With Wild Rift, though, fans of the game can finally enjoy LoL on the go and have it actually feel like the LoL they’re used to. But, there’s a lot more to know about Wild Rift. Yes it’s a mobile port of League Of Legends. But it’s also much more than that.
What is League Of Legends: Wild Rift?
This is Riot’s long-developed version of League Of Legends for mobile devices. When we say long-developed, we mean it. Riot has had this game in the works for years. All your favorite champions are here, along with a healthy (and growing) collection of skins for each one. Riot has kept the gameplay pretty faithful to the original on PC and Mac. Slightly altered of course to account for the touchscreen controls on mobile devices.
What platforms can I play the game on?
Riot has released the game for both Android and iOS devices. And you should have no problems matching with friends even if they don’t play on the same platform as you. So long as they do play on the same server as you. For example, players on Southeast Asia servers cannot match up with players on servers in the Americas. As far as what devices you can play on, this should be fairly open here. League Of Legends is specifically developed to run on just about anything. Without requiring a very high demand for powerful components. Though you will certainly have the best experience on a powerful smartphone, even entry level devices should be able to run the game just fine.
Where is the game available?
First, it’s important to note that League Of Legends: Wild Rift is currently in a regional open beta. The game is not fully launched yet, but it is fully playable for anyone in the regions where the beta is live. Which as of today includes the Americas (North America and Latin America). In addition to the Americas, the regional open beta is available to a handful of other countries. Including Brazil, Europe, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Middle East, North Africa, Oceania, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam. Riot does plan to open the game’s regional beta to more locations. But it has yet to set dates or mention where those locations would be.
Do I need to apply for access?
Not necessarily. While you can pre-register for access to the game prior to its official launch (which might net you early access to a beta), that will only be necessary in regions where the open beta is not live. For anywhere the open beta is live, you can simply install the game on your mobile device and begin playing. After you login or set up a Riot account, of course.
What champions are in the game?
A lot of champions have made their way over to Wild Rift. But you will not see all of the champions that the PC version of League Of Legends has. Not right now anyway. While Riot does plan to add more champions over time, and it’s been doing so since the first set of regions it opened the beta to, don’t expect to see every single champion right away. The good news is that there are already a ton of champions that have been added. Five new champions were added in March with the Patch 2.2 update. That included Kah’zix, Rammus, Renekton, Galio, and Rengar. Then, in patch 2.3 Riot added Riven, Irelia, Lucian, and Senna. Patch 2.4 is the most recent patch, which added Akshan, and Thresh so far. Altogether there are now 72 champions in the game. Many of them being familiar favorites like Varus, Akali, Teemo, Twisted Fate, Sona, Lux, Ahri, Jinx, Ashe and more.
Update: October 20, 2021
As of patch 2.5, Riot has added multiple new characters to the game. Including Veigar, as well as Brand which was added in patch 2.4b and Thresh which was added in patch 2.4a.
Update: November 17, 2021
With the arrival of RiotX Arcane to celebrate the release of Arcane, the animated series on Netflix based on League Of Legends, Wild Rift players now have access to two new champions – Caitlyn and Jayce.
Update: January 21, 2022
As of patch 2.6 and 3.0, which were added into the game on November 30, 2021 and January 18, 2022 respectively, there are three new champions to speak of. This includes Kayle and Morgana added in 2.6, and Sett added in 3.0.
Update: February 16, 2022
As of the most recent update in February, Yuumi has been added to Wild Rift alongside the new Yuumi’s Adventure event that goes from February 12 to March 3.
Update: March 16, 2022
Coming up with Patch 3.1 which arrives on March 24, players will have access to Shen and Karma. The two newest champions to make the jump from League of Legends on PC to Wild Rift.
Update: June 23, 2022
As of patch 3.2b, Riot has added three new champions into the game. And since patch 3.2b just dropped recently, that means these champions are super fresh. The champions included with this most recent content patch include Nautilus, and Pyke, with Ekko having been added back on May 12.
Update: August 23, 2022
As of July 29 in patch 3.3, one new champion has entered the rift. Kassadin. Kassadin will be joined by two new champions on August 26 though. Both Samira, and Sion will be entering the rift in just a few days, and should be playable by Friday.
Update: September 28, 2022
As of September 15 and September 22, coinciding with the game’s patch 3.4 update, two new champions have been added. This includes Gwen and Yone. Both of which should now be live for players.
Update: November 29, 2022
As of the most recent updates, patch 3.4C and patch 3.5, players now have access to Warwick, Aatrox, and Kayn.
Update: December 26, 2022
Added as part of patch 3.5B, Lillia, the Bashful Bloom is now an available champion.
Can I play League Of Legends: Wild Rift with a VPN?
You can, but it’s not recommended. That is unless you pay for a good VPN subscription that guarantees you fast and reliable network speeds and connections, and the servers you connect to are always in the region where you want to play permanently. For example, if you live in the US and want to play on US servers, you would only want to play with a VPN if the VPN servers you connect to are in the US. This would ensure that you’re always accessing your Riot account with all of your progress. And of course it means you’d be playing with other US players. What you don’t want to do is set up an account for the US server region and then try to connect to a VPN server from another country. As the game will see you outside of the US and you won’t be able to play with your main account.
What are the minimum specs required to play?
This will depend on whether you play on Android or on iOS. While the spec requirements are not very demanding, there is a minimum set of specs you will need. If you’re playing on Android, then your device needs to be on at least Android 5, have 2GB of RAM, a 1.5GHz quad-core CPU, and a Mali-T860 GPU. Basically you can run League Of Legends: Wild Rift on a potato device or the most powerful of smartphones. Like the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate. If you’re playing the game on iOS, you need a device that runs on iOS 10 or above, 1GB of RAM, a 1.4GHz dual-core CPU, and a PowerVR GX6450 GPU. The same deal applies here. Older, less powerful devices will run the game fine. But the beefiest iPhone will make the graphics look better.
Does League Of Legends: Wild Rift have micro transactions?
Yes. Just like with League Of Legends, Wild Rift is a free-to-play game. That means Riot will be monetizing it through the use of micro transactions. Anything in the game that costs something will be purchasable with Wild Cores or Blue Motes. Wild Cores are the games premium currency. And will be for everything from new champions to skins for those champions. You can also use Wild Cores to buy the Wild Pass. As well as numerous other in-game items like emotes.
Can I earn in-game items?
Absolutely. There are a number of ways to earn stuff in the game. Firstly there’s the Wild Pass. This is the battle pass system that Riot is using for League Of Legends: Wild Rift. As you play you’ll be able to unlock more goodies. The Wild Pass is not yet in the game, but should be very soon. There is a free tier of this and you’ll be able to spend about $6 to upgrade it, which will reward you with even more goodies for each tier unlocked. There’s also the Rift-To-Rift rewards going on right now for the launch of the regional open beta. This rewards you with various things for each milestone passed as you play matches, while also lumping in some cool stuff for your play history with League of Legends on PC. Lastly, there will also be special in-game events happening from time to time. So be sure to keep your eyes open for those when they begin.
Can I play with people on other servers?
No. The servers for the Americas for instance are different from the servers for Southeast Asia. So you’re limited to playing with people who are on the same servers as you.
How long will the regional open beta last?
Unfortunately, we have absolutely no idea. Riot has not confirmed an end date for the regional open beta testing phase. It’s quite likely that the regional open beta will last a while still. Since there are more regions which haven’t been included in the beta, and judging by the current pace at which it’s opened up the beta to regions that do have access. The game will be ready when it’s ready. And Riot is not shy about taking as much time as it needs to get this game right. If that means it has to stay in beta for a longer period of time, then that’s what Riot is going to do.
Does the game include multiple maps?
Right now, no. The only map in the game is Wild Rift (which is basically Summoner’s Rift). When ARAM launches, Riot will include the Howling Abyss. A map solely dedicated to the All Random All Mid game mode. When and if Riot adds additional game modes, it may also add more maps. Like the ones in League Of Legends that are meant for 3v3 matches and so on.
What modes does League Of Legends: Wild Rift offer?
Right now there are a handful of different modes. There’s ranked which you have to unlock by leveling up. Then there’s normal which includes PvP and Co-op VS. AI matches, and ARAM is currently back but only for a limited time for now. There’s also training which includes the tutorials and practice matches, and custom which is basically a way for you to set up matches for you and some friends. Wild Rift does not include ARAM as a permanent mode at the moment. But, as mentioned above it is currently available in-game at the time of writing on August 26. The mode was originally opened up in the game earlier this year and was available for about a month. Now the mode is back, having arrived on August 11, and it will be available until September 9. So at the time of writing you have two more weeks to play it.
Update – September 22, 2021
Previously ARAM was going to be available as a beta mode until September 9, but on the day that testing was to end and go back into more development (if needed), Riot confirmed that testing has concluded entirely. ARAM is now available to play as a permanent mode within the game.
Update: April 19, 2022
A new limited game mode was added to the game called Elemental Rift, which was available to play until April 11. This mode should be coming back at some point in the future, but no official dates have been mentioned nor is it clear if Riot plans to reintroduce it. In addition to the new limited mode, Riot made plenty of changes to various champions including Jarvan IV, Karma, Vayne, Master Yi, Olaf, Veigar and more.
Will League Of Legends: Wild Rift have controller support?
Not official support, no. But that isn’t going to stop you from being able to apply key mapping to certain stuff within the game. There are some caveats to this though. Much of the gameplay mechanics were designed from the ground up for touch screens. Which means you won’t be able to use controllers for a lot of abilities because it will require touch and drag placement. However, a few things could easily be mapped to controller buttons. Like the Heal or Ghost spells. Since these don’t require specific placement, you could map them to a physical button and utilize them by tapping those buttons. Another thing to consider here is that even this won’t be that viable with most devices. If you had something like the ROG Phone 5 with the AeroActive Cooler 5 fan attachment, you could map those back paddle buttons to specific spells that only require a tap. Because of the way this attachment hooks onto the phone, it’s out of the way and still allows you to interact with the display. Using an actual controller though, would more or less hinder you from being able to comfortably and efficiently touch the screen for any other controls. So, all that said, in most cases using a controller isn’t going to be an optimal experience. Even though it is technically possible.
What are the main differences between the PC and mobile versions of the game?
In short, matches don’t last as long, the map is slightly smaller and there are a few things that have been streamlined with the map to help with the match time. To be more specific, matches in Wild Rift only last about 15 minutes. In League Of Legends for PC, matches can last up to around 45 minutes. The map in Wild Rift is also named after the title of the game, and Riot has streamlined elements of the jungle as well as removed inhibitors from the map entirely. Riot also removed the two towers that were directly next to the Nexus. You’ll also notice that the map will be mirrored for each team. This means that no matter what side you’re on, you travel in the same direction as the enemy team. But because things are mirrored, the solo and duo lanes, also referred to as the baron and dragon lanes, are different depending on which team you are.
Does Riot allow me to stream gameplay of League Of Legends: Wild Rift?
Yes. This isn’t a closed beta with an NDA. Unless you are a content creator and have special access to something the larger player pool does not have access to, which you would likely have to sign an NDA for, then you’re in the clear. Riot would specifically tell you otherwise. Riot will even allow you to use the original Wild Rift soundtrack in your content without fear of being hit with copyright strikes or DCMA takedowns. So, feel free to play as much as you want and share all that with whoever you want.
— Ben Forbes (@draggles) March 30, 2021
Is there feature parity?
Unfortunately, no. Any progress you may have made in League Of Legends, does not carry over to League Of Legends: Wild Rift. This includes but is not limited to champions you’ve unlocked, skins you’ve purchased, items you’ve acquired, ranks you’ve acquired, or anything else you may have achieved during gameplay tenure. Wild Rift is a completely fresh experience. And although the game is tied to your Riot account, you will have to start at the beginning. That means working your way up the ranked ladder with each season. Unlocking all the champions again and so on. Thankfully, unlocking champions is easy enough to do just by playing. And playing is extremely fun so this shouldn’t be a problem for you. If there are any let downs at all, it’s that you do have to buy skins again. And the only way to buy skins in this game is with Wild Cores, which is the game’s premium currency that costs real money. There will be opportunities to earn skins and Wild Cores. But you won’t be able to earn these all the time. Some of it you will need to pay for.
Is League Of Legends: Wild Rift worth playing?
100% worth it. If you’re a fan of League Of Legends, you should definitely jump in. Having dumped hundreds of hours and plenty of money into the PC version of LoL over the years, I can with absolute confidence say that League Of Legends: Wild Rift is more fun. It’s easier to get into, gameplay happens more quickly because matches are shorter, and it just feels so, so good. Riot has done an exemplary job with development. And Wild Rift, like Blizzard’s Diablo Immortal, is a shining example of how you develop a mobile game. Now get out there and join the fray. See you in the Wild Rift.
