How to Play LoL, League of Legends Beginners Guide 2025

League of Legends is an old-school MOBA game. I've been playing League since 2009, the year it launched. Therefore, if you're new to this multiplayer online battle arena, know you're in good hands.

I'll show you how to play League of Legends in this article. I must say that while it is easy to learn League of Legends gameplay, it's tough to master. You'll need to grind for endless hours if you truly want to master a champion in the game. The good news is that you can always get some LoL rank boosting for a head start.

Your Intro to League of Legends

Since you're just starting the game, I'll keep it simple. League of Legends is a 5V5 MOBA. Two teams spawn on a quadrangle map: your and the enemy teams. The objective is to destroy the enemy team's nexus and win the match. In a nutshell, that's League for you!

League of Legends Installation Guide

Like every other game, you must download League of Legends before playing it. So, let's see how to download it first.

Head to the official LoL game website and click the Play button at the top right.

The website will ask you to sign in with your Riot Games Account.

If you don't have one, create it.

After signing in, click on the Play For Free button. You'll be taken to League's download page.

Depending on your system, download the game's Windows or Mac version.

After downloading the installer, run it and install the game on your PC.

How to Play League of Legends - Gameplay Guide

So, to play the League of Legends game, you must first understand the overall gameplay concept.

There are three lanes in any game map: top lane, mid lane, and bot lane. Tank champions focus on the top lane. They are champions with the highest health among your teammates, while damage dealers are the mid laners and concentrate on the mid lane. Support and Marksman champions go to the bot lane. Supports are healing champions (popular Supports include Brand and Janna), while Marksman is ranged champions (popular Marksman are Miss Fortune and Jinx).

Each lane has three turrets (some call them defensive structures) and 1 inhibitor. Inhibitors spawn minions in their respective lanes, and turrets attack incoming enemy champions and enemy minions. Two more turrets guard your Nexus. The Nexus is the core of your base and is located next to your spawn point. You must defend at all costs.

This same base layout holds for your opponent's team. While playing the game, you must attack enemy turrets, minions, and enemy champions. Use your ability powers to quickly destroy enemy turrets and make your way to enemy inhibitors. Destroying enemy inhibitors will stop monsters spawn in their lane, whereas super minions will now spawn in your lane.

In between the three lanes, there is the jungle. The jungle is home to neutral monsters in the game that give XP points and various buffs to you and your team mates whenever you kill them.

Once you and your team have destroyed all opposing structures and fought through enemy champions and minions, destroy their Nexus to defeat your opponents and claim victory. And that's how you play League of Legends.

Things to Remember Before Game Starts

However, there were many important points I didn't mention above. No need to worry, though; I'll cover them here.

First, when you kill a minion, enemy champion, or monster (like Baron Nashor) in the jungle, you earn experience points and gold. Experience helps you level up, whereas gold lets you buy items from the shop at the Nexus. You can use the shop to purchase various abilities. This will allow you to hit enemy champions with greater damage and aid you in winning the game.

Moreover, each champion in League of Legends has unique abilities of their own as well, such as crowd control and teleporting. These champion-specific ability powers, like crowd control and teleport, give many players a strategic advantage in game matches when played right. So, learn your champions' abilities to use them in-game matches effectively.

Moreover, you only earn experience or gold upon delivering a killing blow to an enemy unit. This single-shot technique is cleverly used by junglers when they see you running on low health. They hit you instantly to drain all your health and get the gold for themselves. So, always watch your health when battling minions and monsters in the game.

Summoner’s Rift Map in League of Legends

There are many maps in League of Legends. The most popular is Summoner's Rift, where the world's most pro League of Legends players train and play. The rest of the maps are also viable but not used as much.

Popular Champions in League of Legends

These League of Legends champions are generally considered the most popular in the game. Though I've put their names in a list, they are in no particular order:

• Miss Fortune (my favorite)
• Darius
• Master Yi
• Tristana
• Ekko
• Lux
• Ahri
• Garen
• Sona
• Brand

Frequently Used League of Legends Terms

Here, I've put some common League of Legends game terms that might confuse you as a beginner in the game:

• LoL - This is the most common term in the game. LoL stands for the game name "League of Legends."
• CS - No, this is not Counter-Strike. In League, CS stands for "Creep Score," which is the number of minions your champion kills in a game.
• Gank - This term is often used for "Gang Kill." It usually happens in the Jungle when you surprise attack an enemy champion and outnumber them.
• Wave Clear - This champion's ability quickly clears minion waves.
• Drag - Drag in League refers to Dragons found in the jungle.
• AFK - Stands for "Away From Keyboard." This happens when someone in your team or the enemy team thinks they are not winning and stops playing the game without quitting the match.
• Recall - An ability that lets you teleport back to base without killing yourself.
• Super Minion - Reinforced minions that spawn after an inhibitor is destroyed and are harder to kill.