Starting League of Legends (2025)
League of Legends (LoL) is one of the most popular online multiplayer games in the world. For gamers just starting out, it can be incredibly complex. That's why we've prepared this guide to walk you through everything from account creation and game downloads to understanding the basics — everything a beginner needs to know to get started with League of Legends.
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| League of Legends Beginner Guide |
South Korea stands as the undisputed powerhouse of League of Legends esports, having claimed multiple World Championship titles and consistently producing the world's top-tier professional players. This comprehensive guide has been crafted by G-Cafe, Korea's premier professional gaming PC bang(i-CAFE), drawing from years of experience supporting gamers at beginner levels. Based on G-Cafe's professional gaming expertise, this guide presents the most effective strategies for beginners.
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| Korean Lan Party G.G.P |
1. Creating Your Riot Games Account
To play League of Legends, you need a Riot Games account. The process may differ slightly depending on your country.
Visit the official Riot Games website at riotgames.com and click on Sign Up. Enter your email, date of birth, and create a username and password. Choose your server/region carefully (e.g., NA, EUW, KR) as this determines where you'll play and your ping. Verify your email to complete the registration.
2. Downloading and Installing the Game
Once your account is ready, download the League of Legends client:
Go to the League of Legends official site and click Download to install the Riot Client. Launch the Riot Client, log in with your account, and install League of Legends. The download size is around 20–30GB depending on updates, so make sure you have enough storage space and a stable internet connection.
3. Understanding Champions and Roles
In League of Legends, you play as a Champion — a unique character with special abilities. There are over 160 champions, each with different playstyles assigned to specific roles on the map:
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| Top Lane | Usually tanky or bruiser champions who fight alone in the top lane. |
| Jungle | Roams the map, kills neutral monsters, and helps teammates with ganks. |
| Mid Lane | Burst mages or assassins who control the center of the map. |
| ADC (Bot) | Ranged damage dealers, usually marksmen, who rely on items to scale. |
| Support | Protects and assists the ADC, providing vision and utility for the team. |
4. Essential Game Controls and Interface
Before jumping into matches, familiarize yourself with the basic controls. Your champion moves by right-clicking on the ground or enemies. The QWER keys are your abilities, with R being your ultimate ability that becomes available at level 6. Press B to recall back to your base safely, which is essential for shopping and healing.
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| Battle |
The minimap in the bottom-right corner shows the entire battlefield. Use it constantly to track enemy movements and avoid ganks. You can also communicate with your team using the ping system (Alt + left click) or the chat function, though focusing on gameplay is more important than typing during matches.
5. Items and the Shop System
Items are crucial for making your champion stronger throughout the match. You earn gold by killing minions, enemy champions, and neutral monsters. Access the shop by pressing P or clicking the shop icon, but remember you can only buy items when you're at your base.
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| League of Legends in-game shop items |
Start each game with a starter item and potions for sustain. As you earn gold, build toward your core items that synergize with your champion's abilities. Don't forget to buy boots early for movement speed, and always check the recommended items tab if you're unsure what to purchase. The shop also features a search function and item sets to help you find what you need quickly.
6. Game Objectives and How to Win
The ultimate goal in League of Legends is to destroy the enemy Nexus located in their base. To reach it, you must first destroy turrets that protect each lane, then the inhibitors behind them. Destroying an inhibitor spawns powerful super minions in that lane, giving your team a significant advantage.
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| Victory |
Focus on farming minions by landing the killing blow (called last-hitting) to maximize your gold income. Additionally, neutral objectives like Dragon and Baron provide powerful team-wide buffs. Dragons give permanent bonuses, while Baron grants a temporary buff that helps push lanes. These objectives often decide the outcome of close games.
7. Understanding the Ranked System
Once you reach level 30, you can participate in Ranked matches, which determine your competitive tier. The ranking system consists of nine tiers: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger. Each tier (except Master and above) has four divisions numbered IV to I.
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| Tier System |
You'll start with 10 placement matches that determine your initial rank based on your performance. Winning games earns you League Points (LP), while losing costs you LP. Accumulate enough LP to advance to the next division or tier. At the end of each ranked season, players receive exclusive rewards like skins and borders based on their highest achieved rank.
8. First Steps in the Game
If you're completely new, start with Tutorial mode. It teaches you movement, abilities, and basic objectives. Then move on to Co-op vs AI matches to practice with real teammates against bots. These games typically last 20-40 minutes, giving you plenty of time to learn without the pressure of human opponents.
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| Tutorial |
Once you feel comfortable with the controls and basic mechanics, try Normal PvP games against other players. Don't worry if you die frequently at first—when you die, you'll lose some gold and have to wait to respawn, but this is all part of the learning process. The game's matchmaking system will gradually pair you with players of similar skill levels.
9. Tips for Beginners
Don't worry about winning at first — focus on learning the basics like last-hitting minions, using your abilities effectively, and understanding when to engage or retreat. Try different champions to see which role you enjoy the most, as each offers a unique gameplay experience.
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| Practice Mode |
Use the Practice Tool to test abilities and mechanics in a safe environment. Watch tutorials or professional gameplay to learn advanced strategies, but remember that improvement comes with time and practice. Most importantly, maintain a positive attitude—League of Legends has a steep learning curve, but the reward of mastering this complex game makes the journey worthwhile.
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Author: Denis Oh (Dongchul Oh)
As a director of pro-gaming spaces, I provide PC optimization solutions based on 25 years of professional expertise.
Contact or PayPal: itwind.ad@gmail.com
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