For this week’s game, we played Teamfight Tactics. Honestly, I am still decently new at TFT as I started playing on-and-off towards the beginning of spring quarter so I still do not have a complete grasp of the game. Most of the time, I play on my iPad as it is easier to walk around and play with friends on, but I also have TFT downloaded on my PC. I find that the iPad version gets a little clunky at times, and it is much easier to accidentally create an item you did not want when you drag it to the wrong champion whereas, in my opinion, playing on the PC is much easier and smoother.
Because this is a game where you can play solo or with friends, I find it easy to just pick it up and play whenever you want as a way to “try to” unwind. I say “try to” since it works my brain out more than helping me relax or unwind. Personally, I love playing hyper roll because you do not have to commit to a long game where you may have gone with a weak build and suffer for a long time, but it is a little tilting / annoying when you are trying to roll for a champion that never shows up due to RNG. At the same time, I would argue that the same sense of luck and rolling for champions provides a sense of fun in the same way that gambling does and provides players with a psychological rush when their build starts piecing together.
However, I do have multiple qualms with the game. For one, there is a very steep learning curve and it is very overwhelming when you first start. When I first started playing, I never played League of Legends, and I was not familiar with certain attributes of various champions. As such, I was not able to build a board that makes sense. For one, I did not know there were front-liners and back-liners, and I kept putting various champions haphazardly. In addition, I did not know there were different types of damage and I was just randomly putting combinations of items on different champions. As a result, I would just be 8th place time after time again before I realized that I should be more careful with my items and champions (after much YouTube and Reddit scouring).
In addition, at lower competitive levels, most people just follow some popular build online and hope they are not contested and have decent luck. For me, this did not feel very fun as I enjoy free playing and figuring out different synergies as I play the game more and accumulate more experience. Contesting with players who just pick up a build was basically impossible as I never got far enough to learn what champions worked with each other. As a result, most people who first start the game and free play quit since there is no sense of enjoyment from losing all of these matches right from the start.
Currently, I would rate Teamfight Tactics a 7/10 as I do enjoy some of the puzzle aspects of build a team that synergizes with each other. However, if you asked me to rate the game when I first started playing, it might have been a 3/10 as there was just so much players are immersed with right from the start.
Hi Jenny,
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on Teamfight Tactics! Your honest take on the steep learning curve and the initial challenges you faced is very relatable. I also find that playing on the PC is smoother compared to the iPad, especially when it comes to item management.
Your insight into the game’s blend of strategy and luck, likening it to gambling, really resonates. It’s true that the rush of piecing together a strong build can be incredibly satisfying, despite the occasional frustration with RNG.
The point you raised about the overwhelming start for new players is spot-on. It can be discouraging to repeatedly come in 8th place, especially when you’re not familiar with the game’s mechanics. Your journey of learning through YouTube and Reddit reflects a common experience among players and emphasizes the importance of community resources.
I agree that the meta-following aspect at lower competitive levels can detract from the fun of discovering synergies on your own. It’s great that you stuck with it and found enjoyment in the puzzle aspects of the game.
Overall, your review was engaging and insightful. Thanks for sharing your experiences and perspectives!
Hi Jenny!
I totally sympathize with your first experiences with TFT; I remember playing a game and then quitting after for a couple months because I didn’t understand how it could be more fun then stressful. ALSO, I also have not touched League prior to TFT, so the nostalgia and characters didn’t click for me. I’m glad that the experience has gotten better for you as you played more games.
I definitely agree that forcing a build has become very popular and doesn’t make the game as fun. I also like to explore new comps, but then turn to MetaTFT when the builds I choose are bad compared to everyone else. On the bright side, the patches that are frequently released often means the “good” builds are constantly fluctuating, so it’s nice that the builds aren’t set in stone for every set. Overall, I enjoyed reading about your experiences and thoughts with TFT. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I totally get what you mean by the overwhelming start as a low and gamba rush as a high. I think it’s great that you managed to push through and find a lot more enjoyment in the game than when you started! I think there’s a lot of depth and fun to be had at that level. I did have a sense that meta strategies might be a little too prevalent though, even early on, which prevented me from wanting to invest too much attention to the game. You mention that a bit, but your insight on higher levels is also encouraging lest I want to give the game another go.
I also didn’t realize that lack of League knowledge could be a factor, and I doubt it is an enormous blocker (more than other mechanics anyway), but I definitely now also thought about how I was able to at least grasp what champions did a bit faster thanks to that prior familiarity. So on a design standpoint, it’s definitely another layer a total newcomer would have to work through.