League of Legends Roles in 2023: A Comprehensive Guide

For many players, especially newcomers, finding the perfect role in League of Legends can be a rather overwhelming task. After all, there are so many different roles you can pick from, all with their different playstyles and mechanics that you have to master. If you’re one such player struggling to find their role calling in League of Legends, then you’re in luck.

There are a total of five roles in League of Legends you can choose from. The first is the top lane which is the most isolated role. Then, there’s the jungle, which has the potential to influence all lanes. Mid lane is next, which is arguably the most popular role in the game because of the unique playstyles it offers. Finally, there are the bottom lane ADC and support roles, which work together.

We’ll be going through all five roles in League of Legends in depth so that you can find out what you can expect from all of them.

Top Lane

The first lane we want to dive in is the top lane. This lane holds a significant importance as it offers a wide variety of playstyles. Additionally, it is often referred to as ‘island’ because it’s the most isolated lane in the game. Not only is it the furthest away from every other lane, but most of the time the top laners are just duking it out in a one on one.

If getting somewhere takes too long, or if you want to assist your team in any way, then there’s always the option to use teleport to roam and assist your team. Of course, teleport will have to be one of the two summoner spells you pick if you want this to happen.

As a top laner, your goal is to outplay your opponents either by playing defensively and scaling or by dominating them through pure skill. It's a constant battle of wits, dependent on your chosen champion. You can’t rely on anyone but yourself. Well, most of the time. One role that can influence your lane is the Jungle role. Not only can your ally jungle surprise the enemy top laner by ganking, but the opposite can happen with the enemy’s jungler.

Therefore, you’ll have to duel with the enemy top laner all the while ensuring you don’t get caught by surprise at any point in time. One slip-up and the enemy top laner can get the advantage, which will most likely mean that you’ll lose the lane. One advantage can be the key to carrying your team to victory. If you enjoy a solo-oriented play style, the top lane can offer a highly engaging experience.

Jungle

Speaking of the jungle role, it’s the second role we want to go through. Similar to the top lane, the jungle is a role that leans towards solo play, at least for a portion of the game. While the starting phase as a jungler consists of you simply going around the jungle gathering as much farm and experience as you can, when you get strong enough the entire script gets flipped.

Because junglers don’t have a traditional lane, they go around ganking, or flanking, other lanes. Because of this, they have the potential to influence all lanes and control objective captures. Most tower pushes, for example, have the laners pushing with the jungler to guarantee the tower goes down. They don't have a traditional lane opponent either, but encounters with enemy junglers can occur during scuttle crab fights or invasions. 

As a jungler, it is your responsibility to carry the game or put your team in a position where they can dominate the game. This means you must prioritize farm and experience or focus on ganking your allies consistently. Take note of all the ongoing circumstances of the game and make decisions after taking everything into account. If you crave control over the game, the jungle is the perfect role for you. 

Mid Lane

The mid lane is arguably the most popular role in the game because it offers a wide range of play styles and boasts high impact potential. Because the lane is positioned at the exact center of the map, middle lane champions can often go around to other lanes in order to influence them as well.

Well, while the middle laner is considered to be a solo lane, there is one thing to keep in mind. Most middle laners consider themselves to be a duo with the jungle because of how many interactions the two champions have with each other. The biggest proof of this is the fact that the jungler can assist the middle laner no matter where the jungler is because of the short lane distance.

Various play styles are available, whether you prefer farming for the late game, roaming with your jungler, or bursting enemies as an assassin. You are bound to find a champion that suits your preferences.

Bottom Lane - ADC

If you have experience playing MMORPGs, the ADC role may feel familiar to you. Why, you ask? Well, ADCs are known for dealing high damage while having the longest attack range, but they also have the lowest health pools. Basically, ADCs are what you might call a glass canon, even when build in a specific way.

As the D in ADC states, the primary goal of an ADC is to maximize damage output and minimize their deaths to ensure they slowly but surely continue to power up as much as they can to eventually carry the team to victory. Their kits often allow them to scale exceptionally well into the late game compared to other champions. 

Despite having a smaller pool of champions compared to other roles, being the main source of damage can be incredibly satisfying. There’s also the fact to consider that you aren’t ever truly alone, because not only do you have your support alongside you at all times, but the jungler also tends to roam near the bottom lane more. However, remember that the enemy team will prioritize killing you, so caution is crucial.

Bottom Lane - Support

As mentioned above, the support champion always accompanies the ADC in the bottom lane at the start of the game and primarily focuses on protecting them in the early stages of the game or helping them gain an advantage. To make this easier, the support’s abilities also include crowd control features such as stunning.

Support champions play a vital role in providing vision control for the team, ensuring objectives are prepared, and safeguarding the team from blind engagements in the fog of war. There are also many supports that act as secondary ADCs. Granted, of course, that the actual ADC doesn’t have any problem sharing the spotlight. 

Support champions are the true champions of teamwork, built to aid their team in various ways, whether by empowering the ADC or providing support in other aspects. Support has something enjoyable for everyone who wishes to contribute. Of course, if you want to make the process of climbing the ranks easier, regardless of which role you decide to go for, then we highly recommend you read our guide on the best lane to climb rank in League.