Battle passes have long been a popular way of monetizing free-to-play games. League of Legends has tried a variety of unlock paths, but recent passes have had major changes, bringing new styles of unlockable content. With everything from the recently announced Variety Skins (like Pool Party Twitch) to pass-exclusive Prestige Skins, Riot has been working to find ways to make players more interested in purchasing content that is more than just a skin.

What are Battle Passes?

Battle Passes are bundles of content that are themed around specific events or skin lines. Players can purchase them for around or slightly over the price of a skin on its own and receive much more content over time. While it might seem like a no-brainer at first, you can’t take full advantage of the rewards unless they play a lot of games. This often means dozens of hours of gameplay to earn everything the pass has to offer. If you plan on having a lot of spare time, though, it might be a great deal.

These passes are easy ways for you to earn more by playing and can be a huge bonus if you already plan on spending lots of time playing Ranked or even Normals. With the modern Battle Pass system, wins will earn you more experience but just spending time on the Rift will do enough to get you through the rewards if you stay persistent. Experience is earned by time spent in games, and also by winning. All game modes, even TFT and Co-op vs. AI can grant experience toward the pass but Ranked is going to be the most rewarding. Especially if you win with friends.

How do Battle Passes work?

Battle Passes did not always exist in League of Legends. Generally, Riot would put out small collections of quests for players to complete in-game surrounding major events. Eventually, these got bundled in large called “Event Passes.” Quests often included in-game and out-of-game actions, like connecting your Riot account to the LoLEsports website and watching games. There were tracks for people who purchased the pass, but some free incentives to try and get people to buy. Over time, these passes got more complex and included more content before the structure changed.

Previously, passes cost 1350 RP, but were often mocked by the community for feeling very copy-paste. They usually accompanied major events (like Worlds). In 2024, Riot reworked the season format, lending itself better to a cycle of battle passes. The passes would last for the duration of an act. They grew to be more like the passes found in other competitive games.

The first official fully-fledged Battle Pass was Welcome to Noxus, which significantly cut Blue Essence and Hextech Chest loo. Feedback was taken seriously, and changes to those calculations were put in place. This came shortly before the announced removal of Hextech Chests, which was quickly cancelled. While people were upset about battle passes initially, the backlash was much greater against the complete removal of Hextech rewards.

What Have Recent Battle Passes Included?

The Spirit Blossom Beyond: Act 1 Battle Pass included icons, 7 orbs with skin shards, 2 pulls used for getting Exalted skins, champion permanents, champion capsules, thousands of Blue Essence, Hextech Chests, banners, borders, and potentially infinite blue essence for a minimum of 1,650 RP (as of the Sentinels event). The champion permanents chosen corresponded with skins that were released in the pass, to make sure that players would not have to spend any of their own Blue Essence on redeeming the skins. After 50 levels requiring 500 experience each, there would continue to be levels, but they would only unlock small amounts of Blue Essence each time. This follows the general season-or-split-based format that passes have had in recent times.

Uzi’s Hall of Legends induction pass included icons, Blue/Orange/Mythic essences (over 100 Mythic Essence), chests (like Orbs in regular passes), emotes, skins (Risen Legend Vayne, Frosted Ezreal, PROJECT: Lucian, Fae Dragon Ashe), chromas (Mythclimber Risen Legend Vayne), banners, titles, and more. The Hall of Legends passes have 100 levels each and are generally considered a better deal by the community. However, the cost was also a bit higher, at 1950 for the base version. Outside of the loot-style content, Hall of Legends passes include video/in-client unlockable content for viewing, called Memories. The videos recounted stories of the players growing throughout their careers. Community reviews generally held these in high regard, hoping that one day all of the passes would follow the format.

When Should I Buy Battle Passes?

If you find that there’s content on a battle pass that you like, it is very possible that it will be the only way to guarantee you get it. Prestige skins are incredibly low drop rate through most chest rolls. It’s important to know, though, that the higher-end rewards are locked behind dozens of hours of gameplay. If you love a certain skin line, the theme of a season, or are a major esports fan, you might have a good reason to give it a go. If you’re going to be going on a break soon, have a lot of time to play, or even better, have friends to play with in a group, you’ll burn through the levels in no time.

Buying a battle pass toward the start of its release is ideal, since you will have the most time to play enough games. Life happens, and sometimes people are not able to play enough games. Riot has implemented a way to purchase levels if you happen to be running behind, but for most it is likely not a good return on investment for most.

Wrapping Up

Battle Passes, as they’re now officially called, are a recent advent in League of Legends. Despite that, they’ve gone through a great amount of change over the years. Players’ input has helped shape them into what they are today. With new ideas like Variety Skins being brought to light, it’s certain that there will be plenty of changes, for better or worse, to come. With each season bringing new skin lines, every Hall of Legends inductee elected, and new international events to come, who knows what we will see Riot release in the years ahead? If you’re looking for a solid way to get more out of your hours spent playing, a new Battle Pass might be exactly what you’re looking for.