League of Legends is one of the world’s most popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, continuously appealing to hundreds of new players every day. As ever, becoming a well-established champion, if not globally acclaimed, is the goal throughout the exciting journey.
However, the path to a successful League of Legends journey is also of course a challenging one. This is because the first step already requires decision-making skills, where you have to choose which among the five roles you want to play. From knowing what they are to learning how to correctly choose the right main role according to your gaming preferences, here’s everything you need to know.
5 League of Legends roles explained
The duties League of Legends champions have on the team are known as roles, and champions are normally assigned a given role depending on their stats, skills, and playability. Lastly, roles are a distinct aspect that each gaming lane will have and the player will do, thereby allowing it to be different from others as well as help balance the flow of the team’s gameplay. They are as follows:
- Top laner
- Lane: Baron Lane
- Learning difficulty: Easy
- Responsibilities: Teleport Response, Side Lane Management, Flanking, Split-Push, and Soaking Pressure
- Champion types: Assassins, Battlemages, Bruisers, Marksmen, Tanks
Since the Top Lane is where the least amount of action happens, this position is commonly referred to as ‘The Island’. While there isn’t, of course, a single lane in League of Legends that is not prone to battles, the Top Lane is by far the least open to them. So, this is perhaps the most ideal suggestion for players who prefer to play quietly and use various kinds of champions.
The Top Laner is responsible for a variety of tasks, as listed above. For example, since this is where you will most likely find the Teleport summoner spell, your duties include responding to distress cries in other lanes by teleporting to their aid. Often, expect that you will be spotted in the side lanes attempting to demolish towers or clearing minion waves, as well as knowing that you can always teleport into a battle if things go south.
Here are some questions to ask yourself in deciding whether or not the Top Lane is for you. If the answers below are all yeses, then it might be worth considering.
- Do you prefer to work alone rather than with your team the majority of the time?
- Are you a fan of one-on-one fighting and the complexities of duelling?
- Can you rely on your own abilities and power to put undue pressure on your opponents?
- Jungler
- Lane: Jungle Area
- Learning Difficulty: Extremely Hard
- Responsibilities: Ganking, Securing Neutral Objectives, and Funneling Buffs
- Champion Types: Assassins, Battlemages, Bruisers, and Tanks
In contrast to Top Lane’s straightforward tasks and frequent position, the Jungle isn’t just any role those novice players can dive head-first into. It is perhaps the most perplexing position since there are several distinct facets to master before you can even start to play it.
This is because it demands massive double time in perfectly executing simultaneous tasks. For one, you are basically responsible for funnelling gold and buffs for the rest of the team by also securing various objectives around the map.
Elemental Drakes and Rift Heralds are some of the most crucial tasks in securing neutral objectives on the map. This means that being the team’s Jungler would require you to know by heart various jungle routes and how to perform ganks properly (or at least expect a response gank). Still unsure if you are fit for this role, here are some specific matters to assess yourself:
- Are you a jack-of-all-trades who loves dabbling in a variety of tasks?
- Are you able to do spell-combos quickly without losing a beat?
- Are you a team player who also loves solo play?
- Mid laner
- Lane: Middle Lane
- Learning Difficulty: Medium
- Responsibilities: Lane Response, Roaming, and Mid-Late Game Carry
- Champion Types: Assassins, Bruisers, and Mages
Need we say more for the Mid Lane? If you haven’t noticed, some of the world’s best and highest-paid League of Legends players are mid laners, with Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok as the most notable example.
Mid lane is ideal for players who want to prove to the gaming community that they can carry the game. However, because you just need to master essential tasks, it isn’t inherently difficult to master. The largest difference will be on the head-to-head skill assessment, which also applies to any other lane.
The basic reason why mid laners are often considered the game’s superstars is the position. It is the most accessible lane on the entire map, thus requiring massive efforts to instantly respond to a teammate who is in trouble. Listed as follows are further insights to help you decide:
- Do you enjoy killing your opponents from a vantage point?
- Do you want to be able to lead your squad in team battles by yourself?
- Do you prefer to have your teammates protect you?
- AD Carry
- Lane: Dragon Lane
- Learning Difficulty: Hard
- Responsibilities: Main Damage Source and Staying Alive
- Champion types: Marksmen
The AD Carry has a straightforward function, yet it is also one of the League’s most sensitive. Since its champions strike from afar, their ultimate objective is to easily remove foes, where becoming one of the champions means doing greater damage. In other words, the basic premise in this position is to survive and deal damage throughout the game.
ADC might be a good fit for you if you enjoy ranged combat, last-hitting farm, and carrying a lot of stuff. However, these are further questions to help you decide correctly:
- Do you like the game’s laning features but don’t want to deal with farming?
- Is it more enjoyable for you to work with people than it is alone?
- Are you a player who can see the big picture and excels at gaining control of key regions of the map?
- Support
Support is the most unselfish of all the League of Legends roles, making it an excellent choice for novices looking to learn the foundations of the game. Its duties include preparing game-changing crowd control, aiding vision control, and safeguarding the team’s AD Carry. You would know as early as now if this is the right role for you through the following assessments:
- Do you like learning more about champion knowledge?
- Is working alone not your forte, or do you prefer teamplay?
- Do you prefer using champions who have long ranged AP spells?
On a team, each role is equally vital and serves a specific purpose. After all, it doesn’t matter which role you play as long as you are confident with how it complements your game style.