League of Legends Dominion announced, first details and teaser

Good news for League of Legends fans. Riot Games has officially announced League of Legends Dominion. It’s a new mode for the popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) and offers players an alternative to the traditional affair of pushing lanes and killing creeps.

What you’ll get with Dominion is capture-and-hold gameplay in the Crystal Scar, a brand new map designed for the new mode’s upcoming debut. Teams begin with 500 points, which decrease if the opposing team manages to capture and hold one of the five control points spread throughout the map. The more points a team controls, the faster the opponent’s points decrease.

There are tons of great mechanics and features that encourage lots of back-and-forth as both teams battle over control of the map. The Crystal Scar is a circular map, with five control points spread evenly throughout the outer ring of the map. Right from the get go, players can stay grouped up and try to bulldoze from one point to take over control points slowly and steadily. But individuals or small groups of players can also splinter off, cutting through the center of the map to try and quickly capture an enemy control point left unguarded. These intersecting paths also have crystals that’ll heal you, grant powerful buffs, and boost your speed.

Capture a point and you’ll also trigger minions, weaker NPC units that will automatically march towards the next control point. Stand near a control point under your team’s control, and you’ll activate turrets that will help defend that point, which can allow you to stall and defend until more reinforcements arrive. New items for the shop at your base have also been designed specifically for Dominion in order to ensure that all Champions remain balanced and viable in this new mode.