How to Play TFT: Beginner Guide

How a TFT game works

Every game has 8 players and each of you starts with 100 health. Each round you face another player's board or a group of monsters, and the units fight automatically. If you lose a fight, you lose health based on the stage and how many enemy units survived. Hit 0 and you're out.

Your final place depends on when you get knocked out. 1st to 4th is a good result in ranked and gains LP, 5th to 8th loses LP. That's why most players talk about top 4 instead of first place.

Stages and rounds

• Stage 1 is a short warmup against monsters. No player can hit you yet, and it gives you your first items and gold.
• Player rounds make up most of every stage after that. You face a random opponent each time.
• Monster rounds close out most stages and drop loot: item components, gold or champions.
• The carousel (shared draft) happens once per stage. Everyone runs to the middle to grab a champion that carries an item. The players with the least health pick first.

Rounds are named like 3-2: the first number is the stage, the second is the round inside it. Guides and tier lists use this format all the time.

The shop, gold and experience

Each round your shop shows 5 random champions. Buying one puts it on your bench, and you can place it on the board from there. Champions cost 1 to 5 gold: cheap ones are common and weaker, expensive ones are rare and strong.

• Refresh (reroll) costs 2 gold and gives you 5 new champions.
• Buy XP costs 4 gold for 4 experience. Leveling up lets you field one more champion and raises your odds of seeing expensive ones.
• Interest: at the start of each round you get 1 extra gold for every 10 gold you hold, up to 5 extra at 50 gold.
• Streaks: winning or losing several player rounds in a row pays bonus gold.

Your level is the number of champions you can have on the board. The bench holds the rest, so you can collect copies before you use them.

The economy guide explains how to spend this gold well, and the leveling and rolling guide covers when to level.

Champion stars: 1, 2 and 3 star

Buy three copies of the same 1 star champion and they merge into a 2 star version with much more health, damage and a stronger ability. Three 2 star copies make a 3 star. Early on, a 2 star unit usually beats a 1 star unit that costs more, so upgrading matters more than buying the most expensive thing in the shop.

• Copies on your bench count, so keep pairs while you look for the third.
• Every player buys from the same shared pool. If two players collect the same champion, both find fewer copies.
• 3 star 1 cost and 2 cost champions are the core of reroll comps. A 3 star 5 cost is rare and often wins the game on its own.

Traits and synergies

Every champion has two or three traits. When you field enough different champions that share a trait, it reaches a breakpoint and gives a bonus, like extra armor for the team or a special effect for those units. The numbers next to a trait, such as 2 / 4 / 6, are its breakpoints.

• Only different champions count: two copies of the same unit count once.
• High breakpoints are strong but take many slots. Mixing two or three smaller breakpoints is often easier.
• Emblems give a champion an extra trait, so you can reach a breakpoint with fewer units.

You can test trait mixes in the team builder and look up every breakpoint on the traits page.

Items in a nutshell

Monster rounds and the carousel give you item components, like B.F. Sword or Chain Vest. Drag two components onto a champion and they combine into a full item. Each champion holds up to 3 items, and items stay on a champion until you sell it, so put them on units you plan to keep.

A simple rule for your first games: damage items go on your main damage dealer (the carry), defensive items go on the tank that stands in front. The item guide goes deeper and the items page shows what each one does.

Augments

A few times per game you pick one of three augments. They're bonuses that last the whole game: extra gold, a free item, a stronger trait or more stats for your team. Picking the one that fits your board usually beats picking the one with the coolest text.

Our augment tier list shows how each augment does in real ranked games.

Tips for your first games

1. Pick one meta comp before the game and aim for it, but switch if the shop keeps giving you something else.
2. Fill every slot on the board. An empty slot is lost strength.
3. Try to stay above 10, 20 or 30 gold so interest keeps paying.
4. Upgrade units to 2 star before you chase expensive champions.
5. Watch your health. Below 40, stop saving and spend gold to get stronger.
6. Look at other boards between rounds. Scouting shows which champions are contested and who you'll face.

FAQ

Use it in your next game