Champion Upgrades — Legends of Runeterra Guide

Understand Champion Upgrades for the Path of Champions in Legends of Runeterra. Maximize your champion's potential through roguelike progression.

In the Path of Champions, champion upgrades are the lifeblood of your progression, transforming your chosen champion into an unstoppable force. These upgrades are crucial for overcoming increasingly difficult encounters and unlocking the full potential of your champion's abilities.

The Path of Champions is a roguelike adventure mode in Legends of Runeterra where you guide a champion through a series of battles, collecting new cards, relics, and passive abilities along the way. Champion upgrades are a fundamental part of this progression, allowing your champion to become significantly more powerful as you advance through the campaign.

Types of Champion Upgrades:

There are several ways your champion can be upgraded within the Path of Champions:

• Champion Leveling (In-Run): Similar to standard constructed play, your champion will level up during a run if you meet their specific level-up conditions. This grants them their leveled-up form, often with enhanced stats and abilities. This is a temporary upgrade for the current run.
• Passive Power Upgrades: These are the most significant and permanent upgrades. As you progress through the Path of Champions, you will earn 'Champion Wildcards' and 'Champion Fragments' specific to your chosen champion. These are used to permanently increase your champion's level outside of a run. Each level gained provides a permanent boost, such as increased starting health, a stronger starting hand, or access to new passive powers.
• Relics: While not direct champion upgrades, powerful relics can significantly enhance your champion's effectiveness. Relics are found throughout your runs and can provide game-changing passive effects that synergize with your champion's kit.

Earning Champion Fragments and Wildcards:

Champion Fragments and Champion Wildcards are earned primarily through:

• Completing Adventures: Successfully finishing adventures in the Path of Champions rewards you with currency and items, including fragments and wildcards for the champion you are using.
• Weekly Vaults: The weekly vault also contributes to your collection of champion-specific rewards.
• Event Rewards: Special events may offer opportunities to earn these valuable upgrade materials.

The Impact of Permanent Upgrades:

Permanent champion upgrades are essential for tackling higher difficulties and later stages of the Path of Champions. A champion at level 1 will have a much harder time than a champion at level 10 or 20. These upgrades can manifest in various ways:

• Increased Starting Stats: Your champion might start with more health, making them more resilient.
• Enhanced Starting Hand: You might begin a run with more powerful cards already in hand.
• New Passive Powers: At certain level milestones, your champion unlocks new passive powers that are active from the start of every run. These can range from granting your units +1/+1 to drawing an extra card each turn.

Strategic Considerations for Upgrades:

When deciding which champion to invest in, consider their playstyle and how well their potential passive powers al with your preferred strategies. Some champions benefit greatly from aggressive buffs, while others thrive on control or combo-oriented passive effects.

For example, a champion like Miss Fortune might benefit from passive powers that grant her allies +1 attack, while a control-oriented champion like Lux might prefer powers that reduce spell costs or grant spell mana. Researching the available passive powers for each champion can help you make informed decisions about who to upgrade.

Upgrade Type	Permanence	How Acquired	Impact
In-Run Level Up	Temporary (per run)	Meeting level-up conditions in-game	Enhanced stats/abilities for current run
Passive Power Upgrade	Permanent	Champion Fragments/Wildcards	Increased starting stats, new passive powers
Relics	Temporary (per run)	Found during adventures	Game-changing passive effects for current run

Investing time and resources into upgrading your champions in the Path of Champions is key to unlocking the full, rewarding experience of this popular game mode.