Arena of Valor (AoV) - Match Flow

We get into a match and teach you how to navigate the waters from start to finish.
Tutorial
← Pre-Game To Do List Match Flow In-Game Screen →

Early Game

First, let’s discuss the early game.

Three Lanes and a Jungle

In a five-on-five match, the players split between three lanes (top, mid, and bottom lanes) and a jungle to fight their opponents. Among the lanes, the central lane is shortest. The top and bottom lanes, however, are mirror images of one another and equal in length. The jungle is on either side of the mid lane, taking up the spaces between the three lanes. While the jungle’s layout is the same on both sides of the field, the monsters found on each side differ slightly. Anyone who learns the jungle’s camps and what monsters they hold will have a useful tool when leveling.

Arena of Valor Match Guide - Map

From the top left corner to the bottom right, the lanes are referred to as “Top,” “Mid,” and “Bot” as shorthand.

Which Lane Should I Use?

Heroes generally have a preferred lane based on their class, though it can be rather flexible. The different classes and their preferred lanes are as follows:

Class Distinction Recommended Lane
Warrior Melee fighter with a good balance of attack and defense Top/Bot
Tank A low damage fighter with lots of health and defense. Top/Bot
Assassin Mobile with high damage, Assassins can quickly kill foes, but can easily be killed themselves due to low defenses. Jungle/Mid
Marksman Fights at a range with auto attacks. Has very high offense, but low defense. Mid/Jungle
Mage Attacks using strong abilities and able to assist allies. Very fragile. Top/Bot
Support Able to assist and heal allies. Relies on abilities like mages, so attack and defense are both quite low. Top/Bot

Don’t Die

At this stage in the game, your main goal should be to stay alive. As long as you are alive and near minions as they die, you’ll be gaining experience and gold. However, dying to an opponent will reward them with a boost and temporarily cut off your own gains. This can cause your enemies to quickly get much stronger than you and force you into a purely defensive position. Only consider going for a kill if an enemy carelessly wanders too far into your own territory, but don’t chase them into their own.

A careful, steady farming strategy can lead to getting an edge in levels over a more reckless foe.
Focus on killing minions and neutral monsters without carelessly moving to the enemy’s territory. Anything behind the enemy’s minions can be considered their territory and dangerous ground as a result. It is also important to keep an eye on the minimap to watch for enemies using the jungle to try for a surprise attack. If you find yourself out leveled or outnumbered, don’t be shy about using your tower for protection.

Upon reaching level 4, a hero can learn their ultimate ability. Using this, heroes will be much easier to kill and fights will quickly turn based on how well they are used.

Next, let’s look at how to play during the mid-game.

The Middle Game

Defeat the Enemy Heroes!

After you have your ultimate ability and a few items, the focus will shift from careful leveling to team fighting and be trying to take out the enemy’s inner towers. It can be difficult to kill an enemy one on one, and you never know when another opponent will walk into the lane, so it is better to attack with some teammates for a numbers advantage.

Destroy the Towers!

After a successful attack clears your lane of enemy heroes, you can move your focus onto the tower. The tower’s attacks have a very high damage, so don’t forget to let your minions walk into its range before entering yourself.
Should you successfully destroy your lane’s tower, it can be a bigger benefit to your team to help kill heroes in other lanes rather than spend too long farming in your starting lane. Pushing the lane too far into the enemy’s side of the map makes it easier and easier for them to safely attack you.

Going in before your minions or alone, you’ll take the tower’s attacks.

There are allied minions nearby, so we can attack safely.

Defeat the Dragon!

Among the neutral monsters in the jungle is the Abyssal Dragon. The dragon is strong, but it is a special monster that will reward everyone on your team with gold and experience upon its defeat. This will make all of your allies stronger, so if you have the chance be sure to try and kill it. In addition, allowing the Abyssal Dragon to evolve into the Enraged Abyssal Dragon and slaying it will give the slaying team class-specific buffs that will be clear advantages during team fights.

Defeating this dragon will give the team an advantage in experience points and gold.
Taking too much time to kill the dragon can be a problem, so it is recommended to kill it quickly as a team of two or three. It is possible for an enemy to come from behind and make a surprise attack, killing the dragon themselves. In this case, their team would receive the bonus, so be careful to only attack when enemies aren’t around. On the other hand, if you suspect your enemies trying to kill the dragon, do your best to steal it for yourself!

Finally, let’s look at the late game.

The Late Game

Defeat All Enemies in a Team Fight!

Once you reach the late game, team fights will grow larger and more common. Not having everyone in the fight at this time can be the difference between winning and losing, so be sure the team sticks together. When the announcer declares “Aced!” you can be sure that the entire team has been slain.

Arena of Valor Match Guide - Defeating All Enemies

Anything is possible with the power of friendship… and icy explosions
Class roles are important to remember and follow in team fights. Below are the chief roles of the classes

Class Position Role
Warrior Front Lines Assault and lower the opponents’ HP. Aim for killing the enemy assault classes (mages and marksmen)
Tank Front Lines Attack the very front of the lines, taking shots and absorbing skills and keeping enemies from fleeing.
Assassin Front Lines / Ganking Quickly defeat opposing heroes in the middle of the fight. Assassins have low HP, so provide assist burst damage on your warriors and tanks.
Mage Back Lines Use your skills to greatly damage the enemies. Your skills have a wide area of effect, so you can hit many enemies. Stay in the back for safety.
Marksman Back Lines Damage enemies with your long-range attacks. Your damage is the highest of any class, so dying will be a huge hit in the team fight.
Support Back Lines Assist your allies and restore their health. You can help prevent damage from your enemies and assist in driving them away. You don’t have much firepower, so staying out of enemy range is important.

Defeat the Dark Slayer!

On the opposite side of the map of the dragon, there is a similar special monster that should be left until the late game to try and defeat. This monster is exceptionally strong, usually requiring the entire team before it can be defeated. Dying to the Dark Slayer is announced across the map similar to dying to an enemy hero, so a failed attack can lead to the enemy sweeping in to steal it. The benefits it gives are great, though. Upon defeat, the Dark Slayer grants mana and HP regeneration, along with increased mobility.

Anything less than a full assault will likely lead to embarrassing defeat.

Destroy the Enemy Core!

After defeating all of the enemies in a team fight, you can finally go attack their core. You will first need to destroy the base’s towers, so you’ll need to attack alongside some minions. Destroying the core is the same as destroying a tower. First, wait for minions to enter the area, then attack alongside the minions as they are being attacked by the core. The core will slowly regain health over time, so you will have to take it out quickly.

Victory!
Alright, we’ve made it through a game. But did you catch all of the different buttons and pieces of information on the screen? If not, let’s break down everything to be found on the in-game screen.

Tutorial
← Pre-Game To Do List 2: Match Flow In-Game Screen →

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1 Comment

  1. Thank you for the guide. But it needs updating. Plz change hero roles: mage: top/ bottom. And marksman: mid jungle. Mage is usually best suited for mid. And marksman better for top or bottom (or jung). Also drop the top and bot? The lanes swap places depending on side. It’s dragon and slayer lane, which require certain roles.