Fans of the hit 5v5 arena game League of Legends can now play on their phones with Riot’s latest entry into mobile gaming, League of Legends Wild Rift. Team up with 5 of your friends and duke it out against other players in a fast-paced MOBA(Multiplayer online battle arena).
Wild Rift was developed by Riot Games and released in 2020. It is available on both iOS and Android.
The main objective of the game is simple. Players are summoned into an arena where you must destroy the enemy base to win. Each team consists of 5 players that will each play a role in their individual lanes whether it is as a support or a fighter.
League of Legends: Wild Rift currently has over 60 champions that you can unlock and play as. There are fewer champions in the roster compared to League of Legends, but the developers are adding in new champions and events with each update. Each champion has their own set of skills and abilities that sets them apart from each other. Mastering the style of your champion is key to being successful in the game. For example, Aurelion Sol relies on keeping other players at a distance as his rotating stars deal damage to anyone that comes into contact with it. He also has a stun skill that can greatly expand to catch enemies off guard and prevent them from moving. All the champions have 3 sets of abilities, plus a 4th ability that counts as their special move. These abilities can be leveled up as you gain a level. It is recommended you level up one skill all the way first, before moving on to another skill to increase the damage you can deal. Champions also have a normal attack and a passive skill. It is crucial you understand the skillsets of your champions and their strengths and weakness in battle. Some champions like Garen are great at close combat fight, while others like Ziggs should keep their distance.
Wild Rift has both PvP matches and Ranked matches. You can also choose to play against AI enemies or real players. If you are new to League of Legends or Wild Rift, I recommend playing against the computer opponents first so you can get a better understanding of the game and how your champion works. The game also offers a way for you to use a champion in practice mode. There is another mode called Aram, but I will only go over the 5v5 modes in this game.
The Map
The game has only 1 map and you will become quite familiar by the time you have played a couple of matches. Each team has their base, Nexus Point, and item shop located at the ends of the map. Your base will be protected by turrets in each lane. Breaking the enemy team’s Nexus Point is the main goal to win the match.
There are a total of three lanes within the map: Dragon Lane(Bot Lane), Banon Lane(Top Lane), and Mid Lane. Generally, each champion has a specific lane where they are ideal. The Dragon Lane is the only lane with two champions as they have an ADC(Attack Damage Carry) and support champions. Other champions will have to face off against other enemy champions alone. Luckily, this is a 1v1 fight, unless the other team decides to switch it up and break away from the typical battle format. Between the lanes is also known as the jungle where players can easily travel between lanes. The jungle is also filled with monsters and dragons that will give a character or even the entire team a boost if a champion slays it. Killing these monsters and traveling in the jungle is the main role of the jungler. The jungler will roam between the lanes, helping out teammates, and preventing the enemy jungler from ambushing your teammates. You also have the option of ambushing the enemy if you see that their health is low.
Each team will have 2 turrets that will protect your lane from enemy attacks. Your prime mission is to destroy those turrets and prevent the other team from advancing down your lane. Over time your base will spawn minions that will go down the enemy lane to attack. You will need to stay with your minions as they push down the lane to go destroy the enemy turret. The enemy team will also have their own minions and enemy champions that will engage you in battle. You will want to stay in your lane and prevent the enemy from advancing any further. Wild Rift puts a heavy focus on working as a team, as if one member isn’t doing their job, then everyone else will be put in a more difficult situation. As you kill minions or enemy champions, you will gain gold that can be used to buy items to upgrade your stats and provide passive buffs. If a player is constantly getting killed by the enemy, then it will be easier for that enemy champion to gain gold and unlock more powerful items. That might even potentially cause a bigger problem if that enemy champion decides to go to another lane and start helping out their teammates.
The map will be displayed on your screen with the location of your teammates and the enemy team. However, the map will only show what your team is close by. You will be unable to see the jungle or where the enemy is located if they are hiding or too far away from your teammates. One of the items you are given is the ward, where you can place down to keep track of a location to see if an enemy is nearby or if a boss monster spawns in the jungle.
What I Liked
As a mobile game, Wild Rift feature touch controls, allowing players to easily move their champion with a click of a button. For new players, the game also features tutorials that will explain all of the game mechanics and teach you everything you will need to know.
There are a ton of champions for you to try and play as, but I recommend sticking with a couple of characters and master their play style. You will all need to play different roles for the team and you will sometimes be stuck in a role that you are not well versed in. Each of the champions has unique skills and mechanics that you will need to watch out for. None of them feel like carbon copies of each other, so you will definitely find a champion that you like to play as. Personally, I like fighting in the Mid-lane using either Aurelion Sol or Ziggs. Both of their fighting styles are great for long-distance combat, so I will often find myself struggling when enemy champions get too close to me. Understanding your champion and their skill set will greatly help you out when playing Wild Rift. Another thing I like about Wild Rift is that each champion doesn’t feel too overpowered. There are certain champions that are annoying or deal huge amounts of damage like Master Yi, but they have their weakness and limitations as well.
The game also rewards the player generously for completing missions and winning games. There are many chances to obtain your favorite champions without buying them from the store. The only thing you will have to spend money on are the custom skins for your champion and items like avatars and frames. The gameplay is not limited to how much a player spends and usually serves more as a decorative purpose to show off to other players.
What I Didn’t Like
When paired up with random players, you can communicate either through voice chat or the in-game chat within the game. You can also signal to players using the game’s map. This method of communication works most of the time, but there are trolls and players out there that will rush toward the enemy team without backup or go into another lane, leaving their lane defenseless. This hasn’t happened often, but when it does, it does get annoying as other members of the team will have to push back extra hard.
When selecting your champions, I oftentimes will find players selecting the same batch of champions like Master Yi or Ahri. Facing off the same champions every time makes the game feel more repetitive as players tend to pick champions that are ranked high on websites or tier lists. From my observations, the player controlling the champion greatly determines how they will impact the game. Master Yi might be the “best jungler” in the game, but if the player doesn’t know how to use him effectively, then it will only serve as baggage for the team.
There isn’t much I have to complain about the game as it is completely up to your team to win the matches and outsmart the other team.
Conclusion
League of Legends: Wild Rift is a great arena-style game that anyone can get into. The rules of the game are expertly laid out so new players can immediately play the game without feeling overwhelmed. Overall, I enjoyed testing out each champion and their skillset to see which champion worked best for me. Each match bought up something new as you will never know what to expect of the other team. The game has fewer mechanics and features than League of Legends, but serves as a great mobile port of the game.
Gameplay 5/5
Wild Rift takes in many game mechanics from its base game, League of Legends, and simplifies the gameplay, making it more approachable and beginner-friendly. At the beginning of the game, you are explained through a tutorial map the basic mechanics of the game and its core features. Veterans of League of Legends might not fully enjoy Wild Rift, as it changes a couple of things from the core game. However, it works great as a mobile game and each champion bring in their own set of unique combat styles and abilities.
Enjoyability 4/5
Teamwork is an essential part of Wild Rift. If one player isn’t going in the right lane or gets killed too often, the enemy team will push down that lane and get closer to your base. A lack of teamwork can make any game unenjoyable. I haven’t faced many players that were like this, but when I did, the game fell apart quickly and usually ended up in a loss for my team. There were also instances where an enemy champion from another lane would ambush my champion since my teammates weren’t keeping them occupied or got killed.
F2P Friendly 5/5
The game doesn’t block out any content for F2P players. The events are also great to obtain new exclusive items and they aren’t hidden by a paywall. You can easily get new champions without spending a single cent. The only thing that you will need to buy is the custom skins for your favorite champions, but they don’t give players an extra edge in battle. Of course, players can pay to obtain extra items in the battle pass, but I never felt that I had to pay it to be on par with paying players.
Score: 4.7/5
What are your thoughts on Wild Rift?
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The Informal Gamer 