League of Legends is set to introduce WASD movement controls in an upcoming patch, aimed at rejuvenating the game’s fundamental mechanics and enhancing accessibility for conventional PC gamers interested in exploring the MOBA genre.
While players of League will need to wait a bit longer for the feature to become available on the PBE, several esports professionals and prominent streamers, such as Caedrel, had the chance to try it out during MSI 2025 in Canada.
«Kiting becomes significantly easier as an AD carry. If you utilize WASD for movement, you’re already achieving Master to Grandmaster-level spacing,» Caedrel mentioned during a livestream. He elaborated that by holding the A and S keys while right-clicking on enemies, players can control their distance effectively. He also shared that he set his Q ability to the left mouse button, providing insights on how ability keybindings could function with this new movement method.
While AD carries felt «empowered» due to the ease of landing skillshots, the streamer noted that there appeared to be some aim assist associated with player movement. He referred to Ezreal’s EQ combo, where the Prodigal Explorer blinks forward to engage the target, which seemed somewhat scripted.
The developers indicated in their WASD controls blog that they will closely observe this feature to ensure it remains balanced and that neither control method gives an unfair competitive edge. There is even a possibility that it could be removed before arriving on the PBE server.
However, implementing WASD controls also comes with challenges. Caedrel pointed out that since this movement scheme restricts players to eight directions, jungle clearings can take longer than usual. Quick jungle clears are crucial for leveling up and gaining an early lead, meaning that WASD might not be the optimal choice for junglers in its present state. It can also complicate map checking, particularly when using function keys, necessitating players to lock their cameras, which reduces map awareness.
He also proposed that «foot pedals» might be an alternative for players looking to assign a specific button or summoner spell, thereby freeing up more keys on their keyboards. Another suggestion was for the developers to modify WASD controls to integrate more intuitively with the mouse for skill-based characters like Kalista, enhancing directional movement and possibly addressing the slow jungle clear obstacle to improve the overall effectiveness of the new control system.
Caedrel is the owner of the Los Ratones team, featuring experienced members from the League esports community, currently competing in the NLC and EUM tournaments.
