Wild Rift 101 – The Ultimate Guide To Champion Classes and Lane Positions

Do you panic when your only hero gets chosen first? Do you freeze up when a team mate spams “We Need a tank? And you have only 20 seconds to choose your champion? Have you ever wondered how some players easily climb out of the lower ranks?

If you answered yes for any one those questions, this guide is for you.

In this guide, you will:

• Understand the champion classes
• Understanding Lanes
• Know what are the roles for each lane position
• Build up a champion roster which will help you rank up
• Learn a sure way to become proficient in Wild Rift

Understanding Champion Classes

Classes are a way to categorize champions based on their abilities and the ways they can be played. Understanding champion classes helps tremendously in knowing what kind of champion do you want to play.

Some classes overlap and some champions may have a secondary class which is why they are placed on two different classes here.

In the game, Champions are classified into six basic classes:

• Fighter
• Tank
• Mage
• Assassin
• Support
• Marksman

Fighters

Best Fighters

Lee Sin Olaf Darius Xin Zhao Camille Fiora

Also known as Bruisers, they are excellent at dealing continuous damage while being capable of receive damage in return.

• Damage – ★★★★
• Defenses – ★★★★
• Control – ★★
• Mobility – ★★
• Utility – ★

Fighter Characteristics

• Fighters usually occupy the Baron lane or the Jungle.
• Fighters are strong against assassins because they can survive their burst damage. They are also strong against tanks because they have superior damage compared to tanks.
• But they are weak against mages and marksmen because they have stronger damage and longer range compared to fighters.

Subclasses

Divers – Lee Sin Olaf Camille

Divers plays similarly to the Assassin class because they have the capability to kill high priority targets but they also have the ability to go deep inside the enemy’s formation and survive.

Juggernauts – Darius Garen Nasus

Juggernauts plays more like the Tank class because of their high HP and defenses but they are stronger than them in terms of damage. Juggernauts have the best damage to defense ratio but they lack the mobility which makes it hard for them to force fights.

As a Fighter You Should –

• Protect your team by being in the front lines and being an immediate threat to flankers. Also known as peeling.
• Split-push lanes in order to take down turrets, force enemies to focus and them, and create space for their team.
• Single-out and kill the enemy priority target which is usually the ADC or the APC.

Tanks

Best Tanks

Gragas Malphite Amumu Alistar Braum Blitzcrank

Tanks have low damage in exchange for extremely strong defenses. They are excellent at receiving high amounts of damage and dishing out crowd control.

• Damage – ★★
• Defenses – ★★★★★
• Control – ★★★★★
• Mobility – ★
• Utility – ★

Tank Characteristics

• Tanks usually occupy either the Baron lane, Jungle, or they support the ADC in the Dragon lane.
• Tanks are stronger than Assassins and Mages because they can survive full combos from them. Using all-ins against tanks are usually a waste of resources.
• Tanks are weak against Fighters and Marksmen because they are vulnerable to continuous damage.

Subclasses

Vanguards – Gragas Malphite Amumu Alistar

Vanguards are offensive tanks which specializes initiation thanks to their strong AoE crowd control abilities.

Wardens – Alistar Blitzcrank Braum

Wardens are the defensive tanks which focuses on defense, counter-initiation and keeping their allies safe.

As a Tank You Should

• Protect your team by being in the front lines and being an immediate threat to flankers. Protecting is also known as peeling.
• Initiating team fights using their large AoE crowd control abilities.
• Disrupt the enemy team using their crowd control abilities and don’t allow them to do what they want.

Mages

Best mages

Orianna Ahri Aurelion Sol Fizz Gragas

Mages specializes in dealing burst or consistent magic damage. They are proficient in chaining their abilities in order kill enemies quickly or using their abilities to control the flow of battle. Mage champions played in the middle lane are sometimes called as the Ability Power Carry or APC.

• Damage – ★★★★★
• Defenses – ★
• Control – ★★★★
• Mobility – ★★
• Utility – ★★

Mages Characteristics

• Mages usually occupy the Mid lane although some of them can also be played as a support.
• Mages are stronger than most Marksmen as they can burst them down and they play well against Fighters because they can kite them out.
• Mages are weak against Tanks because most mage combos are a waste against them and they are vulnerable against Assassins because they have strong burst damage combos and mobility skills which allows them to outplay Mages.

Subclasses

Artillery – Lux Ziggs Varus

Artillery mages have the longest ability range and excellent burst damage capabilities but they are vulnerable when their enemies finally reach them due to their fragility.

Battlemage – Aurelion Sol

Battlemages have excellent sustained damage but it requires them to be in the middle of fights to do so which is why they usually have a defense mechanism or built tanky in order to compensate for that fact. They are Mages but they are played almost like a Fighter.

Burst Mages – Orianna Ahri Fizz Lux Seraphine Annie

Burst mages deals deadly damage in a blink of an eye. They can combo someone to death like Assassins can.

As a Mage You Should –

• Kill the priority targets, usually the enemy’s APC or ADC of the enemy team quickly.
• Manipulate the battlefield through your crowd control or utility spells in conjunction with your team’s initiators.
• Help the other lanes through ganking.

Assassin

Best assassins

Zed Fizz Evelynn Akali

Assassins specializes in dealing burst damage physical or magic damage to single targets. They usually have extreme mobility to compensate for their lack of range and defenses.

• Damage – ★★★★★
• Defenses – ★
• Control – ★★
• Mobility – ★★★★★
• Utility – ★

Assassins Characteristics

• Assassins are usually played in the mid lane, Baron lane, or jungle.
• Assassins are best against Mages and Marksmen because they have low HP which makes them vulnerable against burst damage.
• Assassins are weak against Tanks and Fighters because their damage usually falls short against them.

As an Assassin You Should –

• Kill the priority targets, usually the enemy’s APC or ADC of the enemy team quickly.
• Help the other lanes through ganking.
• Use your superior mobility to attract enemies, buy time, or waste their abilities through baiting.

Supports

Best Supports

Alistar Braum Blitzcrank Seraphine

Supports assist their team with their utility spells which either strengthens allies or weakens the enemy champions. Furthermore, they usually possess strong crowd control abilities which helps their team secure kills or survive flanks.

• Damage – ★
• Defenses – ★★★
• Control – ★★★★
• Mobility – ★
• Utility – ★★★★★

Supports Characteristics

• Supports assist the Marksman in the Dragon lane as they do not require much gold to be effective.
• They are sitting ducks when alone compared to other classes but they enable their team to exceed their potential, protect them, and they create opportunities in team fights.

Subclasses

Catchers – Alistar Braum Blitzcrank Lux

Catchers are offensive supports which excels on crowd control. They create opportunities by catching enemies off guard and by punishing overextending enemies.

Enchanters – Seraphine Sona Soraka Nami Janna

Enchanters relies on buffs and healing to assist their team and they usually have mid-range pokes and crowd control to help their allies offensively.

As a Support You Should –

• Amplify your team’s capability through their buffs.
• Weaken the enemy team’s capability through debuffs and/or crowd control.
• Protect your team and make sure they survive.

Marksman

Best Marksmen: Jhin Ezreal Kai'Sa

Marksmen are long range champions who relies on their auto attacks to deal continuous damage on their enemies. They are item dependent which means that they are the class that requires the most farm in the game but they become the strongest champions once they acquire their items. They are also called as the Attack Damage Carry or ADC.

• Damage – ★★★★★★★
• Defenses – ★
• Control – ★★
• Mobility – ★★
• Utility – ★

Marksman Characteristics

• Marksman farms up their gold in the Dragon lane while being supported.
• Marksmen are their team’s best bet against Fighters and Tanks because they have enough damage per second to kill them.
• Marksmen must be wary of Assassins and Mages because they are squishy and usually lack defensive abilities.

As a Marksman you Should –

• Deal reliable damage from the backlines.
• Farm up enough gold to acquire items which will make you unstoppable.
• Help secure objectives and towers.

Understanding the Lanes Positions

Now that you understand the champion classes, you must know the Lane Positions in game are used to separate where each champion begins the game. Lane Positions are more commonly known as roles.

There are five Lane Positions which must be occupied in each game.

• Baron Lane
• Mid Lane
• Dragon Lane – Marksman
• Dragon Lane – Support
• Jungle

It is necessary to fill the roles properly to have a good chance of winning the game.

Baron Lane

The Baron lane is the lane that is near where Baron Nashor and the Herald spawns, hence the name. It is formerly known as the Top Lane but it is changed due to Wild Rift’s mirrored map system.

The Baron lane is occupied by Fighters, Tanks, or Assassins. These champions have good survivability, damage, or initiation abilities. Rarely, there are cases where it is occupied by Mages, or Marksmen.

Characteristics

• The Baron Lane is a 1v1 lane so it is a good lane to start learning the game. Here you will learn the basics of trading and minion last hitting (also called creep score or CS).
• The Baron Lane provides a high amount of gold and experience so you’ll usually have a good advantage on items and level after leaving the laning phase, if you win the lane.
• Contrary to the isolated nature of the Baron Lane, this lane will teach you map awareness because it is the furthest lane in the game but it is necessary to watch the map because you are a sitting duck when the enemy jungler ganks you in a 2v1 situation and it is important to learn how to use the Teleport Enchant which most Baron Laners get to bypass the isolated nature of the Baron Lane and help their team in team fights.

Best Baron Laners: Gragas Olaf Darius

Best Champion to learn the Baron Lane: Garen

As a Baron Laner You Should –

• Win the lane and farm as much gold for the mid game power spike where they are stronger than most champions during that time period.
• Push your tower faster than their enemy laner so youcan support the other lanes faster than the enemy which creates a 4v5 situation in the game.
• Split-push whenever possible and teleport to team fights, especially when contesting Drakes.

Mid Lane

The Mid Lane is usually occupied by Assassins and Mages and they are also mid game powerhouses capable of dealing large amounts of damage. Winning the Mid lane is important because they have the capacity to affect the game of their teammates and create space for their team.

Characteristics

• Much like the Baron Lane, it is a 1v1 lane but it is generally harder for beginners because of the imminent threat from the enemy’s jungler because of many bushes and ganking spots in the mid lane. So you’ll learn trading and last hitting here while looking out for ganks.
• The Mid lane is the shortest lane so you’ll get your ultimate much faster than the other lanes.
• Since you occupy the middle of the map, it is a good way to learn the basics of ganking as you’ll both be in the receiving end of ganks from the enemy’s jungle and you should learn how to gank and help other lanes once you hit level 5 and acquire your ultimate.

Best Mid Laners: Zed Orianna Ahri Fizz Seraphine

Best champion to learn the mid lane: Ahri

As a Mid Laner You Should –

• Winning the mid lane and reaching level 5 first is a big advantage not only for you, but for your team. Acquiring your ultimate first will allow you to force the issue against your enemy mid laner and kill them first and if that is not possible, look to gank the enemy’s Dragon lane or Baron lane depending on who is overextended.
• Support your Jungler whenever it is needed. There are three main scenarios where you must support your Jungler:
  • Securing Scuttlers (The insect like creature roaming in the rivers) especially when it is being contested by the enemy Jungler.
  • When your Jungler is being invaded or when your Jungle invades and the enemy tries to defend their jungle.
  • When securing Drakes or Rift Herald.
• Always look for a kill when your ultimate is up.

Dragon Lane

The Dragon Lane is occupied by two champions, the Support and Marksman. The lane they are in are near the Dragon’s pit so they can help secure Drakes when they appear.

Characteristics

• Since there are two champions per team in this lane, last hitting minions is a tougher task. The Support must avoid last hitting the minion so the Marksman can have the last hit so they can acquire their items faster.
• Supports must focus on protecting their Marksman so they can safely farm. Kills in this lane are welcome but not necessary, forcing kills usually turns sour.
• Marksmen should focus on last hitting minions until they get their core items. Missing last hits are punished heavily in this lane so make sure to get each one.

Best Marksmen: Jhin Ezreal Kai'Sa

Best Marksman to learn the Dragon Lane: Ashe

Best Supports: Alistar Braum Blitzcrank Seraphine

Best Support to learn the Dragon Lane: Blitzcrank Seraphine

As a Support You Should –

• Protect the Marksman at all times.
• Create space for your Marksman by harassing the enemy laners. Try to slowly drop their health so they’ll be forced to recall and if they are not careful, maybe even kill them.

As a Marksman You Should –

• Farm as much as possible and avoid dying at all cost.
• Avoiding fights until you acquire at least two items are fine especially if you are playing from behind. But once you acquire items, remember to be present for your team as much as possible.

As a Dragon Laner You Should

• Maintain Minions near the center or near your turret if possible, match minion killing pace of the enemy team and do not shove because you are vulnerable to ganks if overextended.
• Assist the Jungler when taking Drakes and when a fight breaks out in the Jungle or river near the Dragon Lane.

Jungle

The Jungle are the areas in between lanes. The Jungler role is the hardest role for beginners to learn because they are expected to help other lanes while farming Jungle monsters.

Characteristics

• Instead of killing minions for gold and experience, the Jungler gets their resources from killing Monsters in the Jungle. They are scattered in between lanes and some of them grants “buffs” which are helpful for you (The red and blue buffs in the middle of the jungle) and there are buffs which are helpful for the whole team (Scuttlers, Drakes, Baron Nashor).
• In between killing Jungle Monsters, the Jungler must find opportunities to “gank” other lanes. Ganking is the term used in gaming which refers to grouping up or surprise visiting a lane to kill an enemy. Naturally, you want ganks to end up in a kill but forcing a recall or forcing the enemy team to use their ultimates or summoner spell is already a big help for the laners.
• The Smite summoner spell is a requirement when playing as the Jungler. It grants two passives:
  • Tooth and Nail – Grants bonus damage to Jungle monsters and provides bonus HP regeneration while killing them.
  • Hunting License – Jungle Monsters grants bonus gold and experience in exchange of acquiring less gold and experience when killing lane minions

The active component of Smite deals true damage against jungle monsters while helps immensely on killing jungle monsters faster. It also a necessary spell for securing Drakes, the Rift Herald, and Baron Nashor.

After killing four Jungle camps, the Smite becomes upgradable into Chilling Smite or Challenging Smite. These upgrades makes Smite usable against champions and it provides effects upon use which helps in securing ganks.

• Chilling Smite – Deals damage and slows down the target
• Challenging Smite – Deals damage and grants a damage buff

Best Junglers:Lee Sin Olaf Gragas Xin Zhao Shyvana

Best Jungler to learn the role: Vi

As a Jungler You Should –

• The main role of the Jungle in the early game is to gank other lanes. Do not “AFK farm” or farm the jungle camps without helping the laners. The Jungler’s presence is a big deal in the game and they are capable of single-handedly carrying the game through their decision making. But do not obsess in ganking and forget to farm. A string of failed ganks without farming in between will result in the Jungler having the lowest amount of gold and levels when the mid game comes.
• In order to farm and gank at the same time effectively, establish a “Jungle Path” which is basically killing Jungle Monsters on your way to a target lane or champion.
• Secure the Scuttlers. There is a saying in LoL PC “He who secures the Scuttler, secures the Game.” It grants vision in the middle of the river and allies who run through it are granted bonus movement speed.
• Secure the Drakes as they grant permanent bonuses which are great help all through out the game. Along with the Rift Herald and Baron Nashor, these are called Secondary Objectives which are not really a requirement to win the game but nonetheless, they are a great help in gaining an advantage which leads to ultimately winning the game.

I’m a beginner in Wild Rift and this is too much! Where do I begin?

If you are an absolute beginner in Wild Rift, more so if you have no previous MOBA experience, then this guide is for you.

Learning MOBAs are a daunting task, especially for Wild Rift which can be a punishing experience for beginners.

In order to have a good amount of champion roster before playing rank games, I recommend the following steps:

1. Finish the tutorials. It offers a good insight in the game’s basics and it even grants a free hero after accomplishing everything.
2. Learn one champion at a time. I recommend learning a role and champion in this pattern:
   1. Baron Lane – Garen
   1. Mid Lane – Ahri
   1. Dragon Lane – Ashe
   1. Dragon Lane – Seraphine then Blitzcrank
   1. Jungle – Vi

Do not move on to another champion until you accomplish three consecutive games without feeding on PVP. If you are not confident enough to play on PVP, you can do this on AI but instead of not feeding, having at least five kills each game for three games on intermediate difficulty is a good criterion for beginners. But after practicing on AI, move on to playing PVP

3. Read the champion guides here on LoLWildRiftBuild.com. After reading them and applying what you learn on your games, you’ll be rank game ready and you will find yourself dominating in no time!