Best avatars for every role when you're a complete League of Legends beginner
A Young Post cadet and LoL enthusiast whipped up to guide to help you through the five major roles and the most beginner-friendly characters
With 137 champions, or avatars, currently available in League of Legends, the world’s most popular competitive eSport game, picking it up as a beginner can be a daunting task. But it's simple, really: in each team there are five roles, they are Top Lane, Jungler, Middle Lane, Attack Damage Carry, and Support. Here is a handy primer on the five major roles and the easiest champions to start with when you're new to the game.
Top Lane:
You guessed it, the top laner goes to the top lane. Traditionally isolated from the team, this position assesses the map and looks to put pressure on enemy objectives. To protect high firepower but easy-to-kill teammates, they also need to take the brunt of the damage in team fights.
Beginner’s pick: Darius.
Darius is the epitome of a bruiser – a type of champion who is difficult to kill, while also dealing a decent amount of damage. His Apprehend (E) ability pulls all enemies in front of him into melee range, which is great for engaging priority targets.
Jungler:
Perhaps the most difficult role and concept to understand. The jungler does not enter any of the designated lanes; his role is to roam around the whole map, killing neutral monsters to earn gold for better equipment and look for opportunities to “gank” – assist an ally champion by ambushing their opposite number.
Beginner’s pick:
Master Yi. Master Yi is a champion that deals tonnes of damage, and is relatively simple to control. His signature move Alpha Strike (Q) teleports him a short distance to a target enemy and does damage to enemies in the area. The best part is, during the teleport, he is untargetable and automatically dodges all enemy abilities.
Middle Lane:
The heart of the team. Placed right in the centre of the map, the mid laner must deal high damage, watch out for ganks, and assist allied lanes when necessary. Often focusing on damage through abilities rather than basic attacks, they need to have good reflexes to consistently hit fast-moving opponents.
Beginner’s pick: Annie.
Annie deals heaps of magic damage, and eliminates important enemy champions. Her passive trait Pyromania allows her to stun enemy champions every four abilities. Keeping track of Annie’s passive can decide a fight as allies will want to engage using it, and enemies may pounce on every opportunity when Annie’s passive is down.
Attack Damage (AD) Carry:
The AD carry will play in the bottom lane. Their main objective is to cause as much damage as possible through hard-hitting basic attacks. However, their low-health always makes them a high priority target for the enemy.
Beginner’s pick: Caitlyn
Caitlyn is a marksman who sits back, deals damage and tries to stay alive. She does not necessarily require much help from her team to be successful and her Yordle Snap Trap (W) ability lets her set traps on the map which briefly ties enemies in place. Smart trap placement can protect allies from being blindsided and cut off parts of the battlefield for the enemy.
Support:
The supposedly boring role who joins the AD carry in the bottom lane, and assists and protects allies where needed. Despite being seen as a useless role by most beginners due to lack of damage, the healer’s positive effect abilities are crucial in team fights.
Beginner’s pick: Janna.
Janna provides the ultimate protection to her team. From shields to heals, she insures security, fending off threats to her allies while preserving the life of her teammates. Her Monsoon (R) ability knocks back all enemies within a large circular range while healing her allies, allowing her teammates to relocate to more strategic positions.
Now you know about the five basic roles in League of Legends and the best champions to start with.
Edited by Jamie Lam