How To Become A Pro League of Legends Esports Player 2024

Do you have what it takes to go pro in LOL? While a lot of players aspire to compete at the highest levels and become a pro player, only a small percentage are actually able to break through.

It is no surprise that many gamers aspire to become a professional player of League of Legends, which remains one of the biggest esports games worldwide. Despite the competitive and challenging path, the pro world is not impenetrable, and nothing i impossible with enough dedication and the right approach.

Meet the Basic Requirements

Before diving into your pro player journey, you must first ensure that you meet Riot Games’ minimum requirements:

• Be at least 17 years old

• Achieve a rank of at least Diamond 3 in solo queue

After meeting the above basic criteria, there are still a few more goals for you to accomplish in preparing to compete at a professional level.

Climb the Ranks

Impressive individual performance is your starter ticket in your journey to becoming a pro. While strategic depth and teamwork tactics are what ultimately matters for professional League players, having a high Elo nonetheless gives you a solid foundation.

When you’ve mastered the fundamentals of the game, grinding solo queue to improve your rank should be your priority. From the Diamond rank, aim to steadily rise towards the Challenger level as most pro teams scout players from the top of the ladder. Having good, consistent performance and maintaining your high rank throughout the season is your best shot at getting noticed.

Develop a Pro Mindset

Pro gaming is a mentally and physically demanding pursuit, and top players share that they usually practice for 8-10 hours daily. Adopting good habits and the right mindset will help you perform at your best during long practice sessions and solo grinds. Some ways to stay on top of your game are:

• Setting specific goals and taking sufficient breaks between long hours of gaming

• Treating losses as a learning opportunity and keeping a cool head

• Having a balanced diet and proper sleep to maintain good physical health

• Continuously improving your game knowledge

It is important to pay attention to both body and mind to prevent burnout and loss of focus, things that will definitely hinder or stall your climb up the top ranks and may discourage you from reaching your goals.

Cultivate Essential Qualities

You also need to develop more key traits than just mechanical skill. Mastering these qualities can increase your chances of getting good enough to go pro:

• Excellent communication skills for coordinating with teammates

• Deep understanding of game mechanics and strategy

• Ability to play multiple champions and roles at a high level

• Mental resilience and a positive attitude

Learn From Pros

It should be a given that aspiring pro gamers should take inspiration from and try to follow those already at the scene. Studying high-level gameplay through watching pro streams and VODs is a great way to level up your skills. Pay attention to their strategic choices and take notes of their positioning and solo tactics. Applying what you learn to your own gameplay will help you better gain insight.

It is also essential to have a versatile champion pool and to practice mastery of different champions. Professional teams often discuss how to adapt to the season/split’s current meta in order to get an advantage. Staying up-to-date on game patches will similarly help you adjust your team comps to meta shifts.

Build Your Network

Connections are important if you want to play professionally, as joining competitive teams usually depend on recommendations from someone already playing there. As you climb the ranks, find and interact with other high-level players and attend local LAN events if possible.

Networking with other professionals in the scene besides players, like coaches and team managers, can also provide you with valuable insights, advice, and guidance. If you build your connections right, you can get tryout opportunities or even be scouted by pro organizations.

Join a Competitive Team and Tournaments

Connect with other Master and Challenger players so you can gain opportunities to play with high-level teammates in organized team environments. Join university esports events or local and online amateur tournaments to learn teamwork and competitive experience.

As League is a team game, being able to communicate and synergize with teammates is a highly valuable skill, and will be the most important one to hone if you truly aim to become a pro.

Conclusion

With only a small percentage of gamers actually debuting as pro League of Legends esports players each year, it is undoubtedly a difficult path to tread, and one that would take a lot of time and persistence. Although many prodigies and geniuses dominate the world of professional gaming, esports prowess remains a skill that can be learned and improved. Most pros also spent years honing their craft before breaking into the scene.

It is for this reason that looking at the current pros and striving to become as skilled as they are becomes important. That these talents were once aspirants too and their journey towards excellence is testament that anyone can enter the world of pro gaming with enough dedication and investment.