Winning in League of Legends is always the goal for every match you dive into. But you won’t get there with just a bit of pure luck. You have to take into account multiple factors that will create a ripple effect in your game. Today, we will be diving into the concept of roaming and how you can use this ability to expand your skills inside the Summoner’s Rift and have a better chance of winning your games. Players neglect the value of roaming and how it can affect the results of the game. If you time it correctly, you’ll gain more pressure on the specific area of the map and earn better leads in the game. This guide will help you learn how to roam in any kind of role you choose in the game. You’ll get the right concepts and apply them to your next game immediately. So let’s jump right into it!
Fundamentals of Roaming
Every skill you learn in League of Legends has basic principles that you really need to master first. Whether or not you are new to the game, roaming is essential in increasing your win rate especially if you are aiming to be at the top of the ladder. To put things in context, roaming is simply rotating or moving from one lane to another. Your goal is to take over the area and outnumber your opponents in that lane. Every champion in the game can roam but some find it easier than others. Supports like Bard and Pyke have the ability to quickly move in one place to another due to their abilities while others like top laners rely on Teleport to help out allies in the bot lane. You want to roam during the early to mid stages of the game as it is one of the crucial moments that can tip the tide of your match. This is because most laners focus on farming and beating their opponents in the lane. When you disrupt there laning phase, it tends to work in your favor. One may gain a kill or even take more objectives when you’ve successful roam.
Essence of Roaming
The real reason you are trying to roam in the game is to help your allies survive a difficult situation. Not all matchups are winnable especially when you have been countered in the pick and ban phase. So you aim to avoid being run down by assisting your teammates whenever possible. Once you’ve mastered the timing of roaming, you can essentially help anyone on your team without losing ground on your own role. There is always going to be a stronger opponent against you and having a tough matchup is pretty normal in League of Legends. That is why a successful roam will give you the opportunity to reverse a fight and get that much-needed gold and experience. Whether you are the one being helped by allies or the other way around, learning to roam leads to multiple things:
- Gold Plates
- Towers
- Enemy jungle camps
- Rift Heralds
- Dragons
- …and many more!
Once you’ve opened up a section on the map, it is easy to secure around that area that will benefit you and your allies further in the game. With changes around the bounty system, you’ll get more out of roaming and receive an influx of gold once done the right way.
When Do You Roam?
There are multiple ways to roam around the Summoner’s Rift and we’ll be diving through each one of them shortly. One should always aim to roam as often as possible if given the opportunity. But it also takes practice and experience to master the art of roaming as in can also be a double-edged sword. So here are roaming opportunities you can utilize in real game situations.
From the Base
If you are a laner or a jungler that has cleared the enemy’s minion wave and pushed it to the enemy tower or a jungler that has taken all their available camps, you can recall and buy your items and choose a lane where roaming is needed. Recalling back to your base prevents the enemy communicating from their allies that you are MIA at the lane. It is a great way to confuse the enemies on what your next move will be. Don’t forget to talk to your allies that you are going to roam to their spot as miscommunication leads to loss of gold for you. Often times allies forget that freezing the lane is better for any attempt you are about to do. That is why never neglect speaking your plans through chat as this may lead to a loss if not done perfectly. It is one of the most effective ways to collide with your enemies with unison. When doing this strategy, you need to keep an eye out on your lane as your opponent might be pushing the wave hard to your turret. Always be vigilant at your position and if the roam fails and you don’t get a kill, back off immediately and defend your lane.
Counter ganking a lane
Vision will always be key to having an effective position at Summoner Rift. When you have placed multiple wards around the map with your allies, you’ll notice the movement of the opposing enemy team. You’ll see possible ganks before it even happens. This is an amazing way to roam on that lane and counter gank them. Taking advantage of the enemy being blind to your plans leads to more gold for your team as it may give kills and objectives easier than expected. Once you’ve gained more pressure towards them, enemies back off and they play passively which is great in the long run. Remember, this strategy will not be effective if you don’t have a lot of wards around the map. And since a player is limited to 3 trinkets and 1 control ward, then you have to tell your allies to place more wards. Communication is essential in using this properly.
When Your Ultimate Is Up
One of the most crucial level in the early game is when you’ve reached level 6. This is where champions get to use their ultimate skill. If you know that you are going to hit level 6 before your opponent, you can look to roam to your allies and help them out. It is a great way to combine forces and have great plays with your ultimate as players would not have sufficient skill to counter it. One of the best examples of a great ultimate for roaming is Twisted Fate’s “Destiny”. It is a surefire way to reach a lane and assist your allies in skirmishes that enemies thought they would win. Utilize your kit as much as possible in the game. This strategy relies on the user so keep in mind that it won’t have a big effect if you are not looking for opportunities around the map.
When deciding to roam, you have to keep a lot of things in mind. You need to make sure that everything will work in your favor and that you are not wasting your time, effort, and gold just to do it. Your goal isn’t to fall behind against your opponents, but to have a better position in the game before they become stronger than your team. You’ll need to always ask yourself if roaming at this moment will increase your chances of winning. If not, then you can focus on passively farming and dealing with your enemy in the lane or jungle before attempting to roam. Roam when you know the enemy isn’t expecting it. Take note that League of Legends gameplays will never be similar. There will be times that your plays will not work out but that’s fine. That’s part of learning and being great at the game. You may fall short now, but your setbacks will be your strengths in the future!
RTO – A North American Challenger Renekton player, streamer and YouTuber who is committed to providing the best League of Legends educational content for free. I was placed in Silver 4 my first season so I know what it takes to improve from the bottom. I have ranked as the best Renekton player in the world and I want to help you excel as well.
