To win your matches in LoL Wild Rift, you must definitely include the minimap. But besides regularly checking it, interpreting it is especially important. We at MeinMMO will show you how to use the map and the so-called map awareness to your advantage.
To win in Wild Rift, the goal is to defeat the opponent while taking objectives like towers, the dragon, or the baron. But for that, you need to stay alive and coordinate with your team.
And at this point, the map and the visibility of allies and enemies play an important role. In LoL, this is also referred to as “map awareness” – an awareness of the map.
Why is the map so important? Through the map, you can track the movements of players and thus define your strategies. However, anyone who thinks that the map is only there to protect you from ganks underestimates the plethora of information:
- You are safer on your lane and will die less often.
- You can also play more aggressively on your lane. For example, if you are in the top lane and see the opposing jungler at the bottom and the midlaner in the middle, you know you are completely alone up top in a 1v1 and can engage in that fight as you wish.
- You can generally make more decisions – like pushing against towers or taking out the dragon, herald, and baron.
- You can become more skillful at ganking yourself if you know where the opponents are.
- You also learn how aggressive your teammates are and whether they are winning or losing their lane. You can also draw conclusions for the entire game from this.
It is important to not only look but also to interpret correctly. This guide should help you with that. If you prefer to receive the info through a video, here are some tips from the YouTube account ProGuides Wild Rift:
How to ensure visibility on the map
If you want to benefit from the map, you must first have sufficient visibility. There are various options for this, with wards being the most important:
- Every player has wards in their inventory from the start.
- They can be placed in any location with a simple click.
- Especially smart are bushes and positions where players often gather. This includes the triangle bushes in the dragon and baron lane, the bushes at the red and blue buff, as well as in the river.
Especially in the river, the jungle creature crab plays an important role in visibility on the map. After its death, you reveal an area of the map for a short time, directly in front of the baron or dragon.
Normally, killing the crab is the job of the jungler, as it yields a good amount of gold and fits well into the corresponding routes. However, players from the dragon and baron lane may also defeat this opponent to gain visibility and possibly even the kill on the objective.
In addition, there are the towers and minions that are often forgotten but also contribute significantly to visibility on the map. The area around towers is revealed and is even in a way a safe zone, as enemies can hardly gank you there.
This is why destroying towers plays such an important role.
Looking at the map – a matter of practice
Now that we have clarified how to gain visibility on the map, it is important to keep an eye on it consistently. This can be particularly tiring during the laning phase.
You actually want to farm minions, avoid the enemy’s skill shots, and you still need to get accustomed to your champion. But the sooner you start regularly looking at the map, the better you will get at it.
If you want to learn how to play with the map, you first need to master your champion. You need to reach a point where controlling and farming becomes a “side matter” while you actively observe the map and your teammates.
Here, practice, practice, practice, and playing as many matches as possible is the only way.
Interpreting the map
What should I pay attention to? Basically, you only need to count to 5, as you have to keep an eye on all enemy champions. It also matters to know whether the enemy from another lane has teleported back to base or is on their way to you.
Outside the laning phase, team fights are primarily in focus. The map can also help here:
- If you are currently with 5 players in the bot lane and see two enemies top farming, you could quickly take down a dragon or push a tower. You will definitely have an advantage for a certain time, as those two players will first need to walk down to you.
- If you see that the enemies are only roaming in groups of five, it can be advantageous to push the sides and force your opponents to retreat or split.
Basically, it’s important that you not only want to react to the information from the map but also to act. You try to make a decision that benefits you or to prevent a disadvantage – for example, by avoiding a gank.
No info is also info: If you do not see any enemies on the map, you should generally play cautiously and keep an eye on the baron and dragon. It is quite possible that enemies want to take down the objectives or are planning an ambush or team fight.
Involve your group: If you master the view of the map, you have an advantage. But it only helps you if you share this advantage with your group.
So use the pings on the minimap to warn allies of a gank or to share your plans regarding objectives. This is a sure key to winning in Wild Rift.
If you have not yet engaged intensively with Wild Rift, you should first check out our beginner tips for the game:
