Guides
Alistar Smyth
26 th April 2022 Edited at: 11th July 2022Creating a brand new account on League of Legends can be a long and exhausting process. However, it is the only way to prepare your account to play ranked and unlock enough Blue Essence to purchase new champions for your roster.
Once your new account is created, you cannot simply queue up for ranked games due to a restriction on both level and champions owned. But how else are you going to test your skill against other players on the rift? Maybe looking to relax and enjoy some competitive, non-toxic and enjoyable solo queue games after work? Not until you've levelled up quite a fair bit.
Without a doubt, levelling is a frustrating roadblock for new players, returning players, and the reformed gentlemen looking to start their 38th ranked climb on a fresh account. Let's take a deep dive into everything there is to know about how experience works in League of legends and figure out the fastest, most efficient way to level up your account!
Here is our comprehensive guide on the XP and levelling system for League of Legends.
As this article is written, the current highest level in League of Legends is held by a EUW player named Nolife Flynn, who stouts an impressive level of 3378. A fitting name for the thousands of hours of work put into this grind. He has achieved this astounding feat by playing almost exclusively AI games. After a certain point, your account level becomes completely redundant. With the only account-level restrictions being that of 30 to play ranked matches and level rewards, eventually levelling is nothing but an accolade of time invested.
Hopefully, Riot will introduce a system that allows your account level to be hidden at some point. That may be one achievement I may not be so proud of after nearly 10 years of gameplay.
Two things are essential to remember regarding the max-level obtainable in League of Legends. Firstly it's crucial to note that account level, hours played, and champion mastery has ZERO correlation to a player's skill. There are plenty of 3 Million Mastery point players slumming around in the trenches of Iron or new prodigy players hitting the League scene and reaching some of the highest-ranked tiers within months of starting the game - toting significantly fewer account levels than the average player. Secondly, account levels have NO CAP. That means the race continues, and one day YOU could be the highest levelled player on League of Legends. Now granted, you've got a fair bit of catching up, regardless of how long you have been playing. But given the current levelling system's unlimited cap, we are no longer living in the days of the old League where hitting level 30 was the end of your grind.
Let me put into perspective the amount of dedication and hours of gameplay needed for players like Nolife Flynn to hit the level he has on League of Legends.
To hit level 30, you will be required to obtain 37,392XP for this goal. Now a variation of game modes such as Player vs AI, Normal games, ARAMs, and the fun flavour of the month speciality matches such as AURF and One for All, you have PLENTY of different ways to start grinding up your account and earning XP.
However, the average game will be awarding you with roughly 200 XP per match. This is not considering the use of XP boosts, bonus XP for first win of the day or grouping with your friends, which both can increase the amount of XP you earn during a match. Given my expert calculations, that's a mind-numbing 190 matches you will need to play to hit level 30.
Before you come to the stark realization that buying a ranked-ready smurf account could save you hours and hours of your precious time and allow you to hop on an expertly prepared and safe account ready to dive into the competitive scene.
Let's think about just how many hours were invested into an account over 2000+ levels. NOT to mention that until the recent XP and levelling overhaul, it would have taken TWICE as long as it currently does to obtain each level. Let's just say it was time well invested for those individuals and never think about their grind again.
Now let's say you hop on your fresh account, ready to face the world and eager to grind your account into a ranked-ready state. Our goal is level 30. Time? Unlimited for such an important task.
Firstly, we will want to invest in double XP boosts for the levelling process. While factoring in double XP bonuses, which will cost roughly $30 for all required boosts, the average levelling process for an account to hit level 30 takes about 3 days. This assumes that you are winning upwards of 80% of your matches and playing about 14-18 games per day.
These matches can be ARAMS, Normal games or Player vs AI matches. As someone who has hand levelled accounts in the past, I would highly suggest playing ARAMs as they are far more enjoyable and much quicker to end.
For this method, you will be required to purchase a 40-WIN XP boost, a 10-win XP boost and a 3-day XP boost to maximize your exp gains during your account grinding. To optimize the exp pass, you will want to try and get a minimum 15-20 games per day, so free up the schedule and call in sick for your shift at Mcdonald's because this will take a some dedication
Let's look at the various other ways you can gain exp in League of Legends.
The XP awarded per game is highly dependent on you winning or losing. Almost 3x as much XP is gained per win instead of a loss. So for the sake of your time, take these games seriously. As a new player, this will be your time to learn and experience the game so utilize player vs AI matches which are nearly impossible to lose and get the most out of every game.
This is all about efficient grinding for you mad lads making your second, third, or 18th account and looking to grind them up for another shot at reformed ranked gameplay. ARAMS or Normal matches are your best bet, and the goal is to win as fast as humanly possible. As fun as it will be to steamroll new players and run up some 30-40 kills matches, just get the game finished effectively. Just win your games quickly, pick up early heralds, abuse your leads and get the games done fast.
Winning your games while levelling your account is undoubtedly the more important portion of the entire levelling process. Aside from XP boosts, winning the vast majority of your games during your levelling grind will expedite the process significantly.
Here are some suggestions for those who have opted to play bot games for most of your levelling process. Unless your goal is to learn new champions or practice as a new player, these games should be approached meticulously. The bots are the least of your worries. In these games, we are battling the clock. The ideal game finishing time is just past 15 minutes. Playing champions such as Tristana or Caitlin, who can siege and push turrets rapidly, will ensure that you can permanently shove your lane and start knocking down turrets as fast as possible. Combined with a well-timed herald pickup on spawn, you can close out each bot game around the 15-minute mark reliably and quickly.
As previously mentioned, not ending your game extremely early will add to the amount of XP gained. The sweet spot is just past 15 Minutes. Ending earlier than this will result in a reduced XP earned for the match. Dragging the game out anywhere past 25 Minutes will not be optimal either. This pertains mainly to bot games, as it will be far harder to line up 15-minute wins against real players in normal matches. However, if presented with the opportunity, keep the game closures within that sweet 15-25 minute mark for optimal XP returns.
Enjoy the process! Levelling up a new account may be mind-numbingly tedious - which is why I personally just buy a hand levelled and prepped account to save myself the time and headache. However, if you are up for the challenge and want to enjoy the experience, switch things up during your levelling process.
Test out some new champions in normal or bot games, press your limits and experiment with new builds or rune paths. Why not get a few ARAM games in between your matches as a break? Anything to maintain your mental stability during this crushing morale grind will always be a good move. Not to mention a great opportunity to meet new players or play around with existing friends while you level up your account.
This is undoubtedly the area where everyone goes wrong. Your XP Boosts are VITAL for this process to be expedited. Once you have purchased your daily XP boost, it CAN NOT go to waste.
I, for one, have fallen for this trap, the ol' "I'm going to start hand levelling up a fresh account - it'll be fun and quick." Them BAM, 5-6 matches in, I would rather be repairing power lines during a thunderstorm and quickly lose interest. What ends up happening? Those XP boosts go to complete waste - and they aren't cheap! Make sure you are fully ready for the grind and understand that to optimize your XP boosts, you will need to be playing at least 12+ matches in a day. The length of those matches and types of game modes may vary, but don't let your investment go to waste.
As previously mentioned, your main goal is to get these games wrapped up fast, and I mean fast. It's essential to pick the ideal champions for the job and expedite the speed at which games are finished.
A few suggestions for champions that will be affordable, enjoyable and efficient while playing your normal or bot games all have one thing in common. They clear waves fast and efficiently!
Ziggs would be my first choice as an AP caster champion. Toting one of the best abilities in the game to siege and destroy turrets - his satchel charge will have you knocking down turrets and perma-shoving waves in no time flat.
For an AD option, undoubtedly, your choice will be Tristana. She has outstanding built-in waveclear, and her entire kit is optimized to push and clear fast and effectively. The attack speed steroid, combined with fast clearing and use of her bomb to apply additional damage to turrets Tristana will have your games ending exceedingly fast.
Utilizing both of these champions, depending on your team's composition and the matchups you are facing, will expedite the rate at which you finish games drastically. Better yet, find a friend and play both at the same time! IN THE SAME LANE!
After seeing how long it REALLY takes to reach level 30 in the League of Legends you may be thinking, "Wow, this seems like a lot of time and effort JUST to get level 30." Even if you're using a double XP boost to level up fast, it will still take you a minimum of 3 days.
If you're like most people, the time it takes to get level 30 is gruelling and requires a minimum of $30 in RP to do it in a timely manner. Instead of spending this time playing bot, ARAM, or normal games, you could be climbing the ranks on an unranked level 30 account. Your skill may deteriorate during those bot games as it will make you change your playstyle. Instead of playing well and outplaying opponents, you will be strictly focused on pushing the lane and getting the tower as fast as possible.
Your time is worth more than spending 112 hours on bot games and the main reason why people buy smurf accounts in the first place. It's also nice not to spend your hard-earned money on XP boost and finding the time and the ways to level fast.
Let me lay out in the simplest terms how XP is earned in League of Legends, as well as what game modes and playing methods yield the most or any XP.
The amount of experience received for a game is determined by several rules:
Each game awards roughly between 50 and 300 XP based on these factors, with average values around 175 XP.
XP gain in LoL is calculated based on the number of seconds you spend in the game. You get slightly higher XP gains per second if you win and a small bonus of around 1 XP point.
TIME is the total number of seconds of the game duration (e.g. 15:49 => 949 seconds).
General formula:
EXPERIENCE = (TIME × (XP/s) + Base XP) (rounded to nearest integer)
If the game is won:
EXPERIENCE = (TIME × 0.11 + 6.6)
If the game is lost:
EXPERIENCE = (TIME × 0.09 + 5.4)
As you progress through early levels, you will unlock new content. You can see what you unlock on what level in our Leveling rewards guide here.
Every 25 levels after level 50 will require the same amount of XP points. The XP points needed for the next-level increase with each level until you hit the 25th level from your starting point. The required amount of XP points will reset back to the amount you needed for level 50.
Below we have noted the XP required for each level from 1st to 49th. These values are unique and will not repeat.
Current Level XP for Next Level
1 144
2 144
3 192
4 240
5 336
6 432
7 528
8 624
9 720
10 816
11 912
12 984
13 1056
14 1128
15 1344
16 1440
17 1536
18 1680
19 1824
20 1968
21 2112
22 2208
23 2304
24 2304
25 2496
26 2496
27 2592
28 2688
29 2688
30 2688
31 2688
32 2688
33 2784
34 2784
35 2784
36 2880
37 2880
38 2880
39 3072
40 3072
41 3168
42 3168
43 3264
44 3264
45 3360
46 3360
47 3456
48 3456
49 3456
Every 25 levels after you reach level 50 will require the same amount of XP points.
Current Level XP for Next Level
50 2592
51 2688
52 2688
53 2688
54 2688
55 2880
56 2880
57 2880
58 3072
59 3072
60 3072
61 3264
62 3264
63 3264
64 3360
65 3360
66 3360
67 3456
68 3456
69 3456
70 3456
71 3552
72 3552
73 3648
74 3648
Notice that level 75 requires the exact same amount of XP points as level 50. This will repeat ad infinitum.
Current Level XP for Next Level
75 2592
76 2688
77 2688
78 2688
79 2688
80 2880
81 2880
82 2880
83 3072
84 3072
85 3072
86 3264
87 3264
88 3264
89 3360
90 3360
91 3360
92 3456
93 3456
94 3456
95 3456
96 3552
97 3552
98 3648
99 3648
The number of XP points you get for Co-op vs AI games will decrease as you reach higher levels. This is to discourage you from playing versus bots only and to start facing real human opponents to prepare you for ranked games.
Summoner Level 1-9: Bots grant 100% XP.
Summoner Level 10-19: Bots grant 90% XP.
Summoner Level 20-29: Bots grant 80% XP (65% after 180 minutes each day)
Summoner Level 30+: Bots grant 75% XP (55% after 180 minutes each day)
The first win of the day bonus is available once your account has hit level 15. It rewards you with 50 Blue Essence and 400XP once you have won any matchmade game. This quest works on a 20-hour cycle, meaning 20 hours from the time of completion of the quest, it will be back and available for you to take advantage of again.
For those not looking to speed-run an account to level 30, taking advantage of this hefty XP bonus is a no-brainer and should be taken advantage of every day.
Experience boosts, as previously mentioned, are a cornerstone in levelling these accounts efficiently. They come in two main forms.
XP Per Win Boost: These boosts add a guaranteed flat amount of 216XP per won game.
Double XP Boost: These boosts do as stated, and double the XP you would earn per game.
Note: You can run BOTH of these XP boosts simultaneously! Increasing your XP gained by a significant margin.
XP is the cornerstone of League of Legends. It restricts the Summoner Spells you have available, limits your access to playing Ranked Games, and tracks your progress and play-time.
When it comes to obtaining XP and levelling a new account, you have three options.
As a new player, enjoy the experience - use it to learn and have fun during your grind and absorb the game for what it is.
As an experienced or returning player willing to do the levelling grind, get it done as fast as possible. Take advantage of efficient game-ending strategies, utilize XP boosts, and expedite the process to reach your levelling goals quickly as possible and start playing ranked.
As a highly knowledgeable, experienced, tactful and financially suave player - take a look at our shop where you can find a variety of smurf accounts and purchase a pre-prepared, hand levelled and ranked-ready account for as low as 12.99$. There are zero reasons why you would not skip the entire headache and buy an account for the amount of time you would have spent and money invested into RP to use on XP Boosts. It’s what I have been doing for years, and I won’t stop soon!
Although it is about having fun at the end of the day, grind your account, get that XP, and I’ll see you on the rift!