How to Get Free Blue Essence in League of Legends

League of Legends uses two very different currencies that are easy to confuse. Riot Points (RP) are bought with real money and used for skins, the premium event pass or instant champion unlocks; there's no stable free route to get them since Riot shut down the Prime Gaming program in March 2024. Blue Essence (BE), on the other hand, is the currency earned by playing and the one you can actually farm: it's used to unlock champions (from 225 to 3,900 BE depending on current price, after the 50% cut in March 2025) and certain skins or chromas in occasional rotations. Since the Season 2025 rework, Riot funneled almost the entire BE economy through the free Event Pass and the Honor system, leaving behind the old model of BE per match and first win of the day. In this guide we cover, with figures verified from the official wiki and Riot's /dev posts, what the real sources of Blue Essence are today, roughly how much they yield and in what order it's worth prioritizing them.

What's the fastest way to get Blue Essence in League of Legends?

We've gathered and verified every real method for getting free Blue Essence, ranked from most to least profitable based on the time they take and what you can actually earn from each. No tricks, no generators — just the game's own mechanics.

~9,000 BE per Act (roughly every 2 months) Every patch

Complete the free Event Pass

This is by far the biggest source of Blue Essence in the current game. Each Event Pass Act hands out around 9,000 BE in free milestones (a figure Riot revised upward after publicly admitting in its /dev blog that it had cut the economy too aggressively in the 2025 rework), with no need to buy the paid version. You earn it by playing normal games, ARAM or quickplay and completing the pass's daily and weekly missions; it doesn't depend on winning or losing, just on playing consistently. It's the foundation of any farming strategy and should be the number one priority for any player looking to save RP on champions.

~810-1,260 BE per capsule when disenchanted Every patch

Champion capsules from the Event Pass

Handed out throughout the free Event Pass, including a Glorious Champion Capsule as the final reward starting at Act 2. Each capsule contains a random champion shard that, if you're not interested in that character, you can disenchant directly for Blue Essence (between 810 and 1,260 BE depending on the capsule's level). If the shard is for a champion you actually want to play, it's worth upgrading it to permanent instead of disenchanting it, since the upgrade cost usually pays off better than buying the champion from scratch with saved-up BE.

~8 chests per Act (Pass) + 2 extra chests with Honor level 2+ Variable

Hextech chests via the Pass and the Honor system

Access to Hextech chests changed significantly: they're no longer earned directly by getting an S- in a match (those performances now add pass XP), but come mainly through progressing the free Event Pass (about 8 chests per Act) and Honor milestone missions, which add 2 extra chests per Act if you maintain Honor level 2 or higher. Each chest needs a key to open and contains champion shards, skins or other materials you can convert into BE.

Up to 12 key fragments a month (4 keys) Monthly

Key fragments for good behavior (Honor)

Maintaining Honor level 2 or higher is essential: below that level you don't receive any key fragments at all. From Honor 2 onward, you have a chance to receive a random key fragment after each match (3 fragments make a key), with a monthly cap of about 12 fragments (4 full keys). Additionally, leveling up your Honor grants Honor capsules that can also contain key fragments or Blue Essence directly. Playing clean, without toxicity or leaves, is literally profitable in BE.

20% of the champion's BE value per shard Variable

Disenchant loose champion shards

Any spare champion shard (from chests, capsules or missions) can be disenchanted for 20% of the champion's price in Blue Essence; for example, a shard for a 3,900 BE champion gives about 780 BE when disenchanted. It's the least profitable option in absolute terms — upgrading a shard to permanent costs 60% of the price and gives you the whole champion — but it's the only way to recover some BE from champion shards you'll never play.

Variable (BE or champion shards per mission) One-time

New account missions (levels 1-30)

Only applies to new or low-level accounts: between level 1 and 30, the progression mission track hands out Blue Essence or champion shards for completing specific milestones (first matches, tutorials, leveling up). It's not repeatable or scalable once you reach level 30, but it's worth making the most of it while it lasts, especially if you're starting from scratch or running a secondary account.

Variable Every patch

Temporary event missions

With every seasonal event (Lunar Revel, Arcane, Worlds, etc.) Riot usually adds limited missions that sometimes reward Blue Essence directly, on top of the capsules and chests already covered by the Pass. They're not a reliable or constant source — they vary from patch to patch and some events don't include BE at all — but it's worth checking the missions tab whenever a new event starts, just in case.

How much free Blue Essence can you get per month?

Source	Estimated amount	Frequency
Free Event Pass milestones	~4,500 BE (monthly average of ~9,000 BE per 2-month Act)	Continuous
Disenchanted champion capsules	~800-1,260 BE per capsule received	Variable
Hextech chests opened and converted	~250-500 BE equivalent, depending on shards obtained	Variable
Honor key fragments	Up to 4 keys a month	Monthly
Estimated total	~3,000-5,000 Blue Essence a month (approx.)	—

The figure comes from spreading the ~9,000 BE per Act of the free Event Pass (an Act being about 2 months) over a single month, plus an average value from disenchanted chests and capsules; it varies a lot depending on how many matches you play, your Honor level and which events are active in the current patch, so treat it as a rough guide, not a guaranteed number.

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Frequently asked questions

Can you get RP (Riot Points) for free in League of Legends?

Not legitimately and consistently, no. The Prime Gaming program, which gave away RP and skins with an Amazon subscription, ended in March 2024 and Riot hasn't replaced it. The only things left are occasional drops tied to official esports events (watching Worlds or other tournaments on lolesports.com with your linked account), which aren't constant or guaranteed. Be wary of any website, generator or 'trick' promising free RP: they're scams or account-theft attempts.

How much Blue Essence do I need to unlock a champion?

Since the March 2025 price cut (patch 25.05), champions cost between 225 and 3,900 Blue Essence depending on their price tier (the previous tiers of 450 to 7,800 BE were cut in half). The most recent champions usually launch at the maximum price, 3,900 BE, and drop tiers over time.

Is it better to disenchant a champion shard or upgrade it to permanent?

It's almost always worth upgrading it to permanent if it's a champion you'll actually play: the upgrade costs 60% of the champion's price in BE and leaves it fully unlocked. Disenchanting only gives 20% of the value in Blue Essence, so it's the less profitable option and only makes sense if you have no interest in the champion at all and would rather recover some BE for another one.

How to get free Blue Essence in League of Legends