Legend Bowl Tips: Everything You Need to Know

Indie football title Legend Bowl released on consoles earlier this week. If you already have, or are thinking of buying this game, don’t be fooled by its 2-D style. The gameplay in Legend Bowl can be very difficult, especially at first. There are several mechanics and systems you will need to learn in order to be successful in the game. Here are some tips to help you get started in Legend Bowl.

Legend Bowl Tips: Everything You Need to Know

Player Ratings

Success in Legend Bowl begins before you even step on the field. In this game, your player’s performance is heavily influenced by their ratings. There are five ratings for each player that go into determining their overall rating:

• Skill (SKL): This rating is probably the most important of the five. For QBs, this skill will affect how fast the passing meter goes and how accurate their passes are. For kickers, this rating determines how fast the kicking meter and arrow move. At other positions, this rating can affect things like catching, defender awareness, and tackling and blocking effectiveness.
• Agility (AGI): This rating affects how fast a player can change directions and how fast they can get up after being knocked down. This also affects QB accuracy when on the run.
• Speed (SPD): This rating is pretty self-explanatory. This rating affects max player speed. It also impacts the likelihood that an AI QB will try and scramble.
• Strength (STR): This rating impacts throw power, kick power, tackling, blocking, and how likely a defender is to lay a big hit.
• Stamina (STM): This rating determines how much stamina a player has at the start of a game and how quickly it regenerates.

It is important to study your team’s ratings and know what your strengths and weaknesses are. If you are struggling with a certain area of the gameplay, you should try picking a team with players who are highly rated in that area. You should also align your strategy with what your team excels at.

It is also important to study the ratings of your opponent’s players. This will give you an idea of what they may try and do during the game. For example, if they have a running back with 90+ skill, they are likely going to try and pound the running game. However, if they have a star QB, they will probably air it out more often. This information allows you to tailor your play calling to what your opponent is more likely to do.

Pre-Snap

Speaking of play calling, that is another area where you can outsmart your opponent before the play even begins. Defensivley, you will need to make sure you match your personnel to what the offense has on the field. In the defensive play calling screen, if you wait a few seconds before picking your play, the offensive personnel will show up.

If the offense comes out with two or fewer WRs, then it is a good idea to use a base formation like 4-3 or 3-4. When the offense has three or more WRs, try using a formation like Nickel or Dime. These formations swap our linebackers for the faster DBs which can keep up with WRs in coverage better. Also, if you are using Ask Coach for defensive play calling, the formation is displayed at the top of the play call box.

On offense, once you’ve called your play, take a few seconds to survey the defense. Try and see if there is anything about how they are lined up that gives away what they are trying to do. Are they trying to stop the run with a lot of players set up near the line of scrimmage, or are they mostly backed off into coverage to stop the pass? Also, don’t be afraid to audible if you don’t like how your play matches up with what the defense is showing. Audibling in Legend Bowl is probably more useful than any other football game I have ever played.

Another pre-snap adjustment you can make to figure out what the defense is doing is motion. If a play has pre-snap motion, it’ll be shown in bright blue dash marks. Pressing the motion button will move these players along these lines to the new position. If a defensive player follows your player to their new position, then the defense is likely in man coverage. If the defense stays put, they are likely running zone coverage.

Offensive Tips

When passing the ball, the biggest thing to learn is how to use the passing meter. To throw the ball, hold the button of the receiver you want to throw to. This will cause the passing meter to show up and being to fill. Once you release the button, your QB will throw the ball.

The passing meter determines what kind of pass you’ll throw. If you fill the meter only a little bit, you will throw a lob pass. This pass goes high over the defense but moves slower and allows the defense time to react. Throwing the ball when the meter is about half full will throw a standard pass. This pass moves faster but doesn’t go as high. This makes it easier to be swatted down at the line of scrimmage. Holding the button until the meter is all the way full will let you throw a bullet pass. These are hard to swat down because of how fast they move.

The problem with bullet passes is that you are more likely to over charge the passing meter. This causes an accuracy penalty and can lead to incompletion and interceptions. The more you overcharge your passing meter, the worse the penalty. Over charging the passing meter can be turned off by turning QB Assist on in the settings menu. This prevents over charging, but also caps the passing meter at 75% power. This prevents you from being able to throw bullet passes in general.

When running the ball, make sure you check the play art to see where your blockers are going to go. You will need to try and follow your blockers along the designed path as much as possible. If you try to bounce every run to the outside, you’ll be left out to dry and tackled for a loss.

When running with the ball, you can tap the X button on PlayStation to get a speed boost. This will deplete your stamina. If your stamina fully depletes, you’ll be gassed and more likely to fumble. You can also hold the X button to charge your player. You will move slower, but be less likely to fumble.

Kicking

Kicking is probably the most difficult part of Legend Bowl. It can take a while to get the hang out it. If you are struggling, make sure to use Practice Mode to get some reps in.

Kicking works very similarly to passing. The kicking arrow moves back and forth across the screen. Your kicker’s skill rating determines how quickly the arrow moves. You can stop the arrow by holding the X button, which will cause the kicking meter to begin to fill. Like the passing meter, if you overfill the kicking meter, you will get an accuracy penalty. Kick assist can be turned on in the settings to remove overfilling the meter, but it will cap kicking power at 75%.

The ball will initially travel in the direction the kicking arrow is pointing when you stop it. It is best to stop it in between the hash marks on the field. However, the speed and direction of the wind can significantly change the trajectory of the ball. Make sure you take not of the wind before deciding where to stop the kicking arrow.

Settings

There are a wide variety of settings in Legend Bowl. Once you’ve completed the tutorial, it is a good idea to go into the settings and configure the game to your liking. This will lead to a much better experience.

One particular setting you will want to take note of if you are playing on consoles is the new Speed Multiplier settings under the Gameplay Settings. This setting adjusts the speed of the players on the field. If you feel like your players are moving too slowly, try bumping this multiplier up until the game moves at a speed you are comfortable with. This is probably the most important setting for you to get right in order to enjoy Legend Bowl.

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