WASD controls in League means huge changes, but does the good outweigh the bad?

Luke Warr

Editor

Publish Date: August 27, 2025

League of Legends has confirmed that WASD controls are coming soon, but how will they impact a game that has stood the test of time with the same basic control mechanisms for over 15 years?

League of Legends initially released in 2009 and has seen many changes since that time. However, the controls have largely remained the same, ensuring that old players can return to the game without requiring many readjustments and providing stability around which the game’s balance could be adjusted. Now, a new optional control method that utilizes the traditional WASD keys is on its way, and players are sharply divided over what it could mean.

With the game placing heavy importance on control-intensive mechanics like kiting, zoning, and positioning, some long-time fans have voiced their concerns that those who utilize this new control scheme will have an advantage. This raises the question of what the long-term consequences of introducing the WASD control scheme to League of Legends really are.

What are the benefits of WASD controls in LoL?

Introducing the WASD control scheme to LoL makes the game more accessible for new players while introducing an optional way of playing for veterans. The benefit to new players is especially important, given the age of League.

As a Riot Games dev update has stated, this new control scheme is primarily aimed at lowering the entry barrier for new and returning players. With League of Legends attempting to expand its reach to new audiences, such as with its hit Netflix show Arcane, the trading-card game Riftbound, and the upcoming fighting game 2XKO, Riot expects to bring in fresh blood to the game and wants as many of those new players to stick around as is possible. Having a familiar control scheme that other popular games already utilize will likely make adjusting to League that much easier for those unfamiliar with MOBAs or other point-and-click games.

WASD, Smurfing & More | Dev Update – League of Legends

Then there’s the fact that the control scheme is entirely optional. Long-time LoL players who want to switch things up or experiment with the controls can choose to switch to the WASD controls if they want. Some professional players may even adopt the new control scheme in time and show it off on the game’s biggest stages, should the mechanical benefits prove meaningful.

Thanks to the finer and faster response WASD controls can potentially allow for, using combo-centered melee champions like Yasuo, Riven, and Irelia could be easier. Pathing errors would also likely be reduced, ensuring players don’t accidentally walk into a turret or accidentally misplace a ward. ADCs will likely benefit the most from this new control scheme, as it could potentially enable squishy champions to more reliably escape skill-shots and danger, or to more easily kite opponents while firing off shots at high attack speed.

Is the WASD control scheme good for League of Legends?

While it has its share of benefits, the WASD control scheme risks alienating long-time League of Legends players and fundamentally changing how a carefully-balanced game is played.

The WASD control scheme could make movement more accurate and responsive. While seasoned players can accurately perform actions like kiting, zoning, dodging, and stutter-stepping with the traditional point-and-click control scheme, the control scheme does have its built-in limitations. Introducing a way for players to perform these actions more easily and without requiring the practice that long-term players had to go through may make veterans feel like their hard work was wasted.

Riven in League of Legends

Speaking of long-time players, most likely rely on muscle memory and knowing how other players will react for timing, camera control, and landing their own abilities. These players may have to readjust everything if the WASD scheme becomes more widely adopted, creating a fresh learning curve that some players may not want for.

Some are event concerned that the use of WASD controls could make playing the game outright easier, giving those players who use it a clear advantage of those who don’t.

As an example, some champions, such as Jhin and Caitlyn, utilize traps that primarily rely on the enemy’s poor clicking movement to work. Facing players who use the WASD scheme could either make it easier for enemy players to avoid these traps, or force those who play these champions to construct strategies specifically tailored for WASD players and their movement tendencies. It’s just one of perhaps innumerable ways that the game could be fundamentally changed by this new control scheme.

Overall, Riot’s implementation of the WASD control scheme will determine how the community reacts to its release. Some players believe that the new controls risk invalidating the years that long-time players spent refining their mechanics. Others think it’s a good thing, enabling the game to grow once more with new players and creating new playing styles for veteran and returning players.

Riot Games developers have assured players that the change won’t be overly disruptive. League of Legends pro players and streamers who’ve had the opportunity to try it for themselves have given mixed feedback. One thing already seems certain, however: No amount of testing by developers or current and former pros can compare to the swarm of players of various skill levels who will soon be playing with and against the new control scheme.