Why Climbing Ranks Is Enjoyable in LoL

When you first start playing a competitive video game like League of Legends, you tend to do it for fun or out of curiosity. But the more time you invest in this game, the more your mentality changes. Fun is no longer fun unless you win often enough to climb the ranks.

Getting to high ranks takes hundreds of games. That’s a lot of time. But for most players, that’s part of the fun. You earn every single rank through your own games.

Here are four reasons why climbing ranks is enjoyable in LoL.

1. The Thrill of Competing with Others

Esports are all about competition. MOBAs, in particular, take that aspect to the extreme by providing the players with endless possibilities. You get to pick a character out of nearly 200 and each game is unique. Losing hurts, winning feels amazing. Even though it’s only just a game, from an emotional standpoint we’re making a significant investment every time we play.

This turns us into fierce competitors who spend hours and hours thinking about strategies, experimenting with them, and then perfecting them until they yield good results.

Riot Games, the company that created LoL, adds fuel to the fire by changing the game regularly. Some champions and playstyles get buffed, while others get nerfed. This creates the need to constantly adapt to a shifting landscape.

2. The Drive for Mastery

Mastery is very appealing to those who are perfectionists at heart or simply love winning as often as possible. In League of Legends, the mastery ladder is very long. Despite the fact that there are only 10 ranks, it’s probably safe to assume that there are a lot more levels of mastery. 

Even at the Challenger level, some players are vastly better than the rest. And keep in mind, only 1 LoL player out of 5000 will reach this rank.

Mastery is not just about technique. Sure, you must have superb technique with at least 5-10 champions to be a truly skilled player, but it’s more than that. Map awareness, item builds, farming patterns, team fighting knowledge, and other things of this nature are essential for mastery in LoL.

3. The Joy of Collaborating With Others

League of Legends is a team-based game, which means that you need to constantly ask yourself: what is my team planning to do? What do my teammates need to succeed? Am I doing my job correctly?

Winning with a group of people can feel deeply rewarding. Likewise, losing can feel really bad. This combination of positive and negative feedback that is given to you in an unpredictable way, quickly becomes addictive.

Some players won’t stop queueing for games until they win at least once. Others can’t stop while they are winning. 

The thought that you can play 10 consecutive matches with the same champion and learn something new each time is exciting. If you have a group of friends that you regularly play with, you may know in advance what champions you want to play and what combos you want to perform during the games. This makes the experience more enjoyable.

4. Social Status and Prestige

When you’re one of the top 10% or even 2% of players in a game that’s played by more than 100 million people, you naturally feel better about yourself.

Some players are driven to climb the ranks simply because they want to earn the respect of other gamers.

A top rank in LoL can result in being offered the chance to become a professional player. But the vast majority of those who want to climb to the top do it simply because they have a winning mentality and want to be one of the best.

By the way, all that climbing probably cost you some money. New champions, skins, passes – it adds up. You can actually check how much you’ve spent on LoL if you’re curious.

What Makes It All Worth It

Climbing ranks in League of Legends becomes addictive because it hits all the right psychological buttons. You get the competitive rush from facing real opponents, the satisfaction of mastering complex mechanics, the shared excitement of winning with teammates, and the respect that comes with a high rank.

Each ranked game feels meaningful. Win or lose, you’re always moving toward something bigger. Maybe it’s finally hitting Gold before the season ends. Maybe it’s proving you belong in Diamond. Or maybe it’s just showing yourself that you’re better than you were last month.

That’s why so many players can’t stop queueing. The ranked ladder transforms League from just another game into a personal test of skill, patience, and determination. And no matter where you are on that ladder, there’s always one more game to play, one more rank to reach.