League of Legends just launched their new game mode, Dominion, so this evening – despite jet lag and it being hot enough in here to roast a small newt to a crispy finish – I popped on to give it a go.
First, the bad: the devs haven’t worked out how to get AI working on it, so no playing against bots to get a feel for the new map, mechanics, items, etc. When I went to check the lay of the land it was desolate, not even easily-dominated minions to squish, but after running round for a couple of minutes I felt comfortable enough to give it a try.
To follow on, the good: whereas common-or-garden League of Legends is a carefully weighted strategic affair, reading the battlefield, slowly inching forward when the chance presents itself until the inevitable moment where two teams clash and one of them dies in a shower of particle effects, on first impressions Dominion is the perfect foil to that, a frantic, chaotic dash for points, holding territory king-of-the-hill style for seconds at a time, spiralling round the outer track of the map as the opposing team lunges to neutralise your advantage. It feels like one continuous rolling teamfight, from about a minute and a half in until the destruction of one of the two nex…i?
And while it’s still riddled with the same douchecrumpets who insist on bitching about everything under the sun, it feels fresh and exciting. I’m not sure I’ll play it with the same fervour I played the original map with – it’s rather too frenetic for more than one match a night – but for now it’s an interesting alternative if I want a splash of fast-action PvP to spice up an extended session.
