What is the Ascension game mode in LoL?

Ever heard of the LoL Ascension? Here is what you need to know about one of the oldest temporary featured game modes.

LoL Ascension – embarking on the journey of Xerath

Ascension takes place in the Shurima Desert, and the game mode’s main goal is to score 200 points faster than the enemy team. There are a couple of ways to earn points, such as:

Killing enemy champions – 1 point. (If a killer is Ascended – 2 points)
Claiming a Relic of Shurima – 3 points
Killing an Ascended Champion – 5 points
Killing The Ancient Ascendant – 5 points.

The challenge is to basically protect your ascended champion while making sure you can kill the enemies as much as possible. There is a trade-off between being the “offensive” and the “non-ascended” team, which leads to several skirmishes and strategies during the game.

Just like in any normal game mode, you could choose any LoL champion in the game. That said, it was always better to have specific characters that had lots of mobility and good damage output, just like most bruisers.

How did the Relic Mechanic work

The three relics were placed in three places on the Ascension map: top right, top left, and lower center in a circular pattern. Relics provide reveal for ~300 range and are over a speed-boosting aura.

To capture a Relic, players had to stand within 200 range of the item, right-clicking, and waiting for the progress bar to deplete. The relic would reset if the champion moved, displaced, or received damage. You could capture a relic with multiple champions, making the capturing progress faster.  If a capturing champion receives any non-DOT damage, is displaced, or moves willingly before the progress bar is depleted the relic will reset. Once a relic is captured, the map fog will conceal the area until it respawns ~30 seconds later.

At the center of the map, you would have Xerath, also known as the Ancient Ascendant. When he is killed, it will leave behind a circle. After 3 seconds, a champion inside the circle will be eligible to gain the Ascension Buff. If there are champions from both teams inside the circle, neither team will be able to claim the buff.

Ascension Buff

The ascended champion had the following buffs:

Mana and energy costs reduced by 100%
Health costs reduced by 50%
+50 − 900 (based on level) health
+60 − 264 (based on level) AD and AP
+15% armor & magic penetration
+25% cooldown reduction

In other words, he would become a lot stronger and much harder to kill, which means it was key to ascend as much as possible. Choosing who would get the buff was also crucial: you wanted someone who could survive for long and deal lots of damage.

While it was only a temporary game mode, it was a fun and interactive game mode that made use of the old Dominion map. Matches were shorter but also quite intensive due to all the skirmishing. While it became a rotating game mode, Ascension is no longer available in LoL (unless Riot wants to bring it back).

Read also: What is Dark Star: Singularity in LoL?