win.gg
Win.gg League of Legends Are League of Legends battle passes worth it? Some say no

Are League of Legends battle passes worth it? Some say no

Author Icon
William Davis Published 02/07/2021

Battle passes have been a common way for game developers to include extra in-game content for players while earning money at the same time. This is something Riot Games has taken to using in League of Legends, but the question now is if Riot’s approach is too cheap or maybe even too greedy compared to other big games.

Battle passes have been used in games such as Fortnite, Apex Legends, and many other titles. Players who buy these usually get a lot of value for their money, but some games give way more to players than do others.

How does the LoL battle pass work? 

Just like many other battle passes, the ones in League of Legends can be purchased in the shop during specific events. When unlocked, the battle pass will bring the player exclusive missions that can be completed in-game to gain rewards. The main goal of battle passes is to collect enough tokens to afford a Prestige Edition skin. These skins can be bought in the prestige shop and includes a special gold version of specific skins from the different major events throughout the year. 

Riot has already announced that it will be removing prestige points later this year, so it might seem like the company has something new in-store. For now though, that’s the main goal of the battle pass while receiving other smaller rewards along the way. 

Do the LoL battle passes require too much work compared to the cost?

During an event like the Battle Queens in 2020, it was possible for players with a battle pass to earn emotes, icons, chests, and keys, but also a whole lot of blue and orange essence. These rewards alone aren’t that great, so all focus is on the prestige points and the tokens that can eventually buy more points.  

Rewards bought with tokens are usually better, but it also requires a lot of tokens to get there. During the most recent PROJECT: Bastion event, the cheapest purchases were keys and PROJECT 2021 Orbs. All these are decent rewards, but it always depends on what is inside of these orbs. For a bit extra, players could purchase Chroma’s for PROJECT skins, but these require you to own the related skin. 

For the biggest grinders, it is possible to buy a prestige skin that comes alongside the event for a whopping 2,000 tokens. But it takes a lot of work to get there. For 200 tokens extra, players can buy 100 prestige points directly and shop for the exact Prestige skin they want. 

A battle pass can be purchased for the price of 1,650 RP, which will cost a bit over $10 on the North American server and just over €10 on EUW. For players without any RP on the account, the cheapest way to get 1,650 RP will be $15 or €15. To make the money worthwhile, players have to actually play the game and grind out the missions.   

LoL PROJECT shop

Fortnite shows a different approach to battle passes 

Another game that has heavily utilized the battle pass concept is Fortnite. For every season, Fortnite has had a battle pass. Unlike League of Legends, these battle passes usually stay active for a prolonged period of time. The passes in LoL are available for one or two months while the related events are live. 

Fortnite works with a model where everyone gets the silver tier battle pass for free, with the option to upgrade it through a purchase. The silver pass has fewer rewards while the gold tier costs more but has a ton of rewards along the way. 

The way that battle pass works in Fortnite is that players are rewarded every time they level up in the game. When a new season drops, all player’s levels will be reset and enable players to grind their way up again. With this, players with a battle pass are guaranteed rewards every time they level up. Players will be rewarded with better items as the levels go up, including special rewards at certain level milestones.  

In many ways, the concept of the Fortnite battle passes reminds of League of Legends with the fact that players have to play the game to earn rewards. The big difference is how much value players get for their money in the pass. In LoL, the battle pass events are much shorter than in a game like Fortnite, which does force the most dedicated players to spend money on passes more frequently. In Fortnite, a pass can stretch over many weeks and will guarantee dozens of different rewards for players that grind every day.  

Games like Fortnite also tend to give back currency when completing a battle pass. This gives a big extra reward for the most dedicated players, which is something that isn’t offered in League of Legends. This is a feature that people in the community have recently complained about, as it hurts the value of the battle pass purchase. 

William Davis
About William Davis

View full profile
Read Also
These Are Our Betting Tips for the League Championship Series Week 4 Esports Betting
These Are Our Betting Tips for the League Championship Series Week 4 Ben Boland The 2026 LCS Summer Split is in full swing, with the eight North American squads all vying for a chance to represent the region at this year's World Championship. With Worlds being on home soil, there is more than just a ticket to Worlds at stake. Each series in the regular season carries weight, as the standings will determine their seeding and potentially their fate in the playoffs. Week four ...
Caps To Be Announced As Third Inductee in the LoL Hall of Legends League of Legends
Caps To Be Announced As Third Inductee in the LoL Hall of Legends Hannan Mundia After Faker and Uzi were inducted into the Hall of Legends in 2024 and 2025 respectively, the European League of Legends player Caps will be the next to get the same treatment. League of Legends has been a cornerstone in the professional gaming scene for over a decade. In that time, a handful of players have managed to leave their mark for all future fans and fellow players to learn ...
MLBB is the most-watched game from the EWC, and it’s hard to see another game beating it Esports Betting
MLBB is the most-watched game from the EWC, and it’s hard to see another game beating it Michael Hassall The Esports World Cup 2026 has officially passed its midway point and viewership figures for the tournament have surpassed many expectations so far, as per Esports Charts. The viewership tracking site revealed new statistics for the event on Aug. 6, showcasing just how many games had set new records in viewership, including one name leading the way in views: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. MLBB leads the viewership charts with the ...
LCK 2026 Rounds 3–4 Preview, Schedule, Predictions, and More League of Legends
LCK 2026 Rounds 3–4 Preview, Schedule, Predictions, and More Hannan Mundia 2026 LCK Rounds 3-4 are slated to start soon, and this preview highlights the schedule, our expert predictions, and everything else you need to know before watching. The LCK has been upside down recently. Teams that were considered absolute powerhouses are seemingly falling off, while previous underdogs have been causing upset after upset. 2026 LCK Rounds 3-4 are starting soon, and the big question here is which team will reign ...
LEC 2026 Summer split preview, schedule, predictions, and more League of Legends
LEC 2026 Summer split preview, schedule, predictions, and more Hannan Mundia The 2026 LEC Summer split will be the deciding split to determine which teams can make it to the World Championship, and this preview aims to highlight everything you need to know about it. It isn’t a stretch to say that the LCK and LCP are the only two competitive League of Legends regions actually pulling their weight currently. The LEC did show potential at the start of the year, ...
How is League of Legends Classic different from the modern version? League of Legends
How is League of Legends Classic different from the modern version? Hannan Mundia League Classic brings the classic League of Legends gameplay and design from when the game first came out, but how is it different from the modern version? The modern League of Legends mode is arguably in its best state in terms of popularity, with a study even reporting that playing LoL can improve brain function. Over a decade of gameplay and multiple marketing tactics by Riot Games have bumped up ...
Best Champions for every role in League of Legends Classic mode League of Legends
Best Champions for every role in League of Legends Classic mode Hannan Mundia League Classic sees the return of League of Legends Season 3, but which champions were deemed the best during that time? League of Legends has gone through a lot of changes since it first came out. While the map and item-related changes naturally impacted the game's state, so did the many champion nerfs, buffs, and reworks. Multiple champions played completely differently in Season 3 than they do now. Since League ...