League vs Dota: What players love and hate
Comparing the two most popular MOBA games in existence will always create a chaotic debate that will never end. But there are some aspects that both League and Dota players can agree upon, even for a short period.
There are plenty of reasons why MOBA games are much harder to get into. Multiplayer games like Dota and League present a challenge not many gamers can handle. Coordinating with random teammates to achieve a common goal can be hard, even when you know everything there is to know. In the case of the two most popular games from the same genre, there are a lot of things dividing the communities.
League Client vs Dota Client
If you have been playing League of Legends for more than a few months, you probably have a love-hate relationship with the game already. But something you probably hate even more than your toxic teammates is the League client. It’s a tale as old as time, and when using the League client, it certainly feels like it. For every time it breaks, bugs out, logs you out, prevents you from starting a game or everything else that happens, there is an explanation. League is running on the same client and source code from when it was first released, in 2009. Since then there are around 5 different programming languages used to create the game, resulting in the mess we know today.
On the flip side, Valve have done a marvelous job with the Dota client and it’s not even close. Many newer mobile games have enabled spectating ranked matches of professional players inside their client, but Riot can’t implement that. Dota has had it for ages, alongside other coaching tools, in-game guides, and much more. These are things that have forced the league player base to resort to third-party software. And that’s before you take in consideration the functionality aspect. Without a doubt, Dota takes the win in the client department.
LoL: Movement vs Dota Movement
But on the flip side, playing Dota feels like playing League on 150 ping. The difference in movement speed and how long animations take to cast is one of the main reasons League players don’t play Dota. Considering it’s an even older game than League, Dota suffers from long turn rates. The pleasure that you get from dodging abilities in a League game is almost impossible to replicate in Dota due to this reason. This minigame is an essential part of the skill expression in League.
Another aspect of Dota that pushes League players away is the limited outplay potential through movement. We’ll get into Dota’s items in just a second, but can you imagine League without the Flash summoner spell? Literally, every champion in the game is balanced around it, while its gate kept as an item in Dota. And we all know how annoying it feels to get hit by point-and-click crowd control spells in League. Well, imagine if more champions had a Lissandra ultimate on their basic abilities because that’s how Dota works on the regular.
League Items vs Dota Items
And on the topic of items, Dota players burst out laughing when looking at the League player base. Most of the items in League of Legends are just stat sticks, increasing your power level by a flat amount. And oftentimes, you get the item passive online only after you complete the item. In total there are even fewer active items you can use in League of Legends since the Mythic item update.
On the flip side, Dota items are where all hell breaks loose in that game. As we already said, Flash in Dota is actually an item. There are no mage or tank items in Dota. No specifications, no recommended builds, or anything like that. If a Dota player saw how much dissatisfaction the League player base showed when Galeforce was introduced, he would laugh. There are 110 items in Dota with active usage, and more often than not, it’s the active holding the value, not the numbers. Nobody can deny that item usage is one of the main aspects making Dota a harder game than League, and less popular.
League Aesthetics vs Dota Aesthetics
But when it comes to aesthetically pleasing gameplay, we understand why League is the more popular game. Dota might have the cooler champion designs, with a variety of monsters and demons on stage. Their spells and abilities often look more powerful, leaving a bigger impression and making them an impactful aspect of the game. Similarly to Valorant, when someone uses an ultimate ability in Dota, everyone knows and can notice it.
But on the other hand, League integrates the champions on a much larger scale. If the ability tooltip in League says the champion will do something, that command will happen. And depending on your skin, the ability will come out in a different way. On the contrary, Dota fails to integrate aesthetically pleasing aspects into the game. There are no fancy recalls, and you can definitely forget about skins as complex as Elementalist Lux. Most of the abilities in Dota come out similarly, while a skin in League can feel like you are playing a brand new champion.
Playstyle and community
In the end, the main difference between these games are the playstyles available. A classical split push is almost impossible in Dota, since any champion can purchase Teleport with a cheap item. On the flip side, anything but the standard lane setup in League, is considered trolling and griefing the game. In Dota champions and items are much more flexible, removing the aspect of counter matchups completely. 99% of the time, if you lose your lane in Dota, it was your fault, not the bad matchup.
But the same things that make League the easier game, make it even more popular. While both Dota and League have struggled with toxicity throughout the years, League is still on the rise. People were saying that Overwatch, mobile games, and many more would mean the end of League, but it’s still the most popular esport by far. More and more players are getting into it every day, especially in the ever-growing Chinese market. The most important aspect of gaming is to have a good time, and be respectful towards everyone trying to do the same.
Header: Riot Games
