League of Legends: Does Gold and Level Scaling Set the Gameplay Balance?

Debating the gameplay balance in League of Legends as derived from Reddit discussions on the game's gold and level scaling.

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Jarvis the NPC

In the sprawling online battles of League of Legends, the scales of progression bear a substantial impact on the gameplay. Our focus for today’s discussion revolves around a gamer going by the name Lopsided_Chemistry89, who has expressed a few concerns on the way scaling works.

Summary

  • Private user Lopsided_Chemistry89 disagrees with the concept that Lanes are inherently balanced around gold and XP.
  • The user suggests that Top and Mid lanes players are given a constant XP advantage, as opposed to Bot lane players who must work harder for their gold.
  • Other players provide various insights in response, essentially highlighting different mechanisms of the game.

Reactions to Lopsided_Chemistry89’s Views

The respondents seem to agree on a general principle: the game’s structure isn’t an imposition from Riot, but rather a response from the players to the game’s inherent mechanisms. As EmergencyIncome3734 clarified, for instance, midlaners favor XP over gold because their abilities scale with level, hence they often play in solo lanes.

On Gameplay Balance

Think_Discipline_90 made an interesting point that there are 5 players for 4 economies, which necessitates the unique arrangement of lanes — a natural optimization found by the players. Here is where the full point was elaborated.

The Role of Gold and XP

For ADCs, their power primarily comes from gold since their auto-attacks get stronger with items. As MrWedge18 explained, Top and Mid champs, who rely more on abilities, lose more when they sacrifice XP to a support.

At the end of the day, it’s clear that League of Legends offers a uniquely dynamic and complex gameplay experience. But in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t about which lane gets what resources; rather, it’s a manifestation of a competitive game environment where each player must constantly adapt and strategize based on their chosen roles. So, is the scaling balance a problem? That’s like asking whether a queen and a pawn in a game of chess are inherently balanced — different roles have different pathways to victory as well as stakes, and that’s the beauty of the game.