League of Legends vs. Heroes of Newerth From a Casual Perspective
Hi there. You might know me. I'm one of those guys that plays Defense of the Ancients (DotA) / HoN / LoL, but not obsessively. I don't have every build for every character memorized. I've probably tried most characters at least once. I don't feed, but I don't top the kills either. I can deny creeps and towers, but probably don't top last hits either. You probably don't remember me. From this position though, it is very easy to spot the most differences between Heroes Of Newerth and League of Legends that *most* players would care about.
The biggest things someone is likely to notice when playing both DotA clones is that:
A) League of Legends has auto matchmaking (and only blind hero picking to go with it)
B) The skill level of most LoL players is quite a bit lower than most HoN players
While HoN is slated to get auto matchmaking in the near future, the feature really does make LoL easier to get into as a new player. The simplicity of matchmaking is also an extremely limiting factor, however, as you'll soon grow tired of seeing the same heroes on both teams over and over. Not every game is a mirror match, but there are definitely flavor of the month picks and while using the auto-matcher you will run into them often. There is only one play format available as well, which is blind pick for both teams (this is what allows for the same hero on both and HoN has this as a "Duplicate Heroes" game mode). Finally, new/free players are only allowed access to around 10 (rotating) heroes per week until they buy access to more with in game or real world currency. As the game is free to play, hero access is just one of a few different things you can spend real money on, however, the only thing in the game you HAVE to spend real money on are special skins for your favorite heroes. Access to all heroes and other game enhancers are entirely purchasable simply by playing the game and spending the game currency.
Though All Random is not everyone's favorite, sometimes it is nice taking a break from the same 10-20 heroes used in every game, and this is what really sets Heroes of Newerth apart for someone who takes DotA clones a little more seriously than I do. HoN has such a large variety of modes and settings that the game is much more resistant to become old or boring compared to LoL. However, the sheer variety of choices and heroes available from the start makes for a steeper learning curve. Add in the fact that last hitting to deny your own creeps and towers isn't a part of League of Legends, it is easy to see why the learning curve is so much more forgiving.
My bottom line is this: as someone new to the next generation of DotA style MOBA (multi-player online battle arena) games, you may be best off getting your feet wet with League of Legends, but will eventually want to move on to Heroes of Newerth if you find you really enjoy this kind of game and want the full experience it offers. Though Riot Games (creator of LoL) has promised to implement features already existing in HoN (multiple game modes, clan support, in game voice chat, ranked matches, savable game replays, observers, and more...), there is no timeline for when they will become available and the features are already well polished and bug free in HoN. In addition, I doubt very much that League of Legends will ever attract the kind of amateur and professional competition the original DotA and HoN do. Both games have their strengths and weaknesses, but for people who take these games more seriously than a casual player, the game of choice is obvious.
April 7th, 2010 - 11:52
This may be true in low summoner level non-premade games…but by the time you are 20+ and running in a 5 Man Premade…there’s nothing casual about LOL anymore.
The game is meant to be user friendly and forgiving in low summoner non-premade gameplay, while still having the intensity and competition (and elite dotamization) in the upper levels and especially premade play.
And yes, when they release team ladder play and additional modes that will raise the ante even more.
June 16th, 2010 - 02:50
interesting take on things, I was looking for an unbiased perspective on which game to try.
The number one thing that makes me lean towards HON is the Linux support. Hopefully both games in the future will be available on Linux. I used to be a huge DOTA whore years ago but I lost my warcraft 3 disc arggh. I can’t wait to try both of these games.
July 11th, 2010 - 02:43
Atleast LoL has some originality… HoN is a blantant rip-off of Dota… Woah different names for heroes/spells but they do exactly the same thing.. That wouldn’t be a bad thing either if the devs of HoN didn’t suck at crafting new heroes that over OP beyond extent.
August 10th, 2010 - 18:03
plz dl link?
September 26th, 2010 - 02:16
HoN’s Game Interface is customizable, there’s alot of available mods for enhancing your gameplay. Tho the community is actually not that “noob-friendly”. HoN’s Graphics looks more Bloodier than Dota and LoL which actually makes it alot better imo.
October 2nd, 2010 - 07:06
From what I’ve played so far in both games. I think teamwork is a bigger factor in league of legends, and that is why I prefer it to heroes of newerth.
November 2nd, 2010 - 16:51
I think teamwork is a bigger factor in league of legends, and that is why I prefer it to heroes of newerth. try pubs, if your a noob and have a noob team, pack ur bags and move to lol,
if your good, and know how to help out ur team, doesnt mather anymore if ur in a pub game. try learning something new instead of complainin about ur low skill level.
November 26th, 2010 - 12:02
Hello, i would like to tell you about my experience with the MOBA’s as this genere is called.
I have played first DotA, then HoN and finally LoL.
I enjoyed HoN very much as it improved DotA with practical features such as leaver protection, ranking system and such.
When I looked at LoL previews I thought that the micro transacting system offered advantages to paing customers.
But after a few mates begann playing it they convinced me to start playing it with them. I missed last hitting a lot and really sucked the first few games.
It also had a few unbalanced heroes.
After a while I got better, getting to know more and more heroes, learning various tactics and how to counter specific champions.
In the beginning I really considered quitting often, especially playing constantly with feeders and such. But once you play ranked games (after lvl. 30) and improve your ELO LoL gets even more intense then HoN.
In retrospect I understand that the leveling system is helping to smoothen out the learning curve of the game. It would be hard to learn LoL having access to all runes, the full mastery tree, summoner spells and all champions at lvl 1.
I admit I’m becoming more and more a fanboy of Riot after they decided to take over the european servers from GOA.
March 13th, 2011 - 13:44
I’ve played both HoN and LoL quite abit. After awhile for me HoN was quite boring, in LoL you’re able to customize alot more and whenever you play you can feel you are progressing. In HoN it was just the same thing over and over.
I stuck with LoL because it’s quite different from DoTA and HoN
April 6th, 2011 - 16:15
LoL has the original creator of DotA, and devs with decades of experience in great video games. HoN its just an expansion of DotA, while LoL its an upgrade and new generation on MOBA.
April 10th, 2011 - 00:56
anybody who says lol isnt casual at level 30 is stupid. go _attempt_ to play competitive dota and then compare that to competitive lol. you will be surprised.
May 24th, 2011 - 04:08
Elindor’s post is spot-on.. while you will get the impression that the players in LoL are bullshit, after you reach about lvl 20+, the matchmaking games your games starts becoming more serious and competitive. Once you reach lvl 30 and start playing ranked games, your games becomes deadly serious. Players in ranked games don’t play just ‘for fun’. Giving an enemy first blood in the solo lane and you will be scolded to hell. Make a small mistake and people in your team will start hating you. Don’t participate in team fights and you should expect some nice comments regarding your father and mother from your teammates. And I feel that the main problem in HoN is that a single fed agility carry can go on a 1v5 fight and come out winning. In LoL its alot more about team composition and teamwork than fed carries
June 26th, 2011 - 00:35
not too mention LoL is free to play