If you’ve ever loaded up a League of Legends match only to get crushed by a level 3 smurf who’s been playing since 2011, you know how overwhelming the game can feel at first. Learning how to play in League of Legends doesn’t have to be a years-long grind to have fun, though. I’ve spent 8 years playing the game across multiple ranks, from Iron to Diamond, and I’ve pulled together all the lessons I wish I knew when I first booted up the client. You don’t need to memorize every champion’s ability right away, or spend hundreds on skins, to have a good time and win more matches than you lose.
The first steps to learn how to play in League of Legends before your first match
Before you even click that “Play” button for a normal match, there are a few small prep steps that will cut your learning curve in half. A lot of new players skip this part, jump straight into blind pick, and end up quitting after three straight losses to players who have thousands of games under their belt. That doesn’t have to be you.
First, play through all three of the game’s built-in tutorials. They don’t cover everything, but they will teach you the basics of moving, casting abilities, last-hitting minions, and taking objectives. From there, pick one role you want to try first, and stick to 2-3 low-difficulty champions in that role for your first 20 matches. Jumping between 10 different champions will mean you never get comfortable with ability cooldowns, damage outputs, or play patterns. Some of the best starter champions per role include:
- Top lane: Garen, Darius, or Malphite – all have simple ability kits, high survivability, and clear win conditions in fights
- Mid lane: Annie, Veigar, or Lux – easy to land abilities, high burst damage, and don’t require complex mechanics to be effective
- ADC: Caitlyn, Ashe, or Miss Fortune – long range, simple auto-attack focused gameplay, and clear utility for teamfights
- Support: Soraka, Sona, or Leona – clear roles (heal, shield, or engage) that don’t require you to focus on last-hitting minions
- Jungle: Warwick, Amumu, or Master Yi – simple clear paths, high sustain, and easy to learn gank patterns
That list right there will save you from picking a high-skill champion like Zed or Aphelios for your first game and spending 20 minutes confused about why you can’t land any abilities. You can branch out to more complex champions once you’re comfortable with the core flow of matches. I also recommend playing 2-3 Co-op vs AI matches first to test out your chosen champion without the pressure of playing against real people.
Master 3 core laning rules to avoid feeding early
The laning phase is the first 10-15 minutes of every match, and it sets the tone for the rest of the game. Even if you don’t get any kills in lane, following these three rules will make sure you don’t fall so far behind that your team can’t recover.
First, Prioritize last-hitting minions over trading damage. Minions give roughly 70% of your gold income in the early game, and missing three last hits is the equivalent of giving the enemy a free kill. You don’t have to hit every single minion, but aim for at least 8 out of 10 when you’re first starting out. Second, Don’t push your lane unless you have vision of the enemy jungler. Pushing your lane means you’re standing far from your protective turret, which makes you an easy target for ganks. If you can see the enemy jungler on the other side of the map on the minimap, you can push to take turret plates for extra gold, but if you have no vision, freeze the lane near your turret to stay safe. Third, Only trade damage when you have a clear advantage. That means waiting until the enemy just used their main damage ability on minions, your jungler is nearby to help, or you have a level or item lead over them. Spamming abilities at the enemy for no reason wastes mana and puts you in a bad spot if they decide to fight back.
I see so many new players waste all their mana on trading damage in the first 3 minutes, then can’t defend themselves when the jungler ganks. If you stay patient in lane, you’ll end up ahead 9 times out of 10 even if you don’t get any kills early.
Use these simple teamfight strategies to carry even with low damage champions
Teamfights are where most new players throw leads they spent 15 minutes building in lane. You don’t have to land a perfect 5-man stun to carry a teamfight – following these basic rules will make you far more effective than 90% of other low-rank players.
First, know your role in the fight before it starts. If you’re playing a tank, your job is to engage and soak damage for your backline, not chase the enemy ADC across the map. If you’re playing an ADC, your job is to attack the closest enemy to you, not dive the backline trying to get a single kill. Second, Focus objectives over kills. If you win a teamfight and have 3 or more players alive, go take dragon, Rift Herald, or a turret, not chase the last surviving enemy into their jungle. Kills give small amounts of gold, but objectives give permanent buffs and map control that win games. I’ve lost so many matches where my team got 10 more kills than the enemy, but ignored objectives and let the enemy scale to late game and take our nexus. Third, Always keep an escape ability available if you’re playing a squishy champion. Don’t use all your damage abilities first, save one dash or stun to get away if someone dives you. That one habit will cut your death count in half during teamfights.
You also shouldn’t start a teamfight if you’re down a player or have no vision of the enemy team. If your support is dead, don’t start a 4v5 fight – you’ll almost always lose, and throw any lead you had. Wait for your team to respawn, then look for a good engage opportunity.
Avoid these common new player mistakes that keep you stuck in low ranks
Even if you follow all the tips we covered earlier, these common mistakes will hold you back from climbing and having fun. The good news is they’re all easy to fix once you know what to look for.
First, stop chasing kills across the map. Chasing a 300 gold kill isn’t worth losing a turret or dragon that gives your entire team 500 gold each and a permanent buff. Second, Buy at least one control ward every time you back to base. Control wards only cost 75 gold, and they can prevent 3 or 4 ganks that would cost you 300 gold each plus the turret plates you lose when you die. A lot of new players skip buying wards because they think it’s the support’s job, but every player on the team should be placing wards to keep the map visible. Third, don’t tilt after one bad play. It’s normal to die once, or miss a bunch of last hits, but if you start typing to your team or playing recklessly to get revenge, you’ll make the problem worse. I’ve had matches where I died 3 times in the first 10 minutes, but stayed calm, farmed up, and ended up carrying the late game. Fourth, Flexible builds will always perform better than copying a one-size-fits-all build you found online. If the enemy has 3 magic damage champions, don’t build all armor, build magic resist. If the enemy has a fed assassin, build a defensive item like Zhonya’s Hourglass or Guardian Angel instead of another damage item.
You also shouldn’t blame your team for every loss. Even if your jungler doesn’t gank your lane once, there’s almost always something you could have done better to win the match. Focus on improving your own play instead of pointing fingers, and you’ll climb much faster.
At the end of the day, League of Legends is a game, and the most important thing is to have fun. You don’t have to hit Challenger in your first season to get value out of every match. Learning how to play in League of Legends is a gradual process, and even players with thousands of hours still learn new tricks every month. If you stick to a small pool of champions, prioritize objectives over kills, and avoid the common mistakes we covered, you’ll be winning more matches and climbing ranks before you know it. Don't get discouraged by the occasional bad match or toxic teammate – focus on improving one small skill every time you play, and you'll be shocked how fast you get better.