Champions in League of Legends cost between 225 and 3150 Blue Essence (BE) in the store. You earn BE for free through the Battle Pass, or you can pay Riot Points (RP). New players also receive 6 free champions in their first week just by playing.
Free Champions You Get Without Spending Anything
New accounts get a significant head start through two systems:
Level 2 — Pick Your First Champion
When you hit level 2, you choose one champion to keep permanently: Brand, Darius, Lux, Master Yi, or Miss Fortune.
Daily Play Rewards (Days 1–7)
Playing one game per day during your first week unlocks one free champion per day across five roles:
| Day | Role | Pick One | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marksman | Caitlyn, Ezreal, or Tristana | Hextech Chest |
| 2 | Fighter | Garen, Illaoi, or Riven | Hextech Key |
| 3 | Mage | Seraphine, Morgana, or Ziggs | 3-day XP Boost + Chest |
| 4 | Support | Nami, Sona, or Thresh | Hextech Key |
| 5 | Assassin | Ekko, Fizz, or Talon | Hextech Chest |
| 6 | — | — | 6,300 BE |
| 7 | — | — | Waterloo Miss Fortune skin shard + 500 BE |
That's 6 permanent champions (including your Level 2 pick) plus 6,800 BE — enough to buy several more — all within your first week.
Champion Shards from Leveling (Levels 11–29)
As you level up, you receive champion shards at specific milestones. These can be upgraded at a 40% discount or disenchanted for BE:
| Level | Shard(s) |
|---|---|
| 11 | One 675 BE champion shard |
| 15 | One 2,400 BE champion shard |
| 18 | Two 675 BE champion shards |
| 20 | One 2,400 BE champion shard |
| 22 | One 1,575 BE champion shard |
| 25 | One 2,400 BE champion shard |
| 27 | One 1,575 + one 225 BE shard |
| 29 | One 1,575 + one 225 BE shard |
The Free Weekly Rotation
20 champions (about 10% of the 172-champion roster) are free to play each week. The rotation changes every patch cycle. New champions join the free rotation on the third week after their release.
There are actually two rotations:
- New Player Rotation (levels 1–10): a fixed set of beginner-friendly champions
- Standard Rotation (level 11+): the regular weekly rotation of 20–21 champions
Use the rotation to try champions before buying. If one fits your playstyle and you have a shard for them, upgrade it for a 40% discount over the store price.
Where Blue Essence Comes From
Blue Essence is the free path to unlocking champions. The primary source is the free Battle Pass track, which awards 9,000 BE per season plus Champion Capsules you can open for shards. After the main track, Epilogue milestones give 750 BE every three milestones, repeating forever.
For a full breakdown of every BE source, shard values, and spending priorities, see our Blue Essence guide.
The key efficiency tip: always upgrade champion shards instead of buying from the store. Upgrading costs 60% of the store price — you save 40% every time.
Champion Price Tiers
Champions range from 225 to 3150 BE. Most of the roster falls in the lower tiers, so building a solid champion pool is cheaper than it looks:
| BE Cost | Champions | Upgrade Cost (with shard) |
|---|---|---|
| 225 | 23 | 135 |
| 675 | 32 | 405 |
| 1234 | 1 | 740 |
| 1575 | 47 | 945 |
| 1618 | 1 | 970 |
| 2400 | 63 | 1440 |
| 3150 | 5 | 1890 |
New champions release at the highest price tier and get reduced over time as more champions are added. For the full champion list with prices and release dates, see champions by release date.
Buying Champions with Riot Points
If you'd rather skip the grind, champions can be purchased with Riot Points (RP), which cost real money. RP prices range from 260 RP (cheapest champions) to 975 RP (newest champions).
One alternative: buying the premium Battle Pass (~1,650 RP) gives you more rewards per milestone, including additional Champion Capsules. If you play regularly, the pass generates more champion value than buying individual champions with the same RP.
How Long Does It Take to Unlock All 172 Champions?
With 172 champions across all price tiers, the total BE cost for the full roster is roughly 350,000–400,000 BE. At ~9,000 BE per Battle Pass season plus capsule shards and Epilogue grinding, unlocking everything takes multiple seasons of regular play.
The realistic approach: focus on 3–5 champions per role rather than collecting everything. The full champion roster keeps growing, and you'll get more value from mastering a smaller pool than spreading thin across dozens.
