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Once you select “Anima Squad,” you’ll see the colorful new League of Legends event known as Swarm. It puts a spin on the traditional gameplay. Gone are PvP and lanes. Instead, it’s all PvE on different maps with constantly swarming enemies — hence the name. The gameplay can throw beginners off, but you don’t have to jump in blind. With a LoL guide to Swarm, beginners can quickly move to pro levels.
Champions in LoL Swarm
You have your pick of nine Champions during the League of Legends Swarm event:
- Jinx
- Seraphine
- Leona
- Illaoi
- Briar
- Yasuo
- Riven
- Aurora
- Xayah
They’re not all immediately available. Instead, you’ll have to progress through the maps and different difficulties to get them.
Seraphine and Jinx are perfect choices for getting your feet wet. Their abilities are easy to learn, and you can devise a comfortable plan to manage the first few maps.
But it’s all about learning these League of Legends Champions to discover a main. The more comfortable you are, the better chance you have at winning.
Attacks, Weapons, and Upgrades
The key to surviving LoL Swarm for beginners and pros is to keep moving. The enemies don’t stop until you kill the boss after the 15-minute mark. So, you can’t stop.
LoL Swarm Beginners Guide To Attacking
Gaining familiarity with the Champions is vital. This will help you learn how they play, whether they’re strong at range, up close, or ideal for tanking enemies, and when to use the E and Ultimate.
Some Champions can freely spam E. Seraphine, for instance, conjures a temporary shield for herself and allies if you’re with friends. It helps with a quick escape. And her Ultimate is perfect when you’re surrounded as it’ll wipe out numerous enemies in one swoop.
Jinx is also good for spamming, but only when the mob grows. Don’t waste her E on a couple of stragglers since the weapon can hit multiple targets. But her Ultimate requires enemies in the proper spot.
Other Champions in LoL Swarm are not ideal for beginners to overuse E. Let’s look at Leona, another solid starter character. Her E gives a temporary shield that will explode, cause damage, and return for a few seconds. Using it from a distance is pointless, so no spamming. Same with her Ultimate. It lands in one spot, so be sure the enemy is close enough for it to work.
So, get a feel for the Champions. Test their unique skills so you don’t waste them.
Beginner’s Guide To Weapons
Every Champion starts with a Signature Weapon in League of Legends Swarm. During the match, you will have the opportunity to gain more when you level up. You’ll even unlock new ones as you complete objectives. They’re all effective, but some work better with certain Champions.
You can only choose four additional weapons. Once those slots are filled, you can’t get anything new for the match. You can only upgrade them or your passives.
A great way to choose a weapon is to look at your Champion’s weaknesses. Let’s return to our dear Seraphine as she’s an easy Champion for LoL Swarm beginners. She doesn’t hit very hard, and it’s easy for enemies to overwhelm her. Consider weapons like the Bunny Mega-Blast to hit enemies before they reach her or Cyclonic Slicers to knock back anyone who gets close.
Iceblast Armor is perfect for Champions who are squishy. The same goes for Radiant Field. Try to get projectile weapons like Vortex Glove and UwU Blaster to damage those distant enemies. But if you ever need backup when you solo these maps, T.I.B.B.E.R.S and YummiBot are lifesavers.
LoL Swarm Upgrades For Beginners
Throughout the match, you’ll get a chance to upgrade your passives when you level up. You’ll have to balance between choosing what you need at the moment and choosing what helps in the future. Things will always get more intense regardless of the map. But some more than others. The Subterranean Lab, for example, will require you to move fast to avoid chokepoints and get to the boss area before it’s too late. So, movement upgrades help tremendously.
At the start, things like Ability Haste, Damage, and EXP are worthwhile. They’ll help you gain enough experience orbs to level up fast.
You’ll also purchase permanent upgrades with the gold you earn. For a LoL Swarm beginner, you won’t have too many options. More are unlocked as you complete objectives. So, gather as much gold as you can during a match.
Early upgrades worth purchasing include things like Armor, Damage, and Health Regen. They can help you up your orbs and keep you alive.
Learning the Map Layout
Besides understanding your chosen Champion, you must learn the maps. It’s just as important for a beginner as it is when you unlock the additional LoL Swarm maps. Each has a unique structure to aid in the battle. Some require a brief time to charge up. This gives them a cooldown period too. Others only need another item like the battery for the Cannon in The Outskirts.
These structures are all indicated on the minimap. The elite enemies are also highlighted.
What’s most important is to find the points on the map where enemies can corner you so you know what to avoid. You can also discover loop areas so you can run them in circles.
Spires
Randomly, one of the characters will announce a mission and a spire will arrive somewhere on the map. These can be any of the following:
- Commander Fortune Boosts: Once you capture this spire, you’ll gain a random, temporary massive boost dubbed a Battle Bunny Boon. From giant cars to run over enemies to healing each time you kill something, this is a helpful spire to track down.
- Assistant Yuumi Quests: These can take some time to complete, so only do them if you feel you can. The permanent Augment reward tends to have a positive and negative trait.
- Primordian Bel’Veth Trials: Can be painful as it summons more enemies and applies a negative effect to everyone, but it’s worth it if you need more gold.
Prepare Ahead For the Boss Fight
After the 15-minute mark, the boss will appear. The first two maps will pull you toward them automatically, but by the third, you’ll need to run to them yourself. LoL Swarm beginners should know that it pays to come at this timed mark at full health or as close as possible. These bosses are unrelenting and hit hard. You don’t want to ruin everything you’ve done up until now. So, remain light on your feet, dodge the constant barrage of attacks, and you should come out victorious.
Extra Tips & Tricks for LoL Swarm Beginners
There are a few extra tips that can help beginners adapt to this new League of Legends game mode. With practice, you’ll breeze through the maps and objectives.
Be Comfortable With Losing
One thing that every beginner at LoL Swarm should understand is that you will be defeated. Quite a few times. And that’s okay. It’s perfectly fine to lose. Losing helps you gain experience and first-hand knowledge about the Champions, enemies, and maps.
Work With Your Team
For those tackling League of Legends Swarm with friends, learn to work together. This is where it helps to chat on mic through things like Discord so you’re not worried about stopping to type in the chat. Things can get too intense to waste any time.
Also, if you’re teaming up, be sure you all play to your strengths and help each other’s weaknesses. Someone who chooses a range Champion should hang back while someone with a tank should work on keeping the others safe.
Don’t Forget the Orbs
And finally, the EXP orbs. It’s easy for a beginner to get caught up mowing down as many enemies as possible in LoL Swarm. To be honest, it happened to me at the start and still does from time to time. But collecting them is mandatory. Without them, you won’t level up and unlock more upgrades and weapons.
If you’re worried about getting too close to enemies, focus on upgrading your pickup radius. It’ll help you suck them in at a comfortable distance.
With these tips and guidance, you should have a stronger chance at making it through LoL Swarm as a beginner regardless of if you have a team or do it lone wolf style. Patience is key for a game mode like this, so strap in and prepare for an exciting, frustrating, and lively time.
