In the Twisted Treeline map, the main objective is the same as Summoner's Rift: Destroy the enemy nexus. There are turrets that you will need to push down and inhibitors that need to be broken. However, instead of buffs or plants, there are Altars on either side. It is vital to understand how this objective works and how to best secure them.

What are the Altars?

These Altars are located on both sides of the map. They are in the middle of the jungle on either side and are the main objectives other than the towers and inhibitors. They are open to be taken at 3:00 and take 8 seconds to capture. Securing an Altar will lock it, making it unable to be taken by the opposing team for 90 seconds. Holding one altar grants the entire team 10% movement speed. Holding both grants the team the ability to restore 1% of their maximum HP on each minion/monster kill on top of the movement speed. It is important to note that if a team manages to secure an altar, they will have vision of the altar for as long as they hold it. If an enemy unit walks over the altar, they will be revealed.

Controlling the Altars

First Pass - 3:00

The altars will grant you great power and will be the key to snowballing the game or catching up from behind. Therefore, it is important to secure an altar the moment they become available at 3 minutes. Most of the time, junglers will finish clearing their entire jungle route with a few seconds to spare.

At this time, both altars will open up. Even though neither team has control of the altars, you can still see the progress of capturing the altar through the fog of war. This means you can see where the enemy jungler/team is. If both enemy laners are present and the altar starts being taken, you now have perfect information.

It is imperative then, that your laners are not only alive, but ready to fight at 3:00. In a 3v3 match, if a single laner dies, the jungler is open to being invaded and the resulting collapse will result in losing precious early resources and the first altar.

Capturing an Altar results in every team member getting 80 gold! That's nearly 500 extra gold if you are able to secure both altars.

Vision Game

The fact that there are no wards on Twisted Treeline makes invades and rotation a tricky situation. If, for example, you see the enemy jungler on their altar, it might be time to launch a gank instead of taking your own altar. Or perhaps if the enemy jungler is not taking their altar, it would be good to suspect a gank or an invade.

Lack of vision will lead to a lack of control and pressure if not properly dealt with. Laners must delicately push to deny waves but also roam and show presence or else the enemy team will punish overextension and lone players.

Make sure to use your trinket, Hextech Sweeper, and communicate your cooldown to your teammates. A gank can be thwarted by a single sweep. The map is small enough that if an enemy unit disappears off the minimap for more than a few seconds, they could be hiding in any bush or setting up a play.

Maintenance

Only fight when it is in your favor.

Because these altars offer so many buffs, they will be highly contested and usually will be where teamfights will break out. If you are ever outnumbered and the game is not swinging extremely hard in either direction, it will be very hard to fight for an altar. If you can beat the opponent in numbers, it is a good idea to secure the altar and extend the threat as long as possible, whether it be a tower or jungle camps. The enemy will be unable to react if your team quickly regroups, so they will often end up losing both objectives.

Based on where they are located, it will be significantly easier to position around and defend your own altar than to invade someone else's. If you are the team being forced back, it is often better to regroup and let the enemy grab your objectives. Kills snowball quickly in 3v3. If you try to contest the enemy team while a person down, it could be disastrous if they take both kills, get the altar anyways, and then force another objective because your now lone player is unable to stop 3. Having to wait for the other two to spawn again will lead to an even bigger loss of resources and map control.

Usage

So hopefully, you've gotten control of both altars. Now what? Well, there are a few things you can do with this huge power.

First, you now have an extra 10% movement speed over your opponents. Remember that while you both hold a single altar, the difference is not felt much, because both teams have that extra movement. But if you've secured both, you have now taken that flexibility away from your opponents. This means if a situation goes badly, you can run and disengage without them being able to follow up. You can also move in more quickly if your opponent makes a mistake. So, now you are able to dominate more of the map due to sheer movement speed and kiting capability.

Second, you've got that amazing sustain passive. "Restore 1% max HP on minion/monster kill." Now, this might not seem like much at first, but imagine a long, drawn out siege. If both sides are erasing minions, your team will always be healthier. Also, if you manage to push the enemy into their base and take over their jungle, you can now rotate faster and clean out their jungle as you move. This will lead to a huge EXP and gold advantage. Some characters can use this sustain to put pressure indefinitely.

The two combined allow you to kite and outlast your opponents, leading to a much more oppressive game state and a situation where you are able to squeeze out more gold uncontested.

Countering

What happens if you lose your altar?

You're going to be seeing this guy (your shopkeeper) a lot.

Well, the first thing is to take down the timer. You can't contest the altar again for 90 seconds. So, use that time wisely and see if you can catch your enemy on the wrong foot. Second, you have to understand that you've lost your movement speed buff. You will be outrun just by a slight margin if you chase and, if you overextend, you will quickly be trapped and ganked.

Now, after all of that, understand that the game isn't lost at all. Maybe you will be forced back to heal more than usual or you need to be less aggressive. That's all fine. Remember that your opponent got some gold from capturing your altar, but that when you get it back, the playing field will be even again. No difference in speed and no more sustain.

Just like on Summoner's Rift, losing a dragon isn't the end of the world. Sure, your opponent will be slightly stronger, but the game is far from over. Especially in this case; you can actually cancel out the buff your opponent receives. Being patient and choosing your fights is how you can get back into the game.

The map is small and the number of players is limited. Even picking off a single member out of position can bring you back into the game. Often times, if you are patient, the opponent will become restless because their lead is getting nowhere. When they break their own rhythm, try to equalize the gold difference and push your way back into the game. Communicate and use sweepers.

The game isn't over until the Nexus falls!

Conclusion

The altars are very important objectives that will determine the flow of the game. Having both altars is a great advantage and can close out games if used properly. However, there are ways to break the hold and turn the game around.

Hopefully, this guide has helped you understand how important it is to control these objectives and how they can be used and countered. Good Luck on the Twisted Treeline!

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