League of Legends: Wild Rift is expected to be released sometimes this year. Many Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) gamers and enthusiasts expect this title to be a game changer. Upon Wild Rift’s release, groups of gamers expect that many MOBA titles will fade into oblivion. This includes games like Vainglory, Arena of Valor, and many more.
But even without Wild Rift, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games are already struggling to become relevant. Thanks to the sheer amount of competitors. More MOBA titles are expected to take the backseat when Wild Rift is released. The question is, will AOV be one of them?
Are MOBAs Still Relevant When Wild Rift is Released?
Short answer – YES, but we don’t know if the player-base will still be the same.
Chances are, most of these MOBAs will still find a niche audience that they will appeal to. For instance, Vainglory will appeal to those who prefer hero quality over quantity. On the other hand, Mobile Legends will appeal to those who love mindless action fun. Mindless in a sense that it lacks macro-plays, even in the Mythic rank. Before discussing Arena of Valor, let’s see how other MOBA games would fare once Wild Rift is released.
Vainglory
Vainglory, along with Heroes of Order and Chaos (HOC), is the pioneer of MOBAs. Unfortunately, HOC is now a dead game. On the other hand, Vainglory remains as glorious as ever. The question is, will it still maintain its glory once Wild Rift comes around?
Chances are, MOBA purists will still play Vainglory. It will also appeal to those who choose to have a few but high-quality heroes. For players who prefer quality and balance, this is the best title to go with.
Mobile Legends
Let’s face it. Mobile Legends (ML) is a rip-off of League of Legends (LoL). The heroes are pretty much blatant copies of characters from other games. For instance, the former Yun Shao (now Zilong) is a copy of Shao Yun from Toei’s Dynasty Warriors. His ultimate is even a straight-up Yun Shao Renbu where he unleashes an insane flurry of attacks as he moves extremely fast.
If you can see through the lack of originality, you’ll still be able to enjoy ML’s redeeming quality – it’s casual nature. Yes, there are ganks and map control, but it all boils down to basic decision making. The game’s casual nature is precisely the reason why it will still be relevant even if Wild Rift gets released.
Arena of Valor is the Middle Ground Between Casual and Hardcore
Arena of Valor’s case is a lot more complicated than other MOBAs, especially when you compare it to rip-offs. The game will feel like home to those who want a middle ground between hardcore and casual MOBA gaming.
With its dedicated jungler, AOV is currently the closest we can get to Wild Rift. It’s a lot more in-depth than Mobile Legends, but it still involves a little macro-gaming. Just like Mobile Legends, the best macro-plays you can do involve ganks and positioning-oriented strategies. Missing your last-hits is also not as punishing as that of LOL and Wild Rift.
The small size of the jungle makes jungle pathing a lot less important. However, junglers can still impact gameplay through ganks. Invades are a little out of the question because the small map size lets laners respond quickly.
The more obvious micro strategies like power spikes and forcing panic-flash are still present. However, advanced maneuvers like wave-freezing and wave-crashing are absent because of the game’s pacing.
Avid MOBA Players Will Stick To Arena of Valor
If you are an AOV pro gamer and content creator, you’ll still likely play AOV. The same goes for spenders who use tons of cash to buy skins and heroes. Lastly, high-rank AOV players will likely still prefer AOV unless they are LOL fans already. Except for players who are looking for something new, avid MOBA players will most likely remain playing AOV.
In a nutshell…
AOV will still be relevant because Wild rift and AOV are two entirely different beasts. It’s all a matter of preference. AOV is not a rip-off of anything, so it has unique features that caters to a specific audience.
