This guide explains how Mobile Legends works, from roles and modes to the ranked ladder, then covers Diamonds: what they buy, how packs and regions work, and every legitimate way to top them up, with the trade-offs of each. Game facts link to Moonton's own pages or the game's official store listings so you can check them.
| Mobile Legends at a glance | Details |
|---|---|
| Developer and publisher | MOONTON Games |
| Released | 2016; the game marks its 10th anniversary in 2026 |
| Platforms | Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store) |
| Format | 5v5 MOBA: three lanes, jungle areas, two bosses |
| Premium currency | Diamonds |
| Ranked ladder | Warrior to Mythic; Mythic splits into Mythical Honor, Glory and Immortal |
| Season at time of writing | Season 42, which began on 16 September 2026 (server time) |
| Top-up on The Nexus | Player-ID top-up with your User ID and Zone ID; no password needed |
What is Mobile Legends: Bang Bang?
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) built for phones. Moonton launched it in 2016, and in September 2026 it began a global 10th anniversary campaign called ALL IN MLBB. Moonton describes the game as an accessible, free-to-play mobile experience, and its store listing sums up the pitch: "10-second matchmaking, 10-minute battles", with laning, jungling, pushing and teamfights.
The part that matters for spending is Moonton's own promise. The Google Play listing says that, as in classic MOBAs, there is no hero training or paying for stats, and it uses the line "Play to Win, not Pay to Win". In practice, Diamonds buy looks, passes and convenience; they do not make a hero hit harder in a match. That is worth remembering before any top-up.
The game is also a major esport. Moonton notes that MLBB made its debut as a medal event at the 2026 Asian Games, and its international events, such as the Mid Season Cup, feed in-game passes and skins that players buy with Diamonds.
How a match works
A standard match puts two teams of five real players on one map. Moonton's listing describes the battlefield as 3 lanes, 4 jungle areas, 2 bosses and 18 defence towers. Minions push down each lane, towers guard the way, and neutral monsters live in the jungle between the lanes.
You earn gold and experience by defeating minions, monsters and enemy heroes, and spend gold on equipment during the match. Two big neutral objectives shape most games: the Turtle, which gives the team that defeats it bonus gold and a temporary shield, and the Lord, which the team that takes it down can send into the enemy's weakest lane. To win, your team pushes through the towers and destroys the core of the enemy base.
Dropped connection? Moonton says its reconnection system gets you back in seconds, and that an AI temporarily controls your hero while you are offline so your team is not left four against five. Reconnect straight away rather than restarting the app.
Roles and lanes
Every hero belongs to a class. Moonton lists Tanks, Mages, Marksmen, Assassins and Supports among them. On the map, teams usually split into five positions. Google Play's guide to the game's vocabulary describes them like this:
| Position | What the player does |
|---|---|
| Gold Lane | A damage dealer, usually a marksman, who focuses on earning gold to buy equipment and carry fights later |
| EXP Lane | A hero who levels up quickly to be as strong as possible in the later stages of the game |
| Mid Lane | Controls the middle lane and opens paths for the rest of the team |
| Jungler | Takes down monsters between the lanes for extra gold and experience, and contests the Turtle and Lord |
| Roamer | Travels between the jungle and the lanes to help teammates where needed |
Source: Google Play's Mobile Legends terms guide. Moonton itself uses these names in its patch notes; the latest, patch 2.2.16, for example, buffed several under-performing Jungler and EXP Lane heroes. A practical tip: learn two positions and two or three heroes for each before you start ranked.
Game modes
MLBB mixes a main competitive mode with casual and rotating ones. Google Play's guide to every Mobile Legends mode lists these:
- Classic: the standard 5v5 match, available once you finish the tutorials.
- Ranked: Classic with tiers, seasons and a draft in which each team can ban heroes.
- Brawl: a shorter single-lane mode where you pick from two heroes offered to you.
- Arcade: the home of limited-time and special modes that rotate with in-game seasons.
- Custom and VS A.I.: practice matches against bots or friends. Patch 2.2.16 changed the unlock condition for VS A.I. and Custom to reaching Elite rank.
Ranks and the ranked ladder
According to Google Play's guide to ranks in Mobile Legends, there are seven main ranks, from lowest to highest:
- Warrior
- Elite
- Master
- Grandmaster
- Epic
- Legend
- Mythic
Mythic is divided into three sub-ranks, Mythical Honor, Mythical Glory and Mythical Immortal, with Immortal at the top. Each rank has three to five divisions shown with Roman numerals.
Stars, Star-raising and Star Protection
Ranked progress is counted in stars. A win earns a star and collecting enough promotes you; a loss costs a star and can demote you. Two systems soften the grind. Star-raising points build up as you play, and a full bar gives you an extra star on your next win. Star Protection, from an item or from points you earn, stops you losing a star after a defeat when its gauge is full.
Seasons
Ranked runs in seasons. Moonton's patch 2.2.16 notes say Season 42 started at 00:00 on 16 September 2026 (server time), with a seasonal skin for Popol and Kupa as the reward for completing ranked matches. Season dates and rewards change each time, so check the Ranked screen in the game for the current end date.
Climbing on your own: Diamonds cannot buy stars. What helps is a small hero pool in your two best positions, watching the minimap, and stopping after a couple of losses in a row. Account sharing and paid "rank-ups" put your account at risk under Moonton's terms, as explained further down.
Diamonds: what they buy
Moonton calls Diamonds MLBB's premium in-game currency. They are the currency of the in-game shop: skins, event passes such as the 2026 MSC Pass (which Moonton priced in Diamonds), event draws and other limited items. Events also hand out free Diamonds from time to time; during the 2026 ALLSTAR event, for instance, Moonton put Diamonds among the Tidal Treasure Hunt rewards.
Weekly Diamond Pass and Starlight
Two purchases come up in almost every conversation about MLBB spending. The Weekly Diamond Pass is sold as its own in-app purchase next to the Diamond packs; the game's App Store listing shows it separately. Starlight is the game's membership line with its own exclusive skins; Google Play's anniversary feature, for example, mentioned new Starlight skins in September and October. What each one includes and costs changes from season to season, so read the pass or Starlight screen in the game before you buy. Diamonds you top up through The Nexus work for Starlight membership like any other Diamonds.
What Diamonds are, legally
Moonton's Terms of Service say virtual items, including game currency, have no monetary value, can only be used for your own benefit within the game and cannot be sold, traded or transferred. They also say that all purchases of game currency are final and non-refundable unless the law or an offer's terms say otherwise, and that an account left inactive for more than six months may be deleted with its virtual currency forfeited. In short: top up only what you plan to use.
Packs, regions and servers
Diamonds are sold in fixed packs, and the list differs by country and by store. At the time of writing, the Saudi App Store listing, for example, shows packs from 50 to 1,500 Diamonds plus the Weekly Diamond Pass. Moonton's terms also reserve the right to change prices. For those reasons we do not print prices here: the current packs and prices for each region are on our Mobile Legends top-up page.
Two identifiers matter for any top-up outside the app store: your User ID and your Zone ID. As our hub explains, both appear on your Mobile Legends profile, and a player-ID top-up is credited to exactly the account those two numbers point to. A wrong digit sends Diamonds to someone else's account, so copy them carefully rather than typing from memory.
Check both numbers twice. A top-up to the wrong User ID or Zone ID usually cannot be reversed, because the Diamonds are credited the moment the order completes. Our refund policy treats a wrong game ID or server entered by the customer as outside what we can refund.
How to top up Mobile Legends Diamonds, step by step
Moonton's terms say paid items are bought through the Apple App Store, Google Play or certain authorized third-party platforms and channels. In Thailand, for example, Moonton's own news names Richman Shop as the Official Game Top-Up Partner for its MSL league. These are the routes most players use:
Option 1: buy inside the game
- Open Mobile Legends and go to the shop's top-up (Diamonds) section.
- Choose a Diamond pack or the Weekly Diamond Pass.
- Pay through Google Play on Android or the App Store on iPhone, with whatever payment method you have set up there.
Option 2: pay with an app store gift card
If you do not have a card that Google or Apple accepts, add a Google Play or App Store gift card to your balance first, then buy Diamonds in the game as in Option 1. Google lists virtual currency as a typical in-app purchase that Play balance can pay for. The card must match your store country: Google Play cards work only in the country and currency where they were bought, and Apple cards cannot be redeemed outside the country of purchase. You can find both on our Google Play gift cards and App Store gift cards pages.
Option 3: player-ID top-up on The Nexus
- Open our Mobile Legends page and choose the region that matches your account.
- Pick a Diamond pack and enter your User ID and Zone ID. You never give us your password.
- Read the delivery details on the product page before you pay: for some regions the Diamonds are added automatically once payment is confirmed, for others the order is a tracked delivery.
- Pay with one of the methods shown at checkout; in Egypt these include Vodafone Cash and InstaPay. The final price is shown before you pay.
- Follow the order on your order page until it is marked delivered, then check your Diamond balance in the game.
Ways to get Diamonds compared
| Route | Who you pay | What you share | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-game shop via Google Play or App Store | Google or Apple | Nothing extra | Needs a payment method your app store accepts; refunds follow Apple's or Google's policy |
| App store gift card, then in-game | The card seller, then Google or Apple | Nothing extra | The card must match your store country |
| Moonton's authorized partner stores | The partner | User ID and Zone ID | Named per country by Moonton, such as Richman Shop in Thailand |
| The Nexus player-ID top-up | The Nexus | User ID and Zone ID, never a password | Local payment methods; delivery tracked on your order page |
| Free event Diamonds | Nobody | Nothing | Only from events inside the game or Moonton's official channels |
| "Free Diamond" generators and account sellers | Not recommended | Often your login | Against Moonton's terms or plain scams; avoid them |
Protecting your account and your money
- Never share your password. Moonton's terms ask you to keep it confidential and make you responsible for all activity on your account; a player-ID top-up never needs it.
- Do not buy or sell accounts. Moonton grants a personal, non-transferable licence, and its terms forbid selling or trading virtual items outside what Moonton allows.
- Ignore "free Diamonds" offers. Generators and giveaways that ask for your login or a gift card code are scams; the FTC notes that no real business will ever tell you to pay with a gift card.
- Copy your User ID and Zone ID carefully. A wrong number credits someone else.
- Bind your account. Moonton's terms recommend linking a Moonton or third-party account so you do not lose progress or purchases if you change phones.
- Keep your receipts and order page. They are what support needs if a top-up is late or missing.
How we keep this guide accurate
Game facts in this guide come from Moonton's own website, news and terms, and from the game's official Google Play and App Store pages, linked in the text and listed as sources below, and were checked on the date shown at the top. Seasons, passes and pack lists change often, so we review this page after major patches. If you spot something that no longer matches the game, use the correction link at the end of the article and we will fix it.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to top up Mobile Legends Diamonds?
For a player-ID top-up you need your User ID and Zone ID, the two numbers shown on your Mobile Legends profile. You never need to give your password. If you buy inside the game instead, you only need a payment method your app store accepts.
What can you buy with Diamonds in Mobile Legends?
Moonton calls Diamonds the game’s premium in-game currency. They buy skins, event passes such as the MSC Pass, event draws and other shop items. Moonton says there is no paying for stats, so Diamonds do not make heroes stronger in a match.
What are the ranks in Mobile Legends?
There are seven main ranks: Warrior, Elite, Master, Grandmaster, Epic, Legend and Mythic. Mythic is split into Mythical Honor, Mythical Glory and Mythical Immortal, the highest sub-rank. Each rank has three to five divisions.
Is the Weekly Diamond Pass the same as Diamonds?
No. The Weekly Diamond Pass is sold as its own in-app purchase, listed separately from the Diamond packs on the App Store. What it includes can change, so check its screen in the game before you buy.
Can I use a Google Play gift card to buy Diamonds?
Yes, on Android. Add the card to your Google Play balance, then buy Diamonds in the game and choose Play balance at checkout. The card has to be for the same country and currency as your Google Play account.
Can I get a refund on Mobile Legends Diamonds?
Moonton’s terms say game currency purchases are final and non-refundable unless the law or an offer’s terms say otherwise, and in-app purchases follow Apple’s or Google’s refund policy. For top-ups from us, our refund policy explains the cases we cover.
Is it allowed to buy or sell a Mobile Legends account?
Moonton grants each player a personal, non-transferable licence and forbids trading or selling virtual items outside what it allows. Buying or selling accounts goes against those terms and can cost you the account, so we do not recommend it.
How do I top up Mobile Legends on The Nexus?
Open our Mobile Legends page, choose the region that matches your account, pick a pack and enter your User ID and Zone ID. The product page shows how the order is delivered before you pay, and your order page tracks it until it is marked delivered.
