Summary
Swarm isLeague of Legends' newest game mode and sees one of the biggest shakeups for traditional play, feeling more like a separate game that uses a handful of the same beloved characters. First of all, unlike otherLeagueexperiences, Swarm is a PvE game mode that can be enjoyed alone or in co-op with friends or matchmade teammates.
Additionally, ditching most MOBA features, Swarm is a bullet heaven game and instead of being set in Runeterra, it takes place in the Anima Squad universe, which relates to a skin line known for producing some ofLeague’sbest skinsin recent years. Players looking to find out everything about Swarm are in the right place, and they can expect new controls, tonnes of projectiles and enemies, and a fun grind to unlock new upgrades.
6Swarm Is A Bullet Heaven Game Where The Aim Is To Survive & Beat Bosses
Players Should Be Prepared To Die & Lose In The Early Stages
For those who have never playeda Bullet Heaven gamebefore, the premise of Swarm is fairly simple. Enemies will spawn at increasing rates and converge on the player, who must dodge and shoot to stay alive. For those who stay alive long enough, taking down more difficult enemies, a boss will eventually spawn, which once defeated will spell victory.
Some slain foes will drop blue balls, which can be picked up to gain XP and level up. At level 3, the champion’s basic ability will be unlocked, and at level 6 their ultimate will become available. For every level reached, players will get to choose a new augment, which can be a passive ability, an upgrade for these abilities and basic attacks, or more simple stat boosts. Once players die, it is game over, but as they play more games, they will unlock permanent stat boosts to help.
5WASD Controls & Only 2 Abilities
Swarm Offers A Completely New Way To Pilot League Champions
One of the most interesting things about Swarm is that it drops the traditional controls forLeague of Legendsand swaps them out for WASD controls, with the E and R keys then used for the two abilities. With the mouse no longer used for movement, players instead use the mouse to decide which direction their character faces and fire off their attacks.
No mouse clicks are needed as basic attacks are fired when they come off cooldown, and players can even toggle theC Keyto have their character fire at the nearest enemy. These controls are simple, but skill can still be used to dodge enemies and incoming projectiles, while on the offensive end, players will want to find the right angle to hit multiple enemies at once.
4There Are 9 Playable Champions To Play As
Champions Are Unlocked As Players Progress & Complete Quests
ALeague of Legendsgame mode would not feel right if players weren’t able to play asdifferent characters to shape things up, and thankfully, Swarm has 9 playable champions. At the start of their journey, only Jinx and Seraphine are available, but Leona and Illaoi can soon be unlocked by completing easy in-game quests.
The other champions are a bit harder to unlock, with bosses to be killed and harder difficulties to beat, but they are all worth the grind. Each champion has a different attack, passive, and two unique abilities, making gameplay vastly different between characters. The other champions are Briar, Yasuo, Riven, Aurora, and Xayah, and all Swarm champions are played with Anima skins apart from Briar who has a Primordian skin.
3There Are 4 Maps, Each With Their Own Features
New Maps Are Unlocked As Players Progress
Swarm has 4 unique maps with their own aesthetics and features to keep the game mode fresh. These maps are unlocked as players progress through the game, and can later be replayed onharder difficultiesonce players have unlocked more stats and champions.
The first map,Warehouse District, features a large holographic Yuumi in the middle who can periodically heal players to full health. Next isThe Outskirts, where players power up a canon that helps them take on enemies. After that, players will unlock theSubterranean Labwhich features two Frost Cores that can freeze enemies, buying players valuable time. Finally, there isThe Beachheadmap, where a friendly Commander Miss Fortune helps take down foes.
2Augments Are Acquired Upon Leveling Up
Choose From New Passive Weapons, Upgrades, & Stat Boosts
During a run in Swarm, players will level up upon picking up the blue XP balls, and at each new level, the game will pause and present them with a choice of 3 Augments, similar to those seen inLeague’sArena game mode.
These Augments come in a few different forms, with the most simple being buffs to stats such as armor, max health, damage, and ability haste. More excitingly, are passive weapons that will fire off on their own, and players can acquire a number of these during a run. Lastly, these weapons, along withthe champion’s basic attack, can be upgraded to deal more damage or fire off more projectiles, for example. Augments and levels only last for the course of an individual run, meaning players can build differently in each game.
1Collecting Gold & Completing Quests Lets Players Unlock Permanent Stats, Abilities, & New Champions
Swarm Is Less About Individual Games & More About The Longer Journey
When players first try out Swarm, they will likely die in the first few minutes, but they should not be disheartened as the game gets easier with the help of permanent upgrades. By collecting gold coins in-game, players will be able to purchase stat upgrades for damage, armor, and much more. In fact, some stats such as health regeneration aren’t even available until unlocked.
Coins aren’t the only way to acquire upgrades, as players also have a list of objectives that reward players with a few of these upgrades. Objectives are also used to grant new passive weapons and features. This is also how new playable champions can be unlocked. Examples of objectives includesurviving for a set amount of timeor defeating a particular boss.
