The best League of Legends champions for beginners

League of Legends champions on different backgrounds
Credit: Riot Games

League of Legends champions on different backgrounds
Credit: Riot Games

New to League of Legends and wondering which champions to pick for each role. Look no further. This guide highlights the best LoL champions for beginners in 2024. These champions are beginner-friendly and easy to grasp, allowing you to focus on learning the game.

The Summoner's Rift is home to 167 different champions with their own perks, abilities, and gimmicks and selecting the right champion and role might seem overwhelming for beginners. Before diving into specific champions, it is crucial to grasp the core concepts of the game, including minion waves, towers, skills, and items. Whether you find yourself in the top lane, jungle, support, ADC, or mid-lane, understanding the basics is crucial to your success. In this guide, we will cover the best LoL champions for beginners and in detail explain what are your moves.

What are the best League of Legends beginner champions?

Garen- best League of Legends champion for the top lane

Garen is a big guy with an even bigger sword. He likes to spin, take hits, and move fast. If he hasn't been hit recently, he heals up real quick thanks to his passive, Perseverance. This will keep him in the fight longer. Garen can dish out some serious damage, especially when you chain his moves together.

Abilities:

Perseverance (Passive)

  • Garen heals a chunk of his health per second if he hasn't been hit lately.

Decisive Strike (Q)

  • Garen gets faster, ignores slows, and hits his enemy hard while making them shut up for a bit.

Courage (W)

  • Garen gets tougher over time, getting stronger with each enemy he takes down. He can also pop this move for a shield and some damage reduction.

Judgement (E)

  • Garen spins around, hitting everyone nearby.

Demacian Justice (R)

  • Garen tries to finish off a nearly-dead enemy with a powerful execution move.
Garen
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Credit: Riot Games
Garen

Playstyle:

For new players in the top lane, Garen is a solid pick. He might have a hard time against ranged champs, but if you use his moves right, he can handle most melee foes. Use your Q and E to chip away at your opponent's health, and when they're weak, finish them off with Demacian Justice.

And if things get tough, don't worry—Garen's tough too. His passive healing kicks in, and he naturally gets stronger as the fight goes on. Let him build up those defences, and he'll stand strong against whatever comes his way in the top lane, making him one of the best LoL champions for beginners.

Levelling: Level up Q first, then E, and then W and R whenever possible.

The following items are the ones you want while playing with Garren:

  • Stridebreaker
  • Berserker's Greaves
  • Trinity Force
  • Spear of Shojin
  • Sterak's Gage
  • Jak'Sho, The Protean

Warwick- best League of Legends Champion for Jungle

Warwick stands out as an excellent choice for beginners diving into the jungle. His playstyle is straightforward, and he boasts a robust ability to sustain through the jungle. To make the most of him, leverage Q (Jaws of the Beast) for sustained damage and healing, keep an eye on low-health enemies with W (Blood Hunt), and use E (Primal Howl) for fear and damage reduction.

Warwick might not be a common pick in high-level play, but for beginners, this human-wolf hybrid is an ideal introduction to the jungle. His straightforward abilities, coupled with a self-healing capability, make him the best LoL champion for beginners.

Getting Started in the Jungle: Understanding how to take on the jungle is a crucial first step for new players in this role. Picking a champion with solid sustain against jungle minions ensures you stay in full health when helping your teammates in lanes.

Warwick's Abilities:

Passive Ability – Eternal Hunger

  • Bonus magic damage on basic attacks and significant healing, tripling when below 25% health.

Q – Jaws of the Beast

  • Lunge forward, biting the target for damage based on their maximum health and healing yourself.

W – Blood Hunt

  • Senses enemies below 50% health, gaining movement and attack speed. Triples bonuses when enemies fall below 20% health.

E – Primal Howl

  • Gains damage reduction, and when re-activated, causes nearby enemies to flee.

R – Infinite Duress

  • Leaps, suppressing the first champion hit for 1.5 seconds.

Effective Tips:

  • Activate W when ganking.
  • Use E and Q strategically.
  • R is most effective at close range.
  • Level up Q first, followed by R, then W, and R whenever possible.
Warwick
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Credit: Riot Games
Warwick

Warwick's healing skills make him a durable fighter, especially when enemies struggle to control him. Activating Blood Hunt can turn the tide of battle by fearing multiple enemy champions, creating opportunities for your team to secure kills. Warwick's ultimate, Infinite Duress, is a potent tool for ganking lanes, making him a reliable choice in the jungle.

Levelling Prioritize maxing Q first for sustained damage, followed by W for increased movement speed and E for a longer fear duration

The items you are out to get are:

  • Plated Steelcaps
  • Trinity Force
  • Titanic Hydra
  • Sunfire Aegis
  • Spirit Visage

Annie- best League of Legends Champion for mid-lane

Annie stands out as one of the easiest champions for beginners in League of Legends. Her kit is designed for a safe and effective playstyle, keeping enemies at bay. The Molten Shield (E) not only protects Annie but also deals damage to attackers. Her Q and W abilities are straightforward ranged attacks, making them easy to land, and that is why she is one of the best LoL champions for beginners.

Annie and Tibbers
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Credit: Riot Games
Annie

Annie's Pyromania passive adds another layer to her simplicity, allowing her to stun enemies every four basic attacks. And, of course, there's Tibbers—Annie’s ultimate ability that summons a giant teddy bear dealing havoc to nearby enemies.

Annie's abilities:

Q – Disintegrate

  • Use for last-hitting and poking enemies.
  • Simple ranged attack with straightforward targeting.

W – Incinerate

  • Cast for area-of-effect (AoE) damage.
  • Easy to land and effective in team fights.

E – Molten Shield

  • Sets up plays and protects during engagements.
  • Reflects damage to enemies attacking while active.

R – Summon: Tibbers

  • Ultimate burst ability that summons a powerful bear.
  • Effective for engaging and disrupting enemy formations.

Levelling

  • Prioritize maxing Q for poke and farming.
  • Follow with W for burst damage.
  • Unlock E last, and ultimate (R) whenever possible for a potent combo.

Items to buy:

  • Malignance
  • Sorcerer's Shoes
  • Stormsurge
  • Shadowflame
  • Rabadon's Deathcap
  • Cryptbloom

Leona- best League of Legends championship for support

Meet Leona, the best League of Legends support champion for beginners. As a tanky and mobile support, she excels in enabling her teammates to shine on the battlefield.

Leona's Abilities

Passive Ability – Sunlight:

  • Damaging spells afflict enemies with Sunlight for 1.5 seconds.
  • Allied Champions can consume Sunlight to deal additional magic damage.

Q – Shield of Daybreak:

  • Leona's next basic attack deals bonus magic damage and stuns the target.

W – Eclipse:

  • Raises her shield, gaining Damage Reduction, Armor, and Magic Resist.
  • Deals magic damage to nearby enemies when the effect ends.

E – Zenith Blade:

  • Projects a solar image of her sword, dealing magic damage in a line.
  • The last enemy hit is briefly immobilized, and Leona dashes at them.

R – Solar Flare:

  • Calls down a beam of solar energy, dealing damage in an area.
  • It stuns enemies in the centre and slows those on the outside.

Playing Leona: Leona is the epitome of an 'engage support.' With powerful immobilizing abilities and a long-range pull with her E, she excels at initiating fights for the team. When your ADC sees a Leona support, they can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing they have a reliable tank by their side.

Leona
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Credit: Riot Games
Leona

Effective Playstyle:

  • Engage with E on the enemy ADC, ensuring W is activated first.
  • Follow up with Q, utilizing Leona's stunning abilities.
  • Use R to initiate fights, stunning enemies in the centre and slowing those on the outside.
  • Leverage the sequence of E, W, and Q after activating R for a devastating combo.

Being a support might be a thankless task at times, but as Leona, your ability to engage and protect your team is invaluable. Remember, your teammates appreciate your efforts, and with Leona, you play a crucial role in setting the stage for victory. You might not have that many kills, but assists are as important.

Items to buy:

  • Celestial opposition
  • Plated Steelcaps
  • Jak'Sho, The Protean
  • Sunfire Aeigs
  • Heartsteel
  • Abyssal Mask

Ashe- best League of Legends champion for Attack-Damage Carry (ADC)

Ashe is hailed as the best ADC for beginners in League of Legends, and for good reason. With a utility-focused kit and emphasis on kiting, she provides an excellent entry point for players new to the ADC role.

Playstyle

As a utility-focused ADC, Ashe excels at kiting and crowd control. Use W (Volley) for poke and Q (Ranger's Focus) for enhanced auto-attacks. Leverage R (Enchanted Crystal Arrow) for a global stun that can turn fights. All of this makes her one of the best LoL champions for beginners.

  • In the early game, use Volley to poke enemies and last-hit minions.
  • Utilize Hawkshot to gain vision in the enemy jungle, revealing potential ganks.
  • Engage at level 5 with Enchanted Crystal Arrow for impactful plays with your support.
  • In the late game, stay grouped with your team, utilizing crowd control to secure victories.
Ashe
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Credit: Riot Games
Ashe Legaue of Legends 2024

Abilities:

Frost Shot (Passive)

  • Attacks and damaging abilities slow targets, dealing bonus damage.
  • Critical strikes increase Frost Shot's slow.

Ranger's Focus (Q)

  • Store Focus stacks and activate them for increased attack speed and damage.
  • Auto-attack reset with potent single-target damage when fully stacked.

Volley (W)

  • Fires arrows in a cone, dealing physical damage and slowing enemies.
  • Effective tool for poking and dealing bonus damage when followed by auto-attacks.

Hawkshot (E)

  • Fires a hawk spirit for vision, revealing units and exploding to grant extended vision.
  • Essential for scouting enemy jungle, checking brushes, and revealing invisible foes.

Enchanted Crystal Arrow (R - Ultimate)

  • Launches a crystal arrow that stuns the first champion hit and damages nearby enemies.
  • Steerable arrow path for precise aiming, re-cast for control.

Levelling

Max Q first for increased attack speed, W for poke and slow, and E last. Engage cautiously in the early levels, utilizing Volley to poke enemies and last-hit minions.

Items to buy:

  • Kraken Slayer
  • Trinity Force
  • Phantom Dancer
  • Berserker's Greaves
  • Terminus

Choosing a League of Legends champion can be tricky when you're just starting. But, to get the hang of the game, Garen, Warwick, Leona, Ashe, and Annie are your go-to champions.

Garen is your gateway to the top lane, introducing you to the world of tankiness. His straightforward mechanics allow beginners to focus on understanding the broader dynamics of top-lane gameplay. On the other hand, Warwick simplifies the jungle experience. With his easy-to-understand abilities and innate sustain, Warwick provides an excellent starting point for those dipping their toes into the complexities of jungling.

Leona shines as a support champion, emphasizing the importance of teamwork. Her crowd-control abilities and tanky nature make her a solid pick for those learning the ropes of supporting their allies in the bottom lane. Moving on to the ADC role, Ashe brings utility to the forefront. Her emphasis on kiting and crowd control with abilities like Volley and Enchanted Crystal Arrow hones precision and strategic thinking for aspiring marksmen.

In the mid-lane, Annie takes the stage, showcasing the straightforward mechanics of a mage. With her burst damage and point-and-click abilities, Annie provides a simple yet effective introduction to the dynamics of the mid-lane.

As the world of League of Legends constantly evolves, these five champions maintain their reliability. While metas shift and new champions enter the scene, Garen, Warwick, Leona, Ashe, and Annie stand as steadfast options for those embarking on their MOBA journey.

It's worth noting that alongside these, champions like Jinx, Malphite, and Janna also offer solid introductions to their respective roles. As you step into the ever-changing landscape of League of Legends, these champions serve as reliable guides, ensuring a strong start for newcomers in the Summoner's Rift.