Who are the people behind League of Legends?

As you may already know, the League of Legends development team includes Steve “Guinsoo” Feak, the original creator of DotA Allstars, and Steve “Pendragon” Mescon who started DotA-Allstars.com, and has worked closely with the DotA community for the past five years.

What you may not know, is that the League of Legends team also includes many game industry veterans, who collectively have shipped dozens of successful titles.

Tom “Zileas” Cadwell (Design Director) – Formerly at Blizzard as the Play Balance Lead for Warcraft III: Frozen Throne, and a key designer on World of Warcraft, Tom brings his focus on mechanical and technical design, and his experience as one of the world’s most recognized Starcraft players to the table to help make League of Legends a balanced and polished play experience.
Shawn “Babagahnoosh” Carnes (Lead Creative Designer) – Shawn has spent over 15 years working in the gaming industry, beginning his career working at Wizards of the Coast during the first four seasons of Magic the Gathering, and more recently working at Blizzard helping develop lore for World of Warcraft, and designing the World of Warcraft: TCG. He’s responsible for ensuring that League of Legends is set in an interesting world with unique and creative champions.
And many more…
Riot is a company of gamers who have fallen in love with DotA and want to take the experience to the next level. We believe that League of Legends is helping to pioneer a new genre of games that we’re calling MOBA or “Multiplayer Online Battle Arena” that we’re excited to help bring to a global audience.

In addition to a dedicated team of developers for North American, we have partners in Europe and Asia who will help us establish League of Legends as a truly international title.



Why should I play League of Legends if I can just play DotA?

Our goal when building League of Legends was to evolve DotA beyond the limitations of the Warcraft III Engine and give players a new experience with entirely new content while capturing the familiar feel in an entirely new and expanded game. New features include:

Automated matchmaking, to make finding a good game easy
The ability to reconnect to games if you have disconnected
Completely new and original playable champions
Client-server network model with no host advantage
Advanced stat tracking
Built-in surrender functionality
In-game interface and controls designed for this style of play
Account-level progression, adding out-of-game strategic depth and customization, known as the summoner system
Regular updates with many more features to come!
An improved mini-map that shows your champion's pathing
Multiple maps, (Summoner's Rift, Summoner's Rift: Winter, Twisted Treeline, The Proving Grounds)
Features that make teaching the game to your friends easier, (game tutorial, bots, suggested items)
And more!



What are some of the big differences between the play-style of League of Legends and DotA?

Since the development of League of Legends began, we wanted to focus on capturing the elements of DotA that made it fun and competitive while removing the elements that hindered the game or were unintuitive. Some of the biggest differences between League of Legends and DotA include:

League of Legends is more aggressive – DotA includes many mechanics that incent defensive behavior. We want players to get right into the action, so we’ve made being more aggressive more rewarding such as increasing gold earned from Champion kills and assists. Top-level games often include 5v5 battles at level 1 with both sides competing for team objectives
League of Legends is more active – When you’re playing League of Legends, we want you to always have something to do. We’ve balanced the game around shorter ability cooldowns, and bigger mana pools, ensuring that you’re always able to do more than passive right clicking. This makes the game feel more active, and makes the average game shorter. Good players start using spells aggressively right at the beginning of the game.
League of Legends is less random – In DotA, many abilities, runes, physical attacks, and terrain mechanics have a random component to them. We’ve removed many of the random elements of DotA's gameplay to make you more reliant on skill instead of luck.
League of Legends has Brush – In League of Legends, Brush is a tall grassy terrain that provides a Champion with a form of invisibility, you can see out of it but enemies can’t see in! It’s great for ganking and juking.
League of Legends is even more of a team game – We know that teamwork is one of the most important parts of DotA, but we wanted to put even more focus on it in League of Legends. In addition to the pre-game team decisions such as summoner spells and Runes, we’ve added a number of team objectives to the map, such as epic monsters, (which replace DotA’s runes), and team experience for killing towers. Games are decided by which teams win team fights – not which guy solo farms an agility carry.
League of Legends has a persistent meta-game called the summoner system – In League of Legends, players are known as “summoners”, powerful magic users who summon powerful champions to fight for them on their behalf on our various map scenarios called the Fields of Justice. The summoner is tied to the player’s account, and represents the in-game identity of the player. As the players play the game sessions, their Summoner will actually level up out of game and gain power which they can use to assist their champion in each match. The summoner system adds a tremendous amount of strategic depth to the game by allowing players to customize their experience based on their play-style through runes, masteries, and summoner spells. We will also track stats, rank, teams, and clans through the summoner system, reinforcing the players’ identity within the community and adding weight to a players reputation.



I heard that League of Legends doesn't have denying, is that true?

It’s true, even though League of Legends is based on DotA we’ve intentionally decided to remove denying from the game. We know this is a huge change for some people, but we have some really good reasons for removing it!

It enlarges the early game imbalance between ranged and melee Champions, and we think it is more fun for all Champions to be at least somewhat competitive at all phases of the game.
It leads to passive play, and slows down the game. We feel that high-activity; high-action faster games are more fun. By not having denying, there’s a stronger incentive to push. Additionally, it prevents strong lane control which is ultimately about passive play. Team fights more than anything else are what make this genre fun, and faster games mean more team fights.
It is weird. Killing your own guys?


How will competitive League of Legends work?

League of Legends has been designed and built from the ground up to be a competitive game. League of Legends Season One, which began July 13, 2010 is an opportunity for competitive players to compete in Ranked Games and tournaments. In the future, many competitive features will be added to the PVP.net multiplayer platform including:

Automated, and player-made tournaments
Even more in-depth stat tracking and advanced player profiles
Clans and pre-made teams with in-depth stat tracking
Replays and Spectator mode
In addition to having a design team full of competitive gamers, we have put together a council of thought-leaders from competitive DotA and LoL communities as well as other professional gaming organizations to help advise us during our development process to ensure that players like you take part in shaping the competitive experience. We've already engaged with many members of the competitive DotA community during our Competitive DotA Roundtable and the $15,000 cash prize DotA tournament at GamesCom in Cologne, Germany and these are just small examples of the type of events we have planned.

With these large-scale, international, cash-prize tournaments already in the works, some top DotA players are already putting their teams together for future competitive play. The competition is fierce, start training now to participate in these awesome upcoming events.


Will League of Legends be updated as often as DotA is?

We view Season One of League of Legends as just the first step in a long journey. Our plan is to keep our full development team allocated to League of Legends for a long time to come, regularly releasing new Champions, Maps, platform features, and more. We are currently releasing updates bi-weekly, and have no plans to slow down.

Welcome to a new age of competitive online gaming. Take your place as a powerful Summoner, calling forth and controlling brave Champions in battle. Join forces with your closest allies as you unite to defeat your foes in deadly multiplayer battle arenas. League of Legends combines elements from both strategy and role playing games to bring you a unique and dynamic player experience.

As a Summoner, you will have your own distinct, customizable avatar that grows in power as you move through the game. In each battle you will select and call forth one of dozens of Champions to control and engage in head-to-head combat against teams of highly trained warriors. Choose your allies wisely, for the stakes are high. In the League, every battle means more than life or death as the balance of power shifts with each victory or defeat.

* Play as dozens of unique Champions with diverse skills and abilities while engaging in fast-paced team-oriented combat.
* Compete in a variety of highly stylized and unique handcrafted battle scenarios.
* Create your own persistent Summoner avatar and customize your appearance through achievements that you earn in game.
* Advance your Summoner in rank and power to gain skills and abilities that give you an edge in battle.
* Join clans and teams to compete with other players in tournaments and organized leagues.
* Assemble Legendary items for your Champion by forging together basic items you obtain on the battlefield. Choose from over 200 uniquely crafted items to augment your Champion's power.
* Robust matchmaking and detailed stat tracking help to ensure balanced games for new players and veterans alike.
* Unlock new content through persistent gameplay and mastering the game.
* Integrated LeaverbusterTM technology helps ensure people stay for the whole game!
* Participate in the creation of League of Legends through our Suggestion EngineTM the community will have an unprecedented voice in what new content is created and implemented into the game.
* And much, much more..

GENERAL QUESTIONS
What is League of Legends?
After centuries of conflict and hardship across the lands of Valoran, the Rune Wars have finally come to an end. Treaties have been signed, and the superpowers that once ravaged this land have turned to a new role. Realizing that there must be a better way to settle their differences, they created the Institute of War, a multinational governing body that would settle all disputes. Inside the Institute is the League of Legends-where powerful magic users and delegates from each of the realms vie with or against each other to rule the land.

League of Legends is a competitive online game set in an imaginative world. Gamers take the role of a powerful Summoner, calling forth and controlling brave Champions in battle. League of Legends combines the best elements of session-based games with persistent elements of MMORPG's. Enter the Fields of Justice with your most trusted allies as you fight for your right to rule the world of Valoran. There is only one rule of law among those in the league: Winner rules all.

What's the difference between the Summoner and a Champion?
Summoners study the ancient art of spirit tuning. They tap into the flow of all energy-known as the Nexus. While tuned in, Summoners can link themselves with a Champion, lending strength and guidance to those who battle to resolve the conflicts of the realms. With each battle a Summoner takes part in, his or her power grows, giving them greater access to the Nexus, allowing them to influence battle more profoundly. Summoners are a persistent game element. Your in-game identity will be tied directly to your Summoner. Additionally, Summoners have the unique and exceptional ability to call forth Champions into the battle arena. So, the Summoner will not be directly engaged in battle; however, the more powerful and skilled a Summoner becomes, the more he or she can influence the battle. Your Summoner will be completely customizable, allowing for a dynamic and meaningful impact on combat.

Champions are the finest warriors reigning from every corner of the universe. Unlike the Summoner, Champions are session-based. At the beginning of each session your selected Champion will start out at level 1 and will progress in levels and power throughout that session. At the beginning of the next session, your Champion will start back at level 1. Champions only become active when a Summoner beckons them into the fray.

Is League of Legends session-based or a persistent-world?
League of Legends bring you the best of both worlds: Intense, fast-paced, strategic, session-based battles accompanied by the persistent element of a Summoner that you are constantly leveling and growing in power. In League of Legends, persistent game elements interact and influence session-based play in a dynamic way unlike any other game.

How many Champions will League of Legends have?
As we launch League of Legends there will be Dozens of Champions. We will continually develop new Champions throughout the service of the game that will have their chance to fight for supremacy in the battle arena. Through our Suggestion EngineTM we will open our doors to all community members, giving everyone a voice in deciding which new Champions are created!

Is League of Legends an MMORPG?
League of Legends is not an MMORPG. However, League of Legends will have a persistent game element that is in the spirit of an MMORPG. That is to say, while a large aspect of the game will be session-based battles; there will also be persistent elements, such as the Summoner, abilities, and levels that exist continuously throughout the game. We will also offer very powerful in-game guild support. Additionally, we will have robust, ongoing community management and support. Ready to infuse some fast-paced, competitive action into your MMORPG experience?-League of Legends here we come.

Are there classes in League of Legends?
League of Legends will not have different classes. However, Summoners will have ability trees and customization choices that allow for a wide range of strategic options. Additionally, Champions will each have uniquely crafted abilities designed for specific purposes within session play.

Is there crafting in League of Legends?
There will not be crafting in League of Legends, but players will be able to form legendary items by forging together two or more basic items.

Is League of Legends an RTS?
League of Legends is not an RTS. However, League of Legends will allow players to engage in short, session-based battles in the spirit of your favorite RTS games. League of Legends will also feature robust multiplayer features such as intelligent matchmaking, tournaments, ladders, and other forms of competitive teamplay.

Will League of Legends be released in multiple countries?
League of Legends will be simultaneously released in North America and Europe. We plan on having language and community support in multiple regions.

How can I get involved with the League of Legends community?
The community will play a fundamental role in the development of League of Legends. As a member of the League of Legends community, you will have an unprecedented voice in what new game features are created and implemented. We want to hear your coolest ideas for new Champions, new game play features, and whatever else is on your mind! Come to the Community section of the League of Legends website to join the discussion on our forums.

Who is Riot Games?
Riot Games, Inc. (www.riotgames.com) is an independent Los Angeles-based video game development company, funded privately and through leading venture capital firms Benchmark Capital and Firstmark Capital. The studio was established in 2006 to develop innovative online next-generation titles for consoles and the PC. Comprised of industry veterans with a shared passion for creating fun, innovative gameplay, the company is currently developing a cutting-edge game platform in conjunction with their first title, combining the best elements of the action role-playing and real-time strategy genres into a uniquely replayable and competitive multiplayer experience.

PVP.net provides players with the ability to chat with friends who are currently in an active session of League of Legends. For players in the air client, this process is as simple as opening a chat window through your buddy list. Players in game will be able to send messages to players in the PvP.net client, or even in other games of League of Legends by making use of the following chat commands:

/mute will mute all text from a player for the duration of your current game session.
/ignore will mute a player during this game session and all subsequent game sessions.
/d or /dance will make your champion show off his or her dance moves!
/j or /joke will cause your champion to make a joke.
/t or /taunt will cause your champion to verbally taunt the enemy, complete with an aggressive pose!
/l or /laugh will cause your champion to laugh