It's interesting to see how different MOBAs balance

IcyPepper·Sep 20, 2015·2 votes·932 views

League seems to be balanced around mobility nowadays, and from what I've seen Smite is balanced around crowd control (where the active equivalence is not just viable, but essentially meta!).

I have no idea what HotS is balanced around, but it seems like there's more PvE elements and more centered around hero kits than items or actives like LoL. DOTA2... still haven't met a man that can tell me how it's balanced. I think you need a PhD to play that game.

It's interesting, I admit, and it makes the games feel different and exciting in their own way. Too much cc in League can feel oppressive (Annie, Irelia, etc), and too much mobility in Smite can feel a little bullshit at times (Cupid, anyone?).

What do you think?

7 Comments

Nausicäa Sep 20, 20151 votes

HOTS just flat out isnt balanced. There's a handful of top tier picks and 60-70% of the roster is trash.

Theres also some incredibly broken/anti fun mechanics like Zeratul/Nova perma stealth characters that can pop out and literally instantly kill you with no counterplay whatsoever.

Also all the newly released heroes are considerably better than older ones to the point where nearly all meta picks are the 10 most recent releases.

But its a Blizzard game so what do you expect. They are the masters of utter shit game balance. Not that balance matters much in a game with trash matchmaking and complete and utter inability to carry due to lack of items and shared team XP.

IcyPepperSep 20, 20151 votes

Perma stealth... there's just no way to balance it... at least not any I'm aware of.

You either get stupidly broken assassins, or get them gutted like LoL's very own Evelynn.

QazgirSep 20, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Perma stealth... there's just no way to balance it... at least not any I'm aware of.

You either get stupidly broken assassins, or get them gutted like LoL's very own Evelynn.

Actually, Dota 2 has a perma stealth hero who is not op, unless you are playing in pubs where no one buys wards or dust.

67chromeSep 20, 20151 votes

Perma stealth... there's just no way to balance it... at least not any I'm aware of.

There totally is. Every mechanic in a game can be assigned a numeric value, and be balanced around. Objectively it's quite possible for stealth to be balanced.

What you're thinking of is probably counter-play and good design. It's pretty much impossible to make invisibility and 100% immunity to point-click feel fun to play against. Subjectively, such a mechanic is always going to suck.

On a side note - It's also worth pointing out "stealth" in LoL isn't the only way to represent stealth mechanically.

Stealth in Metal Gear Solid is completely different, and implemented extremely well. The Spy in Team Fortress also takes a pretty interesting spin on a stealthy character. If stealth in LoL worked like it does in either of those games it would likely be interesting to play against and reasonably fun.

Blade of JusticSep 20, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Too much cc in League can feel oppressive (Annie, Irelia, etc), and too much mobility in Smite can feel a little bullshit at times (Bellona/Bastet, anyone?)

FTFY

IcyPepperSep 20, 20151 votes

Not sure if Bellona is super mobile.

Her ultimate could use a higher cooldown, but she doesn't feel as mobile as some assassins.

67chromeSep 20, 20151 votes

League seems to be balanced around mobility nowadays, and from what I've seen Smite is balanced around crowd control (where the active equivalence is not just viable, but essentially meta!).

Mobility is one of those things that looks amazing, is really flashy, smells powerful, looks powerful, tastes powerful, but isn't objectively better than a lot of other things. Most other things (like range, CC, team-fight potential) just have a weaker emotional impact and feel kind of "eh" to use if they're objectively as strong/balanced.

I'd be careful about drawing conclusions with mobility.

Also - I'd say LoL is balanced more around the idea of counter-play and good design than anything else.

It would seem Riot's balance squad has 2 main goals:

promote champions with high counter-play
balance the game

Champions like Urgot, Yorick, Teemo, Shaco, and Tryndamere that are pure cancer to play against are the ones thrown out of the meta intentionally, and champions like Zed, Thresh, Orianna, Braum, and Lee Sin are ones Riot's intentionally kept in the meta for a rather substantial amount of time.

I have no idea what HotS is balanced around, but it seems like there's more PvE elements and more centered around hero kits than items or actives like LoL. DOTA2... still haven't met a man that can tell me how it's balanced. I think you need a PhD to play that game.

HotS is still figuring out what is balance.

DotA is balanced around actual balance and nothing else, with a massive middle-finger to good design and counterplay. If someone like Brood Mother or Rikki is a pain in the dick to face (perma stealth), DotA doesn't care. Techies (Teemo)? DotA doesn't care. They're just as balanced as the next guy to go up against. That's likely why DotA2 tournaments showcase ~90%+ of there roster. Also why it's known as the most hardcore MOBA: there is no hand-holding in DotA, there's no promoting champions you can react to and don't feel helpless against. if mistakes were made, you tend to die horribly.