Unlockable Champions enter TFT Set 16: Lore & Legends

by

“The moment you unlock one, it’s guaranteed to show up in your next shop. No luck required.”

Riot Games recently shared details about the upcoming Teamfight Tactics (TFT) set, called Lore & Legends (Set 16). They’ve explained a new feature called Unlockable Champions.

TFT Set 16 Lore & Legends gets Unlockable Champions

The new Teamfight Tactics set, Lore & Legends, will launch on December 3rd with patch 16.1. This set lets players experience iconic stories from Runeterra and introduces a new feature: Unlockable Champions, bringing the total champion count to 100.

Julien Camaraza, lead designer for Teamfight Tactics Set 16, explained that previous sets usually featured around 60 champions. However, the upcoming ‘Lore & Legends’ set will have 100 playable champions, though players will initially only have access to 40 of them through a new gameplay mechanic.

Forty of the game’s champions need to be unlocked by completing certain tasks. Stephen Mortimer, the game’s design director (known as Mortdog), explained the reasoning behind this in a video.

Teamfight Tactics sets don’t have to rely on a fixed number of powerful champions. With the new ‘Lore & Legends’ set, we’re introducing 100 champions and a new system that allows for almost limitless team compositions. Since the beginning of TFT, we’ve struggled with the fact that even in a balanced game, players eventually end up using the same few champions and building similar end-game teams. This new ‘Unlockable Champions’ mechanic is our attempt to solve that problem,” explained Mortdog.

How Unlockable Champions work in TFT 16

TFT Set 16 features 40 Champions that players can unlock during a game. These Champions vary in cost, from 2 to 7 gold. Once a player unlocks a Champion, it becomes available for them to use for the rest of the match.

Plus, once you unlock something, you’re guaranteed to see it in your next shop – no random chance involved, according to Mortdog.

Let’s discuss Galio, a powerful unit unlocked by reaching 12 Demacia trait levels. Once unlocked and added to your bench, Galio’s traits immediately start providing bonuses, even while he’s not actively in the game. Plus, he can enter the battle without needing a space on your board.

In Teamfight Tactics Set 16, the Shurima trait is exceptionally strong, but hard to fully utilize. Every Shurima champion except Azir needs to be unlocked individually, and doing so requires completing tricky challenges. These challenges often involve specific win/loss conditions – for example, you might need to win games with Renekton, lose with Nasus, and have mixed results with Xerath. However, the effort is worthwhile: if you collect all four Shurima champions, they all become fully upgraded to 3-star units.

Yordles galore in Lore & Legends

Let’s not overlook the Yordles in TFT Set 16! Many of the Yordle champions need to be unlocked before you can use them. As you unlock more Yordles, you’ll also get special bonuses. Unlocking them isn’t always straightforward – some happen automatically as you level up, while others, like Veigar and Fizz, require specific conditions, such as building certain items or having a specific number of Yordles or Bilgewater champions on your bench. This system is designed to make late-game team builds more varied and interesting.

  • (2) Yordles gain 50 Health and 7% Attack Speed for each Yordle fielded. 3-star Yordles grant 50% more!
  • (4) And your first shop each round has a Yordle in it!
  • (6) And get 2 free rerolls each round!
  • (8) And get a Yordle Grab Bag each round!

Riot Games on how the Yordle army works in TFT Set 16

Read More

2025-11-17 09:41