League of Legends: the three best beginner champions for new players

For the brand new players to League of Legends, we know that it can be confusing trying to figure out which champions you should play. Here are three that we, as veterans of the game, think would be the best for introducing you to League of Legends!

Despite the fact that a lot of League of Legends has been around for almost a decade, the game can be quite overwhelming for a lot of new players. Sifting through all the different champions can be confusing, as can be figuring out which one you should play.

Every champion is different, and some are much more complicated than others. In addition, figuring out all the different nuances to the game, such as lane assignments, items, gold, and the like, can cause a lot of new players to get nervous. To alleviate those concerns, here are a few champions with simple kits that you can take into every lane, along with a description of their background store (or lore), how to play them, and generally what items you want to buy from the shop.

1. Garen

"“The glory of Demacia will never fade.”"

In the lore of League of Legends, Garen is among the Crownguard, who protect and serve the royal family of the nation of Demacia. Garen is a fierce warrior, but also resolute and just (you’ll hear him shouting about justice a lot). He is the epitome of valor, integrity, nobility, and pride. Garen is basically the Captain America of League of Legends, but much heartier.

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To play Garen, you’ll need to know how each of his abilities work.

Passive (Perseverance) – Whenever Garen doesn’t take damage from enemy champions for a brief period of time, he’ll heal more quickly. Use this if you get hit to low health, just back away from enemies, wait a few seconds, and you’ll heal up to full much faster than normal so you can get back in the fight!

Q (Decisive Strike) – Garen gains a boost of movement speed, his next attack gains range, and silences the enemy hit. Use this to either break away from enemies (the ability also removes any slows, so if you see him going slower than normal you can pop Q to get back to full speed) or chase them down. The silence on his Q means that enemies cannot cast spells and retaliate against you.

W (Courage) – Garen gains a shield that reduces incoming damage. Use this whenever you get into a sticky spot where enemies are hitting you. You can also use it when you are trying to fight an enemy, as the reduced damage you’ll take should help you survive the fight better than your enemy.

E (Judgment) – Spin to win! Garen spins around and damages enemies around him. Note that you can’t use your Q until the E ability ends, so make sure to use Q then E

R (Demacian Justice) – Garen drops a big ol’ sword from the sky, dealing massive damage to the one target you choose. Note that this ability will usually have an enemy champion’s picture in the pane above Garen’s head called the villain. Try to use the R on that person, because it will do much more damage to them!

For items, Garen can build almost anything, so don’t be afraid to experiment. However, most Garens will build a combination of attack damage, health, magic resist, and armor items.

Items like Black Cleaver, Yommus Ghostblade, or Frozen Mallet work if you’re a Chad and want to show the world how awesome you are. However, if you get an item like Warmog’s Armor, that item’s healing combined with your passive will make it almost impossible to heal you once you duck out of the fight for a few seconds.

For gameplay, Garen’s kit is pretty simple for new players to understand: you run at someone (usually with your Q), hit them and then throw out all your spells (save the R for when they’re low). Once the trade/fight is over and you’re injured, just back out for a bit and let yourself heal up with your passive!