Everyone needs a break after a while, and whether you've been busy with school, work, or the release of Overwatch, you might finally want to patch, login and get back onto the Rift. When you log on however, you are bombarded with the onslaught of new items, champions, balances, and changes to the way League of Legends is played. Especially considering the facelift that League has received just since the mid-season, it might seem daunting to try and play a game that has so radically shifted in playstyle. Here are a few guidelines that should help ease you back onto the Rift so that you spend less time worrying and asking, and more time winning (and possibly ELO climbing, but we'll get to that).

Deep Breaths

While it might seem that League has completely gone crazy (Elemental Dragons??!?), the game will never stray too far from its basic format. You still are on a team of five, still trying to capture the enemy nexus before your opponents capture yours. (Author's Note: As of writing this in Patch 6.12, you still have a team of 5 and still have to capture an enemy nexus).

Remember that while the game might seem on a whole new level, just to stick to what you know in terms of broad playstyle. Don't try and re-invent yourself with the game's changes. While you are patching or before you load into a game there are some quick things you can do to prepare yourself sans a one-hour patch notes cram session.

Picture from idigitaltimes.com

The Patch Notes that Matter to You

The average list of game changes and alterations can span from a few changes and tweaks to entire champion revivals, game changing objective moves, and a complete item upheaval. So try and focus in on what you need to know or want to know first. Primarily anything that would impact how you play the game and that impacts you no matter what role or champion you play. The lists below should help you try and see what you should pay attention to first.

Priority Patch Points (Read these in full, they do and will matter):

• Changes to towers or structures.
• Major changes to Dragon or Baron (complete revamps of how they work, their effects and spawn timers)
• Updates for champions that you play frequently

Important Patch Notes (Read them to get an understanding, and you might need to go in full detail depending on what they are.)

• New champions / Complete Champion reworks (Their role, their playstyle, and basic move set understanding)
• New Items or Item updates

Peer-Over Patch Notes (Glance at these and get an overall idea of what’s going on)

• Item changes
• Champion Nerfs/ Buffs
• Jungle Buff Changes

Playing a Few Games

So now that you know everything that has changed in regards to your favorite champions, items and camps, it is time to start playing like you used to! Obviously there will be a bit of a learning curve getting back into the game, especially after mid or pre-season updates. Since you already have to re-familiarize yourself with the game itself, why take it upon yourself to learn a new champion or role as well? It is best at least for the first few games to do what you know, and play roles and champions you are familiar with. If you look in your match history and 3 months ago you played 13 jungle games in a row with Hecarim, it would be a good idea to start with playing Hecarim in the jungle, since you have experience with that champion in that role.

If you have a role that you want to try because of a new update or rework, play something that you know first so that you can learn the altered mechanics of the game first. This will allow you to spend a game or two to have the x factor to your play being what you recall and the gameplay mechanic changes. Then once you have adjusted yourself to those changes you can focus your mindset on the champion or build updates without trying to micromanage all the details of the game. The more effort you spend on the changed details of the game, the faster you will accelerate back to your previous levels of play.

Artwork Courtesy of lataedelan.deviantart.com

Play with Friends

While the League website and client are the best ways to read the detailed information, sometimes having it all explained in game can be a more efficient way to inherit the information. While looking at the information in before you load in is a great way to see the information first hand, having sources of info while playing can also prove to be very fruitful. Getting in people who have been more actively partaking in the game changes can be easier in terms of learning information, since they can also explain a more subjective view (what champions might be overpowered, what items might be useless, etc.). Also when playing with friends, you get extra amounts of communication and playmaking to try and elevate your team fighting and objective control.

Normal Queue vs. Ranked Queue vs. Rotating Game Modes

When coming back, the first choice of games should be normal to re-adjust to the scenery of the game. The reasons for this are that it is the simplest mode of the game, and has the least consequences for playing. With the newer addition of the rotating game modes, this will allow a more fun way to readjust to the pace of the game and the abilities of the champions and items. This also is a better way to get back into the game in terms of the seriousness of the game, because the atmosphere around the rotating game types is laxer than that of normal or ranked.

In terms of ranked upon return from hiatus that is a tricky and very player specific decision. If you were not an avid ranked player before leaving, having a period of time where you do not play and then picking up a very competitive and intense format would not be strategically wise. If you are unfamiliar to the mindset and playstyle of ranked, and are still trying to relearn the game, then you are setting yourself up to fail. If you did play ranked often pre-hiatus, then still waiting would be sensible. Learning the new gameplay and the newer Meta first, would be advisable, so that when you begin your ranked journey again, you aren’t fighting the ranked climb as well as figuring out the game changes.

Image from Leagueoflegends.wikia.com

I hope you all enjoyed this article and found it helpful! Everyone needs breaks sometimes, so I hope these tips help you get comfortable coming back into the world of League of Legends. If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to contact me @buns_and_roses on twitter, and see you on the Rift!

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