Riot to lower prices of most LoL champions to attract new players
Riot Games has announced that in patch 13.5, the majority of Champions in League of Legends will have lower prices. The developer said it wanted to make it easier for players to obtain Champions by reducing the amount of blue essence (BR) and Riot Points (RP) required to purchase most Champions.
Riot’s current pricing strategy is a bit outdated because it doesn’t reflect how players think they should be able to obtain Champions in the year 2023. The new pricing scheme will consider the rarity of the Champions, the time since their initial release and the difficulty of mastering them.
The Riot team also said that it would continue giving a higher initial price point and a week-long discount for newly introduced Champions. Then, after two seasons, the price will be adjusted based on data from new and returning players.
New pricing tiers
Older, beginner-friendly Champions, such as Shard of the Monolith Malphite, the Bounty Hunter Miss Fortune and the Magical Cat Yuumi, will be priced lower at 450 BE / 260 RP.
In a tier above them, there will be Champions that are a bit more complicated to use, such as the Unforgiven Yasuo, the Purifier Lucian and the Boss Sett, which will be available for 1,350 BE / 585 RP.
The cost of third-tier Champions, such as the Deceiver LeBlanc, the Demon Jester Shaco and Shepherd of Souls Yorick, will be 3,150 BE / 790 RP. They are placed in this tier because it is generally accepted that these heroes have more difficult learning curves to overcome before players can achieve consistent success using them.
Given that only the most flawless and aesthetically pleasing Champions are permitted in the fourth tier, players may safely expect that the Virtuoso Jhin will be offered for 4,444 BE / 880 RP.
Most Champions will be available for 4,800 BE / 880 RP in the shop. Above that will sit all the Champions that have come out in the past two seasons at 6,300 BE / 975 RP.
The more recently released Champions will be placed in higher price tiers, with the highest tier costing 7800 BE / 975 RP during the first week of their release. Lastly, Those that have been in the game three seasons or more will be moved to a lower price tier.
While Riot said that most Champions’ prices would be cut, like with any system, there would be exceptions. In particular, four Champions will have their prices raised since data show that they are less effective for newbie players.
The new BE pricing for the Mad Chemist Singed, the Righteous Kayle, Twisted Fate and the Rune Mage Ryze is 4,800, but the RP price remains unchanged at 260. Riot said it wants to ensure that players who want a more straightforward route can continue obtaining them.
In addition to readjusting Champion prices, Riot will also introduce a new Champion Bundle. Buying the bundle will save players 140,606 BE and 14,905 RP.
This new pricing scheme will be available in Patch 13.5, scheduled to be released on March 8, 2023.
