The Classic version of League of Legends sounds more like something aimed at veterans, but that’s not the case. Beginners will find a more accessible version of the MOBA here. MeinMMO provides tips for getting started.
Sure, League Classic is actually intended for nostalgia, and that works. Even small details bring unexpected joy to veterans. However, that doesn’t mean the Classic mode categorically excludes beginners.
There are even several reasons to play LoL Classic if you have had no previous touchpoints with the game:
- The champion roster is much smaller. Instead of learning over 170 characters, their spells, strengths, and weaknesses, League Classic offers only 60.
- Summoner Spells are unlocked directly in League Classic; you don’t have to grind levels first. This makes it easier to try out different roles.
- The overall gameplay is “slower”, meaning you won’t be overwhelmed by sweat-drenched players, but can also take a look at the map and familiarize yourself with the game.
Sure, there are numerous differences between modern LoL and League Classic that are important for not only newcomers but also for any player who didn’t play the MOBA back then. Our tips will help you survive and win.
The jungle is significantly more dangerous – for the jungler and the lanes
One of the biggest changes in LoL back then was the complete overhaul of the jungle with some subsequent adjustments for beginner-friendliness. League Classic still has the old version with wolves and ghosts and jungle minions that can hit hard.
Today almost any jungler – that’s the role that primarily levels in the forest and visits the lanes to enable kills (“ganks”) – can completely clear the jungle alone. In the past, in LoL Classic, most needed help.
As a jungler, it’s always safer to request support at the start. Typically, this is done by the mid-lane as well as the bot or top, depending on where you start. Your teammates assist you by dealing damage or “tanking” to absorb damage for you, but they should urgently leave before the opponents die. This way you gain full experience points.
In general, you need to be careful in the jungle because the monsters hit hard. Especially if you’re playing non-tanks like Shaco, you need to keep an eye on your life constantly and bring enough potions. Smite is, by the way, the summoner spell of your choice and mandatory for junglers.
At the same time, you should watch your lanes so the opposing jungler doesn’t simply take you out. Depending on the champion, there are some possibilities in LoL Classic to be hit early on by a strong gank. The rule of thumb is: play more cautiously as a newcomer and buy vision wards!
You need to buy runes and continuously adjust them, but you can’t do that right away
Unlike in modern LoL (and this is also important for experienced players who don’t know Classic), you don’t have direct access to all runes. Runes are meta-buffs that strengthen your champions, such as with more mana, ability power, armor, or similar.
In LoL Classic, you put together these runes on pages after you’ve bought them in the Classic shop. This feature is only unlocked at Classic level 4, which you should reach after about 5 games.
Afterwards, you need the corresponding currency (“IP”) to buy the runes. It suffices to buy a certain amount:
- Maximum 9 identical runes of each color (red, yellow, blue)
- Maximum 3 quintessences
The runes are not “used up” when applied; you can apply them on different pages (also purchasable). However, you will probably only be able to fill your first rune page completely around level 7 or 8. Remember to buy different runes for different champions and roles as soon as you have enough IP again.
League Classic is significantly slower, really
This is something I cannot emphasize enough. MOBAs, especially League of Legends, are considered extremely hectic games in which players must assess a situation correctly and respond within seconds,to avoid being scolded by the toxic swamp of the team. An impossible task and discouraging too.
League Classic slows down the gameplay in several ways:
- Speed buffs, such as the one missing at the start, mean you won’t have to worry about the opponent already being in your jungle just because you wanted to buy items.
- Overall, the movement speed is somewhat lower or at least feels slower. On the way from one lane to another, you can typically observe the minimap and see where wards might be missing.
- Many visual effects that constantly blink and strain the eye are absent. While this doesn’t lead to a directly slower game, it is less taxing on concentration and helps better track what is actually happening.
Your biggest challenge will be transitioning from Classic to modern League of Legends, as you will need to get used to the new pace. However, for getting started, especially as a complete MOBA newcomer, Classic offers the better overview.
What you should immediately forget: unnecessary Summoner Spells
League Classic gives you immediate access to all Summoner Spells, unlike modern LoL, where you unlock spells like Ignite only at certain summoner levels. However, that comes with the downside that all old spells are still in the game.
Most of these are not even present today, such as Surge or Promotion. And they were removed for good reason: they have no real justification for existing. The “standard” spells for most champions are:
- Flash for almost every role and champion.
- Ignite, Heal, or Barrier for most damage-dealers.
- Ghost for champions who need to catch up to opponents.
- Teleport primarily for top-laners.
- Smite for junglers.
- Exhaust for supports.
Sure, there are stories of people who achieve absurdly quick victories with forgotten Summoner Spells, but that almost never happens, and it’s not worth it as a newcomer to concern yourself with such niche situations involving the spells. In the unlikely event that you are confronted with such a scenario, take it as experience and move on. It probably won’t happen again.
Have you tried LoL Classic yet? Would you prefer such a mode as a beginner, or would you take the whole experience instead? Leave us a comment!
League Classic stands at a patch level of Season 3 with corresponding balance among champions and sometimes completely different abilities. This naturally causes some of the characters to be significantly stronger (or weaker) than they are today: League Classic Tier List: All champions ranked – Who dominates which lane?
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