Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) features a more simplistic way of playing multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games. For a beginner, this means choosing Heroes that suit your playstyle and which build (set of items/equipment) to use during the match. Of course, some improvisation can be done if you think the items do not have the effect(s) you want during the match. But, for the most part, MLBB is very friendly for beginners.
Case in point, I used to play MOBA games back when it was relatively new. But, having to think of builds and different sets of builds per match drained too much of my gaming experience with MOBAs. Upon playing MLBB for the first time, I immediately fell in love with it. It still has that “think-of-my-best-build” aspect of MOBA but with a more streamlined approach: presets. Having this feature plays a big role in the game. Since Heroes have different builds and each build is catered to specific gameplay, the preset feature alleviates the necessary thinking for builds for players to just enjoy the game, even on a casual level (myself included).
For this article, I will list down 6 Heroes that are beginner-friendly. Please note that the skill ceiling for the Heroes listed here will vary as you go up the ranks. At best, these Heroes are about high to low tier (A-C). I will not recommend builds since I experiment with the presets. However, I will mention what kind of build(s) they usually have.
Layla (Marksman)
Layla is the most beginner-friendly of all the starting Heroes once you open MLBB for the first time. The tutorial mode is learning how to use her. I spent a lot of time learning and using Layla, even in Ranked games, with a 66% win rate. Her builds focus on getting easy kills through increased attack speed and upping her damage output and critical damage percentage. Her abilities are so simple that it does not require much to think about them, but there is one fatal flaw that I will mention later. Her Ultimate – Destruction Rush – is the strongest among the beginner-friendly Heroes, giving her a permanent sight range increase for every upgrade for the duration of the match. It is very beneficial for destroying turrets beyond their firing range. When positioned properly, this is also a good crowd control (CC) ability.
However, she is a very slow character. Even then, she must be played at long ranges so some peeking at the minimap is also essential.
Her Skill 1, Malefic Bomb, is almost always used in tandem after using her Skill 2 (Void Projectile) because Skill 2 slows her enemies down, and Skill 1 does a decent amount of damage when it hits its target. Skill 2 is also a CC skill. In extremely situational cases, Skill 2 can be used so Layla can run away from a risky duel. In any case, Skill 2 should be the first skill to be chosen as the match starts. Yet, even with these specialized skills, Layla is limited in her options.
Saber (Assassin)
Another Hero I have a high win percentage (60%) is Saber. Primarily a Jungler (one who farms neutral monsters for XP, gold, and some buffs) with high burst damage, Saber can be good late in the game. His Skill 1 (Orbiting Swords) deals a good amount of damage while doing Physical Defense reduction to enemies due to its synergy with his Passive skill (Enemy’s Bane). Thus, this skill must be chosen first as the match starts.
His Skill 2 (Charge) can either be used as an attacking skill that does Physical Damage or as an escape. Very useful for engagements late in the game.
While his Ultimate skill, Triple Sweep, is good, it only targets one player and has no invulnerable state. This means that Saber can be killed even as he does his ultimate.
The usual builds for Saber revolve around dealing damage per second (DPS), the same as Layla. But having items that are for jungling will help when using Saber. For his stock jungler build, the Raptor Machete is the key item that deals extra physical damage and physical penetration in addition to dealing extra 50 damage to monsters. Very useful for jungling.
Zilong (Fighter)
I have less experience with Zilong but have a 45% win rate. What I can say about this Hero is that his Skill 1 (Spear Flip) is powerful. I have encountered a lot of skilled Zilong players who use Skill 1 and then use Skill 2 (Spear Strike) afterward for tons of damage or the opposite order to get close to the enemies when Zilong is afar. He is very irritating when he’s your enemy but useful when you know how to use him. His Ultimate (Supreme Warrior) gives Zilong movement and attack speed bonus and slow immunity for seven seconds. His build is identical to Saber but if your team already has a Saber, focus on the DPS build. Beginners will like Zilong’s straightforward gameplay, which is the same principle as Layla’s. If you do not want long-range battles, Zilong is your best pick.
Nana (Support/Mage)
I primarily use Nana as a Support Hero, but her skills and role overlap with the Mage. Her team buff build gives Unique Passive skills through the Demon Shoes item, which has particular traits depending on who equips it. For Nana, the Demon Shoes will have four Unique Passives: Mysticism, Devotion, Thriving, and Blessing.
Thriving and Blessing are gold buffs for the teammate with the least amount of gold or Nana if she has the lowest gold in the team.
Devotion negates reductions to nearby allies by forfeiting gold and XP gained from creeps and minions. This activates for the first 8 minutes. Mysticism recovers 10% of max mana from kills or assists on Heroes and 4% of max mana on minions. I racked up assists with Nana using her Skill 1 (Magic Boomerang), which essentially pokes enemies within range. Her Skill 2 (Molina Smooch) transforms a targeted opponent into a cute creature, giving them temporary reductions to movement speed and magic defense. Her Ultimate – Molina Blitz – attacks an area three times, dealing magic damage and slowing enemies caught in it for 1 second. Essentially a great partner to any hard-hitting Hero.
Tigreal (Tank/Support)
Tigreal is another hybrid Hero, but I mainly use him as a tank (defensive specialist that helps the team to push forward or defend back). One of his preset builds, Durable, focuses on Physical and Magic Defense bonuses in addition to HP. His Skill 1, Attack Wave, catches opponents within its range and slows them for up to 30%. Skill 2, Sacred Hammer, is probably his powerful ability. It makes Tigreal charge in a specified direction, and when you activate the skill again within 4 seconds, Tigreal will launch his opponent in the air. It does Physical Damage as well. Very good CC skill. I recommend getting this as a starting skill.
Experienced Tigreal users find his Ultimate, Implosion, to be great. For beginners, however, getting used to it will be confusing at first attempts to know what it does (pulling enemies towards him and dealing Physical Damage while also stunning them). Focusing on his Skills will be very useful for beginners who want to pick up Tigreal. I got as many as 17 Assists with Tigreal because of his Skills alone.
Eudora (Mage)
Eudora is probably the strangest pick in the Hero pool I have currently in MLBB. I’ve tried Alice (considered high tier and has an overlapping role with Tank) but did not gel with her despite a relatively easy learning curve. Nana could do the stuff Eudora does if being a Support is not a priority. So, Eudora is for a specific role that has little to no overlap with the other roles. Her preset builds are near-identical with Nana, but I use Eudora for the late-game heroics. Despite the build, I get assists and some eliminations from helping my team in the early game.
Skill 1 – Forked Lightning – will probably be the first Skill to pick as it can be a great poking tool and has a wide range. Her Skill 2, Ball of Lightning, stuns her target opponent and deals Magic Damage in addition to Magic Defense reduction. This is a good lockdown skill when paired with CC skills. Her Ultimate, Thunder’s Wrath, deals massive Magic Damage to a targeted opponent while also dealing additional damage if the enemy is affected by her Superconductor Passive ability.
Beginners can easily pick up Eudora as their first Mage.
And there you have it—the best Heroes to pick for beginners in MLBB. I’ve mentioned how much I spent time with them and have interesting results from win rate to racking up Assists for the team. While my gameplay is very passive, which explains why I’m satisfied with Assists, it never hurts to go aggressive and get some eliminations. That way, pushing toward the enemy turrets will be easier.
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