Preview | League of Legends: Dominion

League of Legends (PC) for those who are unfamiliar with the genre, an action RTS that draws heavily from the Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne “Defense of the Ancients” custom map. In it, the player controls a single character that fits a general fantasy archetype. The player makes their way through, with the help of teammates and computer controlled minions, to the opponents base. Where, once one team fully destroys the opposing side’s central structure, they win the game.

The game traditionally at least, is incremental. It’s not unusual for games to go for 45 minutes to an hour. Buying items and abilities give small bonuses that add up. The player work avoid dying to the opposing team as it provides gold and experience that puts the other team ahead. The teams will work to apply pressure at the right locations at the right time. Slowly but surely, as the players gain ground they can then press their advantage and push towards their opponents’ base. It’s a delicate dance where the players move to and fro from fighting where it the movements and actions become more bold.

If one were to liken the current iteration of League of Legends to hors d’oeuvres and wine where the players are expected to slowly savor and methodically choose how they go about their time then the upcoming Dominion mode would be the equivalent of a local all you can eat buffet with oversized drinks and plates that closes within the hour. You’re not afforded the luxury of time. You pile your plate and begin ravenously demolishing what’s in front of you.

The game takes the same core player character mechanics and puts it in an equivalent king of the hill style game. Ultimately the player wants to destroy the opponents’ Nexus but you can’t attack it directly. By capturing and controlling more of the five available towers than the opponent, the difference reduces the life of the Nexus automatically. The towers reside on the outskirts of the map and the players use the center lanes with speed boost items to help) to move back and forth quickly to set up attacks and defenses. Between playing and watching matches, I rarely witnessed one that went over the 25 minute mark.

The minions will spawn from your own towers and attack adjacent enemy towers. Making a surprise capture on the opponents’s side something truly disconcerting as the enemy will have to deal with an attack on every front.

Death is also comparatively not discouraged as it is with the traditional lane control. Maintaining control of a tower remains paramount in this setting and the penalties for dying don’t seem to impact the game as much in Dominion. Normally, the bobbing and weaving between the champions early on is replaced by game opening brutish charges filled with spells, bladed weapons, and elbow drops as a team will attempt to gain control of a tower.

The team at Riot has done something quite extraordinary. They took something that is very near and dear with may gamers and worked to provide something new and different with Dominion. The pacing, the strategies, and some of the visuals have changed greatly but without deviating from the fun that captured the hearts of their fans.