Season 40 dropped on March 11 with Patch 2.1.61, and the matchmaking is already chaotic. Every season reset compresses players from different skill brackets into the same lobbies, so those harder-than-usual games are not a coincidence. These solo queue tips for Season 40 cover every role in MLBB, from what your actual job is in each lane to which heroes give you the best shot at carrying without any coordination from your team.
#Why Season 40 Starts Rough
The reset moved Mythic and above down to Epic 2, Legend players dropped to Epic, and Epic players fell to Grandmaster. That means the first two to three weeks are full of former Mythic players in your lobbies grinding back up.
Two adjustments help you survive this phase. Play during off-peak hours: the 6:00-10:00 AM window has consistently more serious players than prime-time evenings, where the pool fills with people playing on tilt or casually. And play your best two to three heroes. This is not the time to experiment with new roles or hero pools.
#The One Rule That Applies to Every Role
Kills do not win games. Objectives do.
Players stuck in the same rank for multiple seasons almost always share the same habit: chasing kills off objective timers. You eliminate someone in the side lane, then follow the fight instead of walking to Turtle. The kill was worth one gold advantage. Turtle was worth a team-wide buff and map pressure.
Train yourself to ask one question after every fight: "What objective can I reach right now?" If the answer is Turtle or a turret, walk there immediately regardless of how many kills you just got.
#EXP Lane Solo Queue Tips for Season 40
Your first priority is reaching level 4 before the first Turtle spawns at 2:00. The EXP laner who hits level 4 first has a decisive edge in the early river fight. If you're behind in level when Turtle spawns, do not force it. Defend your turret and contest the next one.
Best EXP lane heroes to climb with in Season 40:
- Sora - The strongest EXP laner in Patch 2.1.61. His Thunder form wins most level 1-3 trades, and his Cloud form ultimate is one of the highest-impact teamfight tools in the current meta.
- Yu Zhong - Consistent across almost every patch. Lifesteal makes him hard to burst in solo duels, and his Dragon Form delivers reliable crowd control without needing immediate follow-up from teammates.
- Phoveus - The right pick when you see two or more mobility heroes in the enemy draft. Against Sora, Lancelot, or Benedetta, his passive turns their dashes into punishments.
- Hilda - Bush regeneration keeps her topped up without relying on a roamer or support. She survives the chaotic early lane swaps that solo queue produces.
Your late-game job shifts to side pressure. When your team groups for Lord, push from the side with a wave crashing into the enemy turret behind you, not standing with the main group.
#Gold Lane Solo Queue Tips for Season 40
You are the primary damage output in the second half of the game, and the trap most Gold Laners fall into is trading aggressively before items. You need your first core item plus boots before committing to fights. Every death before that power spike delays your scaling by 60 to 90 seconds.
Best Gold Lane heroes to climb with:
- Brody - High damage from range through his stacking passive. Each stack amplifies his burst, so patient positioning rewards you far more than constant aggression. For a similar carry marksman approach, the Granger build guide covers the same philosophy of punishing extended enemies.
- Beatrix - Flexible across all four weapons. In solo queue, use Nibiru rifle for poke or Bennett shotgun for close-range burst. Enemies who learn to kite one weapon get punished when you switch.
- Claude - Slower early game but one of the strongest teamfight carries at 15+ minutes. His Dual Seasons ultimate combined with passive stacks can reverse a losing teamfight on its own.
If you want to check current marksman rankings, filter the MLBB tier list by win rate at Mythic, not pick rate. High pick rate means trending. High win rate means actually effective.
#Mid Lane Solo Queue Tips for Season 40
Patch 2.1.61 adjusted mana costs and attributes for most mages to normalize their average power level. The result is a more balanced mid lane pool, which means raw burst damage matters less and your rotation habits matter more.
Your clearing speed is what unlocks the rest of the map. If you can clear the mid wave in under 10 seconds, you have a rotation window to river or toward whichever side lane is pressured. If you're always tied up farming, you're a fifth player standing somewhere on the map contributing nothing to your team's objectives.
Best Mid Lane heroes to climb with:
- Zhuxin - Still the strongest mid laner despite the mana adjustments. Her zone control in teamfights is valuable even if burst numbers came down slightly from earlier patches.
- Kadita - Better than her reputation in solo queue because her kit is self-contained. You don't need follow-up CC from teammates to land kills, which matters enormously when your team is uncoordinated.
- Aurora - The mana adjustments in 2.1.61 actually improved her consistency mid-game. Her freeze chain (S1 passive proc, then S2, then S1 again) deletes one target completely if you land it cleanly.
#Jungle Solo Queue Tips for Season 40
Jungle is the highest-variance role in solo queue because your impact depends on whether your team converts your setups. You can land a perfect gank on the enemy Gold Laner and your marksman might keep farming instead of following up.
Reduce that variance by playing around objectives, not kills. Clear your buff camps efficiently, path toward Turtle at 1:45, and use ganks to push waves toward enemy turrets rather than to pad kill scores.
Best Jungle heroes to climb with:
- Fredrinn - Durable enough to contest neutral objectives even if your team is occupied elsewhere. His damage scales from absorbing hits, which means the disorganized teamfights common in solo queue actually benefit him.
- Julian - High solo-carry potential with a self-contained combo that doesn't require teammate follow-up. His enhanced skill chains give him both burst and sustain in one kit.
- Hayabusa - The safest jungler for climbing because he can disengage from bad situations with S2. In solo queue you will frequently start a gank and find yourself alone. Hayabusa survives that. Many junglers don't.
After securing Turtle, immediately rotate to the side lane that's pushed toward the enemy tower. That wave crashes into their turret for free damage, and in most solo queue games that opportunity gets wasted while everyone stands mid doing nothing.
#Roam Solo Queue Tips for Season 40
Roam is underrated for climbing solo because most players associate it with low damage and passive play. In reality, a good roamer controls the tempo of every rotation. You set the pace the entire team plays at.
The most common mistake solo-queue roamers make is over-committing to ganks. You enter a lane, the gank fails, you die, and your team loses map control while you respawn. Short ganks work better: threaten the enemy, burn their mobility skill or escape cooldown, then leave whether you got the kill or not. Burning a 10-second cooldown on an enemy assassin is still a win for the next trade.
Best Roam heroes to climb with:
- Marcel - The new hero in Season 40 has one of the strongest CC toolkits in the current patch. Expect bans at higher brackets. If he's open in draft, take him.
- Minotaur - His Minoan Fury ultimate can flip teamfights when you wait for three or more enemies to clump. Do not use it early because it's charged. Wait for the right cluster.
- Mathilda - Best for players who want to influence all three lanes. Her S1 covers large distances and the immunity dash she grants an ally saves fed Gold Laners caught out of position.
When roaming in solo queue, communicate with pings only. You don't need voice. "On my way" ping to the lane you're visiting, then "Retreat" ping if the enemy has too much HP to convert. Players follow pings far more reliably than they follow positioning signals alone.
#Universal Macro Rules for Season 40 Solo Queue
These apply regardless of which role you play:
- Push the wave before rotating. Leaving a wave behind you means losing gold every 30 seconds and giving the enemy room to reset safely.
- Arrive at objectives early, not on time. If Turtle spawns at 2:00 and you reach river exactly at 2:00, the enemy already has vision and bush angles covered. Get there at 1:45.
- Do not chase kills into enemy territory after a won fight. Convert momentum into a turret or the next objective. Games that feel won flip when teams over-extend after a good fight.
- Stop after two consecutive losses. Ranked on tilt produces the same result every time: a third and fourth loss. Log off, reset, come back fresh.
The Season 40 meta on Patch 2.1.61 rewards objective-focused play over constant fighting. Build that mindset into your role and you're already making better decisions than most players at your current rank. Use the counter finder and the draft assistant before queuing to sharpen hero selection against specific matchups.
#Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best role for climbing solo queue in Season 40? EXP lane and jungle give the most direct carry potential because both can contest objectives independently. Mid lane is strong if you can rotate early and consistently. Gold lane has the highest ceiling but depends more on your roamer creating safe lane conditions.
What rank does Season 40 reset to? Mythic and above resets to Epic 2. Legend resets to Epic. Epic drops to Grandmaster. The first two weeks are the hardest because former Mythic players are grinding back through your bracket.
How do I break a losing streak in ranked? Two consecutive losses means stop playing. Tilted players make aggressive calls, skip wave management, and ignore pings. The break costs you nothing; the third or fourth tilt loss costs two to three stars.
How many heroes should I main in solo queue? Two to three heroes per role. Enough to have a backup if your first pick is banned, but not so many that you're playing unfamiliar matchups under ranked pressure. Muscle memory beats versatility in solo queue.
Is mid lane harder in Season 40 after the mage changes? The mana adjustments made mid lane more forgiving for players who struggled with mana issues in previous patches. The core skill requirement didn't change: clear fast, rotate often, and land your CC in teamfights.
