League of Legends

[Vipershark]

Useful Links:
Official Site · Client Download · Wikipedia Article · New User Guide
Leaguecraft.com Champion/Rune Build Calculator · Previous thread
Lolbase.net Match/Item/Player/Everything Stat Tracking
Goon LoL Wiki - Sign up and contribute to the wiki!

Other cool links:
stonewall008's YouTube channel, which is loaded with good jungling videos/tutorials.

What is League of Legends?
LoL is a FREE frantically paced session based action RPG where up to 5 players per team battle each other for supremacy. Based off the popular Warcraft 3 mod Defense of the Ancients, it introduces new elements such as a persistent summoner leveling system to aid you in future games, rune system to effectively socket your champion for your playstyle, summoner spells for free tactical based aids, and a mastery page for a talent tree style additional power boost.

Gameplay
For those not familiar with DotA, you start at level 1 with a small amount of gold, gain experience, and over the course of the game you complete objectives, gain bounty, and kill enemy players on the other team in a race to destroy your opponents' base. At the end of each session, players will gain persistent experience and influence points, used to level up their summoners and to use as currency to purchase runes or champions. The magic of the game resides in wisely combining the diverse champions available and their unique abilities with a myriad of items for sale on the battlefield in order to gain leverage against your opponents. Of course being the best isn't necessarily enough, even professional players will need to coordinate with their team to control the map and strategize effectively to emerge victorious.

Summoner System
A player in League of Legends takes on the role of a summoner - a gifted spell caster who has the power to bring forth a champion to fight as their avatar in Valoran's Fields of Justice. As the summoner controls the champion in combat, the summoner also influences the outcome of the match through the use of spells, masteries, and runes. Once a match is over, the summoner gains experience and influence points. Experience points allow the summoner to gain increased powers, while influence points allow the summoner to gain access to new champions and power ups for use in future fights. Summoners may also spend influence points to change the aesthetics of the champions they summon.


Click here for the full 1280x800 image.

Summoner Spells
Summoners are allowed the use of two summoner spells during any fight in the Fields of Justice. These spells have a direct impact on the action in the battle arena. Summoners, for example, can heal their champion, damage opposing minions directly, teleport their champion anywhere in the Field of Justice they are in, fortify their team's turret defenses, and a slew of other game-impacting results. Summoner spells don't drain a champion's mana on use, but rather are usable again only after a period of cooling down. As a summoner gains experience and increases their power by fighting in multiple battle arenas, new summoner spells will become available for use.


Click here for the full 1280x800 image.

Runes
Before a battle arena match begins, a summoner will make use of runes to augment their champion's fighting abilities. There are four kinds of runes a summoner will use: glyphs (magical ability runes), marks (offensive runes), seals (defensive runes), quintessence (powerful all-purpose runes). Before a match begins, a summoner will be able to choose from at least two different rune configurations they have previously set in their runebook, with a maximum of eleven configurations. This allows the summoner maximum flexibility in choosing a runebook configuration best suited for whatever champion they might use in any of Valoran's Fields of Justice.


Click here for the full 1280x800 image.

Masteries
A summoner is able to focus their intense magical training into three specific categories - offense, defense, and utility - which collectively are known as masteries. Some of the more advanced masteries require not only a working knowledge of previous masteries within a single category, but also the knowledge of a specific mastery. As a summoner gains levels of power within the League, they are able to select which specific areas of interest to focus on. Summoner masteries are not set in stone; based on the type of champion you wish to control in a battle arena, masteries may be changed to better suit a summoner's needs.


Click here for the full 1280x800 image.

Store
The League of Legends Store allows summoners to purchase additional options through Riot Points (RP) and Influence Points (IP). Riot Points must be bought using real money, while Influence Points are earned by playing the game.


Click here for the full 1280x800 image.

I need some help/I'm new! Where do I go?
While the thread is a good source for information, requests for help and advice can be easily missed. The best way to get quick and useful help is in the IRC channel, listed above (in the "Come chat with us!" link). The channel is active at almost all times of the day and there are many helpful people who are willing to give you a hand.

How do I play with goons?
Most games are started either on IRC or Ventrilo. Hop on either and introduce yourself and see if any games are forming soon. Vent is the easiest way to get a game; if a channel is not full ask if you can join when they are done. Add people to your friends list after the game and soon you'll have a regular group to play with any time. Common courtesy is to let people know your summoner level before you start, so you don't get put against players who will eat you alive, and to never play a character for the first time in a premade game.

I recommend you check the easily vandalized and awkward LoLnames spreadsheet! to see which guy prefers what!

Someone was a huge jerk in-game! What do I do?
At the post-game score screen, you can right click that player and use the "Report Player" function. Alternatively, you can email harassment@riotgames.com.

Who's this "Brackhar" guy everyone's asking favours of?
Brackhar is a developer at Riot Games. A Rabid Llama, Randuin, and Kyuriko are also developers. Kyuriko's Riot name is Shurelia. The poster who has the name "Shurelia" is an impostor and paid 15 dollars to be an impostor. Everyone laugh at him.

Hey, I'm hitting up down left right up up down down and it's not letting me get past "unavailable" anymore! What gives?
The access code was recently changed to left right left right down down up up 3 4 (lrlrdduu34). You have to use the number keys above the letters; the numpad won't work.