What does AoE mean in esports?

20 Feb

Ryan Antony Bernard

In the world of online games, there are specific terms that you may have come across. One such term is AoE, and if you haven't heard of it or don't know what it means (noob), then this is for you! This term is an essential part of esports due to it's wide range of uses and is aesthetically pleasing to watch.

Area of Effect (AoE)

AoE Spell casting in League of Legends
Credit: Riot Games

From firestorms falling from the sky to healing a group of allies, you would have seen it in esports or while playing the games. A spell or an attack that affects opponents or your team in a targetted area is known as an "Area of Effect" or AoE.

The term AoE has been around since the dawn of online games, such as Ultima Online, QuakeWorld, and StarCraft, revolutionizing the world of fantasy gaming altogether.

AoE and Splash Damage\Split Damage

While AoE spells or attacks affect all characters in a specific area, splash damage would affect the target and other characters that are near them in a small area.

Whereas split damage is an overall set amount of damage that is shared by the target with their allies, and they don't necessarily need to be in range of each other. But this varies with different spells and games.

An example of split damage is the Arcane Missiles card in Hearthstone, which deals 3 damage among random enemies.

AoE and Global Spells

The Queen of Pain uses Sonic wave to push back enemies in front of her.
Credit: Valve

Global abilities can be skills or buffs, depending on the type of effect it has. The word 'Global' means that the particular skill would damage all enemies as long as they are on the same map or are detected by the caster regardless of the distance between them. The only requirement for these spells or buffs to affect the targets is that they are alive.

Thundergod's Wrath, cast by Zeus in Dota 2, is an accurate example of Global spells.

AoE in Esports

Hitting the right combination of skills by teams in esports tournaments makes the crowd go wild. Now that gaming and esports have become mainstream over the years, AoE skills have creatively expanded in all genres.

MOBA

Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas or MOBAs such as League of Legends or Dota 2 are very AoE dependent. Most character abilities in these games are AoE spells which disable or deal high damage to your opponent, mainly during team fights. Chaining spells is a common occurrence in these games.

FPS

Omen's Paranoia disrupts enemy's vision
Credit: gamepressure.com

First Person Shooters or FPS such as Counter-Strike and Call of Duty do not have AoE 'skills' per se, but they come in the form of utilities, such as smoke grenades and calling in Airstrikes to zone out the enemy or stop them in their tracks.

S1mple Has Returned! Get ready for those No-scopes!

But now, FPS games have evolved from needing fast reactions and good accuracy to also having abilities that are crucial to winning the battle.

Valorant, Rainbow 6 Siege, and Overwatch are modern FPS games that use a variety of AoE abilities to disrupt the enemy's formation or trap them. These abilities are unique to the character you pick, so choosing characters with abilities that complement your teammates is viable.

RTS

Real-time Strategy or RTS games, such as StartCraft II, depend on AoE abilities to defend your base from the enemy units or to siege and destroy the enemy's structures. StartCraft II has a considerable amount of AoE and Splash damage spells that play a significant role in the late game due to the large number of units.

Trading Cards

hoosing-your-first-deck-a-beginners-journey-in-hearthstone

The Trading Cards genre, which started with Magic: The Gathering in the '90s, has seen many other games that did not stick around. But a handful has stayed to become an esport, like Hearthstone. In Hearthstone, the AoE cards are specific to the type of characters they affect such as "enemy minions", "all minions", etc, sometimes dealing damage to even friendly units.

Want to learn Hearthstone? Here's a Beginner's Guide to building your first deck!

Types of AoE Spells

Magnus Uses Reverse Polarity to pull nearby enemies toward him and stuns them.
Credit : Valve

AoE Damage Spells: These spells deal high amounts of damage to clear large numbers of units or strike fear into the enemy.
AoE Healing Spells: When your allies are taking damage from the enemy, healing them will help prolong their lives long enough to counter the enemy or help them escape.
AoE Buffs/Debuffs: Providing your allies with additional defense or attack speed can help them gain an edge over the enemy. On the other hand, reducing the enemy's defence or slowing their movement speed will put them in a dangerous position.
AoE Crowd Control: These spells disable the enemy to control them while your team capitalizes or escapes, depending on the situation.

Area of Effect spells has affected the world of esports and gaming altogether. But using them promptly and coordinating with your team is essential to winning your games. Now that you know about AoE and its uses, are you closeer to being a better player?

Featured Image: Valve