League of Legends is a titan of the competitive gaming scene. It has been around for just over a decade and claims some of the largest prize pools in esports history. It is a game with a surprising amount of nuance; being good at League of Legends is one thing, but mastering it requires intimate knowledge of its mechanics and gameplay.

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Jumping into the game for the first time can feel daunting for many players, especially those who are new to the MOBA genre. That being said, players with experience in DOTA or Heroes of the Storm won't have an easy transition either. Simple gameplay mistakes are easily avoided, though, once the player knows the basics of League.

10 Misunderstanding Game Objectives

League of Legends is essentially a game of attrition, at its core. The goal is not to take on opponents head-on, but rather to collect resources, XP, and slowly but surely crawl ahead of the enemy team. Each champion in the team takes their place in one of three lanes (or the jungle) and collects XP and gold from fallen enemy mobs while taking out that lane's defensive towers.

Most of the game is spent outside of team fights, which might come as a surprise to new players. Many competitive games focus solely on a good kill/death ratio, or pitch players against each other in fast-paced combat. Understanding that League of Legends is a blend of PvP and long-term strategy is key to avoiding simple mistakes.

9 Joining A Losing Fight

Knowing when to join a fight can change the flow of the game entirely, but joining a losing fight leads to nothing but wasted time. It can be tempting to jump into the fray to help out teammates, but pay close attention to their health.

When the enemy team is knocking out teammates left and right, it's always a safer bet to stay out of the way than to feed their killstreak. It might not be the most exciting option, but it's always better to stay alive than to give the enemy the kill.

8 Overcommitting To A Lane

Maintaining a presence in the lane is one thing, but staying too long is an often fatal mistake. After chasing down an opponent and killing them, many beginners will push towers while at low health, because there is no one there to challenge them. This opens the player up to being ganked by another enemy.

Teleporting back to base when at low health or low mana seems like a waste of time, but it will save the headache of respawning and allows players to buy new items and upgrades as their opponent respawns.

7 Not Committing To A Main

Many players new to the game are overwhelmed by the sheer number of champions available in League of Legends. It is perfectly natural to try out a variety of champions when getting started, but eventually, it is important to put more focus on a select few and establish a "main."

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This allows the player to hone their skills and delve deeper into their chosen champions. It's far more effective to have a deep understanding of 2 or 3 champions than to have surface-level knowledge of dozens.

6 Trading Kills Too Often

The rush of getting a kill in League of Legends is a tempting reason to rush past enemy towers and chase down an opponent. No matter how many kills a player gets, though, they are weighed down by the number of deaths they have endured.

Feeding the enemy team only serves to bolster their XP and gold, so it is always better to let an enemy teleport to the base than to chase them down. A champion with 3 kills and 0 deaths is doing far, far better than a champion with 6 kills and 5 deaths, after all.

5 Passing On Vision Wards In The Shop

Vision wards are an incredible tool that beginners tend to avoid. They are relatively cheap to buy, easy to use, and give the player's team a major advantage if used correctly. Vision wards serve best when hidden from view, in bushes, and in enemy territory.

It can be tempting to purchase healing or small items that will eventually upgrade instead of vision wards. Instead of serving just one player, though, they improve the whole team's vision. Each member of the team ought to have at least one pink ward out at all times.

4 Not Using Pings Effectively

Pings are the best way to warn teammates of both threats and opportunities. When a champion disappears into the fog of war, or when a group of enemies suddenly shows up near a vision ward, ping that location to alert allies that something is amiss.

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Pings are also great for seizing opportunities that no one else sees, for example, when 3 enemy champions are dead and the player's team can capture the boss. It might feel annoying, but it's the best way to communicate with teammates aside from voice chat.

3 Warping To Base In Full Sight

Knowing when it is safe to stay in lane and when to teleport back to base is a basic skill in League of Legends. Many players forget that they are open to sudden attacks when teleporting back to base out in the open, though, especially after a close fight.

Always head into a bush or behind cover before hitting that B button, to avoid a surprise attack from the jungle and to avoid being interrupted by enemy mobs.

2 Going Into Fog of War Alone

This is a mistake many first-timers will make when trying to traverse the map, perhaps to join a team fight or push a vulnerable lane. Going into unrevealed parts of the map alone is a surefire way to get killed by a jungler or come across a group of traveling enemies.

If traveling through the fog of war is necessary, spending as little time as possible in the unrevealed areas and getting back to teammates is the best way to avoid getting ganked.

1 Being Toxic To Teammates and Tilting

It should be obvious, but competitive gamers often need to be reminded of one simple fact: being uncooperative and aggressive towards teammates is the quickest path to defeat. Remember that the team functions as a unit and that while teammates might be on different skill levels, that's not an excuse to be toxic towards them.

Loss is a part of the game. Nine times out of ten defeat is not the result of an individual mistake but rather the result of smaller, long-term strategic issues. Take defeat with grace, assess what went wrong, and try again.

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