I live in Australia, but I want to keep playing League of Legends on the European West server because my friends are there, and I would prefer to use my existing account rather than switch regions. The main issue is the high latency between Australia and Europe, which makes the game feel delayed when reacting quickly, landing skillshots, dodging abilities, or playing ranked matches. I understand that the physical distance creates a minimum amount of latency, but I'm wondering whether better routing could improve the experience. What ping do Australian players typically get to EUW? Does Ethernet help compared with Wi-Fi, and can a VPN or gaming-routing service improve a poor ISP route? If so, are locations such as Frankfurt, Amsterdam, or London better choices? Could using a VPN cause account or connection problems? Is EUW reasonably playable from Australia, or would OCE be the more practical option?
3 Answers
EUW may be acceptable for casual games with friends, but that level of latency is likely to feel frustrating in ranked, especially for reaction-based champions. A wired connection can reduce local Wi-Fi interference and jitter, but it won’t meaningfully change the Australia-to-Europe baseline. Playing ranked on OCE while using EUW for social games is probably the most practical compromise.
You should expect roughly 190–240 ms at best, and sometimes more. A VPN or gaming-routing service can help only if your ISP is taking an especially inefficient route through Asia or North America. It cannot overcome the physical distance, so test a service for a month if you’re curious, but don’t expect a dramatic improvement. For consistently responsive gameplay, a nearby server is the only real solution.
The limiting factor is the distance between the regions. Even with an ideal route, the connection will usually be around 200 ms or higher, so there isn’t a setting that can make EUW feel like a local server. Keep EUW for playing casually with your friends, and consider making another account on OCE if you want a smoother ranked experience.
Exactly. A better route might shave off some delay or make the connection steadier, but it won’t turn EUW into a low-ping experience. Trying a gaming VPN is reasonable, as long as you compare the actual in-game ping and stability rather than assuming it will help.