Beginner's Guide to Swarm: League of Legends New Mode

Here is a beginner's guide to Swarm, the new League of Legends mode, available until August 19.

League of Legends enthusiasts have something exciting on the horizon with the introduction of "Swarm," a fresh take on the PvE experience within Riot Games' universe. If you're curious about diving into this new mode, here's everything you need to know to get started.

Swarm draws inspiration from games like Vampire Survivors and Deep Rock Galactic. It combines bullet hell mechanics akin to Realm of the Mad God with roguelike elements and persistent upgrades. Your goal? Survive waves of challenges, unlock new content, and strategically evolve your Champions.

Getting Started: Maps, Difficulty, and Champions

Swarm currently features four distinct maps, each presenting unique and randomized challenges and mechanics: Warehouse District, Outskirts, Subterranean Lab, and Beach Head.

Difficulty increases on each map, culminating in a boss fight. If you fail, you can spend Gold to retry. Completing one map unlocks the next, while all previously unlocked maps can be replayed for additional practice.

Here are the full maps/districts of Swarm where waves of enemies will spawn to challenge you. Credit: Riot Games

Swarm includes a roster of playable League of Legends champions, referred to as Fighters. There are nine in total, each bringing unique abilities and playstyles to the game.

Jinx and Seraphine are unlocked for free at the beginning of your journey. Others require specific achievements to unlock:

Briar is unlocked by conquering Outskirts
Yasuo by overcoming Subterranean Lab's challenges and defeating Bel’Veth
Leona by upgrading Searing Shortbow to level 2
Illaoi by advancing Radiant Field to level 4
Aurora by defeating 25 mini-bosses in Hard Mode
Riven by defeating Rek’Sai on Warehouse District in Hard Mode
Xayah by completing 20 Bel’Veth missions or trials in Hard Mode

Focus on Swarm's Gameplay

When you first delve into Swarm, expect a challenging initial experience. You'll start with minimal resources and abilities, gradually earning gold throughout the game. This gold is crucial as it unlocks health regeneration, upgrades, and other secrets.

Controls: Navigate using WASD (or alternative keys) and switch between automatic and manual aiming with the C key. Champions possess unique abilities (E and R) that evolve as they level up, offering versatility in combat.
Objective: Survive each round until the final boss spawns. Along the way, encounter mini-bosses, events, power-ups, and upgrades.
Augments: Similar to TFT and Arena, Swarm features augments that enhance your abilities and playstyle, adding depth to strategic decisions.
Weapons: Your champion uses diverse weapons against endless Primordial hordes, each with unique traits like single-target or area damage. Champions can equip up to five weapons by leveling up and upgrading each to level 5, evolving weapons with Upgrade Cards from mini-bosses to handle stronger foes and ensure success in battle.
Passives: Passive stat bonuses enhance your champion with increased movement speed, HP, improved damage, and more. Like weapons, passives can be upgraded to level 5 but cannot evolve further.
Reanimation: In multiplayer mode, a circle appears at your teammate's death spot after a few seconds. Stand in the circle briefly to revive them; if not, they automatically respawn after a delay.
Spires: Besides navigating between waves of enemies, you can activate randomly appearing spires that significantly alter gameplay and offer various rewards (Miss Fortune, Yuumi's Quest, Bel Veth's Trial). While one champion can activate all towers, activation speed increases with more champions participating.

How to progress in this Mode?

The initial experience of Swarm mode can be played solo or with friends. It's a great opportunity to test champions, explore your gameplay style, and grasp the typical flow of combat. After completing all four maps and defeating their respective bosses for the first time, matchmaking opens up, allowing you to team up with strangers to face the primeval threat.

Like in a "die and retry" game, you can invest your gold to upgrade your equipment and start with a stronger character. Credit: Riot Games.

Post-game upgrades allow you to use earned gold from gameplay and objectives to apply permanent bonuses for future matches. These enhancements benefit all your champions, facilitating smoother progression and overall advancement.

Header Credit: Riot Games.