Honor of Kings Beginner Guide
How to start in Season 14 Flow Update (v11.x) \u00b7 International server \u00b7 Updated 2026-04-20T00:00:00+00:00
Quick start \u2014 TL;DR
- Finish the tutorial, then play 3\u20135 AI matches to learn the shop and last-hitting.
- Buy Arthur (Roam) or Arli (Clash Lane) \u2014 both are low-difficulty and free-rotated often.
- Check the tier list before committing coins to a hero \u2014 patch balance shifts every 2\u20133 weeks.
- Rush boots by 2:30, make your 4th item defensive, and rotate for Tyrant / Overlord.
- Switch to Ranked at account level 7; start in Flow mode for shorter games.
What is Honor of Kings?
Honor of Kings (王者荣耀) is Tencent\u2019s 5v5 mobile MOBA, developed by TiMi Studios and published internationally by Level Infinite. It launched in China in 2015 and became the world\u2019s biggest mobile game by revenue. The international server \u2014 a separate build with its own meta and hero release schedule \u2014 launched in June 2024 and is the version this guide covers.
Matches are 15\u201320 minutes, played on a three-lane Summoner\u2019s Rift style map with a jungle between the lanes. You pick one of 112 heroes, spec them with arcana runes, and buy from a pool of 107 items during the match. First team to destroy the enemy Crystal wins.
Honor of Kings is the successor to Arena of Valor (AoV) \u2014 same engine, different roster and updated meta. AoV accounts and progress do not transfer.
The 5 lanes, explained
Clash Lane (top)
Solo lane for tanky fighters. Trade in minion waves, then split-push or rotate down for objectives after 6.
Jungle
No minions. Clear camps, gank lanes, control Tyrant (2:00) and Overlord (\u22488:00). Usually the carry role.
Mid
Mage solo lane. Shove wave \u2192 roam to side lanes or help jungler. Highest burst damage on the map.
Farm (bot)
Marksman lane, shared with Roam support. Stack minions to scale. Main damage source at 20+ minutes.
Roam (support)
No lane farm. Ward the river, protect the Marksman early, and set up kills for Jungle/Mid. Best role for learning macro.
Best first hero per lane
Pick ONE role you enjoy and master one hero before buying more. Rankings below are current for Season 14 Flow Update (v11.x) \u2014 see the full Honor of Kings tier list for the complete meta.
Arli
Forgiving tank fighter with wave clear and built-in sustain. Hard to die on.
Nakroth
Point-and-click gap close. Easiest way to learn jungle rotations and ganking.
Shangguan Wan’er
Long-range poke with a big burst ult. Forgiving because you never need to walk into melee range.
Yao
Shield + heal mode makes her the most survivable marksman to learn positioning on.
Arthur
Simple tank kit, clear engage, teaches vision + rotation without complex mechanics.
Core mechanics to learn first
- Arcana runes (all 27 explained) \u2014 your out-of-match loadout. Start with the "Recommended" preset the game gives you; swap when you level your arcana above 5.
- Summoner spells \u2014 everyone runs Flash. Second spell depends on role: Execute (Mid/Farm), Punish (Jungle), Heal (Farm), Sprint (Roam).
- Recommended build vs. Custom \u2014 long-press the shop tab to see the game\u2019s own suggested build. Follow it for 10\u201320 games, then start deviating based on matchups (see any hero page).
- Jungle buffs \u2014 Red = damage over time + true damage, Blue = CDR + mana regen. Take the opposite-color buff if you don\u2019t need yours.
- Vision \u2014 free Roam Eyes and Visionary Eye wards come from your support item. Place them before objectives, not after a fight starts.
5 mistakes every new player makes
1. Pushing the lane without vision
In HoK the river is the gank highway. If your jungler/mid is missing from minimap for 5+ seconds, back off the wave immediately. Rotate into brushes before committing a fight.
2. Fighting under your own tower
Unlike MLBB, HoK towers do less damage per shot but melt quickly once the first hit lands. Do not dive or get dove at low HP — recall instead.
3. Ignoring the Tyrant and Overlord
Dark Slayer (Tyrant) at 2:00 and Storm Lord (Overlord) around 8:00 give huge team buffs. Track their timers in the top bar and rotate for them.
4. Building pure damage on assassins and fighters
Games end at 15–20 minutes in HoK. Your 4th item should almost always be defensive (Frost Cape, Blade Armor or Shadowy Mask) because enemies hit very hard in late teamfights.
5. Not buying Movement / Roam boots
Boots are cheap (740 gold) and give huge pressure. Rush them by 2:30 on every hero.
Your first 30 games checklist
- Games 1\u20135: Tutorial + AI matches. Learn the shop menu and last-hitting minions.
- Games 6\u201315: Casual 5v5. Pick ONE hero from the list above and stay on them.
- Games 16\u201325: Keep the same hero. Start watching the minimap every 3 seconds. Buy Boots by 2:30 every game.
- Games 26\u201330: Unlock Ranked (account level 7). Play Flow mode first \u2014 shorter games, softer snowball.
- After game 30: Read your hero\u2019s page (/heroes) for matchups and counters. Start tracking 2nd-item flex picks.
Beginner FAQ
Is Honor of Kings good for beginners in 2026?
Yes. Honor of Kings is very beginner-friendly for a MOBA — matches are 15–20 minutes, the tutorial walks you through all 5 lanes, and Honor of Kings: Season 14 Flow Update added a "Flow" matchmaking mode that shortens games and softens snowball. The 112-hero international roster includes clearly-labelled "Easy" difficulty picks like Arthur, Arli and Yao.
Which hero should I play first in Honor of Kings?
Start with a role-safe easy pick: Arthur (Roam), Arli (Clash Lane), Yao (Farm), Nakroth (Jungle) or Shangguan Wan’er (Mid). Each is either free from the weekly rotation or cheap in Fragments, and each teaches one of the 5 lanes without complex mechanics. Check the current tier list before committing coins — patch balance shifts which picks are strongest.
How long does it take to learn Honor of Kings?
Most players finish the tutorial and feel comfortable in casual matches after 5–10 games (≈3 hours). Learning the jungle camp timers, ward spots and the Tyrant/Overlord power spikes takes around 30–50 ranked games. The game has a visible "difficulty" rating per hero — stick to 1–2 star heroes for your first 30 games.
Is Honor of Kings the same as Arena of Valor?
No. Arena of Valor (2016–2024) was the older international release of the same core game. Honor of Kings (international launch June 2024) is a ground-up relaunch with the same engine but a different hero roster, updated meta, and fresh servers. Arena of Valor accounts do not transfer.
How is Honor of Kings different from Mobile Legends?
Shorter matches, bigger hero pool, tighter skill design and faster tempo. We have a full side-by-side breakdown on our Honor of Kings vs Mobile Legends comparison page.
Do I need to spend money to be competitive?
No. Heroes can be bought with Fragments earned by playing. Skins are purely cosmetic — there are no pay-to-win stats. The only time money matters is saving time grinding Fragments.
Next steps
- Honor of Kings tier list \u2014 find the strongest heroes this patch.
- Browse all 112 heroes \u2014 builds, arcana, counters, skills.
- Honor of Kings vs Mobile Legends \u2014 full comparison if you\u2019re coming from MLBB.
- Active redeem codes \u2014 free skin fragments and pearls for new accounts.