Improving Pre-Level 30

Introduction into the wonderful game that is League of Legends had us all trudge through an infamous rite of passage: the Pre-30 leveling grind. A journey which bears the task of trying champion after champion and discovering that this game offered more than meets the eye.

Thinking back toward our nostalgic days before ranked play, it was quite a difficult quest to the level 30 cap. Upon surveying many of my fellow Summoners, there are many reasons in which the climb proved challenging; not knowing proper itemization, an explanation of AD vs AP as well as various damage types, a lack of understanding the specific purposes of roles as they pertaining to lanes, and lastly the confusion around mastery/rune function. Levels 1-30 are meant to develop and hone skills that determine competitive play, thus let’s examine and propose alternatives toward helping make this process as beneficial and smooth as possible.

The Tutorial

The tutorial: every Summoner’s first taste of League of Legends. However it has been a long time since many of us have bothered to touch this part of the client, and considering it is Season 4, gameplay has drastically changed. I took the liberty of getting back to my roots and playing through the tutorial to analyze the pros and cons.

After about a good twenty minutes of exploring all possibilities, the tutorial is not as faulty as what we might remember. Three champions (Ashe, Garen, Ryze) are offered in the champion select screen offering brief description of their attributes. The runes and mastery options are presented alongside summoner spells, and lastly the lock in button. Moving on toward the game, explanation of main goals such as destroying the enemy nexus, running through towers, and the different lanes. Once you move to a lane minions spawn and you are given the objectives. Impressively, little tips grab your attention and briefly explain Last Hitting, Champion Passives, and encourage you to push your lane plus venture into the Jungle. Overall, for a basic introduction it was informative and just enough to get you off the ground.

What was lacking

While the Tutorial serves its purpose as a very basic introduction to gameplay, there is much to be desired in terms of fully understanding how the intricacies of in-game action work. I applaud Riot for adding tips about Last Hitting, the Jungle Camps, and the main objectives, but what about everything else? Putting myself back into the perspective of a player who is brand new, I would be left wondering: What items should I be buying? How do I know what spells to level? Do I need to stay in lane? What are these trinkets and gold income items? Is Jungling something I should be doing?

How can it be fixed?

For a while now the community has bashed the Tutorial and how it did not properly explain every single detail of the game from a beginning stage of the game. While I understand the frustration, I believe that the Tutorial should not be altered as it serves its purpose very well: to introduce basic gameplay. What should be called for is the addition of more Tutorials. Following the basic introduction, Riot could offer a few more that were geared toward explaining specifics. Examples would include:

1. Laning Tutorial: Explanation of lanes and the roles designated
2. Jungling Tutorial: Explanation of the importance of jungle paths and role of Jungler
3. Item Tutorial: Explanation and tour of the Shop, AD vs. AP items, and utility items

The addition of these three would greatly benefit players who are just beginning their journey to level 30. After completing, I would suggest Summoners be required to complete at least 5 Co-op vs. AI matches just to get a grip on what they were just taught and practice to feel comfortable before venturing out toward Summoners Rift.

Post-Tutorial

So what about the rest of your adventure to level 30? The grind to the top is a long one which gets daunting after playing countless game after game. However gaining levels becomes monotonous, repetitive, and the unlocking of different Summoner Spells/Masteries and the introduction of runes can be overwhelming. Community chats, forums, and other groups have expressed the discontent surrounding the introduction of these aspects, thus these are the last few areas I believe can be addressed and modified.

Masteries and Runes

Masteries and runes are like the bread and butter that give each champion that extra kick of effectiveness. But is the introduction of these functions best during middle to late stages of the climb? Masteries can be implemented almost immediately; however the difference made is hardly noticeable. Runes have their different Tiers and progression into the game means the availability of higher tiers with greater usefulness. Even so, what do they do and why are they necessary?

Instead of granting use from an early start, Masteries and Runes should be presented once the Summoner achieves Level 10. This would allow Summoners to focus on learning a few champions, developing skills such as Last Hitting and Itemization, and confidence in their abilities. Once reaching this goal, there would be a prompted Tutorial that will explain the purpose of Masteries and Runes. However, the Tier system should not be in place, but instead have Tier 3 runes be the standard. Implementing Tier 3 runes as universal allows Summoners to explore the usage of Runes from levels 10-30 and encourage completing rune pages. Commonly, many have not completed more than one Rune Page when attaining Level 30, thus putting them at a disadvantage within Ranked Queue. Not only would this prepare players, but the level of readiness for Post Level 30 gameplay would be exponentially higher.

Re-cap and Conclusion

To re-cap, it has been proposed:
1. Introduction of additional Tutorials pertaining to:
a. Laning
b. Jungling
c. Itemization
2. Later Introduction of Runes and Masteries with in-depth explanation
3. Scrapping of the Tier System and Tier 3 runes being universal

Through these changes, the Pre-Level 30 journey would be not only easier, but much more beneficial. This is a time in which each individual is prepared for competitive play after attaining the maximum level. Obviously there are greater aspects to the game such as Team Composition, Transitions to Mid/Late Game, and specific mechanics such as Zoning and Map Awareness, but these are developed through personal investment.

These are ideas and suggestions that could greatly aid those starting their journey and people who are still working toward reaching Level 30. We all come together because of a passion for a game that has exploded into an amazing forefront of the E-Sports industry. As players and supporters, it is our job to encourage improvement of not only newcomers, but of the League of Legends.

See you on the Rift,

Christopher “Terragnast” Eikenberry