League of Legends: 8 Ways It Is Better Than DOTA2 and 7 Ways It Is Not

A trend has risen over the last few years; one where Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBAs) are taking over a huge portion of gaming culture. Now, stadiums are filled with fans of the genre, and its celebrities are treated like sports stars. The two most popular MOBAs, League of Legends and Dota 2 , are direct competitors, based on the same custom game mod, 'Defense of the Ancients.'

Though they have many thematic similarities, there are a plethora of differences between the two. This creates a wide contrast in the user's experience. And, it's difficult to say whether their different qualities truly constitute strengths or weaknesses. This is particularly important to remember when the fundamental differences between these games were formed with intentional design philosophies in mind.

While League may be quicker and flashier, Dota 2 is a little more complicated, keeping many more facets from the original Dota . Yet, these qualities also continue to speak to their differing levels of success. In short, perhaps sales are the only way to substantiate the claim that a simpler, flashier game is better.

15 Better: League Is More Popular

lolesports.com

One of the biggest points in favor of League of Legends is the huge viewership it tows; it boasts #1 among online games. By the Fall of 2016, Riot reported over 100 million unique players will play League in a given month. Meanwhile, within the same season, Dota 2 averaged a fraction of that, with about 13 million unique players in any given month. Not everyone has to be a player to enjoy the League franchise. The League of Legends 2016 World Championship had over 43 million unique viewers. Dota 2 impressively reached about half of that, at over 20 million unique viewers.

In many social situations, it isn't hard to find a fellow League player. Riot even knows it created a social game, and the client allows players to add friends off of social media accounts. But, does popularity necessarily equate to a product being better? Many of League's other qualities are merits contingent on this first virtue.

14 Worse: Dota 2 Does It First

blog.cyberpowerpc.com

Any Dota 2 player might remember the feeling of seeing League 's champion roster and saying, "Wait, I know these heroes..." Sure, both games will obviously draw from the original source material in Warcraft III . And with similar fantasy elements, there's bound to be a magic archer, https://Www.mobanewshub.com/ a knight, and a barbarian. There will be a fishperson and a dragon. Yet despite this, Dota 2 players are even recognizing similar skills that are being rehashed into League champions. Well, it's hard to deny some of the uncanny similarities, but League never claimed to be original.

As League champions are remade, and the Summoner's Rift map is completely refurbished, the game is moving away from the cartoon-like aesthetic of its earlier years. The game is also becoming more dynamic, as it adds in a wider array of items with kit-changing abilities. But... many of these changes go in the same direction that Dota 2 already had, despite League having a headstart. It's important to remember that Dota 2 ended its open beta in 2013, four years after League did. This makes it all the more shocking that Dota 2 had features like its practice mode long before League .

13 Better: League Is Shorter