League of Legends Champions Mastery Guide

Champion Mastery — many newcomers to League of Legends wonder what it actually is. When entering the game, a lot of players notice cool icons next to champions, but the game doesn't really explain what they mean or how to get them. Today, I'll try to break down what League champion mastery is, how to earn it, how many levels there are, and all the other details. Let’s dive in!

What is Champion Mastery?

LoL champion mastery is essentially your level of experience and dedication to a specific champion. How do you level it up? It’s simple: just play that champion more often—and play well. But that’s not all. As you progress and improve your champion mastery in LoL, you’ll earn plenty of cool rewards along the way, including the iconic Champion Mastery Emote you’ve probably seen other players use.

How to Unlock Champion Mastery

The first four levels of champion mastery are unlocked by earning League mastery points. After that, things get a bit more challenging—starting from Level 5, you’ll also need Marks of Mastery to continue leveling up. These are earned by performing well in games on your champion.

No matter the year or patch changes, your champion mastery level is permanent and will always be saved.

Champions you haven’t played before will start at Mastery Level 0 with no points. However, those you played before Patch 14.10 will begin with a starting Mastery Level and Marks of Mastery that reflect your past progress.

Your mastery progress is also tracked for champions you don’t currently own, which makes ARAM a great mode to try out new ones.

How to Earn Mastery Points

Earning mastery points is pretty straightforward—you just need to play your favorite champion. After every match, you receive mastery points for the champion you played. The amount you get depends on your performance, overall gameplay quality, match length, and other factors. All the details about how many points you earned and why will be shown on the Post-Game Progression screen.

Riot Games also understands that League of Legends is a team-based game, so they made a great decision: even though champion mastery is a personal stat, you’ll earn bonus mastery points when playing in a premade party.

Season Milestones

Each champion has their own set of Season Milestones, which grant Marks of Mastery and visual effects as rewards. However, these milestones reset every season. Here’s a detailed table of the milestones and their rewards:

Here’s the translated table in English:

Marks of Mastery

To reach Mastery Level 5 and above, you’ll need Marks of Mastery. These are earned by performing well in matches—starting from a grade of A- or higher, and by completing Season Milestones.Even if you’ve gathered enough Mastery Points, you won’t be able to level up until you’ve earned the required number of Marks. Points will continue to accumulate, but your progress will be paused until you get the Marks.

Grades

After each match, you receive a grade based on your performance. This evaluation depends on the champion, your role, and your position. For example, Mel played in mid lane and Mel played as a support will be judged by different standards.Your grade is determined by comparing your performance to other players in your region who played the same champion in the same role.

Here’s the list of possible grades (from highest to lowest):

S+, S, S-, A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-.

Season Mastery Sets

At the start of each season, you’ll receive a unique set of 10 champions:

• 3 of your most-played champions (both recently and all-time)
• 4 champions tied to the current season and matching your preferred playstyle (marksman, mage, etc.)
• 3 champions with similar playstyles to the ones you already love

You’ll need to complete milestones with these champions to earn seasonal rewards.To check how much time you have left to complete your Season Set, hover over the season icon on the Ranked screen.

Mastery Missions

Simple truth: play well, and you’ll earn Battle Pass XP (BXP):

Eligible Game Modes

Unfortunately, you can’t earn Mastery Points everywhere—only in specific game modes:

• Normal mode (Draft/ Swiftplay)
• Ranked
• ARAM
• Rotating game modes

The exception is Arena—Mastery Points are not awarded in this mode.

Important note: Season Milestones can only be completed in modes that give grades: Normal, Ranked, and ARAM.

Mastery Rewards

Earlier we talked about rewards for champion mastery—now let’s take a closer look at what exactly you can earn.

Battle Pass XP (BXP)

The more you play and earn Mastery Points, the more Battle Pass XP you’ll collect.

Mastery Crests

These are the stylish icons that show your Mastery Level on a specific champion. From Level 1 to 10, they become increasingly shiny and detailed. Once you hit Level 11 and beyond, your actual level number is also displayed.

Mastery Emote

Unlocked at Mastery Level 4 and above. You can use it in-game by pressing Ctrl-6 or typing/masterybadge in chat.

Loading Screen Banner

Your champion’s Mastery Level will also appear to all players in the loading screen lobby, starting from Level 4.

Multi-Kill Announcement Banner

If you’re Mastery Level 4 or higher, a special banner appears under your multi-kill text in-game.

There are three categories:

• Level 4
• Levels 5–9
• Level 10+

Death Recap

If someone with Mastery Level 4+ takes you down, their mastery will show up in your Death Recap. Just like the multi-kill banner, Mastery Levels 10+ are currently displayed without the specific number.

Is it worth aiming for Champions Mastery?

Honestly, that’s a very personal question. Riot Games designed the mastery system in a way that doesn’t feel exhausting or overwhelming. At its core, it’s simple: play your favorite champion and earn mastery points.

Since League of Legends is largely built around micro-skill, the more you play a single champion, the better you understand their mechanics and flow. Sooner or later — whether you plan it or not — you’ll naturally build up a solid champion pool.

On top of that, Mastery Crests look great on your profile — a small but satisfying symbol of your progress. The level-up system is designed with player comfort in mind, and the rewards you earn along the way keep you motivated to continue.

Most importantly, just enjoy the game. Champions Mastery will come on its own. Good Luck, Have Fun, and enjoy the game!