Shortly after the new patch 26.09, which also marks the start of the second season of 2026 in League of Legends, WASD has finally arrived in the official LoL client. The WASD control scheme is one of the best innovations in LoL, but for MeinMMO author Nico, it comes far too late.
I have been running around the Summoner’s Rift with my favorite champions for over 2,000 hours, controlling them with the mouse. If my time in Dota 2 were included, it would quickly add up to around 10,000 hours of pure mouse control.
So I was all the more curious about the official WASD support in LoL and whether the control scheme could convince me. Based on the title, you probably already recognize that I refer to WASD as a truly great innovation, though not for me.
The problem is certainly not the control itself — as it is really well done — but rather the adjustment after such a long time of moving differently and simultaneously pressing the right keys at the right moment.
Here you can see the trailer for Season 2 of 2026 in League of Legends:
Thousands of rounds of experience felt like they were erased
I started the first WASD round in my comfort zone: the jungle with the scarecrow Fiddlesticks. Even in the first minutes, I had to shake my head several times as I regularly pressed the wrong keys and was simply too accustomed to mouse control.
I used Flash in my own safe jungle quite professionally and was able to save a few seconds on my path. The friendly multiple ping from my teammate, that my Flash still has a 5-minute cooldown, certainly did not go unnoticed.
But after the first ganks and epic monsters, it got better. The movement of the champ and the camera became increasingly pleasant, and the abilities were used correctly and effectively more often — this time even without shaking my head.
Also, further rounds in the jungle at least did not turn into a catastrophe. With Fiddlesticks, I even got almost warmed up until I decided to switch roles, as the difference in the early game between jungle and another lane is noticeable. I particularly wanted to experience the intense prolonged fights on the top lane with WASD.
With a new champ, WASD became much more pleasant
Arriving on the top lane, I tested a completely new champ for me: Zaahen, who has only been part of the Summoner’s Rift for a few months. On the lane, I noticed that I was moving faster and more chaotically than with the mouse. This is naturally advantageous if you could become the target of a skillshot at any time.
An additional advantage for me was that I had no muscle memory for Zaahen and thus was able to learn with WASD almost “freshly.” This was considerably easier than with champs I have played many times, and I was able to win my first lane with WASD. However, as the end of the round approached and every small movement and decision would determine the course of the game, I started to sweat.
I caught myself multiple times in the heat of battle wanting to run with the mouse and had to realize briefly that WASD was the only way. This led to a few deaths, as well as confusing some abilities, since with WASD the hotkeys are adjusted.
Overall, I spent about 8 hours with WASD, with half of that time in the jungle and half on the top lane, although unfortunately, I could only achieve a slightly negative win rate. Especially the first rounds with seasoned champs were almost exhausting, but it was also fun to “relearn” my favorites.
Even though I played noticeably worse with WASD, it fortunately wasn’t a total disaster.
WASD is excellent, but not for me in the long run
While I plunged into the ranked queue, an obvious problem bothered me: My fingers need to stay on WASD at all times to move my champ. This is normal in many games, but LoL is more complex and competitive than others, often requiring quicker reactions.
Especially my speed in pressing the keys as I could before was somewhat restricted, as I had to be almost constantly pressing WASD. With 4 abilities, 2 summoner spells, several active items, wards, recall, and quest teleport on the top lane, it was simply a bit too much.
This habit problem could be resolved with even more practice, but I just need every free finger to press the keys as quickly and reliably as possible. This is simply damn important for me in a game like LoL. If I had started with WASD, it could have potentially become my preferred control scheme.
WASD seems great for newcomers to LoL
While I thought about my own problems with the WASD control, I also put myself in the position of a newcomer. For I too was a beginner once and can still vividly remember desperate moments when I was just taken out.
This, however, is not solely due to the control, but also because of the over 170 champs with multiple abilities, strengths, and weaknesses and the many items that all need to be memorized at best. The gameplay can also seem overwhelming quickly — especially during a teamfight — and I have often heard a particular phrase from newcomers: Where the hell am I actually right now?
With WASD, newcomers can start directly with a control scheme they already know from other games. Additionally, there is the really good and well-thought-out key mapping during the new movement that Riot has been working on for some time now.
In my opinion, WASD just feels more personal than a movement command with the mouse, making it somewhat easier to keep track of your own champ — especially at the beginning of your LoL career.
Apart from the aforementioned advantages and disadvantages, WASD has a huge advantage: The freedom to move as one wishes, and not just relying on the mouse. This could bring many players back to LoL or even offer veterans a new experience in LoL.
I will also occasionally play a few rounds with WASD, as it was somehow just fun to “relearn” a game that one has played for so long.
What are your thoughts on WASD in LoL? Have you even switched directly or are you still undecided? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
With the new season, the battle pass in League of Legends is also changing a bit. It is supposed to be shorter, and the season skins will no longer be included in the battle pass. Instead, they now have to be purchased for additional money: League of Legends tests new battle pass, players miss the old one directly
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