moba comparison thread

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League is the original MOBA. Chronologically, DotA (the first) was the first, but League of Legends is the first one to really gain attention, to become the gaming juggernaut it is today. It is THE Moba, the one that everyone thinks of when they see the term. It's breaking new ground even after five years. Seriously, go look at their preseason five PBE patch notes.

It's greatest weakness is honestly the lack of accessibility. It's tutorial frankly sucks balls and the skill cap/floor of general game knowledge is very daunting.

It feels nice to play though. There are just so many playstyles, I'll just say it feels good.

It's original - it quite literally invented a lot of kits for other MOBAs to copy (you can't deny that there are a **** ton of things that other MOBAs take from League.) and is still producing amazingly original ideas like Azir and the Trinkets and Ascension and Hex Core and Feral Flare, etc.

It's deep - this will be impossible to explain to someone not familiar with League, but the sheer amount of strategic depth that is in this game is impossible to put into words. Counterplay exists. Strategy exists.

The community WAS terrible. Now it isn't, and is probably some of the most friendlier people in the gaming community. At the very least, it's better than Smite's - like, there are seriously people who coach other players for apparently no ******** reason.

The company is great. What other MOBA makes ******** music for a freaking loading screen for each champion that literally <5% of their playerbase will even care about? What other company regularly features fan works on their loader/main menu/whatever its called? They're undergoing a massive lore revamp as we speak - not some kind of third-grade creative writing assignment, but a, well, just look at the Sion rework or the Azir-Shurima thing. And remember, most people playing this game don't care - they just like turning their game to life. They played Stick Figure Spotlight in their tournaments.

As for balancing, people can go back and forth on this one. I say it's balanced pretty damn well. It isn't perfect, but they're getting there. Let me put it this way: They had a patch once take place in the middle of a tournament, and no one complained, since it was that good of a patch.

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Smite...well, I do have a reputation for ranting on about Smite. I'll try to be brief.

I don't like the game, and I've made no secret of that fact. The community is toxic, the company are money-grubbing *******s, and don't you dare say otherwise. (I could go on about how HiRez is almost literally the devil, but I won't)

The game, well...

I won't deny it feels very dynamic. From a meta standpoint, it's not (IMO), but from the actual gameplay, it looks and feels fun. Feeling things from a 3d POV, is fun in the same way FPS's are fun.

It's not original. I'm not talking about idea cloning/copying/inspiring - that's another topic. I'm talking about how Smite doesn't have an original bit in its bytes. Can anyone here name anything in Smite that's truly original, not generic?



Whether or not Smite is a cloning factory or a simply unoriginal game, I can say with full confidence that it is the least orignal MOBA on the list.

Depth? The game isn't skill-less. It takes time to learn how to play the game, and to master it. But there's no such thing as counterbuilding, gods, for the most part, all play and build similarly (all tanks go all-in with abilities, all assassins spam the same combo and autoattack, most bruisers play like assassins, ADCs spam abilities/steroid and save their escapes for escapes, all mages combo wombo combo, etc), and as I said earlier, skillshots aren't as much of a thing as some people will have you believe.

You can talk about your Tidal Surges and pillar stuns all you want - the fact is, the vast majority of skillshots in this game are things like Kraken-Whirlpool-Tidal Surge Combo or Agni's instastun or Vulcan's unavoidable meatball. Or the autodash on Clay Soldiers or Slice and Dice or all the Banishes or Spirit Balls or Tectonic Rifts to make aiming effortless.

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Dawngate is a new one, slightly younger than Smite, but it's getting more attention. And it deserves it.

The overall feel of the game is a lot more action like - partly due to every cooldown generally being really short, partly because most shapers aren't limited by mana or costs, and partly because of the very, hmm, tactical feel of the game. There are periods of almost serene peace followed by frantic action, then right back to the piece. Early game starts off as a slow burn, with an even divide of quick skirmishes to steady grinding of poke/farm, mid game is like a guerrilla war where pretty much anything can happen, and late game is like All Quiet on the Western Front - you eat pancakes in an abandoned home, then you're suddenly alone watching your friends get burned/shot/blown up to death.

Originality? Most shapers are resourceless. The map is completely different from the standard trilane. Itemization is insane. Stats got a HUGE revamp - everyone shares the same power stat, there is Haste and Power and Lifesteal is one universal stat for both abilities AND autos, no matter who you play as, the warding system is now on an individual basis, you can pick two sets of passives (one as a job and one in the Loadout system) ...and the shapers...

Mina is a support that literally goes inside another shaper. Her kit and playstyle changes based on what kind of shaper she's in.

Sakari juggles TWO resources to cast - and has this stacking system with her abilities that reward landing multiple skillshots in a row.

Zeri can share her stats, and steal enemies' power.

Ronan has buffed wards as a passive, has a self-cleanse, and attacks by dashing offensively repeatedly as an ADC.

Etc.

Depth? I've been playing this game for more than a month, and I still have stuff to learn and master. (Seriously, the items in this game present more options than LEAGUE's damn DATABASE of items.) Even simple shapers like Varion have a high skill ceiling. You can build the same shaper as a tank, a support, a bruiser, or a carry - or my favorite, as a racecar. You can even select different playstyles for the same shaper.

Balance? It's currently pretty much perfect. However, overall, they did have some screw ups. Like the horror of the BaskoGate or the reign of BruiserGate or the current problem with Ambition. They aren't perfect, certainly, but it says something when EVERY SINGLE SHAPER IS VIABLE.

Their company ****ing has a weekly webcomic and ****ing massive amounts of actual stories you can read not just for shapers for general lore pieces and pieces for skins and they're good enough to ****ing publish. They support fanfiction, for crying out loud. They let you change the game with their Living Lore system. They're just an awesome company that blows everyone else out of the water. A lot of them post on the Reddit and contribute to discussions - not as this "community manager" type ********, but guys on balancing teams, lore teams, developers, composers, etc. (To be fair, it's easier on them to manage a smaller community, but still, kudos to these guys.) THEY EVEN HAVE WHAT IS BASICALLY A FREE VOICE PACK ON EVERY ****ING SHAPER.

Their company IS the community, and the community is great. The Reddit, at least, is full of really nice people. The in-game community is, sadly, a bit toxic. Not nearly as bad as Smite's, but it can get toxic once in a while.

Like, holy ****, play this game. And read this for one of the lore pieces I was talking about.

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Heroes of the Storm is a crazy game. Like, it's not a traditional MOBA at all.

This game is so fast paced it makes Smite look like a Snail. Has an average game time of 15-25 minutes.

Originality? I won't even explain this one. It's original, that's the end of it.



Balance? Honestly, I don't know. Heroes are expensive and everyone's account got reset and I honestly haven't played this game nearly enough. However, for the most part, it seems balanced to me. Outside of #%$!ing Sargent Hammer and her "ult enemy core for eventual win."

There are many problems, just not very serious ones. As expected of an Alpha game. For example, some talents are seriously in need of a rehaul due to their worthlessness, like all the Regen Globe talents and Seasoned Marksman.

Community is generally friendly, but I haven't got too much into it yet. Also, the wave of new players might have changed things a bit.

Company is unknown. The game literally just came out of Alpha, so I have nothing much to say abut it.

But it's a great, fun, refreshing game.