Riot Games changing champion prices, and Jhin loves it

Nicholas James Published 24/02/2023

Champions are the most central concept to League of Legends since each champion is a unique character for players to choose from when it comes to gameplay and lore. So it’s huge news that Riot Games is changing all the champion prices.

The rate at which champions are released has varied greatly over League of Legends’ lifespan. In the very beginning, Riot Games would release a new champion every two weeks. That meant that with every patch, a new face would find its way onto Summoner’s Rift. This has long since been rolled back, with each year bringing three to four entirely new champions and a few reworks and updates nowadays.

Riot Games recently announced that in order to better match its current release schedule it would be readjusting all the champion prices.

Riot Games changes all champion prices

In a recent post titled Champion Pricing Update on the official League of Legends website, Riot Games announced that it was taking a new approach to the cost of acquiring new characters. Champions are earned with Blue Essence or BE. Blue Essence is the unpaid in-game currency for League of Legends. It can be used to purchase icons, name changes, champions, and more. This is separate from Riot Points, or RP, the paid-only currency that allows players to unlock skins as well as items also available for BE.

The reductions to champion pricing will focus on how long a champion has been available for. Previously, pricing was based on brackets of champions, each of whom took a step down in the pricing order the when new champions arrived. There will now be seven different brackets of pricing for champions with the new update.

450 BE/260 RP – Champions suited for new players. They’ll have a strong thematic and easy-to-grasp abilities. For example: Malphite, Miss Fortune, Yuumi.
1350 BE/585 RP – Champions that are more complicated than the lowest tier, but still playable for new players. These champions will be more difficult than the 450 BE champions, but still keep new players on the path to progress. For example: Yasuo, Lucian, Sett.
3150 BE/790 RP – These champions will be more specialized and unique in their play pattern and thematic, allowing new players to figure out what subcategories of the game they enjoy most. For example: Leblanc, Shaco, Yorick.
4444 BE/880 RP – This is a tier uniquely for Jhin, whose obsession with the number four has now reached its peak. This as much an in-joke about Jhin as it is a legitimate pricing decision.
4800 BE/880 RP – This tier is where most champions will live, the vast majority of League of Legends’ roster will sit here.
6300 BE/975 RP – Champions that have been published in the past two years, rotating to 4800 BE/880 RP at the start of their third season.
7800/975 RP – Only champions in their first two weeks of being played will live at this tier. This is as much a way of preventing BE inflation among experienced players as it is a pricing decision about accessibility.

These changes will arrive in Patch 13.5, saving fans a total of 140,606 BE from current prices.

Nicholas James

About Nicholas James

Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.

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