Top 10 Beginner Tips for Team Fight Tactics (TFT)

Team Fight Tactics

The new Riot gamemode isn't exactly League of Legends in its purest sense, but since it's part of the same client I figured everyone's likely already playing it. If you haven't, TFT is Riot's latest creation and is what most would consider an "auto-play" game. You pick and set up your armies against your friends (or randoms), then pit them against each other as they battle to the death.

That being said, here are some of the most know tips before you begin:

Archive post, June 2019. This one went up in Teamfight Tactics' first week, and the game has rebuilt itself sixteen times since. Riot retires a whole set roughly every four months, taking the unit pool, the traits and most of the item table with it, and the set running now is the seventeenth. So read the specifics as history: the pirate payout, the dragon and elementalist bonuses and the champions listed beside them are all launch-set furniture, and that set ended years ago. The habits underneath have held up better, which is why we've left the post standing. Watching your opponents' boards, keeping your tanks in front of your carries, and building around the items you actually roll rather than the team you wanted don't go stale when the set does.

Unique Champions Are All the Same Level

Every uniquely named champion is the same starting level. Leveling up as a summoner will only get you different champions, Vayne and Nidalee will always be gray 1 gold champions for the entire duration of the game...unless you collect some character sets.

Collect Sets to Level Up

Whenever you pick up three of the same champion, they automatically combine to level up. This can be done twice, meaning you will need nine of the base level champion. It also automatically combines the items that the same character name is holding. This is especially valuable for low cost champions.

Collect Bonuses for MORE POWER

Every champion in the game has a type and class that you can see when you right click a champion in the game. Collecting a set of each characteristic will net you extra bonuses, which you can see on the left-hand side of the screen.

My two favorites are the 3-piece elementalist bonus and the 2-piece dragon bonus. Mix-and-match and see what works for you!

Item Recipes Are Not Like League

The items do not combine in the game to make the same items they do on League of Legends. Every two base items combines to make a stronger item. However, the same items on League for champions don't benefit champions on TFT the same way. For example, popping Guinsoo's Rageblade (Needlessly Large Rod + Recurve Bow) is acceptable on almost everyone.

Mana Is the Only Resource

In order to use your special skills, everyone in the game needs to use mana. This means that dropping tear of the goddess on your Katarina is actually a pretty good idea to increase the rate in which she can use her ultimate.

Placement Matters

This game's characters automatically attack, and you have little to no control over how it plays out. However, you can flip through your opponent's screens to see how they're placing their units to arrange yours appropriately. Keeping your tanks in front and your ranged squishies in back is generally a solid strategy.

Low Gold Champions Refund 100%

Hoarding gold in the early levels is not worth it. The reason for this is that the bank will give you 100% of your 1 gold champions as a refund. Unless you happen to be close to bank interest, don't bother hoarding until a few rounds in.

Bank Pays Interest

Every 10 gold that you have on hand, the bank will pay you an extra one gold per round. This adds up quickly, especially if you're hoarding gold early game when enemies won't massacre your health points when you lose.

Pick Up Pirate Gold

If you're using the pirate synergy, make sure you use your slime and pick up the gold that drops at the end of every match. If you don't move to pick it up, this won't automatically get added to your totals. Considering this may make or break a match, be sure to get it.

Diversify Strategies

Sometimes when you go into a game you're heavily invested in trying out a particular strategy. Unfortunately, the RNG gods don't always allow you to use your favorite tactic. As a result, you should try to make due with what you have instead of continuously rerolling full sets of perfectly viable strategies in order to assemble your perfect noble team.

There you have it, our top ten beginner level tips for Team Fight Tactics. Got more tips to share? What do you think of the game mode so far? Comment below!