League of Legends: Clash of Fates (or simply LoL) is another game in the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena genre, developed by Riot Games. It was released in late October 2009. Essentially, it is based on another similar project called DoTa (Defense of the Ancients). It combines strategy and RPG with some elements of MMO. League of Legends is an official discipline of the World Cyber Games. It is one of the most popular games in terms of registered accounts.
In mid-summer 2011, there were 15 million users, and by early November 2011, the number nearly reached 33 million. The average online player count is over a million, with more than 4 million users logging in daily. League of Legends has received numerous gaming awards; at GDC 2010, it was honored in four categories: Best New Online Game, Best Online Game Design, Best Visual Arts, and Best Online Technology. Additionally, in 2011, League of Legends won the Audience Award at GDC.
The talent tree and rune system relate League of Legends to World of Warcraft, representing a nod to the MMORPG genre. The talent tree includes several branches of improvement: Defense, Offense, and Utility. Each of these is enhanced by adding talent points to the skill. Points are awarded for victories, and at each level, one additional slot appears in the Runes tab. Each rune has its rank, and they can be mixed to create unique character attributes.
League of Legends differs from DoTa in its slightly different map design. It is nearly symmetrical and has areas of grass (where players can hide), as well as a three-on-three game mode. Heroes in League of Legends are called Champions, with around 90 currently available as of late November. Neutral monsters are now positioned evenly on both sides, providing significant bonuses for individual players and the entire team.
There is protection against disconnections and a revamped system for magical spells. Additionally, there exists in-game currency – Influence Points (IP) and Riot Points (RP). RP is real money that players invest in the game to purchase champions, change their appearance, and acquire special helpful effects. IP can be used to purchase free champions and runes that provide various additional bonuses.
Updates and patches are released quite regularly – about twice a month. Bugs are fixed, gameplay is fine-tuned, and new unique characters are introduced.