Summary: In League of Legends, inhibitors play an essential role as they allow a team to push through the enemy base with ease. Destroying them unlocks access to the Nexus, the game’s ultimate objective.
1. The Purpose of Inhibitors
Inhibitors are buildings located at the heart of each team’s base in League of Legends. Their primary purpose is to defend the Nexus, the structure at the center of a team’s base. Destroying an inhibitor grants super minions for the attacking team’s corresponding lane for five minutes. Super minions are substantially stronger than regular minions, and they are instrumental in pushing through enemy defenses.
Inhibitors are critical in the game’s meta because they provide a gateway for teams to end the match. It forces defenders to split their resources between defending lanes, and it puts pressure on the enemy team to contest objectives and gain map control. Ultimately, destroying inhibitors unlocks access to the Nexus, which is the game’s ultimate objective.
The nature of inhibitors makes them a valuable and high-priority target, especially during the mid and late game. Team fights and skirmishes often occur around these buildings as they can dictate the course of the game.
2. Inhibitor Spawning Mechanics
Inhibitors spawn at the start of the game and are invulnerable for the first eight minutes. At the eight-minute mark, they become vulnerable, and any team can start attacking them provided they have gained access to the enemy base.
If an inhibitor is destroyed, it will regenerate its structure after five minutes, making it invulnerable again. However, if all three inhibitors of a team are destroyed, Destruction of these structures not only ends with the opening up of the Nexus, but the active spawning of powerful super-minions within each expired inhibitor’s respective base lane. These units inflict heavy damage and can singlehandedly destroy structures, including turrets.
Another thing worth noting is that inhibitors do not regenerate health. Once they have sustained damage, it stays until they are destroyed or repaired after five minutes.
3. Inhibitor Pushing Strategies
Pushing for inhibitors is essential when taking the enemy base. Here are some strategies that teams utilize to push through:
Split Push: Split pushing involves sending one or more team members to push a different lane than the rest of your team. This strategy can lead to confusion and force enemies to make tough decisions, allowing your team to gain an advantage.
Objective Focus: Teams can focus on neutral objectives like dragons or barons and use them as a tool to push through the inhibitor. For example, if the enemy team is preoccupied with stopping a dragon take, it gives enough time for your team to group up and push through the inhibitor.
Teamfight: If your team has a gold or objective advantage, you can initiate a full-on team fight. Winning the team fight allows your team to push through the inhibitor with ease; however, losing the fight can be disastrous as it regenerates the enemy team and wastes precious time.
4. The Importance of Defending Inhibitors
Defending inhibitors is just as important as taking them down. Here’s why:
Map Pressure: Defenders have to constantly monitor their lanes, making sure they have appropriate responses to any enemy pushes. Losing inhibitors can lead to significant map pressure as super minions will start pushing towards your base.
Losing Control: Losing inhibitors puts the team into a defensive position, limiting their ability to push out and gain control of the map. This can lead to the loss of neutral objectives and ultimately, the match itself.
The power of Super Minions: Super minions deal significant damage and require several hits to take down. If left unchecked, they can quickly destroy structures and provide enough distraction for enemy champions to push through your base.
5. Objective Importance
While inhibitors hold significant importance in League of Legends, they are not the only objective on the map. Teams must balance their objective focus, knowing when to push for inhibitors and when to go for other neutral objectives.
Baron Nashor: Baron buffs an entire team, improving its attack damage and ability power, as well as empowering their minion waves. Its buff is temporary but provides a valuable advantage in pushing through the enemy base.
Dragon Elemental Powers: As dragons are continually slain, teams gain stacking buffs that increase their elemental power directly. Like with Baron, these stacks improve with every dragon slain and last until the game ends, meaning the more dragons that are taken, the stronger the team becomes.
Turrets: Turrets defend lanes and hinder any advancing team’s progress. Additionally, they serve as a visible representation of each team’s map dominance, making them important to ensure protection and proper use.
Conclusion:
Inhibitors play an essential role in League of Legends as they provide high-value gateway objectives and access to super minions. Teams must balance their objective focus appropriately, deciding whether to push for inhibitors, go for other neutral objectives, or focus on defending their own base. Understanding the mechanics of inhibitors and how to utilize them can drastically improve a team’s likelihood of winning the game.
