allies skill
Initially the matchmaking system will try to figure out your normal queue ranking (ranked games ranking is separate), so the first few games might feel as if you are matched with with players with great skill difference.
Eventually you will start facing players of your skill level. Occassionally you will be running into some players that go 20-1, they are smurfs, that is experienced players with a new low lvl account.
Flaming
In bot games flaming is rather rare, since you are all on the same team, and almost always you will be winning. In normal games, when your team starts losing there will be lots of people that will blame everyone (except themselves of course).
It might be your fault that you are losing that game, or not. It doesn't matter. They have no right to flame you. Everyone can have a bad game, everyone can make mistakes, and everyone is learning as they play.
As mentioned in other answers, just mute them. Press tab, and do it. Don't try to argue with them, don't try to explain or apologize. If they are too toxic, you can additionally report them when the game ends. They will eventually get the ban they deserve.
Bots vs humans gameplay
Generally humans play much better than bots. They are less predictable so exploiting bot AI will not be an option. Having 10-0 as in bot games and a 99% win ratio, will not be so common.
In other words, expect to win about 40% to 60% of your games when playing normals.
Learning the game
You will learn much more by normals. It's also a step towards ranked games. In order to learn faster, you might want to watch some LoL streamers. Some of them are extremely entertaining and comment on their actions so you can learn a lot.
Really all you need to do is just start, remember the league system will match you up with people of similar skill level, some will just be naturally better than you, some won't, playing against bots too much will cause you to develop bad habits, also remember it's just a game and the lower level community is not as competitive. The league community has people that rage and flame and, I have no doubt people will swear at you and get mad at you etc. The mute button is your best friend, we're all learning, all trying to get better, ignore the toxic people and focus on self improving and you'll become a proficient player in no time. Best of luck.
5Note Bene: I'm not very good but have played a long long time.
Some things to be aware of:
Players are more aggressive than bots. They will more willingly exploit strategic errors.
Players are more aggressive than bots. Tower dives that worked before will no longer work because you will be punished. Don't do that.
Support is crucial and plays significantly different in bots. You will easily become food. Be more cautious. Get gold items and or runes. Realize you are there to help and not to kill.
Jungle timing becomes more intense because of the increased aggression. This can lead to frustration as you don't magically appear where players expect you to appear.
Flash. Is. King. You get flash very late in the XP growth cycle. I think this is spectacularly stupid of Riot to do. Learn to love flash as it is the single most utilitarian mastery.
Teleport Top is an increasingly useful strategy.
Last Hit. All the minions. This is hard, there are articles online that help with this.
Making the jump is difficult, the main thing to adjust to is the amount of trolls and aggression you will find from others, sometimes even before a game has begun. If you want more relaxed game modes, ARAM is a good mode, especially as it can potentially put you out of your comfort zone due to the random nature of the characters (however only random from characters available to you at the time, owned/free). ARAM generally is a much more friendly mode, however it is also a mode where team compositions can create an almost unwinnable scenario for one of the teams from time to time. However, note that most people look down on ARAM as a 'casual' mode of play. Alternatively, look to dominion as it offers a different style of game, where one need not perform well in fights to make important contributions to the team.
As for the normal mode, a few personal tips:
- Ensure you have runes. This is something I did not do for a year or so when I first began, however by not doing so, you have already disadvantaged yourself against other players.
- You could follow a guide for a general method of play. This is a boring way to go about it, and only reinforces a meta (something I detest in the game), however it can be useful in letting you know how to play, when to make certain moves and more importantly, the items to purchase. Try LolKing, Youtube or even Twitch.
- You could play a more passive character for your first few games. Characters such as soraka and sona are relatively easy to use to an extent where you can at least keep your lanemate alive longer than the opponent, as such, if you cant outplay them, outlast them. These characters are especially useful as not only do they have heal skills, they also have crowd control effects and ranged abilities; making them effective at taking potshots at the enemy and keeping your area safe to an extent. If you feel confident in your skill-shots, give nami a try; she is a great support (but dont underestimate her as a damage dealer), with 2 knockup abilities, a heal which doubles as an attack and a buff to increase damage output, and all are ranged abilities.
- Summoner spells are invaluable, flash being almost a necessity, it can help you close gaps to get those runners, or it can help you get away in dire circumstances. Other abilities should be chosen on the playstyle you want, however I would recommend not taking heal if you have a character (or are with a character) who has heal abilities; by using summoner heal, all healing effects are reduced for quite some time, therefore reducing the effectiveness overall, instead try exhaust (reduces enemies damage output and slows, therefore use to make fights bend in your favour or to get away or even to close that gap!)
- Last hit all the minions, unless you are a support. It is hard to achieve well, but what really makes a good player is their ability to last hit minions, thereby not just having the xp from the minion death but also the gold. Ideally you should be getting every minion in each wave in order to maximise your money so you can outperform. If this is perhaps a bit difficult, and provided you feel safe doing so, play aggressively and zone your opponent, ensuring that they can last hit their minions either.
In general, the biggest adjustment is dealing with real people; they are less predictable (i.e. they could sneak around to pick you off when you think they go back due to low health), and more aggressive. They are also more likely to punish a mistake than a bot, however that is not to say it will be completely different. One of the main gameplay differences will be the potential (and likelihood) of a jungler, or at least ganks, therefore vision is essential in these real games (ensure you take your trinket, and purchase wards/ward items when you feel you can/need to).
Just watch out for them trolls and remember, it is a game and it does not have to be taken as seriously as some people think. Make it fun, make jokes and chat with your team, and enjoy it!
Good luck and welcome to the Summoners Rift!
4
