One of the most popular MOBA games today is League of Legends, and for a good reason. This video game title was released by Riot Games in 2009 and has continued to grow in player base throughout the years. In fact, statistics show that it has an average of 125 million active players as recorded on June 30, 2022.
For many of its users, the roles available for you to choose right from the start are what makes the game interesting.
These positions are the main pillars that players focus on when they play League of Legends. Each role has a specific function and contributes to the team within its sphere of influence.
Your League of Legends champion will generally fare better if you use it according to the capacity it was designed for. This is because each character in the title has distinct statistics and abilities.
If you've heard the terms mid lane, top lane, bot lane, and jungler but don't know what these terms mean, then you've come to the right place.
This guide will cover the roles you can play in League of Legends and how you can improve with each. Continue reading to find out how you can improve your skills based on your play style of choice.
Overview of Roles in League of Legends
Any role you select in League of Legends will come with a specific task you must fulfill throughout the match. Most players will frown upon random champion choices for normal games, especially in ranked matches. This is because League of Legends has a systematic approach to it.
Although you're free to choose any position and character you want to play with, playing according to how a champion was designed will bring out its fullest potential. In addition, you'll find that each role will be more capable than those in other lanes when it comes to fulfilling certain activities.
Knowing how these positions work will also help you understand the enemy team's composition and what they plan to do in both the early game and late game phases.
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Role #1: Top Lane
Image courtesy of Riot Games
The top lane is the first role that we'll be talking about. When assigned this specific role, the top lane champions players commonly select are those that play well as bruisers or tanks.
Although one can choose from a vast selection of characters to play as a top laner, champs that are tankier are often the choice for many. The main reason is that they can take a lot of damage and go in first during team fights so that the enemy champions can focus on them.
But that doesn't mean battlemages, assassins, and marksmen can't find a home at the top lane. These types of characters can also play here because it's generally easy to pick almost any champion to solo this area.
There are a few responsibilities that aspiring top laners should know. One of the most important of them is usually possessing a Teleport summoner spell.
This ability allows you to respond immediately during crucial moments to turn the tide in your team's favor. Teleporting to help against the enemy bot lane is a common tactic for top laners.
The main drawback of using Teleport is that you can leave your lane opponent to farm minions and push your lane. That's why it's essential to weigh the situation carefully before deciding to use this spell.
As mentioned earlier, many champions can play the top lane well. Characters who can threaten or control enemy champs during team clashes will work well in this lane. Tank champions remain the top choice because it allows them to thrive in a solo play environment where they can become strong for the late game.
If you can grab a few kills during the lane phase as a top laner, you can really get ahead of your opponent and quickly help out other lanes that are lagging behind.
Top Lane Focus
As a top laner, you shouldn't have to worry as much about what the other lanes are doing. You have the privilege of playing the most isolated lane on the map, so your main focus should be on winning your matchup.
It's also a good idea to learn how to deal with the most common enemy champions you'll encounter at the top lane. This will give you an understanding of when you're outmatched or have the advantage.
New players will find the top lane a great environment to get started in League of Legends.
Role #2: Mid Lane
Image courtesy of Riot Games
Playing as a mid-laner will put your abilities as a League of Legends player to the test. This is because those assigned this specific lane are expected to make many vital decisions from the early stages of the game to the late game phases.
People who love being the center of attention and are used to handling multiple responsibilities will enjoy staying in this lane. Most mid-lane players choose mid-lane champions that work well as bruisers, mages, and assassins, particularly those characters who can move around quickly.
The main responsibility of the mid-laner is responding to teammates who are in distress. This means that they should be able to act quickly to help their top, jungle, or bot lanes.
Securing as many minion kills as possible is essential as a mid-laner because most champions chosen for this role are expected to carry the rest of the team at the later stages of the match. Furthermore, given that the middle lane controls significant access to the whole map, mid-laners need to roam constantly to keep the other lanes in check.
When selecting a champ for mid-lane, you want characters that will have as much impact on the game as possible. Therefore, you choose a champ with excellent control or high kill potential.
Most mid-laners tend to choose characters that can clear minion waves easily. Such capability allows them to push their lane so that they can move to help their teammates in need.
Mid Lane Focus
As a mid-laner, you want to impact the other parts of the map. So you must focus on controlling your minion waves and learning when to shove, assist teammates, and return just in time to avoid missing out on gold.
A good roam can help you seize the upper hand early game by getting First Blood or First Turret. That's why mid-laners should have a sharp sense and be aware of when other lanes need their help.
Role #3: Attack Damage Carry (ADC)
Image courtesy of Riot Games
The attack damage carry, simply abbreviated as ADC, is probably the most vulnerable character in the game. However, they also can potentially have a major contribution at the late stage of a match. Attack damage carries are usually champs who have low health and armor.
In exchange for these drawbacks, ADCs are the ones who have the highest potential to do damage throughout the game. The opposing team is well aware of this capability, which is why you can often see the enemy champions visiting this lane to hinder the progress of the AD carry.
The primary role of an ADC player is to stay alive and farm minions. As much as possible, you want to have a lot of gold during the early phase, so getting a few kills can improve your chances of dealing damage later on.
Most ADC champions are marksmen because it allows them to scale well in terms of damage. However, you can only become effective in this role if you understand how to position yourself correctly in various circumstances.
Attack Damage Carry Focus
When playing as the ADC, you need to focus primarily on earning as much gold as you can. This means getting the last hits on your minions while ensuring you're pushing with your support at the right time.
Your teammates understand what you need to do and will often let you earn gold or grab buffs whenever there's an opportunity. Your job is to make sure you power up to become a significant threat later in the match.
Role #4: Jungler
Image courtesy of Riot Games
If you're wondering which position is the hardest role to master, then it's definitely the role of the jungler. This is because those assigned to the jungle role must learn many things before starting.
When you play jungle, your teammates expect you to secure objectives so that the whole team benefits. Obtaining buffs by defeating elemental drakes, the Rift Herald, and Baron Nashor is the main goal of the jungler. They also help their team earn gold by defeating neutral monsters around the map, even if it has to be from the enemy's jungle.
Junglers need to have good knowledge of how they should accomplish their farming route. Besides that, they also should be great at ganking to succeed in this role.
Failing ganks or completing objectives can have a huge negative impact on the team's performance later on. That's why the role of the jungle is critical, especially during the early phase of the match.
Many champions can operate as jungler, but not many of them are effective in doing so. One of the most important characteristics of jungle champs is having the ability to clear their area of responsibility quickly. This is crucial because it allows you to move faster than the enemy jungler so that you can secure objectives or perform ganks to help out other lanes.
Crowd control and movement speed abilities are great skills for a jungler.
Jungler Focus
As stated above, you need to focus on clearing your jungle as quickly as you can so that you can secure objectives or help out in other lanes. You need to have a good understanding of where you should be at a specific time.
If you're helping out a teammate in their lane, you don't want to grab minion kills for yourself. Simply assist an ally in securing a kill or capturing an objective to make the most of your play.
Role #5: Support
Image courtesy of Riot Games
The last (but not the least) position that we'll be discussing is the support role. A team's support is considered the most selfless role of most matches and ideal for people new to League of Legends.
People who play support roles are expected to assist their teammates at all times. The support champion of a team is often situated at the bot lane and goes hand-in-hand with the AD carry.
Since the support is tasked to aid teammates, champions with abilities that can buff allied characters are especially useful here. Additionally, extremely skilled and knowledgeable support players can hugely impact the group's success in team fights.
As a support, you must stay close to your ADC partner as much as possible. You should help them fight their battles and keep them safe when in danger. Besides that, the support's responsibility is also to provide a vision of vital spots on the map to facilitate ganks and avoid them.
Since your role as a support is to assist your teammates, you aren't expected to deal damage – that's for the other lanes. Instead, you should have abilities that can buff your team by providing shields, heals, or bonuses.
Support champions that are particularly good at crowd control can be great to have as well. For example, stuns and slows can effectively provide your ADC teammate the minion kills they need during the laning phase to shine as a damage dealer later on.
Support Focus
Playing as support means that you need to ensure everything will run smoothly for the entire team. Your focus is to protect your ADC and help them farm while providing vision to crucial spots on the map.
You shouldn't grab minion or champion kills from anyone as your goal is to set up your teammates to get them. This should allow you to help them gain the gold they need to excel throughout the match.
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How To Choose the Right Role in League of Legends
Deciding on the proper role in League of Legends is a process that will take time, especially for those new to the game. Each position has its own responsibilities, and an in-depth understanding of how they operate is essential to significantly impact your team.
Most people try out each role individually to see how they match their play style. The more time you experiment and focus on a particular position, the better you will become. Another approach to choosing the role that fits you is to decide how you want to play the game.
Do you want to be an extremely durable tank that absorbs damage while keeping the team safe during clashes? Then you might want to play as a tanky top laner or support.
Perhaps you enjoy dealing damage or performing cool ability combinations to defeat your opponents. If so, then you might be interested in playing as a mid-laner, ADC, or even jungle. Those who like to dominate the early stages of a match and carry games will love playing in the mid lane or as an AD carry.
One of the best pieces of advice we can give new League of Legends players is to stick to at least two roles when starting. This method should help you learn how these roles work while allowing you to master them.
When you understand the basics of how the different roles work, you'll be able to be more effective in contributing to the entire team during matches.
Conclusion
There are five different roles in League of Legends that come with their responsibilities. Therefore, players who wish to be effective in their position need to understand how they can contribute based on the role assigned to them.
Knowing how the enemy team composition works is another essential skill for a League of Legends player. This should give you a good indication of what needs to be done to succeed.
If you are new to the game, it's best to stick to 1 or 2 roles at the start. This is especially true since there are many things to learn in League of Legends. Mastery over a few roles will allow you to become good in your position without overwhelming yourself.
