Mobile Legends – Bang Bang Gameplay

Introduction to Mobile Legends

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is a hugely popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed and published by Moonton for Android and iOS devices. Originally launched in 2016, Mobile Legends has quickly grown to become one of the most played MOBA games in the world.

Mobile Legends features classic 5v5 MOBA gameplay in which two teams compete to destroy the enemy’s base. Players control a “hero” character with unique abilities and cooperate with teammates to achieve victory. Before battle, players customize their hero’s skills and items to create a build optimized for their playstyle.

Matches take place on a three lane battlefield. Players must push lanes, take down defensive turrets, defeat neutral monsters, and kill enemy heroes to gain advantages. With strategic teamwork and skillful play, one team will destroy the opponent’s base and emerge victorious.

Part of what makes Mobile Legends so engaging is its roster of over 100 unique heroes to choose from. Tanks, mages, marksmen, fighters, assassins, and supports – there are diverse playstyles and strategies to master. The game receives frequent updates, adding new heroes, cosmetics, and features.

Since its launch, Mobile Legends has amassed a massive player base, especially across Southeast Asia. As of 2022, Mobile Legends boasts over 1 billion downloads globally. It has become one of the premier mobile esports titles, with professional leagues and tournaments offering millions in prize money. With its accessibility, depth of gameplay, and strong social features, Mobile Legends will likely continue growing in popularity worldwide.

Heroes

Mobile Legends features a wide variety of heroes with unique abilities and playstyles. Players can choose from over 100 heroes across various roles to create team compositions and strategies.

Types of Heroes

Tanks – Tank heroes have high health and defense. They initiate fights and soak up damage. Examples: Tigreal, Gatotkaca, Akai
Fighters – Fighters deal sustained melee damage and have good survivability. They excel at small skirmishes and 1v1 fights. Examples: Chou, Ruby, Lapu-Lapu
Assassins – Assassins specialize in quickly killing enemy heroes. They have high burst damage and mobility but are frail. Examples: Gusion, Selena, Lancelot
Mages – Mages rely on abilities to deal magical damage from range. They are powerful but vulnerable when caught off guard. Examples: Lunox, Harley, Pharsa
Marksmen – Marksmen steadily deal physical damage from range using basic attacks. They are weak early game but scale well. Examples: Miya, Moskov, Claude
Supports – Supports provide utility like healing, crowd control, and damage boosts. They enable teammates to shine. Examples: Angela, Diggie, Estes

Top Heroes

Some of the current top meta heroes include:

Esmeralda – A powerful tank/fighter who excels at sustaining in fights with her shield and healing. She is a top pick.
Lunox – A mage with a unique chaos and order system that allows her to switch between damage types. Great burst potential.
Kimmy – A marksman with high mobility from her unique machine gun that allows her to move and shoot. Hard to lock down.
Harith – A mage/fighter hybrid with insane damage and mobility. His skills have no cooldown, allowing endless combos.
Grock – A tank that has strong initiation and damage with his wall and knock-ups. His passive makes him tanky.

New Hero Releases

Moonton releases new heroes every couple of weeks to keep the meta fresh. The latest heroes include:

Benedetta – A melee assassin with high burst mobility and a unique mechanic to mark enemies.
Aamon – A stealthy assassin who can enter invisibility and deliver surprise attacks. He excels at roaming and ganks.
Valentina – A mage who can copy enemies’ ultimate abilities for versatile playmaking potential.

Stay tuned for upcoming hero releases like Dyrroth, a fighter, and Faramis, a support/mage. New heroes shake up the meta and introduce innovative mechanics.

Items and Equipment

In Mobile Legends, items and equipment allow you to customize your hero’s stats and abilities to match your playstyle and counter the enemy team composition. Choosing the right items is crucial as it can make the difference between victory and defeat.

There are several types of items in the game:

Offensive Items: These items boost your damage output through additional attack damage, attack speed, critical chance, etc. Some examples are Blade of Despair, Berserker’s Fury, Scarlet Phantom.
Defensive Items: As the name suggests, these items make you tankier by providing extra HP, magic resist, armor, etc. Examples include Antique Cuirass, Athena’s Shield, Immortality.
Support Items: Support items provide utility through cooldown reduction, mana regeneration, shielding allies, etc. Some popular support items are Fleeting Time, Oracle, Dominance Ice.
Jungle Items: Jungle items such as Hunter Strike and Raptor Machete provide bonuses when killing jungle monsters and help junglers farm efficiently.
Magical Items: These boost magical power and are essential for mage heroes. Examples are Divine Glaive, Holy Crystal, Necklace of Durance.

The key to choosing the right items is understanding your hero’s role and win conditions. For example, marksmen should focus on damage and crit items to maximize DPS. Tanks want to build defensive items to soak up damage. Mages rely on magical power boosting items.

You also need to counterbuild against the enemy team. If they have powerful healers, buy Necklace of Durance. Against critical hit heroes, build Antique Cuirass. Identify threats on the enemy team and build items specifically to counter them.

Most heroes have core item builds that maximize their strengths. For example, mages often build a standard combo of Arcane Boots, Lightning Truncheon, Holy Crystal, and Divine Glaive. Marksmen rely on Berserker’s Fury, Scarlet Phantom, Blade of Despair. While core builds are important, you need to adapt your items each match to respond to the situation.

Proper itemization requires understanding your win conditions, team composition, the enemy’s lineup, and in-game conditions. Builds must adapt and evolve throughout the match as new threats emerge. Mastering items and equipment takes experience but is vital for success in Mobile Legends.

Game Modes

Mobile Legends offers several game modes that provide a variety of gameplay experiences:

Classic

This is the standard 5v5 MOBA mode where teams compete to destroy the enemy’s base. Players select heroes, earn gold and XP by killing enemies and destroying towers, purchase items to grow stronger over the course of the match, and work together to defeat the enemy team. Classic mode allows players to practice heroes, try out builds, and enjoy standard MOBA gameplay.

Ranked

Ranked mode also follows standard 5v5 rules, but performance in ranked matches affects a player’s rank on regional leaderboards. Winning ranked matches increases rank, while losing decreases it. Ranked requires strategic teamwork and skill to climb the ranks. Many players take ranked very seriously.

Brawl

Brawl mode offers casual, faster-paced matches with tweaked rules. Different Brawl modes feature unique mechanics like altered respawn timers, random hero picks, and special buffs. Brawls let players enjoy the game without worrying about rank. New Brawl modes are frequently introduced.

Arcade

The Arcade has a rotating set of game modes with wildly different rules and objectives compared to standard MOBAs. Modes like Protect the Base, Survive the Night, and Crystal Legends provide unique challenges and spice up the core MOBA gameplay. The Arcade offers something new regularly.

Custom Mode

Custom Mode allows players to tweak the settings and rules of a match. Options like banning heroes, altering gold and XP gain, and role limitations let players customize matches for fun and practice. Customs allow tailoring games to community preferences.

The variety of game modes gives players ways to enjoy Mobile Legends casually or competitively. The modes complement each other to provide a full spectrum of gameplay experiences.

Maps and Battlegrounds

Mobile Legends features three different maps that players battle on. Each map has unique layouts and objectives.

Classic Map

The classic map is the standard 5v5 map in Mobile Legends. It features three lanes – top, middle, and bottom. Between the lanes are jungle areas that contain monsters and buffs.

In the top and bottom lanes are turrets that defend each team’s base. There are two outer turrets, one inner turret, and a base turret for each lane. Destroying turrets allows you to advance closer to the enemy base.

In the middle of the map is the Lord, a powerful boss monster. Defeating the Lord allows your team to summon him to push lanes and damage enemy turrets.

There are also Turtle and Blue Buff monsters located in the top and bottom sides of the jungle. Defeating them provides gold and buffs for your team.

Abyss Map

The Abyss map features two lanes protected by turrets and a large jungle area between them. It’s designed for faster 5v5 matches.

In the jungle, there are entrances to the Abyss, an underground area containing the Dark Slayer boss. Killing the Dark Slayer provides a team-wide buff.

Like the classic map, there are Turtle and Blue Buff monsters in the jungle. Controlling the jungle in Abyss mode is key to victory.

Mayhem Map

Mayhem mode uses a single lane map for chaotic 5v5 battles. There are no jungle monsters or bosses.

The focus is on non-stop team fights and pushing. Turrets are the only objective, leading straight to the enemy base. Heroes revive much faster to keep the action going.

Mayhem mode is ideal for practicing team fights and new heroes. Matches are quick, furious, and action-packed.

Ranking System

Mobile Legends has a competitive ranking system that allows players to progress through different tiers based on their skill level and performance in ranked matches. Players start at the lowest rank, Warrior, and can work their way up to higher tiers like Elite, Master, Grandmaster, Epic, Legend, Mythic, and finally Mythical Glory, which is the highest rank achievable.

Ranks are earned by gaining or losing points called stars after each ranked match, with the total stars required to progress between ranks increasing at higher tiers. For example, advancing from Elite to Master requires reaching 100 stars, while advancing from Epic to Legend requires 200 stars. Losing ranked matches deducts stars based on the skill levels of each team.

Draft pick mode is enabled at Epic tier and higher. This allows teams to ban certain heroes from being played and take turns picking heroes, leading to more balanced team compositions compared to lower tiers. Good performance, teamplay, and strategy are required to advance through the highest ranks.

The ranking system provides incentive for players to improve their skills and matchmaking that pairs players of similar ability against each other for fair, competitive matches. Top-tier Mythic and Mythical Glory ranks are prestigious achievements that reflect dedication to mastering the game.

Tournaments and Esports

Mobile Legends has a thriving esports scene with major tournaments hosted around the world. The top tournament is the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL), which features the best teams from regions across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Some of the top Mobile Legends pro teams include EVOS Legends, RRQ Hoshi, Blacklist International, BREN Esports, and Onic Esports. These teams compete in their regional leagues for a chance to qualify for the annual World Championships.

The Mobile Legends World Championship is the pinnacle event each year, sponsored by Moonton with prize pools over $300,000 USD. The 2021 World Championships had a total prize pool of $420,000 and was held in Singapore. Previous World Championships took place in locations like Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.

Other major tournaments on the circuit include the MPL Invitationals, MSC (Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup), and M1 (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Champions Cup). These events can have prize pools from $50,000 to $250,000.

Top Mobile Legends teams and players can earn significant money from salaries, sponsorships, tournaments, and streaming revenue. Some of the highest paid players are making over $200,000 per year through their Mobile Legends career and brand deals.

As Mobile Legends continues to grow worldwide, the tournaments and prize money will likely expand. More countries are developing their own professional leagues, which serves as a path to the World Championships. The future looks bright for Mobile Legends to become one of the top mobile esports.

Tips and Strategies

Mobile Legends offers a wide range of gameplay tactics and strategies to master. Here are some tips to improve your skills and climb the ranks:

Gameplay Tips

Map awareness – Constantly glance at the mini-map to track enemy positions and movements. This allows you to avoid ganks and ambushes. Call missing enemies with pings.
Last hit minions – Only deliver the killing blow to minions to get the most gold bounty from them. Don’t push lanes too fast.
Ward and clear wards – Vision wins games. Light up the map and deny enemy vision. Control vision around major objectives.
Don’t overextend – Avoid pushing lanes too far without backup. You can get easily ganked. Only go for objectives with team.
Counter build – Adapt your builds to counter enemy heroes and items. Build physical and magic defense items as needed.
Focus carries – Take out the enemy damage dealers in team fights before the tanks. Shut down their main threats.

Hero Counters

Aldous – He struggles against mobile heroes and stuns. Pick heroes like Chou, Guinevere, Saber.
Esmeralda – Shield breaking heroes counter her shield spam. Use Khufra, Chou, Saber, etc.
Kimmy – Lock her down with hard crowd control skills. Heroes like Chou, Khufra, and Aurora work well.
Ling – He is weak against AoE damage and silences. Use Valir, Aurora, Pharsa, etc.

Team Composition Strategies

Tank/Support/Damage – Classic combo. Tank initiates, support protects damage dealers in clashes.
Poke Comp – Heroes who can frequently chip away health from safe distance. Good for sieging.
Pick Comp – Focused on singling out opponents with lockdown CC. Then quickly burst them.
AOE Comp – Stack AoE ultimates to demolish teams in grouped up team fights. Wombo combo!
Split Push – Dual lane push while rest of team distracts. Collapses and flanks on isolated enemies.

Community

Mobile Legends has a thriving community of players who connect through various online platforms. The main subreddit for Mobile Legends is r/MobileLegendsGame. This subreddit has over 300,000 members who discuss strategies, share fan content, and keep up with the latest game updates. Many top players and influencers are active in the subreddit.

YouTube also has a sizable Mobile Legends community. Content creators like Hororo Chan, Elgin, and Shinmen Takezo post gameplay tutorials, hero spotlights, tips, and commentary. Their educational content helps players learn the game and improve their skills. Livestreamers like RRQ Lemon and Gosu General stream their ranked games and interact with viewers.

The fan art community creates amazing Mobile Legends artwork. Talented artists design skin concepts, illustrate epic moments, and portray characters in unique styles. Some skin concepts have even inspired official skins in the game. Fan artists share their creations on social media using #MobileLegends.

Overall, the passionate and interconnected Mobile Legends community keeps players engaged with the game outside of just playing. Through Reddit, YouTube, streamers, and fan content, there are many ways for players to express their love for Mobile Legends and bond over this shared interest.

Future of Mobile Legends

Moonton, the developer behind Mobile Legends, has continued to support the game with frequent updates and new content since its launch in 2016. The future looks bright for MLBB as it remains one of the most popular MOBAs on mobile.

Developer Updates

Moonton has committed to releasing updates every 1-2 weeks that include hero revamps, new skins, balance changes and improvements to matchmaking. These regular patches keep the meta fresh and address community feedback.

In 2022, some major updates included:

Revamped matchmaking system to improve team balance
Improved report system and penalties for toxic behavior
Server optimizations to reduce lag and improve performance
New heroes like Aulus, Natan, and Julian
New skins like Collector Skins and Epic Skins

Moonton has also expanded to eSports by hosting professional leagues like MSC and MPL. This shows their commitment to supporting MLBB for years to come.

Hero Balancing

With each patch, Moonton carefully reviews data and community feedback to balance overworked or underpowered heroes. For example, heroes like Beatrix, Valentina and Julian were tuned down after being too strong on release.

On the other hand, weaker heroes like Faramis, Vexana and Miya have received revamps and buffs to make them more viable.

Balancing is key to ensuring no hero is useless or overpowered. It helps maintain a diverse meta with many options.

New Content

In addition to new heroes and skins, Moonton has added new features and modes to keep Mobile Legends exciting.

Some upcoming content includes:

New 5v5 mode called Mirror World
Revamped jungle with more monsters
Equipment set bonuses
Graphical improvements
Collaborations with popular IPs

There is still so much potential for new content like game modes, PvE challenges, and quality of life features.

Overall, Mobile Legends developers are fully committed to supporting the game for years to come. With regular updates, balances and new content in the pipeline, the future looks bright for MLBB.