Looking for your first League of Legends champion without a tier list that will be out of date in two weeks? Here are fifteen names split by role: top, jungle, mid, ADC and support. A champion only made the list if Riot Games itself flags them as suitable for new players (through a Low difficulty rating, the cheapest price tier, the tutorial or the How to Play page) and at least one games outlet recommends them too. Everything here is accurate as of 20 October 2026 and patch 26.20.
How we picked the champions
Every champion’s official page lists a difficulty rating on a three-step scale: Low, Medium and High. As of 20 October 2026 there are 173 champions, 28 of them rated Low, 104 Medium and 41 High. Low is the easiest, but some Medium champions are ones Riot itself puts in front of new players. That’s why we quote the exact rating from the official page for every name, even when it’s Medium.
The second signal is price. Riot sorts champions into fixed price tiers, and the cheapest one, 225 BE or 260 RP, is for champions who have been around for several seasons and, in Riot’s words, are great for new players. Riot names Malphite, Miss Fortune and Yuumi as examples. Blue Essence (BE) is earned by playing, RP is bought with real money. Most champions cost 2,400 BE or 880 RP, brand-new ones (in their first two seasons) 3,150 BE or 975 RP. BE prices were halved on 5 March 2025. For what RP costs in real money, see our RP prices guide.
The third signal is who Riot hands you right at the start. In Battle training you choose between Ashe, Ryze and Garen. The official How to Play page introduces new players to Miss Fortune, Lux, Darius, Ahri, Master Yi, Garen, Sona, Tristana, Brand and Ekko, and its first-login reward lets you pick one marksman: Tristana, Caitlyn or Ezreal (plus a 3-day XP boost and a Hextech Chest).
You can also try champions before buying them. Players up to account level 11 get a dedicated New Player Champion Rotation with champions whose abilities Riot describes as intuitive and forgiving. The line-up varies by region and changes from time to time, so we won’t promise a specific list. Unlocking champions in general is covered in our champions overview.
Overview: beginner champions by role
| Role | Champion | Official difficulty | Riot backing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | Garen | Medium | Battle training, How to Play |
| Top | Darius | Low | How to Play |
| no set lane | Malphite | Low | new player price tier (225 BE / 260 RP) |
| Jungle | Warwick | Low | Low difficulty |
| Jungle | Amumu | Low | Low difficulty |
| Jungle | Master Yi | Medium | How to Play |
| Mid | Lux | Medium | How to Play |
| Mid (alternative) | Annie | Medium | editor pick only |
| ADC | Miss Fortune | Low | new player price tier (225 BE / 260 RP), How to Play |
| ADC | Caitlyn | Medium | first-login reward |
| ADC | Ashe | Medium | Battle training |
| Support | Sona | Medium | How to Play |
| Support | Morgana | Low | Low difficulty |
| Support | Yuumi | Low | new player price tier (225 BE / 260 RP) |
| Support (alternative) | Leona | Medium | editor pick only (PCGamesN) |
We only list prices for the three champions Riot names in the cheapest tier (as of 20 October 2026). For everyone else, check the in-client store. What each role actually does in a match is covered in our LoL roles guide.
Top lane: Garen, Darius and Malphite
Garen is the safest top lane pick. PCGamesN recommends him in its 2026 list, so does Dexerto, and Riot features him both in the tutorial and on How to Play. One thing that often gets mixed up online: Garen’s official difficulty is Medium, not Low.
Darius is rated Low, and Riot shows him to new players on How to Play. Dexerto lists him as a beginner-friendly top laner. That recommendation comes from an older article, so treat him as a frequently recommended pick rather than the strongest champion right now.
Malphite is rated Low, and Riot places him among champions for new players in the cheapest tier, 225 BE / 260 RP. The outlets we used don’t specifically recommend him as a beginner top laner, though. Think of him as a cheap first purchase and test the lane yourself in games against bots.
Jungle: Warwick, Amumu and Master Yi
Jungle asks the most decisions of a new player, because you’re looking after the whole map rather than one opponent. If it still appeals to you, start with one of these three.
Warwick is PCGamesN’s top jungle pick for beginners in 2026, and his official difficulty is Low. Game Rant recommends him as well.
Amumu is rated Low, and Dexerto lists him as a beginner jungler. Master Yi is rated Medium, Dexerto recommends him for the jungle and Riot features him on How to Play.
The jungle changed a lot from Season 2026 (patch 26.1): junglers have a pet, their own role quest and epic monsters take longer to kill. How it all works and when Baron or Void Grubs spawn is explained in our jungle objectives guide.
Mid lane: Lux and Annie
Lux is PCGamesN’s best mid laner for beginners in 2026, Dexerto recommends her to new players as a support, and Riot features her on How to Play. Her official difficulty is Medium. Being recommended for two roles comes in handy when the game sends you somewhere other than your first pick.
Annie is called the gateway to mid lane by Dexerto and is rated Medium. Since only one outlet recommends her, she’s listed here as an alternative rather than a main pick.
ADC: Miss Fortune, Caitlyn and Ashe
Miss Fortune has the strongest backing of anyone on this list. Low official difficulty, Riot names her in the cheapest new player tier (225 BE / 260 RP), features her on How to Play, and Dexerto calls her a starter ADC suitable for beginners.
Caitlyn is PCGamesN’s best ADC for beginners in 2026. Riot offers her as one of three first-login reward options, so you can have her right away without paying. She’s rated Medium.
Ashe is recommended to new players by Dexerto, and Riot puts her in Battle training. She’s rated Medium.
Support: Sona, Morgana, Yuumi and Leona
Sona is recommended to new players by Dexerto, with Game Rant agreeing, and Riot features her on How to Play. She’s rated Medium. Morgana is rated Low, and Dexerto recommends her to beginners.
Yuumi is rated Low, and Riot names her in the cheapest tier for new players. Dexerto describes her as a champion with very low difficulty.
Leona is the alternative: PCGamesN calls her the best support for beginners in 2026, and her official difficulty is Medium.
What to avoid when choosing
- Don’t buy a champion just because they’re strong right now. Riot itself points out that balance changes, and what’s strong today can be average a few patches later.
- Don’t chase tier lists. Win-rate rankings go stale faster than your knowledge of a champion does.
- Use the filters. In your profile (Champions tab) you can filter champions by class, and in champ select you can search by name. Riot uses six classes: Assassin, Marksman, Fighter, Mage, Support and Tank.
Once you’ve picked your champion, find out what to buy for them in our LoL items guide. Basic runes are covered in a separate guide.
Join our Discord to find people who play LoL and are happy to take a new player into their party: GamersTogether Discord.
How critics rate League of Legends and whether it is worth your time, we cover in our League of Legends review.
FAQ
Miss Fortune has the strongest official backing: Low difficulty, the cheapest new player price tier, and Riot features her on the How to Play page. For top lane, Garen is the safest choice, and Riot also puts him in the tutorial.
No. Garen’s official champion page lists his difficulty as Medium. Outlets and Riot still recommend him to new players, and Riot includes him in Battle training.
As of 20 October 2026, Malphite, Miss Fortune and Yuumi are in the cheapest tier at 225 BE or 260 RP. Most champions cost 2,400 BE or 880 RP.
Yes. Up to account level 11 you get a dedicated New Player Champion Rotation, and your first-login reward lets you pick one marksman: Tristana, Caitlyn or Ezreal.
As of 20 October 2026, 28 out of 173 champions. Another 104 are rated Medium and 41 High.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. More guides are waiting in the League of Legends hub.