As I was watching the NPL games, something interesting stood out: both teams’ experience laners consistently purchase roaming boots after the 8-minute mark. It was almost like clockwork—when the clock struck 8, roaming boots appeared on both sides without hesitation. This piqued my curiosity, prompting me to play over 30 games to test this strategy for myself. What I discovered was quite intriguing, and I’m here to share the insights with you, along with some myths surrounding this tactic.

The Mechanism Behind Roaming Boots

In professional gameplay, experience laners opt for roaming boots to unlock a second roaming skill. Typically, the roamer will grab Conceal for sneaky ganks, while the experience laner picks up Encourage, which boosts the attack stats and attack speed of nearby teammates. This gives their team a significant edge in team fights.

Timing Is Key: Why After 8 Minutes?

Before the 8-minute mark, farming minions near the enemy turret incurs a penalty—players cannot gain any gold or experience from these minions. However, once the clock hits 8 minutes, that penalty is lifted, allowing experience laners to farm without restrictions. The pros wisely wait until after the 8-minute mark to grab their roaming boots, ensuring they don't miss out on valuable resources if their teammates decide to visit their lane.

Unlocking the Roaming Skill

Normally, roamers need 600 RoR gold to unlock their roaming skill, which they gain automatically every 4.96 seconds because they usually have the lowest gold on the team. Once they accumulate 600 gold, their skill is unlocked. For experience laners, however, who generally have more gold than the roamer, unlocking this skill is a different story. The key to unlocking the skill lies in assists.

As an experience laner, you can rack up assists, which increases your RoR gold. For example, while using the roaming boots as an experience laner, I noticed that I wasn’t gaining any RoR gold initially. But as soon as I secured an assist, my RoR gold increased significantly. It’s important to note that only assists contribute to unlocking this skill—kills do not affect RoR gold.

Addressing Common Questions

Here are some common questions and misconceptions surrounding this strategy:

1. Will buying roaming boots delay my RoR in unlocking their skill?

   • No, purchasing roaming boots won’t affect your RoR. The only way it could is if you perform poorly and become the lowest gold holder on your team, which would lead to stealing the bonus gold and experience meant for the roamer.

2. How long does it take to unlock the skill?

   • This varies depending on the game and how often you can secure assists. RoR gold only starts accumulating after the 8-minute mark. In my experience from 30 games, I only managed to unlock it a few times before the game concluded.

3. How much do roaming boots cost?

   • Roaming boots are effectively free when you already possess boots. They can be upgraded without any cost in gold.

4. Will I receive extra experience and gold from assists after 8 minutes?

   • Contrary to common belief, players do not receive bonus rewards from assists after the 8-minute mark. The only goal post-8 minutes is unlocking the roaming skill.

5. Can I intentionally stop farming to unlock my skill?

   • While you can do this, it would place you at a disadvantage. It’s better to continue normal gameplay and hope assists come naturally.

Conclusion: Is This Strategy Worth Trying?

This strategy isn’t exclusive to experience laners. Other roles, like gold laners, have also been seen purchasing roaming boots to unlock their skills through assists. While this strategy can be beneficial, it doesn’t always guarantee success. In my testing, I encountered instances where my RoR gold did not increase despite securing assists. However, I also had games where it worked seamlessly.

In summary, trying out this tactic can be advantageous, especially when combined with effective teamwork. If you manage to unlock the skill, great; if not, no harm done since the roaming boots are free. So the next time you’re in a match, consider buying roaming boots after the 8-minute mark and see how it impacts your team’s performance.

Have you tried this strategy in your games? How did it go? Let me know in the comments! Thank you for reading, and happy gaming!