League of Legends RP in one paragraph: RP is the paid currency of League of Legends, Riot Games' free-to-play 5v5 MOBA for Windows and Mac. You buy RP with real money in the client store or with a Riot prepaid code, and spend it on champions, skins, chromas, event passes, Ancient Sparks for the Sanctum and account services such as server transfers.
This guide covers what League of Legends is, how roles, modes and the ranked ladder work, what RP buys next to Blue Essence, Orange Essence and Mythic Essence, and every legitimate way to buy RP, including how the route through The Nexus works and the limits of each option. Wherever a fact comes from Riot, we link Riot's own page so you can check it yourself.
| League of Legends at a glance | Details |
|---|---|
| Developer | Riot Games |
| Genre | 5v5 team strategy game (MOBA): destroy the enemy Nexus to win |
| Price | Free to play |
| Platforms | Windows and macOS only |
| Paid currency | RP (called Riot Points until 2019) |
| Earned currencies | Blue Essence and Orange Essence; Mythic Essence mostly comes from the Sanctum |
| Ranked tiers | Ten, from Iron to Challenger |
| Latest patch at time of writing | Patch 26.19, published 22 September 2026 |
What is League of Legends?
League of Legends, often shortened to LoL or League, is Riot Games' team strategy game in which two teams of five powerful champions face off to destroy the other’s base. You earn experience to level up and gold to buy items during the match, and the first team to destroy the enemy Nexus wins. Riot says you can choose from over 170 champions at the time of writing, each with its own abilities and play style.
League runs on PC only. Riot's support site states that the game is only supported for Windows and Mac OS; there is no console version, and the mobile game with the same champions is a separate title, League of Legends: Wild Rift, with its own currency. For players in the region, Riot announced Middle East servers and Arabic localisation in March 2024, and the Middle East server now appears on Riot's list of regional servers.
Roles and positions
Riot's official guide names five positions: Top Lane, Jungle, Mid Lane, Bot Lane and Support. Before a ranked game, every player lists two preferred positions; if a position is short of players you may be autofilled into another one, and Riot rewards autofilled players with extra LP for wins in those games.
| Position | Where you play | Main job |
|---|---|---|
| Top Lane | The long lane at the top of the map | Hold an isolated lane, usually on a durable fighter or tank, and pressure the side of the map. |
| Jungle | Between the lanes | Clear jungle camps, help lanes win their fights and lead the team on dragons, heralds and Baron. |
| Mid Lane | The short middle lane | Deal damage and roam to other lanes; often mages and assassins. |
| Bot Lane | The bottom lane, with the support | Usually a marksman who scales with gold and deals steady damage in team fights. |
| Support | With the Bot Lane partner | Protect allies, start fights and control vision with wards. |
Game modes
Most modes unlock as your account levels up. According to Riot's mode unlock guide:
- Co-op vs. AI and custom games: available from level 1, as is Teamfight Tactics, Riot's auto-battler inside the same client.
- Swiftplay and ARAM: open at level 3. Swiftplay is a shorter Summoner's Rift game; ARAM is a single-lane mode with random champions.
- Practice Tool: opens at level 9.
- Normal Draft: opens at level 10.
- Ranked Solo/Duo and Ranked Flex: open at level 30, once you own at least 20 champions and have played 10 Swiftplay or Normal Draft games.
Alongside these, patch 26.19 lists Arena, ARAM: Mayhem and League Classic. Classic arrived with Season 3: Act I in July 2026 as a nostalgic mode built around older versions of champions and items.
Ranked tiers explained
Ranked players are divided into ten tiers:
Iron
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Platinum
Emerald
Diamond
Master
Grandmaster
Challenger
Iron to Diamond each have four divisions, from IV up to I, and you climb them by earning League Points (LP). Emerald, between Platinum and Diamond, arrived in 2023 when Riot also removed promotion series, so you now move through tiers as soon as you have enough LP. Your Solo/Duo rank and your Flex rank are tracked separately.
The apex tiers
Master, Grandmaster and Challenger are a single-division league. Master starts at 100 LP in Diamond I; Grandmaster and Challenger need both an LP threshold and more LP than the lowest player already in that tier, and each region caps how many players they hold. Apex players also lose LP to decay if they stop playing ranked for too long.
Climbing on your own: choose one main position and a comfortable second one, keep two or three champions for each, and review a loss instead of queuing straight away. Most climbs come from fewer deaths and better objective timing, not from mechanics alone.
RP and the other currencies
RP is League's premium currency. It was called Riot Points until Riot shortened the name to just RP in 2019, because the app stores used by Riot's mobile games do not allow different games to share a currency; League on PC kept RP, while each mobile game got its own. At the time of writing we found no newer rename on Riot's pages. Here is how RP fits next to the currencies you earn:
| Currency | How you get it | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| RP | Bought with real money or a prepaid code | Champions, skins, chromas, emotes, ward skins, icons, rune pages, event passes and pass levels, Ancient Sparks, Riot ID changes and server transfers |
| Blue Essence (BE) | Mostly earned through battle pass progression, plus level-up rewards | Champions, crafted in Loot or bought in the store, and items in the Blue Essence Emporium |
| Orange Essence (OE) | Disenchanting shards and duplicate content from Hextech Crafting | Upgrading skin and other shards into permanent content |
| Mythic Essence (ME) | Mostly as a drop from the Sanctum | Items in the Mythic Shop, such as Prestige skins and past limited items |
The list of RP purchases above follows Riot's refund policy, which names the content types you can refund: champions, emotes, chromas, skins, ward skins, rune pages, summoner icons, Riot ID changes and unused Ancient Sparks. Riot's Season 3: Act I page gives current examples of RP prices at the time of writing: the event pass costs 1,650 RP and extra pass levels cost 95 RP each. In the Sanctum, Ancient Sparks cost 400 RP each and give a chance at rare content such as Exalted skins and Mythic Essence; because each draw is random, set a budget before you start.
A practical point for new players: champions can be unlocked with Blue Essence, so you never need RP to play the full game. RP mostly buys cosmetics, passes and convenience.
Servers, regions and transfers
Every League account lives on one regional server. Riot's regional server list includes, among others, Europe West, Europe Nordic & East, Turkey and the Middle East, and your RP, champions and skins belong to the account on that server. Two rules follow for anyone buying RP:
- Codes are region-locked. Riot says a cash code can only be redeemed in the region where it was purchased, so buy a code for the region your account plays on.
- Payment methods depend on region. Riot's methods of payment page says available methods vary by region, platform and local providers, and appear at checkout if they are available to you.
Moving to another server
If you move country, you can buy a transfer in the client store. At the time of writing Riot's account transfer FAQ lists it at 2,600 RP for a one-way transfer, with a 90-day cooldown between transfers. Champions, skins, account level, rune pages, icons, emotes and your remaining RP move with you; your Blue Essence balance, friends list, ranked placement and statistics do not. Some routes are blocked, for example Brazil, Russia and Korea are unavailable from most regions, and Riot cannot reverse or refund a transfer made by mistake.
We do not quote RP pack sizes or prices here. They depend on your country and on where you buy, and they change. You can see the current League of Legends packs and prices on our League of Legends page.
How to buy RP, step by step
Riot's own support page puts it plainly: the only way to purchase RP is through the in-game store or with prepaid cards. A store such as The Nexus sells those same two things by other means: a top-up to your account or a prepaid code.
Option 1: the client store
- Open the Riot Client, start League of Legends and sign in to the account you play on.
- Open the store and select Purchase RP.
- Choose an RP pack and one of the payment methods shown for your region.
- Complete the payment; the RP appears in your balance at the top of the client.
Option 2: a Riot prepaid card or cash code
Riot's prepaid card page lists League of Legends among the games its cash codes cover. You redeem the code on Riot's redeem page, choose League of Legends, and the whole value goes to that one game in one use. The code must match your account's region, it works for the PC versions of Riot's games, and RP usually arrives quickly but can take up to 24 hours. Riot advises buying cards only from authorised retailers, not auctions.
Option 3: through The Nexus
If your card is not accepted by Riot's store or you prefer a local payment method, The Nexus has two League routes:
- Open our League of Legends hub for RP packs, or our Riot Access cards if you would rather receive a Riot prepaid code and redeem it yourself.
- Choose the region that matches your account's server, then the pack or card value.
- Read the delivery method on the product page before you pay: it tells you whether RP is added using your Riot ID, sent as a code you redeem yourself, or added by our team signing in to your account.
- Pay with one of the methods shown at checkout. In Egypt they include Vodafone Cash and InstaPay.
- Follow your order page: RP top-ups show status updates until the RP lands in your account, and codes appear there for you to redeem.
Which route shares your password? A code route never does, because you redeem it on your own account, and a Riot ID route does not ask for your password either. A login top-up does, and Riot's Terms of Service say you should not share your account or login credentials. If you choose that route anyway, change your password afterwards. On our side a login is stored encrypted, opened only by the shop owner and deleted automatically 24 hours after delivery.
Ways to get RP compared
| Method | Who you pay | Shares your password? | Where it works | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client store | Riot | No | Every server, with the methods your region supports | Unused RP can be refunded within 14 days to a refundable payment method |
| Riot prepaid card or cash code | The card seller | No | Only the region the card was bought for | One game, one use; prepaid cards cannot be refunded to cash |
| The Nexus, Riot Access code | The Nexus | No | Card regions listed on the product page | Local payment methods; code shown on your order page |
| The Nexus, RP top-up | The Nexus | Only if the product page says it is a login top-up | Regions listed on our League page | Delivery method shown before payment; progress tracked on your order page |
| Blue Essence | Nobody: you earn it | No | Everywhere | Not RP, but it unlocks every champion over time |
Rank boosting, honestly
Rank boosting means a stronger player helps you climb, either by playing on your account (solo) or by queuing with you (duo). We offer League of Legends rank boosting, and you should decide with the full picture. Riot's shared accounts page says that having someone else play ranked games on your account violates its terms and can lead to a temporary or permanent ban. In September 2026 Riot described Vanguard anti-boost, now running in League and VALORANT: it revokes ranked points and suspends boosted accounts, bans purchased and smurf accounts permanently, escalates suspensions for boosters, and removes rank from players who queued with boosted accounts.
Every boost carries risk. Duo keeps your login with you, but it is still boosting under Riot's rules and can be penalised too. Treat any seller who says boosting carries no risk, or cannot be detected, as a red flag. If you buy one anyway, keep control of your account email and change your password when the order is done.
Refunds and protecting yourself when you spend
Riot's LoL refund policy lets you refund eligible unused content bought in the last 14 days. Each account also has three refund tokens, and regains one a year when it has fewer than three; a token can refund eligible content up to 90 days after purchase. Bundles, event passes, boosts, Hextech inventory such as chests, keys and shards, gifts and account transfers cannot be refunded. RP itself can be refunded only if it is unused and within 14 days, through a Player Support ticket, and only to the original payment method. Riot's global refund policy adds that gift cards and prepaid cards cannot be refunded to cash.
- Never buy or sell a League account. Riot says accounts are personal and non-transferable, and that buying and selling them is strictly prohibited; sellers can recover an account after they are paid.
- Ignore "free RP" offers. Riot warns that offers of free or discounted RP are a common way to steal accounts.
- Match the region. A code for another region will not redeem, and a server transfer costs RP and cannot be undone.
- Buy cards from authorised sellers. Riot advises against prepaid cards from online auctions or non-authorised retailers.
- Do not charge back. Under Riot's refund policy a chargeback suspends the Riot account until the amount is repaid.
- Keep your receipt and order page. For store orders, read our refund policy before you pay.
Your first week in League of Legends
- Play Co-op vs. AI games to learn last-hitting, items and the map.
- From level 3, try Swiftplay and ARAM to meet many champions quickly.
- Pick a main and a second position and learn two or three champions for each.
- Spend Blue Essence on those champions first, not on whoever is popular this week.
- Use the Practice Tool from level 9 to learn combos without pressure.
- Decide on RP last: a skin for the champion you play most, or the event pass if you will play enough to finish it, gives most players the best use of it.
How we keep this guide accurate
Everything in this guide that describes how League of Legends, RP and Riot's rules work is based on Riot's own pages, linked in the text and in the source list below, and was checked against them on the date shown at the top, against patch 26.19. Pass prices, Sanctum rules, modes and transfer restrictions change with patches and seasons, so we review this page after each major update. If you spot something that has changed, use the correction link at the end of the article and we will fix it.
Frequently asked questions
What is RP in League of Legends?
RP is League of Legends’ premium currency, bought with real money or a Riot prepaid code. It buys champions, skins, chromas, event passes, Ancient Sparks and services such as Riot ID changes and server transfers. It was called Riot Points until Riot shortened the name to RP in 2019.
How do I buy RP?
Open the store in the League client, select Purchase RP, choose a pack and pay with a method available in your region. You can also redeem a Riot prepaid code for your region on Riot’s redeem page, or buy RP or a Riot code through a store such as The Nexus.
Can I buy champions without RP?
Yes. Champions can be crafted in Loot or bought in the store with Blue Essence, which you earn mainly through battle pass progression and level-up rewards. RP mostly speeds things up and buys cosmetics.
What is the difference between Blue Essence and Orange Essence?
Blue Essence is earned by playing and unlocks champions and Emporium items. Orange Essence comes from disenchanting shards and duplicate content in Hextech Crafting, and is spent to upgrade shards, such as skin shards, into permanent content.
Does a Riot gift card work on any League server?
No. Riot’s cash codes are region-locked and can only be redeemed in the region where they were bought. Buy a code for the region of the server your account plays on.
How much does a League server transfer cost?
At the time of writing, Riot’s account transfer FAQ lists a one-way transfer at 2,600 RP, with a 90-day cooldown between transfers. Your champions, skins and remaining RP move with you, but Blue Essence, friends and ranked placement do not.
Can I get a refund on RP?
Unused RP can be refunded within 14 days of purchase through a Player Support ticket, only to the original payment method. Prepaid cards cannot be refunded to cash. Eligible unused content can be refunded within 14 days, and refund tokens extend that for some content.
Is League of Legends boosting allowed?
No. Riot’s rules forbid sharing your account and having someone else play ranked on it, and Vanguard anti-boost can revoke ranks, suspend boosted accounts and ban purchased accounts. Duo is still boosting under Riot’s rules, so every boost carries risk.
