Arena of Valor (AoV) - Unconventional Wisdom

Unconventional Wisdom

There are tips and tricks and truisms throughout Arena of Valor, found everywhere from the game’s tutorial to the very site you’re currently browsing. “Watch out for heroes in the brush,” “Don’t take your jungler’s camps before level 4,” and “Don’t first-pick Valhein” are just a few of the nuggets of wisdom you’ll learn as you become an experienced AoV player (the third example is a joke…sort of).

However, there are exceptions to these rules – times where it’s best to buck conventional wisdom and change course because you’ve encountered a somewhat unusual situation. Here are three examples of those situations:

Tank the Core’s Shots When the Minions Are Weak

In the game’s tutorial, players are taught to let the minions tank (absorb) tower shots so that you don’t foolishly die trying to burn it down. However, there are times when the roles are reversed, and you must protect a lowly minion with your life. Consider the following scenario:

You’ve just aced the enemy team. Your team has three surviving members: a marksman, a warrior, and you, the tank, all at half health. You’re pushing up to the high-ground tower in an attempt to win the game, but there’s only one siege minion left, and it has 1/4 of its health – maybe enough to survive 2 tower/core shots. If you let the minion soak the high-ground tower shots, you can probably take the tower, but the next minion wave will be too late to finish the game in time. What to do?

Right before the minion gets in range of the tower, jump in there like the beast you are and tank the tower’s shots so the minion stays alive and the tower doesn’t receive extra resistance. Then do the same once you approach the core. With minions nearby, and a marksman at the ready, you’ll take down the core in no time. However, if you let the minion die, it will take roughly five times longer to kill the core, meaning almost certain death for all three of you before you can finish it off.

There are other times where tanking core shots is important as well. Say you’ve killed most or all of the enemy team, and have a 4-hero lead – and you’re all healthy, to boot. If you’re near the core, minions aren’t needed to take it down, so long as you can keep your marksmen (or other building-destroyers) alive for 5-10 seconds. Just get in there, eat those core shots, and scare away any re-spawning heroes while your team goes to work taking down the core.

Switch the Abyssal and Dark Slayer Lanes

Though we encourage supports to roam as much as the pros*, the next best thing to do at medium (roughly gold to low diamond) levels of play is to flip the members situated in the top and bottom lanes when at a disadvantage. Let’s take a look at the following situation:

Your team has Arthur (DS Lane), Thane (Abyssal), and Valhein (Abyssal), while the opponent has Arum (DS), Wisp (Abyssal), and Mina (Abyssal) – we’ll ignore the mages and junglers for the time being. Arthur will be completely bullied out of the lane by Arum, and will have to wait until Arum is done clearing the wave before he can do so himself – essentially the same situation as fighting 1 v 2.

Instead of completely losing one lane (DS), and not getting any clear advantages in the other (Abyssal), simply switch roles. Stick the Valhein and Thane in the DS Lane and bully Arum out of there. While you won’t be in position to take the Abyssal Dragon, there are ways to mitigate your opponent’s advantages – like taking your opponent’s Might Golem while they’re busy taking the Abyssal Dragon.

There’s also the possibility of just putting Valhein in the DS Lane to bully Arum by himself, but that means being extra vigilant for your opponents’ ganks, and likely necessitates a roaming Thane while Arthur stays under tower. The point is, it’s entirely possible to mix up the roles traditionally laid out and throw a curve ball at your opponents – especially if the traditional setup puts you at an obvious disadvantage.

*Note: this strategy can also work at high levels, where supports actually do roam. However, with typically two solo-laners, it’s less obvious who will go to the DS Lane and who will go to the Abyssal Lane, meaning flipping the lanes may not work if the opponent has already flipped them.

Tower Dive

It’s not just the name of our podcast (to which you should subscribe, by the way), it’s a viable strategy to break stalemates and push your lead. Yes, towers can be scary, and they will certainly kill you if you stand under them long enough.

However, if you’re pushing with two more heroes than the opponent has under the tower, go ahead and jump in there to kill the poor sap(s), minions be damned. While you’re at it, you can take down the next minion wave behind the tower if you’re in one of the side lanes, making it easier for the hero in that lane to finish off the tower (keep in mind that this strategy involves being aware of the mini-map and knowing the opposing team isn’t on its way to clean you up).

If timed correctly, diving the tower will force the tower’s shots to hit multiple members of your team, scratching everyone but killing no one. Just in case, though, the tank should jump in first – sometimes from behind the tower so the target can’t escape – and absorb the bulk of the tower’s shots.

Your Unconventional Wisdom

Got any of your own unconventional tips and tricks to share? Let us know in the comments below and perhaps we’ll make a “Part 2” of this article.

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