Practical Tips for League of Legends: Wild Rift (or any other MOBA, for that matter)
League of Legends: Wild Rift has finally made it to the App Store, and it brings a level of polish and balance to mobile MOBAs that you'd expect from one of the most successful game developers in the world. One of the best things I've found about the game so far is just how mobile-friendly it is. Despite all the on-screen buttons and complicated gameplay, Riot Games made an experience that's easy to hop into and hard to pull away from.
In case you're considering downloading the game and aren't a MOBA pro, don't worry. Wild Rift has some great tutorials and practice modes that do a great job of teaching you the ins and outs of how MOBAs work in general as well as mechanics that are unique to this game. That said, there is some general knowledge and practical advice that goes unstated by the game, but is good practice for anyone who decides to play Wild Rift or any other MOBA, for that matter.
Practice until you know at least two roles
MOBAs have a technical depth to them that allows you to play a single character in hundreds of matches while still learning new ways to improve your play with them. As a result, selecting a "main" hero to play as is a common practice. There's nothing wrong with this, but you also want to make sure you know how to play at least one other character in a different role than your main before hopping into multiplayer matches.
The reason for this is that MOBAs rely on a specific set of roles being filled for a team to be successful. Unless you're playing with a set group of people, it's unlikely that your character or role will always be available to you, and--no matter what you might think--playing a character or role you like is nowhere near as important as making sure your team has balance. With this in mind, make sure you know at least one backup role/character before queuing in multiplayer so you can gap-fill when needed.
Soft-lock during pre-match
Team balance is so important in Wild Rift and other MOBAs that here's some more advice on it: learn and practice the art of the soft-lock. Soft-locking is when you highlight the character you want to play as without hitting the lock-in button. Soft-locking is useful because it communicates to other players "hey, this is the character/role I'm most comfortable with" without demanding players build around your choice or accidentally duplicating roles.
Ideally, everyone in every match practices soft-locking so that you don't end up on a team where three people immediately lock in junglers or create some other sort of lopsided team. Soft-locking also makes a good first impression for the people you're playing with. It shows you're willing to negotiate and work together with your teammates, which is key to victory in Wild Rift and other MOBAs.
Check hero difficulty
If you're totally new to MOBAs or trying to learn a new role, I recommend learning characters with low difficulty ratings first. Wild Rift's champion menu lets you view every character on the roster, and one of the main stats listed for each one is "Difficulty" which is reflective of how complex said character is.
Playing a more complex character doesn't necessarily mean they are better than a less complex one, and the last thing you need when trying to master jungle rotations or score last hits on creeps is a bunch of complicated abilities to worry about. If you really like the design or mechanics of a complicated character, you can hop over to them once you feel like you have the hang of a role you learned with an easier one.
Communicate
If it isn't obvious by now, Wild Rift hinges on a team of five working well together. The best way to make that happen is through good communication. Wild Rift makes coordinating with your teammates pretty easy with an in-game ping system and quick chat shortcuts that let you say just about everything you might need to in a match without ever having to type into a text box or speak into a microphone.
None of this is all that useful unless you use it though. Tell your teammates when you're retreating back to base. Tell them when you're on your way to an objective. Warn them if they're wandering toward an ambush. Regardless of player skill, a team that looks out for each other and communicates will avoid careless mistakes and be able to punish teams that aren't as coordinated.
Looking for more beginner tips for Wild Rift? Check out more of our scrub’s guide here!